After Carthage’s Kyle Wicklund added a two-run double in the bottom of the third inning Saturday against McDonald County, it gave his team a 3-2 lead.

All three runs were from Wicklund, who hit a solo home run to right-center field in the previous inning.

And after his second hit in as many at-bats, someone posed a question, “Is there anyone hotter than Kyle Wicklund right now ?”

A short answer: No.

A long answer: It took some time, but Wicklund wasn’t done with his big day.
McDonald County Post 392 took what appeared to be a comfortable 9-5 lead in the top of the eighth inning of the American Legion District 15 first round game Saturday night.

However, things were far from over and it was Wicklund who had the last say. The Crowder College signee blasted a grand slam over the left center field fence to spark his Merchants to a come-from-behind 10-9 victory.

The win moves Carthage into the second round with a match up against the winner of Neosho/Miller at 7:30 p.m. Monday.

McDonald County, after using four pitchers in the loss, will look to bounce back and come through the loser’s bracket, starting at 3:30 p.m.

The bottom of the eighth inning was the critical junction for both teams in the game. Drew Pearcy, who had little problems with Carthage in his first inning of relief work in the seventh inning, ran into problems from the start in the bottom of the eighth.

Dalton Cossey led off with a single and then moved up a base when Dylan Samuelson coaxed a walk. Stephen Poston then hit a harder grounder that took a hop over shortstop and rolled into left field, allowing Cossey to score, making it 9-6.

The next batter, Caleb Fierro, walked to load the bases.

Alex Arntfield was called in to pitch from right field and he was welcomed into the game by Wicklund’s grand slam.

That gave Wicklund his third hit of the game and his seventh RBI.

Carthage brought in Josh Mason to throw the top of the ninth inning and the southpaw gave up only one base runner in securing the save.

The victory went to, of all people, Wicklund, who came in the midst of a firestorm, so to speak, in the top of the fourth inning.

McDonald County (27-16) got a single from Sy Morris to open the inning and then walks by Robert Cornell and Bo Bergen to load the bases of Carthage starter Joseph Allan.

Jeb Clark then reached on a fielder’s choice that drove in a run, tying the game at 3-3. Arntfield followed with a walk and so did Trevor Speagle, forcing in a run, making it 4-3.
Wicklund then came in and walked Travis Spears to force in another run, making it 5-3.

With two outs and  a 3-2 count, Dakota Acuff walked to force in another run for Post 392.

McDonald County expanded its lead to 7-3 in the fifth inning when Cornell reached on an error and scored on a wild pitch.

Post 392 starter Bo Bergen ran into problems in the sixth inning, his final inning, giving up a pair of runs. Cossey drew a bases-loaded walk and an error lead to another run for the Merchants, making it 7-5.

With the bases still loaded after the error, Bergen retired the next three batters with strikeouts.

Post 392 tacked on single runs in the seventh and eighth innings to expand its lead to 9-5, setting the stage for the eighth inning climax.

In the seventh inning, Cornell, a Lyons College signee, was hit by a pitch and scored on Arntfield’s sacrifice fly.

Pearcy walked and scored on Acuff’s RBI double to left-center field in the eighth inning, making it 9-5.