The McDonald County 14U baseball team fell to 11-6 for the season by dropping a pair of games to Arkansas Express 15- and 16-year-old teams on June 3-4 at MCHS.
On June 3, McDonald County was trailing 6-3 in the top of the seventh with runners on first and second with one out when a light rain turned into a downpour that caused the game to be called.
Brandon Armstrong took the loss, allowing six runs on six hits while striking out four and walking three.
McDonald County scored all three of its runs in the third inning to erase a 2-0 deficit.
Wyatt Habert walked with one out before Bo Leach drove him in with a two-out single. Levi Helm reached on an error and Matthew Mora was hit by a pitch to load the bases. Rafe Stull and Armstrong followed with RBI singles to give McDonald County a 3-2 lead.
But the Express scored two runs in the fourth on two errors and a triple and added two insurance runs in the sixth on four hits to seal the win.
Martin and Stull had two hits to lead McDonald County while Leach, Helm and Armstrong all had one each.
On June 4, McDonald County dropped an 8-1 decision to a second Express team. Levi Helm took the loss, allowing eight runs on six hits, striking out four and walking three.
McDonald County scored its lone run in the first on a single by Martin and a Helm's RBI ground out. Martin's hit to lead off the game was the only McDonald County hit.
McDonald County was scheduled to host Joplin on June 5 before taking on Tahlequah on June 8 at MCHS.
Joplin
McDonald County split a doubleheader with Joplin seventh-grade on June 1 at McDonald County. Joplin won the opener 11-4 with Leach taking the loss for McDonald County.
McDonald County scored a run in the first on Martin's base hit and Armstrong's RBI fielder's choice.
In the third, Wyatt Jordan singled and scored on Martin's double. Junior Eliam singled before Helm drove in Martin with a ground out.
McDonald County's final run came in the fourth on two walks and Colton Ruddick's RBI fielder's choice.
In the nightcap, McDonald County scored two runs in the bottom of the fifth for a 7-6 walk-off win to make a winner of Ruddick, who relieved Habert in the second inning.
Eliam was hit by a pitch, Ruddick walked and Cross Dowd walked before one run scored on a wild pitch and the second came home on a throw to first when the third strike was dropped with Eli Jackson at the plate.
Ruddick struck out nine in three and two-thirds inning, shutting out Joplin on two hits.
Mora had a two-run double in the third and Dowd had a single in the second to lead McDonald County's offense.
Jay
McDonald County swept a doubleheader on May 30 at Jay, winning the first 7-4 behind the pitching of Dowd and Armstrong. Dowd got the win with relief help from Armstrong.
Martin had two hits while Leach, Helm, Mora, Levi Malone, and Jackson had one each.
Jordan went the distance on the mound to lead McDonald County to a 12-2 win in the second game.
Martin had two hits and Leach and Ruddick both had one as McDonald County took advantage of nine walks in three innings to help score 12 runs.
Sports on 06/08/2017