Bulldogs Score Big In First Round Win Over Seneca
The McDonald County 16U baseball team salvaged its summer debut at the Bulldog Baseball Academy Tournament last week in Carl Junction by beating Seneca 14-3 Sunday in a matchup of winless teams during pool play.
Oakley Roessler and Rendon Lane each threw two innings of shutout ball before Seneca managed to score three runs in the fifth off of Kade Brock and Cade Smith.
McDonald County’s offense was led by Micah Burkholder, who had four hits and four RBIs. Roessler and Izak Johnson chipped in with two hits each.
McDonald County scored early and often, jumping out to an early 3-0 lead in the first and stretched the margin to 5-0 in the second before scoring three more in the third, two in the fourth and four in the fifth.
McDonald County opened the tournament with an 8-5 loss to Carl Junction on May 27. McDonald County led 4-2 entering the top of the fourth when Carl Junction scored five runs to take a 7-4 lead. Each team added a single run in the sixth inning.
Grant Cooper worked the first four innings to take the loss. Smith worked a scoreless fifth and Brock allowed a run in the sixth.
After Carl Junction touched Cooper for two runs in the first, McDonald County came back with four runs in the second. Burkholder walked and scored on a double by Cooper to start the uprising. Kameron Hopkins, Trae Black and Reece Cooper followed with singles before Dylan Teague walked with the bases loaded to drive in the final run of the inning.
Smith drove in McDonald County’s final run in the fifth inning, which also came on a bases-loaded walk.
In the second game of the doubleheader, Monett scored six runs in the first and five in the second to claim an 11-1 decision in McDonald County’s second-round pool game. Ragan Wilson took the loss, allowing eight runs in an inning plus before Koby McAlister finished.
David Roark doubled and scored on Black’s groundout in the fifth for McDonald County’s lone run. Teague and McAlister both had singles for the only other McDonald County hits.
Nixa beat McDonald County 6-0 on May 28, holding McDonald County to four hits. Johnson took the loss, allowing five runs on six hits while walking three, all coming in Nixa’s three run fifth inning.
Roessler, Johnson, McAlister and Reece Cooper all singled to account for McDonald County’s four hits.
McDonald County began regular season play on Tuesday at Seneca. The team’s home opener is set for June 2. Game time is 5:30 p.m.