Tigers win McDonald County baseball tourney

ANDERSON, Mo. -- Dakota Bright scored the winning run in the bottom of the seventh inning as the Nevada Tigers broke a 4-4 tie to take the championship of the Mustang Gatorade Tournament Saturday.

Playing host McDonald County (3-2) in the tourney final, Nevada (3-1) took advantage of six Mustang errors, including one in the final inning that allowed Bright to score from first on a bunt single by Cody Thompson.

Bright reached on an infield single to start the inning. Thompson followed with a bunt single but the throw to first on the play sailed into right field, allowing Bright to come all the way around for the decisive run.

The win capped a comeback from a 4-0 deficit for the Tigers. McDonald County jumped on Nevada with four runs in the top of the second to take the lead. Nevada finally got on the board in the fourth, when back-to-back doubles by seniors Justin Reed and Heath Baker got the Tiger offense started.

Baker's hit scored Reed, and sophomore Jarrod Alexander singled to drive in Baker as Nevada cut the lead in half.

The Tigers scored two more in the sixth, setting the stage for the game-winning play in the seventh.

"Any time you play a conference team, it's big," Nevada head coach Jared Brown said. "Even though it doesn't count in the conference standings, it sets a tone for other games you're going to play.

"It was just a big win for us."

Cody Thompson (1-0) started for Nevada, going the distance and racking up 11 strikeouts against only one walk.

Nevada outhit McDonald County 7-5.

"Cody threw exceptional," Brown said. "As he went on, he got better. He got stronger as he went."

Brown said that having 10 seniors is paying off, allowing Nevada to come from behind in a big game to get the win.

"I do think the experience we have is definitely helping us," he said. "But some guys who didn't play much last year are stepping up."

Alexander, who mainly just pitched last season, is one of the younger players leaving a mark. Fellow sophomore Kyle Hughes is stepping up as well, hitting a triple off the wall in the championship game Saturday.

The tournament was a one-day event, with Nevada beating Miller 6-2 in their first game Saturday, setting up the matchup with McDonald County for the title. The Mustangs beat Wheaton 23-0 in their first game of the day.

Bright (1-0) pitched six innings for the win against Miller.

Reed had three doubles in the two games, earning a spot on the all-tournament team. Baker and Thompson also were named to the team.

Nevada goes from one tournament to another as they open play in the 32nd annual Bill O'Dell Baseball Tournament today in Carthage. The Tigers play Monett at 4:30 p.m.