The first night in the 3rd Annual Marcus O’Hara Wood Bat Tournament in Monett was good and bad for McDonald County Post 392.
The team lost its opening game, but bounced back to win the nightcap.
Carl Junction Post 781 handed Post 392 its second loss in three meetings between the two teams, winning 8-4.
In the second game, Post 392 came back to defeat Reeds Spring 5-2.
Against Carl Junction, the game was tied 5-5 in the fifth inning when Post 781 scored five runs off McDonald County. The key was three runs scoring on errors, including two on Trenton Doyle’s hit.
Also in the inning, Jake Hale and Seth Spencer had RBI singles.
McDonald County scored all of its runs in consecutive innings, starting in the third inning when Bryan Burnett had an RBI single.
In the fourth inning, a run scored on Nick Wills’ hit and Sy Morris doubled him home. The team’s final run came in the bottom of the fifth inning when a double play scored a run.
Carl Junction scored runs in the same three innings ironically. In the third inning, Andrew Wheeler had an RBI squeeze bunt. In the fourth inning, Carl Junction went up on an RBI single by Hale and an error.
Dusty Stites started and threw six innings for Post 392, striking out four and walking two.
Logan Deem started for Carl Junction and went four innings for the win. Jake Stevenson came in to pitch the final three innings for the save.
Morris, Burnett and Bo Bergen all had two hits for Post 392 in the loss.
In the second game, in the loser’s bracket, Post 392 defeated Reeds Spring behind two big innings. Trailing 2-0, Mac County went up 3-2 in the bottom of the fourth inning when Drew Pearcy had a bases-clearing double with two outs.
In the bottom of the sixth inning, Post 392 loaded the bases on singles by Burnett and Bergen and an intentional walk to Trevor Speagle. Then, a two-out, two-run error allowed Post 392 to score its final runs of the game.
Bergen was the only player with multiple hits, getting two for McDonald County.
Wills got the victory, giving up five hits and one earned run. He struck out seven and walked one, including striking out the side in the sixth inning.
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UP NEXT
OPPONENT: East Newton Rockets
WHEN: 6 p.m., Wednesday, July 1
WHERE: McDonald County High School
