Panthers’ baseball advances to district semis

Mountain Grove’s baseball team entered this week’s Class 4, District 12 Tournament with just one win its last eight contests.
They ended the regular season schedule being outscored, 28-3, by three opponents.
But that didn’t stop the Panthers from picking up a postseason win as the No. 5 seed knocked off No. 4 Reeds Spring, 5-2, in the first round in extra innings
The Panthers battled No. 1 seed Logan-Rogersville in the semifinals just after press time.
Against the Wolves, the game was tied at 3-3 through nine full innings of play.
Then in the top of the 10th inning, Trace Harker, Brayden Haughey and Eli Golden had three straight singles.
Bryson Berkshire then drew a walk to score one run and Haughey scored one batter later on a passed ball.
Pitcher Trace Garner induced a double play before striking out a Wolves’ batter to seal the win.
Harker finished with three RBIs and two runs scored; Berkshire had one RBI; while Destin Unger, Gardner and Haughey each scored one run.
On the mound, Haughey tossed five innings and gave up three earned runs on six hits with five strikeouts and four walks.
Garner tossed five scoreless innings and gave up just one hit with four strikeouts and two walks.
Earlier in the week, the Panthers took on Fair Grove at the Ozark Mountain Sports Complex and fell 13-0.
Garrett Hutsell and Haughey had the lone base hits in the loss.
Sam Peterson tossed two and a third innings and gave up one earned run and no hits with two strikeouts and four walks.
Harker went one inning and gave up five earned runs on seven hits with one strikeout.
Briar Parsons worked one a two-thirds scoreless innings and picked up one strikeout and one walk.