Larned baseball captures CKL title

LARNED — Larned’s baseball team captured back-to-back Central Kansas League titles with a sweep of rival Pratt 11-7 and 11-1 Tuesday night. Larned (15-1, 15-1 CKL) needed a sweep to clinch the title over Pratt (17-3, 15-3 CKL). Larned will be the top seed at the Larned Class 3A baseball regional May 16-17.
LARNED 11, PRATT 7 — Johnathon Herter drilled a grand-slam homer and drove in five runs in the opener. Larned scored six runs in the first inning and 11 runs in the first three innings.
Isiah Perez singled home a run before Herter’s grand slam for a 5-0 lead. Carson Smith’s single drove home Gage Skelton for a 6-0 lead. Landon Erway’s triple drove home Evan Skelton in the second inning and Gage Skelton’s single scored Erway for an 8-0 lead. Evan Skelton’s third-inning double drove home Mason Schartz and Herter’s single scored Perez for an 11-0 lead.
Larned showed good defense early in the game before committing six errors in the final three innings. Pitcher Evan Skelton picked off Evert in the second inning. Catcher Carson Smith threw out Matt Huslig on a steal attempt in the third inning. Smith tagged Landen Studer out at home on a relay throw from Herter to end the third inning. Shortstop Perez and second baseman Erway teamed for a fourth-inning double play.
LARNED 11, PRATT 1 — Pitcher Isiah Perez struck out seven batters and threw a three-hitter. Perez had four hits and drove in three runs.
Erway singled home Schartz and Herter drove home Erway for a 2-0 lead after one inning. Perez singled home Evan Skelton for a 3-1 lead after two innings.
Perez singled home Evan Skelton in a two-run fourth inning for a 5-1 lead. Evan Skelton’s RBI single keyed a four-run fifth inning for a 9-1 lead. Perez’s single that scored Evan Skelton ended the game on the 10-run rule in the sixth inning.
LARNED 11, PRATT 7
PRATT        AB   R   H   BI
Landen Studer 3   0   0   0  
Jacob Kurz    3   2   1   0  
Travis Theis  4   2   4   1  
Hayden Schrag 4   0   1   1  
Sean Noel     4   0   1   0  
Kaden Evert   4   0   1   0  
Brett Barnard 3   1   1   0  
Camdon Sweet  3   0   0   0  
Matt Huslig   1   2   0   0  
TOTALS       29   7   9   2
LARNED       AB   R   H   BI
Mason Schartz 5   2   3   0
Evan Skelton  3   4   2   1
Landon Erway  3   2   1   1
Isiah Perez   4   2   1   1
Jon Herter    4   1   3   5
Gage Skelton  4   1   2   1
Alex Barger   3   0   0   0
Jordan Taylor 2   0   0   0
Carson Smith  4   0   1   1
TOTALS       32  11  13  10  
Pratt 000 040 3 — 7 9 3
Larned 623 000 x — 11 13 6
2B—E. Skelton. 3B—Schartz, Herter, Erway. HR—Herter. S—Taylor. SB—Schrag,  Studer. E—Perez 3, Barger, G. Skelton, Bright, Noel, Kurz, Evert, LOB—Pratt 6, Larned 8.
Pratt      IP   H    R   ER   BB   SO
Kurz       2.1  10  10    9    0    2
Everet     3.2  3    1    0    1    1
Pratt      IP   H    R   ER   BB   SO
E. Skelton 5    7    4    0    4    2
Erway      2    2    3    2    1    2
PB—Noel, Smith 2. HBP—Taylor, Erway, E. Skelton.  
LARNED 11, PRATT 1
PRATT         AB   R   H   BI
Landen Studer  3   0   0   0  
Jacob Kurz     3   0   1   0  
Travis Theis   3   0   0   0  
Hayden Schrag  2   0   1   0  
Sean Noel      2   0   0   0  
Kaden Evert    3   0   0   0  
Garret DeSoto  2   1   1   0  
Seth Simmons   2   0   0   0  
Brett Barnard  2   0   0   1  
TOTALS        22   1   3   1
LARNED         AB   R   H  BI
Mason Schartz  4   3   2  0
Evan Skelton   3   4   2  1
Landon Erway   5   1   2  1
Isiah Perez    5   2   4  3
Jon Herter     4   0   1  1
Gage Skelton   2   0   0  0
Alex Barger    3   0   1  0
Dalton Bright  1   0   0  0
Carson Smith   4   1   1  0
TOTALS        31  11  12  6  
Pratt 010 000 — 1 3 6  
Larned 210 242 — 11 12 1
2B—Barger. S—E. Skelton. SB—Perez, Schartz 2, Barger, Smith, G. Skelton E Skelton, Schrag, Desato 2, Kurz. E—Erway, Noel 2, Kurz 2, Schrag, Studer. LOB—Pratt 5, Larned 12.
Pratt   IP   H    R   ER   BB   SO
Noel    4    6    5    3    4    1
Barnard 1.2  6    6    2    2    1
Larned  IP   H    R   ER   BB   SO
Perez   6    3    1    1    2    7
HBP—Barger, Bright. PB—Desato 3. Balk—Barnard.