Tiger baseball rolls by Girard in late innings

Tuesday, May 9, 2017

GIRARD — Fort Scott High School baseball improved to 10-8 on the season here Monday night after scoring all of its runs in the third inning and later of a 13-5 rout of Girard.

Fort Scott had 15 hits, 3 by Kieran Houlihan in 4 at bats, although none of them were for extra bases.

Grant Goldston (4-0) pitched the first 5 1/3 innings before being pulled at the 70-pitch mark. He allowed 4 runs, 3 earned, on 6 hits and 6 walks while striking out 6. Houlihan took over and finished up with an unearned run on one hit, striking out 2.

Girard (9-10) scored first, a single run in the bottom of the first. The Tigers scored 5 in the top of the third. Brody Bowles walked with one out. Alec Michaud reached on a 2-base error. Houlihan singled to left field, bringing in Bowles to tie the score. Goldston singled to center to bring in Houlihan. Fort Scott never trailed again.

Houlihan made it 3-1 when he scored on a wild pitch. Matt Campbell singled past first base to score Goldston. Campbell ended up at second on an error and scored on Connor Masters’ single to right.

Both teams scored twice in the fourth. Fort Scott added one run in the fifth and three in the sixth to make it 11-3. Girard scored 2 in the bottom of the sixth. Fort Scott countered by scoring twice in the seventh.

Goldston, Campbell, Masters and Ty Gorman each added 2 hits to the Tigers’ attack. Goldston and Campbell each drove in 3 runs while Houlihan, Masters and Cooper Bradbury each drove in 2.

The Fort Scott junior varsity followed up with a 13-2 win over Girard. Brody Bowles and Braden Shelton each had 2 hits. Bowles, Gage Wilson and Keenan Guilfoyle each drove in 2 runs.

Wilson pitched all 5 innings. He allowed 2 unearned runs on 2 hits and 2 walks while striking out 4.

Thursday, the regular season will close for both the varsity and JV game doubleheaders at Chanute. The varsity Southeast Kansas League twinbill will be played at Katy Park while the JV doubleheader will be held at Santa Fe Park. The first game of each begins at 4:30.

The Tiger varsity (7-3 SEK) and Chanute (7-3, 13-4) will be playing for second place in the SEK as Pittsburg (11-1, 14-3) clinched the championship when it beat Labette County Friday night. The Purple Dragons broke Fort Scott’s five-year run as SEK champions although Pittsburg tied for the 2015 championship along with the Tigers and Labette County. It’s Pittsburg’s 12th title.

Fort Scott.......................... 005 213 2 — 13 15 1

Girard................................ 100 202 0 — 5 7 3

WP — G.Goldston (4-0). L — Mein.

HR —None.