By Brennan Stebbins (For OzarksSportsZone.com)
With a pitcher’s duel on tap in Monday’s Class 5 District 7 baseball championship at Neosho, Webb City assistant coach Aaron Snow figured the first team to score would probably get the win.
The Cardinals threw out a runner at home plate in the fourth inning to keep McDonald County off the scoreboard, and then scratched across two runs in the final innings as Webb City downed the Mustangs 2-0 for the program’s second district title in a row.
“Man, two years in a row,” Snow said. “District champ two years in a row. That was one of our goals at the beginning of the year, take that step and win a district championship and move on. The kids on both sides executed all day. Great baseball game.”
Webb City, 21-13, will host 24-9 Kearney at 2 p.m. Saturday in the quarterfinal round. The Cardinals got there with an impressive combination of pitching and defense against McDonald County.
Webb City starter Kaylor Darnell tossed 6 2/3 innings with eight strikeouts while scattering two hits and a walk. Walker Sweet closed it out with a strikeout and an emphatic celebration in front of the mound.
Darnell retired the first nine batters he faced and only really faced any trouble in the fourth inning, when McDonald County’s Destyn Dowd reached on an infield single and advanced to third base with one out. Isaac Behm then drove a fly ball to right field, where Eli Miller made the catch and fired home – catcher Shaun Hunt applied the tag and the inning was over.
CLICK HERE FOR PHOTOS OF THE GAME
Darnell allowed just two baserunners after that – a leadoff walk in the fifth that led to a double play, and a single with two outs in the seventh.
“He’s just been in the zone,” Snow said. “He had one lump on the road and it was them earlier in the season. He did a great job coming back here and just filling it up. He had all his pitches working and Walker coming in and shutting the door.”
That last outing against the Mustangs resulted in a 6-3 McDonald County win in early April.
“Last time he struggled to throw strikes,” McDonald County coach Heath Alumbaugh said. “He’s their No. 1, he’s done a great job all year long. We knew he’d be much better tonight. We knew last time we saw him that was not the norm for him. That’s what he did, he came out, threw a ton of strikes and they made routine plays behind him.”
Webb City took the lead in the top of the sixth, thanks to a leadoff double by Drew Vonder Haar. He went to third on a fly out and scored easily on a perfect bunt down the first base line by Darnell.
“He’s a great bunter and so I knew instantly safety squeeze,” Snow said.
The Cardinals tacked on one more in the seventh. Gage Chapman led off with a walk and later scored when Hunt hit a double over the right fielder.
McDonald County starter Weston Gordon pitched all seven innings and struck out four while allowing six hits and walking four. Alumbaugh said he entered the day having not allowed a run in more than 40 innings.
“The Weston Gordon kid did that against us earlier in the year, he had a great outing,” Snow said. “He’s a great pitcher. Kind of the same recipe, he’s in the zone, forces you to beat him. We knew it was going to be a game like that. Coming in it was going to be a battle. Our kids were pretty hungry after the first time losing to them 6-3. We felt like we didn’t play very well.”
McDonald County, which was the top seed in the district, finished with a 20-9 record. The Mustangs were seeking their first district title in 22 years, since Alumbaugh’s senior season.
“The relationships you build are the biggest thing,” Alumbaugh said. “You always want the district championship. That’s the big one, that’s always the No. 1 goal when you start the season but in the end it’s all about the relationships you build with your friends and getting to play a game, a kid’s game, with the guys you grew up with. That’s what it’s about.”
