Errors harm Sedalia

The Benton County Black Sox took advantage of fielding miscues and walks to post a 6-4 win in the first game of a doubleheader against the Sedalia Post 642 junior Legion baseball team.

Drew Bradley picked up the win for Benton County, pitching six innings, striking out five, walking three and giving up seven hits Tuesday night at Liberty Park Stadium. Garrett Gilbert saved it, as he retired the final three batters, striking out two.

Sedalia grabbed a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the fourth inning where Shea Archibeque drove home Ricky Bain with a two-out single. Bain had reached on an error.

Benton County answered  with four runs in the top of the fifth. Aaron Pitts, who had a pair of hits, tripled to lead off the inning and scored on a Sedalia error on a ball hit by Gage Boise to tie the game at 1.

A wild pitch by Sedalia starting pitcher Jimmy Roche gave Benton County a 2-1 lead.

Bain took over for Roche, and his pickoff throw to first was wild, sending Boise home for a 3-1 Benton County advantage.

Another Sedalia error allowed Ryan Spry to score, putting Benton County in front 4-1. In the fifth inning, the Black Sox needed only one hit, as Sedalia committed three errors and walked five batters.

Sedalia rebounded nicely in its half of the fifth, scoring three runs to tie the game.

Tanner McKee had the big hit, a double that drove home two runners and cut the Benton County lead to 4-3.

McKee scored the equalizer on a balk, and Sedalia was back in the game heading into the sixth.

Dalton Christian, Sedalia’s third pitcher, who ended the Benton County rally in the fifth, ran into trouble in the sixth.

With Pitts on third and one out, Spry bunted toward first, scoring Pitts and giving Benton County a 5-4 lead.

Myles Edwards followed with a double and the lead grew to 6-4.

Sedalia got a leadoff walk off Bradley in the seventh, but Gilbert came in and closed the door on a second rally attempt.

Jacob Bush led Sedalia with three hits, including a double in the three-run fifth.

Edwards had two hits for Benton County.

Benton County jumped all over Sedalia in the opening inning of the second game, taking a 6-0 lead.

Sedalia answered with a pair of runs in the bottom of the first, but the Black Sox added eight in the top of the second to go up 14-2.

Sedalia kept fighting, scoring five runs in the bottom of the second, keyed by a two-run single by Travis Tindell and a double by Rock Curry.

Benton County held a 14-7 advantage with Sedalia coming to bat in the bottom of the third inning.

The Democrat will publish a recap of the second game in Thursday’s edition.