2016 Northeast Kansas League Legion Baseball Standings - click here

2016 McDonald's "Players of the Game" on KNZA - click here

2016 AAA State Tournament Bracket (at Great Bend) - click here (Oskaloosa)

2016 AA State Tournament Bracket (at Fort Scott) - click here (Doniphan County) 

For the fifth time in eight trips to the State tournament the Doniphan County legion baseball team picked up a first round win but it didn't come easy topping Russell 3-2 to move on in the winner's bracket of the AA State tournament in Fort Scott. 

Doniphan County took the initial lead of the game as Wil Smith led the top of the second off with a double and came into score on a two-out infield single by Wyatt Huss that glanced off the Russell pitchers leg allowing Smith to score and make it 1-0. Russell worked with a hit batter and walk partnered with two hits in the bottom of the third to send seven to the plate and score two runs and take the lead at 2-1 after three innings. Both teams stranded a pair in the fourth but Doniphan County broke through again in the fifth as Smith produced an RBI single to score Reid Greaser to tie the game at 2-2.

Nathan Gaarder who started the game for Doniphan County set Russell down in order in the fifth and sixth inning and in the top of the sixth Doniphan County regained the lead getting the leadoff man on via an error and Hunter Idol came up big with an RBI single to make it 3-2, producing ultimately the game winning run. The game went to the bottom of the seventh with Doniphan County looking to hold on and Russell started the inning with two singles. A strikeout got one out but then Gaarder misplayed a short popup that popped out of his glove looking like it would load the bases but Gaarder with the heads up play tossed the ball to second and Doniphan County got the runner out at second making it two-outs in bottom of the seventh. To finish the contest Gaarder struck out the final batter on a called strike three for his eighth strikeout of the game and the Doniphan County 3-2 win. 

Gaarder tossed all seven innings to earn the win giving up two runs on four hits, three walks, two hit batters and struck out eight earning him McDonald's "Player of the Game" on KNZA. Greaser and Smith both tallied 2-4 games, while Huss was 2-3 at the plate helping the Doniphan County offense. 

The pushes Doniphan County to 30-2 on the season and into the winner's bracket semifinals against the host Fort Scott on Thursday, July 27th at approximately 8:00pm (click on KNZA Play by Play Sports link under Listen Live menu tab for online stream) after Fort Scott run-ruled Colby 13-5 in six innings in the first round. The top half of the bracket saw Goodland surprise Iola 3-2 with two runs in the seventh and Larned scored four in the top seventh to beat Marysville 4-3 in the first round.