BY JIM MISUNAS
jmisunas@gbtribune.com
LARNED — Larned's Aidan Smyth was hit by a pitch to force home Carlos Ibarra with the game-winning run for an 8-7 victory over Holcomb for a ninth consecutive victory. The Indians won the opener 9-5. The Indians had a 6-0 lead sliced to 6-5 in the opener and Holcomb tied the nightcap 7-7 after trailing 7-1.
"We got the wins, and we're happy with that," said Larned coach Chad Erway. "But you've got to shut the door. It was unfortunate we allowed Holcomb to get back into the games."
The Indians (11-4) will clinch the top seed in the 3A Hays baseball regional with a sweep over Nickerson (0-14) Friday.
INDIANS 9, LONGHORNS 5 (G1) — Holcomb rallied within 6-5 when reliever Dillan Smith retired Race Ardery to end the Longhorns' rally. The Indians sealed the victory when Aidan Smyth, Brady Hope and Jack Stelter delivered sixth-inning RBIs. Larned pitcher Gavin Alvarez (2-0) worked five brilliant innings until he faded in the sixth frame.
Larned sprinted to a 3-0 lead, thanks to a hustle play by Kaden Pontius, who legged out an infield single with two out. Dillan Smith scored on Hope's sacrifice fly. Pontius' single scored Jack Stelter, who tripled with two out. Pontius scored on a throwing error by catcher Cole Brown for a 3-0 lead.
Ian Orth's bloop single scored Pontius for a 4-0 lead after three innings. Stelter and Pontius scored for a 6-0 lead when pitcher Kolby Johnson fielded Ian Orth's topped roller and threw the ball away.
Holcomb rallied for five sixth-inning runs when Alex Rodriguez's two-run double followed an RBI singles by Cole Brown and Peyton Kruleski and an RBI double by Kolby Johnson. But the Indians answered with three sixth-inning runs for a 9-5 run.
INDIANS 8, LONGHORNS 7 (G2) — Holcomb rallied from a 7-1 deficit with a six-run seventh inning. But Dillan Smith again saved the day when he retired Khail Cosner on a groundball to third baseman Ibarra to preserve a 7-7 tie. Kruleski hit a two-run double. See hit an RBI double and Kaden Johnson hit a run-scoring single for a 7-7 tie. Larned's defense contributed a pair of errors and Smith hit two batters.
But Holcomb gift-wrapped Larned's victory with walks to Ibarra and Dillan Smith and a single by Gunnar Cline when Smyth was hit by a pitch with no out.
Smyth scored Larned's first run on an error. Holcomb's Rodriguez scored on Brown's third-inning sacrifice fly for a 1-1 tie. Larned stretched its lead to 7-1. Eian Sanders delivered a two-run single. Stelter scored on a wild pitch. Smyth and Pontius hit RBI singles and Logan Erway delivered a sacrifice fly for a 7-1 lead after six innings.
Holcomb 000 005 0 — 5 7 3
Larned 301 023 x — 9 12 3
Kolby Johnson, Ardery (6) and Brown. Alvarez, D. Smith (6) and Stelter. W—Alvarez 2-0. L—Kolby Johnson, 1-2. Sv—D. Smith. 2B—H—Rodriguez, Knoll, Kolby Johnson, Kaden Johnson. 3B—L—Stelter
Holcomb 001 000 6 — 7 6 3
Larned 100 213 1 — 8 8 4
Kruleski, Kaden Johnson (3), Ardery (4), Brown (6), Tichenor (7) and Brown. Smyth, D. Smith (7) and Stelter. W—D. Smith. L—Brown. 2B—H—See, Rodriguez
CKL BASEBALL
Pratt 13-1 14-2
Hesston 10-3 12-3
Larned 9-4 11-4
Halstead 8-6 8-8
Hillsboro 7-7 9-7
Haven 7-7 7-7
Smoky Valley 6-8 6-10
Lyons 5-9 5-9
Hoisington 4-10 6-10
Nickerson 0-14 0-16
