BASEBALL: Errors cost DMS in Regional loss to West Frankfort

Du Quoin allowed only one earned run in Thursday's baseball Regional semifinal, but five errors led to six unearned runs for West Frankfort, and the Warriors were eliminated 7-4.

"Tough game to lose," said Du Quoin coach Tim Craft. "We just made too many mistakes to overcome. Logan Morgan did a good job on the mound. Alex Zimmerman and Logan Morgan also were great at the plate today."

DMS jumped ahead 3-0 in the top of the first inning, getting an RBI double by Zimmerman and capitalizing on a West Frankfort error.

But the Warriors returned the favor, and then some, in the bottom of the first. Two errors in the field gave West Frankfort two unearned runs that inning, then a leadoff walk came back to bite DMS pitcher Logan Morgan in the second inning, and suddenly the game was tied 3-3.

Another error allowed Frankfort to go up 4-3 in the third, but Du Quoin responded with a run in the fourth after a double by Konner Harris and an RBI base hit by Morgan.

"Our kids really competed," Craft said. "A few times we could have folded today and we kept fighting."

That would be it for DMS, though, as the Warriors got only one hit in their final three at-bats.

West Frankfort took the lead in the fifth, again taking advantage of an error by the Warriors' defense, then tacked on some insurance in the sixth.

For Du Quoin, Morgan (2-4, R, RBI), Zimmerman (3-4, R, RBI, 2 2B), Harris (1-2, R, BB), Josh Heape (1-3, R, BB) and Owen Bradley (1-3) did the hitting.