'Hounds split high-scoring twinbill at Labette

Tuesday, March 29, 2016
Fort Scott's Connor Leach struck out Labette's Dallas Alderton on this pitch in the bottom of the fifth inning of Saturday's opener in Parsons. Leach struck out 3 batters in 2 2/3 innings of relief but also allowed three runs on a day which featured 39 runs in a doubleheader. (Sean Frye/Parsons Sun)

PARSONS -- Fort Scott Community College's baseball team split a Jayhawk Conference-Eastern Division doubleheader with Labette here Saturday. The homestanding Cardinals won the opener 10-8 but the Greyhounds salvaged a split of both the day and the season series with an 11-10 win in the nightcap.

Fort Scott stands in fifth place in the East at 9-7 in the division and 21-7 overall. Labette is 7-9, 14-12, tied for sixth with surging Johnson County (21-10) and struggling Independence (16-17). That the season series ended in a 2-2 tie -- Labette and the 'Hounds split in Fort Scott on Thursday -- could be a factor in any tie-breakers at season's end as the Greyhounds are one game behind fourth-place Kansas City (10-6, 22-9), whom they have yet to play.

The Cardinals took control in game one by scoring 7 runs in the bottom of the third inning to break a 1-1 tie. The 'Hounds scored 5 in the fourth and added one in the top of the sixth to get within 8-7.

Labette added 2 more in the bottom of the sixth on Logan Gipson's homer. Nick Banman led off the top of the seventh with a home run but the Cardinals put Dallas Alderton on the mound and he got the three batters he faced out in order for his first save of the season.

Jake Biller was 2 for 3 with 4 runs batted in for Fort Scott. He hit a grand slam in the fourth inning. Andrew Tanous was 2 for 4 and Banman went 2 for 2.

Fort Scott trailed game two 9-8 going into the top of the ninth inning with Alderton on the mound again. Jedd Andrade doubled to score Darren Hasch. Tanous' single scored Andrade with the go-ahead run. Tanous stole second and scored on Banman's single.

Labette scored once in the bottom of the ninth before Banman (2-1) was finally able to close the door. He allowed that unearned run on one hit and one walk with 3 strikeouts in 2 1/3 innings.

Tanous was 4 for 5 for Fort Scott with Andrade going 2 for 3 with 4 RBI.


Game One

Fort Scott.......... 100 501 1 -- 8 8 1

Labette............. 017 002 x -- 10 14 1

WP -- Phillips (2-1). LP -- Wagner (3-1). Sv. -- Alderton (1).

HR -- Fort Scott: Biller (8, 4th inn., 3 on, 2 out), Banman (6, 7th inn., none on, none ou). Labette: , Swartz (3, 2nd inn., none on, 2 out), Lopez (11, 3rd inn., 1 on, 2 out), Schenker (5, 3rd inn., none on, 2 out), Gipson (5, 6th inn., 1 on, none out).

Game Two

Fort Scott.......... 101 003 213 -- 11 13 5

Labette............. 010 030 501 -- 10 12 0

WP -- Banman (2-1). LP -- Alderton (2-1).

HR -- Fort Scott: Williams (2, 7th inn., none on, none out). Labette: Schenker (6, 7th inn., 1 on, 1 out), Lebron (1, 7th inn., none on, 1 out).