TUESDAY—Larned 9-8, Holcomb 5-7; Haven 16-11, Hoisington 8-3; Hillsboro 10-19, Nickerson 6-10
THURSDAY—Smoky Valley at Hoisington
FRIDAY—Haven at Hesston; Hillsboro at Pratt; Halstead at Lyons; Larned at Nickerson
PRATT (13-1, 14-2)—WL Kingman 5-3, 2-3; WW Larned 12-6, 12-8; WL Smoky Valley 12-1, 6-7; WW Hoisington 18-6, 4-0; WW Nickerson 15-0, 4-2; WW Hesston 8-0, 11-4; WW Lyons 10-8, 8-5; WW Haven 5-4, 11-0; 5-7 Hillsboro; 5-11 at Halstead
HESSTON (10-3, 12-3)—WL Halstead 10-7, 3-5; W Chaparral 10-0; W Wichita Independent 16-3; W Larned 6-4; WW Hoisington 5-4, 10-9; WW Nickerson 9-6, 14-1; WW Lyons 15-12, 11-3; LL Pratt 0-8, 4-11; WW Smoky Valley 11-0, 9-6; 5-7 Haven; 5-11 at Hillsboro
LARNED (9-4, 11-4)—LL Pratt 6-12, 9-12; L Hesston 4-6; WW Haven 7-6, 16-1; WL Smoky Valley 10-8, 6-7; WW Hillsboro 7-0, 3-1; WW Hoisington 6-2, 6-5; WW Halstead 11-0, 5-2; WW Holcomb 9-5, 8-7; 5-7 at Nickerson; 5-11 Lyons
HALSTEAD (8-6, 8-8)—WL Hesston 5-3, 7-10; WL Haven 11-1, 5-14; WL Hillsboro 19-8, 15-25; WW Smoky Valley 4-1, 5-1; WL Hoisington 11-5, 2-3; LL Cheney 4-12, 4-11; WW Nickerson 13-3, 16-1; LL Larned 0-11, 2-5; 5-7 at Lyons; 5-11 Pratt
HILLSBORO (7-7, 9-7)—WW Haven 6-3, 3-1; WL Smoky Valley 7-6, 1-12; WL Halstead 25-15, 8-19; W Remington 17-13, 11-1; LL Hoisington 3-15, 5-9; LL Larned 0-7, 1-3; WL Lyons 10-9, 5-8; WW Nickerson 10-6, 19-10; 5-7 at Pratt; 5-11 Hesston
HAVEN (7-7, 7-7)—LL Hillsboro 3-6, 1-3; WL Halstead 14-5, 1-11; LL Larned 6-7, 1-16; WW Nickerson 15-0, 7-3; WW Lyons 8-7, 5-3; LL Pratt 4-5, 0-11; WW Hoisington 16-8, 11-3; 5-7 at Hesston; 5-11 Smoky Valley
LYONS (5-9, 5-9)—WL Hoisington 3-2, 3-8; WW Nickerson 14-4, 8-4; W Smoky Valley 22-6, 12-13; LL Hesston 12-15, 3-11; LL Haven 7-8, 3-5; LL Pratt 8-10, 5-8; WL Hillsboro 8-5, 9-10; 5-7 Halstead; 5-11 at Larned
SMOKY VALLEY (6-8, 6-10)—WW :Nickerson 12-2, 18-0; WL Pratt 7-6, 1-12; WL Hillsboro 11-7, 6-9; L Lyons 6-22, 13-12; LL Halstead 1-4, 1-5; WL Larned 7-6, 8-10; LL SE Saline 0-17, 3-13; LL Hesston 0-11, 6-9; 5-6 Hoisington; 5-11 at Haven
HOISINGTON (4-10, 6-10)—WL Lyons 8-3, 2-3; LL Pratt 4-18, 0-4; LL Hesston 4-5, 9-10; WW Hillsboro 15-3, 9-5; WL Halstead 3-2, 4-11; WW Ellinwood 9-1, 6-5; LL Larned 2-6, 5-6; LL Haven 8-16, 3-11; 5-6 at Smoky Valley; 5-11 Nickerson
NICKERSON (0-14, 0-16)—LL Smoky Valley 2-12, 0-18; LL Lyons 4-14, 4-8; LL Pratt 0-15, 2-4; LL Hesston 6-9, 1-14; LL Haven 0-15, 3-7; LL Kingman 9-15, 0-10; LL Halstead 3-13, 1-16; LL Hillsboro 6-10, 10-19; 5-7 Larned; 5-11 at Hoisington
3A HAYS BASEBALL REGIONAL
1 Larned 11-4 vs. 8 Beloit 2-14
4 Hays-Thomas More Prep 7-7 vs. 5 Russell/Victoria 6-8
2 Minneapolis 10-6 vs. 7 Lincoln/Sylvan 5-9
3 Ellsworth 8-8 vs. 6 Hoisington/Central Plains 6-10
2A ELLIS BASEBALL REGIONAL
1 Ellis 12-0 vs. 8 Ellinwood 0-12
4 Salina Sacred Heart 7-5 vs. 5 Bennington 5-11
2 Inman 16-2 vs. 7 Ell-Saline 4-11
3 Little River 13-3 vs. 6 Republic County 3-9
3A KINGMAN BASEBALL REGIONAL
1 Wichita Collegiate 12-2 vs. 8 Chaparral 4-12
4 Douglass 7-5 vs. 5 Halstead 8-8
2 Kingman 13-3 vs. 7 Haven 5-9
3 Cheney 10-4 vs. 6 Wichita Trinity 8-10
3A COUNCIL GROVE BASEBALL REGIONAL
1 SE of Saline 17-1
4 Hillsboro 9-7 vs. 5 Osage City 8-10
2 Hesston 12-3 vs. 7 Council Grove 2-16
3 Eureka 8-6 vs. 6 Smoky Valley 6-10
