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Fort Scott 10-year-olds advance in state tourney
By Scott Nuzum
Herald-Tribune
FORT SCOTT, Kan.-- Fort Scott's team defeated Ottawa by run rule, 11-1, in five innings Friday night and advanced in the winner's bracket of the Cal Ripken Baseball 10-year-old State Tournament at Don Hewett Field here.
In other games, Haysville opened the tournament with a 5-4 win over Coffeyville, Emporia defeated Lyons 11-1 and Cimarron River defeated SPIAA (Pronounced "Spa" by its followers) 13-3.
Six games are on tap today with Fort Scott scheduled to play Cimarron River in a 4 p.m. winner's bracket semifinal. Tournament play continues Sunday with three games. The championship is set for Monday at 11 a.m. with a second game, if needed, to follow at 1:30 p.m.
If Fort Scott wins today, it will not have to play again until 1 p.m. on Sunday in the winner's bracket final. If Fort Scott loses, it will have to play a second game tonight at 8 p.m. against the winner of this morning's first game between Coffeyville and Lyons.
Fort Scott's team had just about everything going for it in front of a home-town crowd. Their 11 runs were provided by plenty of baserunners as they collected six hits, drew seven walks and were hit by a pitch four times. The defense didn't commit any errors -- Fort Scott was the only team to go without an error on the day -- and the pitchers combined to strike out 12 Ottawa batters.
Things started a little shaky for the home team as Ottawa's Matt Percy led off the game with an infield hit -- which turned out to be their only one. He stole second and moved to third on a wild pitch. Then Brandon Yates and Aaron Collins drew walks to load the bases with nobody out.
But Fort Scott pitcher Kaleb DeLaTorre rallied to strike out the side and get out of the jam. He'd go on to finish a four-inning stint with seven walks and nine strikeouts.
Fort Scott scored three runs in the bottom of the first inning. DeLaTorre reached on a fielder's choice but that made it a two-out, runner-on-first situation -- not where one would expect to see a rally. But Dalton Barnes drew a walk and then DeLaTorre scored when an error was made on Jeremy Smith's grounder. Barnes advanced to third on the play and he scored from there later on a wild pitch while Smith moved to third. Gavin Majors' single to right brought in Smith to make it 3-0.
Four runs went up in the second. Jacob Bradbury drew a one-out walk and Chase Brown was hit by a pitch. DeLaTorre doubled to left to plate Bradbury. Then Barnes' groundout scored Brown. Smith was hit by a pitch and Jordan Phillips followed with a two-run double that scored DeLaTorre and Smith to make it 7-0.
Ottawa's only run came in the top of the third as Brandon Yates walked and then took advantage of three wild pitches. However, a strikeout and a double play got Fort Scott out of further trouble.
Fort Scott didn't score in the bottom of the third but started up the offense again in the fourth with three more tallies. DeLaTorre reached base on a fielder's choice then Barnes and Smith drew walks to load the bases with one out. Phillips hit safely to right to bring in DeLaTorre. Barnes scored on Majors' bases-loaded walk. Smith came in when Josh Hudiburg was hit by a pitch with two out and the bases still loaded. This put Fort Scott ahead by a 10-1 count.
The final run was posted in the fifth and forced the run rule to kick in. Brown was hit by a pitch leading off the frame. DeLaTorre singled to short left field and Wyatt Tourtillott reached on an error, loading the bases. A wild pitch to Phillips allowed Brown to score the run that ended the contest.
DeLaTorre and Phillips each had two of Fort Scott's six hits. Bradbury and Majors had the others. Barnes pitched the last inning and struck out all three batters he faced.
After each contest, a Most Valuable Player and a WOW Award winner are chosen from each team. Anyone can be MVP with WOW Awards going to an individual who made an outstanding defensive play, came through in the clutch on offense or demonstrated good sportsmanship. DeLaTorre was Fort Scott's MVP in this contest while Phillips won the WOW award for his two clutch hits. Clayton Evans was Ottawa's MVP while Collins was the WOW winner.
Haysville 5, Coffeyville 4.
Trenton Allen opened Haysville's half of the fifth inning with a double, then scored on a triple by Matthew Johnson to tie the game. A throwing error on that play allowed Johnson to score what held up as the winning run.
Johnson also pitched the last three innings for Haysville, allowing three runs on five hits and a walk while striking out three. He was named his team's Most Valuable Player for the game as he also had two hits and scored twice.
Coffeyville's MVP was pitcher Kannon McCune, who went the distance, striking out five. Bradley Hershey had two hits for Coffeyville, whose WOW Award went to Kestan Allen.
Allen won Haysville's WOW Award, given to a player from each team in each game for making an outstanding play. Seth Strohm scored twice for Haysville.
Haysville continues on in the winner's bracket, facing Emporia today at 2 p.m. Coffeyville will play Lyons in the losers' bracket this morning at 9 a.m.
Emporia 11, Lyons 1.
Nick Kirmer scored twice for Emporia, which scored six runs in the first inning and four more in the second on its way to a run-rule win in four innings. Trent Burd scored two runs. Brady Baumgardner, who scored twice, was Emporia's MVP while Ryan Mejia won the WOW Award.
Emporia pitchers Tate Demler and Bryce Baumwart went two innings each and combined to allow Lyons only one hit, which was collected by it's MVP Jeb Sauer, Lyons' WOW Award went to shortstop Ed Landers.
Cimarron River 13, SIPAA 3.
Timothy Fitzgerald won the Rattlers' MVP Award as he pitched all five-innings of the run-rule contest, allowing two unearned runs on one hot and four walks while striking out nine. Second baseman Cade Hinkle was Cimarron River's WOW winner.
Cimarron River needed only four hits to pick up the win -- one each by Fitzgerald, Jared Husik, Kaiden Long and Ryan Doll. Doll, Steve Lira, Mershek Whiltshire and Jacob McCarter each scored two runs.
Jacob Broz was SPIAA's MVP and Landon Bird won its WOW Award. Nathan Stein had SPIAA's only hit, a third-inning RBI triple.
SPIAA will face Ottawa in an elimination game this morning at 11 a.m.