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Royals down Bears, win OFC tourney title
By MIKE BUHLER
Sports Writer
Solid pitching and a fifth-inning rally proved to be a winning recipe for the Twin Rivers baseball Royals in Thursday’s Ozark Foothills Conference Tournament championship game.
The Royals scored four times in the bottom of the fifth inning and got strong pitching from Luke Hester and Bryce Dollins to hold off the Greenville Bears 5-3 at Roger Pattillo Field on the campus of Three Rivers College.
The game was tied 1-1 going to the bottom of the fifth inning when the Royals (20-3) rallied to take control of the game. Cayden Acre led off the inning with a double, while Keaton Hicks walked to set the table for Dollins, who singled home Acre with the go-ahead run.
After Luke Hester was intentionally walked to load the bases, Bo Lilly singled to center with two out to score Hicks and Dollins and make it 4-1. Evan Bonifield then doubled home Hester to make it 5-1 and cap the fifth-inning rally.
The Bears (12-8) did not give up, loading the bases in the top of the sixth inning on three walks to open the frame, then Austin Hill scored on Cooper Sturgeon’s two-out fielder’s choice to cut the Twin Rivers lead to 5-2. Landon Bratton then singled home Ian Meyer to make it a 5-3 contest.
Greenville threatened again in the top of the seventh inning when Andrew Pasternak and Hill led off the inning with singles to put the tying runs on base, but Dollins struck out Meyer, Pasternak was thrown out stealing third and the final batter popped up to Dollins to end the game.
Acre, Dollins and Lilly each had two hits for the Royals to lead their offense.
Hester earned the win on the mound, allowing two hits and three runs in five-plus innings of work, striking out 10 and walking eight. Dollins tossed the final two innings for the save.
Sturgeon drove in two runs on the day and also pitched a strong game in a losing cause, striking out 10 and walking two while allowing seven hits in six innings.
THIRD PLACE
Doniphan 8, Puxico 7
The Dons and the Indians needed extra innings in the third-place game at Roger Pattillo Field, but Doniphan’s Blake Lewis scored the winning run in the bottom of the eighth inning on Chase McGonigal’s fielder’s choice as the Dons rallied to finish third.
Doniphan trailed 7-3 after six innings, but scored four times in the top of the seventh inning to tie the score and force extra innings.
Maddox Baucom had three hits for the Dons, while Lewis added a pair and Keaton Willcut drove in two runs.
Jerrett Powell, Waylon Powell, Jagur Backus and Scyler Zimmerman each had two hits for Puxico, while Backus and Drake Armstrong each drove in two runs in the loss.