Mustangs Walk Off Against Carl Junction

RICK PECK/SPECIAL TO MCDONALD COUNTY PRESS Tyler Stoutsenberger steals second base during McDonald County's 6-5 win over Carl Junction on April 28 at MCHS.
RICK PECK/SPECIAL TO MCDONALD COUNTY PRESS Tyler Stoutsenberger steals second base during McDonald County's 6-5 win over Carl Junction on April 28 at MCHS.

Charlie Moore went the distance and allowed just one earned run, but it took a two-run seventh inning run for the McDonald County Mustangs to beat Carl Junction, 6-5, on April 28 at MCHS.

Moore, a junior right-hander, gave up five runs, only one earned, on six hits while striking out nine and walking two.

After giving up two unearned runs in the top of the seventh to give the Bulldogs a 5-4 lead, the Mustangs answered in the bottom half of the inning for the walk-off win.

Ty Shaver singled and stole second to start the rally. Boston Dowd moved Shaver to third with a sacrifice bunt before Joe Brown tied the game with an RBI single.

Moore singled Brown to third and advanced to second on a wild throw. Trey Black was intentionally walked to load the bases for Jorden Platter. Platter hit a hard one-hopper to second, but the throw to the plate was wild, allowing courtesy runner Reece Cooper to score the winning run.

McDonald County trailed 3-0 in the bottom of the third when Izak Johnson hit a home run over the left-field fence to get the Mustangs on the scoreboard.

The Mustangs tied the game in the fourth on singles by Dowd and Brown to open the inning. Moore walked to load the bases for Black, who responded with a sacrifice fly. Platter then singled to drive in the tying run.

McDonald County took the lead in the fifth on a walk to Shaver and singles by Dowd and Brown.

Brown finished with three hits, while Dowd had two to lead the Mustangs. Shaver, Moore, Platter and Johnson added one hit each.

Springfield Catholic

Springfield Catholic scored two runs in the first and five in the second to cruise to a 9-1 in the second game of the doubleheader.

Grant Cooper took the loss, allowing nine runs, three earned, on 11 hits while striking out five and walking three in six and a third innings. Raygan Bradley allowed one hit while getting the final two outs.

The Mustangs scored their only run in the sixth inning on a home run by Tyler Stoutsenberger.

Brown and Stoutsenberger had two hits each to lead the offense, while Black, Platter and Oakley Roessler had one hit each.

Monett

Monett scored an unearned run in the bottom of the seventh to claim a 2-1 Big 8 Conference win on April 24 in Monett.

For his third start in a row, Dowd settled into a pitching duel with a Division I college prospect -- this time it was left-hander Corey Spain, a University of Arkansas signee.

McDonald County took a 1-0 lead in the first on a single by Dowd and a two-out RBI hit by Moore.

Monett tied the game in the second on a pair of hits and an error.

Dowd and Spain then put up zeroes on the board until the seventh. Cade Smith relieved Dowd and got the final out in the sixth before Monett broke through in the seventh on a hit, a walk and an error.

Dowd allowed five hits, struck out six and walked four in five and two-thirds innings. Smith allowed two hits, struck out two and walked one in one full inning of relief.

Spain held the Mustangs hit-less after giving up the two hits in the first, striking out 12 and walking one.

Wyandotte

Cade Smith allowed two runs on four hits in six innings before Raygan Bradley pitched a perfect seventh to lead McDonald County to a 6-2 win over Wyandotte on April 30 at Wyandotte High School.

The Mustangs took a 2-0 lead in third on a double by Oakley Roessler, a bunt hit by Ty Shaver, an RBI single by Boston Dowd and an RBI groundball by Joe Brown.

Wyandotte cut the lead to 2-1 in the bottom half of the inning before McDonald County scored a run in the top of the fourth on a single by Tyler Stoutsenberger and an RBI double by Izak Johnson.

Wyandotte again cut the lead to two in the bottom half of the inning, but the Mustangs scored insurance runs in fifth and seventh innings.

Shaver and Stoutsenberger finished with two hits each to lead McDonald County, while Dowd, Charlie Moore, Jorden Platter, James King, Roessler and Johnson had one hit each.

McDonald County improves to 14-8, 3-2 in the Big 8 Conference, for the season heading into its May 1 game at Seneca. The Mustangs return home on May 3 to face Mount Vernon and on May 4 to take on Bentonville West in games postponed earlier this season due to the weather.

Sports on 05/03/2018