Mid-Buchanan will play for Class 3 championship

By NewsPress Now

OZARK, Mo. — The Mid-Buchanan High School Dragons advanced Wednesday to the Class 3 state baseball championship game with a win over West County High School, 7-3.

Even without a single senior on the roster, the Dragons still didn’t find the stage of its first-ever state semifinals too big. Runs found the Dragons early in the game, with two runs scored in the first two innings while also keeping the Bulldogs at bay. 

Sophomore Will Archer was the trusted arm on the mound for the Dragons. Archer was superb on the mound, giving up no runs on just three hits for the first four innings. Pitch count would eventually catch up to Archer in the fifth inning, as he was faced with a bases-loaded jam before seeing two runs go across home plate in the process, but the sophomore was able to get off the field only giving up just two runs to West County while still holding a 3-2 lead.

“My offense did a great job to get me a few runs, so they gave me some insurance,” Archer said. “Even though I gave up a few, I was able to collect myself and know we were still ahead and we still had the momentum.”

Mid-Buchanan will make its first trip to the state championship game in program history and will play the late game at 7 p.m. The advancement is a milestone for the program under head coach Rob Davenport, who is keeping the message for his team consistent heading into the biggest game of the season.

“This is what we worked for, is this stage. Win, lose, doesn’t matter, have fun. And if you play your hardest and do your best, you will have fun and that’s all that matters once you get down here,” Davenport said.

With the win, Mid-Buch improves its record to 22-8 while the Rams fall to 22-7.

West County High School is located in Park Hills, Missouri, south of St. Louis in St. Francois County.