McDonald County softball falls to Kearney in state quarterfinals
Oct. 20—KEARNEY, Mo. — The Kearney softball team rallied from a 3-0 deficit to defeat McDonald County 6-4 in the Class 4 state quarterfinals on Wednesday at Kearney High School.
Kearney, improving to 24-8, advanced to the state semifinals where it will play Warrenton at noon next Thursday at Killian Softball Complex in Springfield.
The Bulldogs struck for two runs in the home half of the third to trim the deficit down to 3-2. Macelyn Morrow got things going with a seeing-eye RBI single and later came across on a passed ball.
Kearney tied the game at 3 with a run in the fourth. However, McDonald County took the lead right back in the top of the fifth when Carlee Cooper belted a solo home run.
Kearney rallied back with a pair of tallies in the bottom of the fifth to take a 5-4 advantage and added one more in the sixth.
McDonald County drew first blood when Jacie Frencken collected an RBI single in the top of the first. Then in the third, Frencken added a two-run blast to swell the Mustangs' lead to 3-0.
McDonald County, which won its third district title in five years, finished 23-10 overall. Heath Alumbaugh's Mustangs graduate six seniors.
