The McDonald County 14U baseball team split a pair of doubleheaders last week to run its record to 11-8 for the season.
On June 8 at McDonald County High School, McDonald County swept a doubleheader against Tahlequah, Okla.
In the first game, McDonald County claimed a 13-0 win behind the one-hit pitching of Levi Helm. Helm struck out 11 in five innings while walking two.
McDonald County scored all the runs it would need in a five-run first inning. Bo Leach and Helm had singles while Junior Eliam added a two-run double to key the inning.
McDonald County added three runs in the third inning on singles from Leach and Helm, two walks and a hit by pitch.
Leach had a double and Helm a single for their third hits of the game to key McDonald County's five-run fourth to close out the scoring.
In addition to Helm's and Leach's three hits, Eliam, Matthew Mora and Colton Ruddick each had one hit.
In the nightcap, Wyatt Habert held Tahlequah to one hit in McDonald County's three-inning 12-1 win. Habert walked four and hit two batters while striking out seven.
McDonald County scored five runs in the first, five in the second and two in the third.
Helm started the first-inning rally with an RBI double following a leadoff walk. Eliam walked before an error, singles by Mora and Cross Dowd accounted for the final four runs of the inning.
In the second inning, five walks and Dowd's RBI single keyed the five-run inning.
McDonald County scored its final two runs in the third inning on three walks and singles by Ruddick and Eli Jackson.
McDonald County was at Grove on June 14 before it returns home to host Jay on June 16.
Joplin
McDonald County was swept by Joplin on June 5 at MCHS.
In the opener, Joplin scored four runs in the first inning off Leach on the way to an 11-7 win. Joplin added a pair of runs off of Dowd in the second before McDonald County scored two in the bottom half of the inning on hits from Dowd and Brandon Armstrong and a pair of walks.
Joplin added three runs in the third, but McDonald County answered with a run in the bottom of the third and three in the bottom of the fourth to cut the lead to 9-6. Three walks led to the run in the third while Habert and Leach keyed the fourth with singles.
Joplin added an insurance run in the fifth before McDonald County scored two runs in the bottom half of the inning on three walks and Eliam's single.
Jackson went the distance in the nightcap to take the loss, allowing five runs on seven hits.
Dowd and Eliam singled in the second for McDonald County's first run while Helm singled and Leach walked in front of Mora's two-run double in the fifth.
Helm, Dowd and Mora had two hits each to lead McDonald County while Eliam and Jackson had one.
Sports on 06/15/2017