Haysville hitter wins home run derby

Haysville's Matthew Johnson hit three home runs in each round and was crowned champion of a home run derby that served as a welcoming event for players, coaches and fans of the teams that will begin play in the Kansas Cal Ripken Baseball 10-year-old State Tournament at noon today at Don Hewett Field.

Two players from each of the eight teams in the tourney were chosen to hit. Even though the derby was played on the south field at Fisher Park with its shorter fences, circuit shots proved hard to come by as just five batters were able to crank one out.

Johnson, who batted third in the first round, took the lead as he hit three homers. Bradley Hershey of Coffeyville came up two batters later and also knocked three out of the park.

Camden Bien of Ottawa had two home runs in the first round while Fort Scott's Kaleb DeLaTorre and Chase Brown each had one.

It was originally announced that four would advance to the finals. But since the contest was moving quickly, it was decided to let all five homer hitters take part. This time, Johnson was the only one who was able to escape the boundaries of the outfield fence, hitting three more to emerge as the winner.

Since an award was going to be handed out to the second-place finisher, a "bat-off," if you will, was held to determine the runner up. This time, Hershey was the only one able to get one out, hitting one over to take second place.

Tournament play begins today with four games. Coffeyville and Haysville will face off at noon followed by the contest between Lyons and Emporia.

The SPIAA team and Cimarron River, both from Southwest Kansas, will play at 4 p.m. The official opening ceremony will take place at 6 p.m. with the final game of the evening, tourney host Fort Scott against Ottawa, scheduled for 7:15.

Six games will take place on Saturday starting at 9 a.m. There will be three more on Sunday beginning at 1 p.m. The championship game is set for 11 a.m. Monday. A second game, if it's needed, will follow at about 1:30.