McDonald County split a pair of games Sunday in the consolation bracket of the Joplin 18U Baseball Showcase Tournament to close out its 2020 summer season.
McDonald County advanced to the finals of the consolation bracket with a 6-5 win over Neosho in Sunday's first game.
Riley Boyd allowed one run in three innings of relief to get the win. Boyd gave up just one hit, while striking out six, walking one and hitting two others.
Isaac Behm started on the mound for McDonald County, allowing one run on five hits in four innings.
Neosho trailed 3-1 before scoring three runs in the fifth off of Destyn Dowd in the fifth. Dowd relieved Behm to start the inning but failed to get an out before Neosho scored three runs on two walks, two hit batters, two singles and an error. But Boyd came in with the bases loaded and struck out the side to escape further damage.
After Neosho took a 1-0 lead in the first, McDonald County tied the game in the bottom half of the inning. Cole Martin singled, stole second and went to third on an overthrow before scoring on a wild pitch.
In the third, Martin tripled with two out to drive in Jackson Behm to give McDonald County a 2-1 lead.
Walks to Destyn Dowd and Levi Malone and a single by Junior Eliam loaded the bases with no out in the fourth, but McDonald County was only able to score one run on Weston Gordon's sacrifice fly.
Neosho used its three-run fifth to take a 5-3 lead, but McDonald County cut the margin to 5-4 with a run in the bottom of the fifth.
Issac Behm singled and scored on Martin's single to get McDonald County within a single run.
McDonald County scored the tying and winning runs in the sixth. Destyn Dowd singled to lead off the inning. With one out, Malone singled with Dowd going to third on the hit and then scoring on a wild throw. With two-out, Gordon drove in Malone with the winning run on a single up the middle.
Martin finished with three hits and Malone two to lead McDonald County. Destyn Dowd, Isaac Behm, Eliam and Gordon had one each.
Oklahoma Prospects
The Oklahoma Prospects beat McDonald County 3-1 in the fifth-place game.
Weston Gordon took the loss, allowing two runs on four hits in three innings while striking out two. Jackson Behm gave up one run in two-plus innings on one hit before Nevin Price pitched an inning of shutout relief.
McDonald County was held to just one run on three hits, including two by Issac Behm. Malone singled in the second and scored on Isaac Behm's single for the lone McDonald County run. Isaac Behm's double in the fifth was the only other McDonald County hit.
Webb City
Noah Mitchell held McDonald County to three runs on three hits in six innings to lead Webb City to an 8-3 win on July 17 in the opening game of pool play. Boyd took the loss for McDonald County, allowing two runs without a hit in two-plus innings. The senior at MCHS walked two and hit two others while striking out two.
Isaac Behm relieved Boyd with no one out and two runners on in the third inning when Webb City scored five runs. Two errors and a walk led to three of the five runs.
McDonald County cut the margin to 5-1 in the fourth when Martin walked before scoring on a wild pitch.
After Webb City stretched its lead to 6-1 in the bottom of the fourth, Wade Rickman doubled and Jack Parnell singled to lead off the sixth inning. Martin drove in a run on a ground out before a second run scored on an error to cut the lead to 6-3.
But Webb City scored two insurance runs in the sixth off of Gordon to seal the 8-3 win.
Martin, Rickman and Parnell had one hit each to account for McDonald County's three hits.
Bullpen
The Southwest Missouri bullpen scored two runs in the first inning and made them stand up in a 2-0 win in McDonald County's second game in pool play.
Dylan Gallup took the loss for McDonald County, allowing just two runs on four hits in six innings while striking out eight.
McDonald County was shut out on just five hits. Malone led McDonald County with two singles. Eliam, Parnell and Cross Dowd had one each.
Oklahoma Red Dirt
McDonald County claimed a 7-6 win over Oklahoma Red Dirt in its final pool game.
McDonald County scored three runs in the first inning but had to rally in the sixth and seventh innings after Oklahoma took a 6-4 lead with four runs in the fifth.
Singles by Martin and Malone keyed McDonald County's three-run first that was helped by an error and a walk along with two wild pitches.
Oklahoma cut the lead to 3-2 with two runs off Cross Dowd in the third before McDonald County scored a run in the fourth to stretch the lead to 4-2.
But in the fifth, Oklahoma scored four runs on just one hit to take a 6-4 lead. Two walks, a hit batter and two errors set up the big inning for the Oklahomans.
McDonald County tied the game at 6-6 with two runs in the fifth. Martin doubled and scored on Cross Dowd's single. Destyn Dowd singled to put runners on first and third before an error allowed the tying run to score.
Nevin Price walked and scored the winning run in the sixth. Price stole second and scored when Jackson Behm's ground ball was thrown away.
Martin finished with three hits and Cross Dowd added two to lead McDonald County. Destyn Dowd and Malone had the only other hits for McDonald County.
Cross Dowd went the distance for the win, allowing six runs on just four hits.
Coach Kevin Burgi said even though it was a shortened summer schedule due to covid-19, at least some games were able to be played.
"I thought our kids got better as the summer went on," Burgi said. "You expect that with younger kids. At times you're playing against graduated seniors, but we were still competitive all summer. I was really happy with how some of our younger arms developed and I thought we got better defensively. We were glad to have Nevin (Price) and Jackson (Behm). Their senior seasons were mostly wiped out which nobody wanted to see. Those two decided to play this summer and I can't thank them enough. Nevin threw well for us this summer and he was going to get a chance to be a starting infielder and pitcher for us this spring. To have that get cut out is hard to see. He is a great kid and I hate it for him.
"It is pretty much the same for Jackson. He was going to start in the outfield and see some time on the mound. Jackson is an incredibly hard worker and he is a kid who has been in the program for four years and was waiting for his chance to get to play as a senior and it gets taken away. It's tough that he didn't get that chance."
