Cardinals split with CKL champion
By JIM MISUNAS
jmisunas@gbtribune.com
HOISINGTON — Hoisington's Derek Boxberger will always remember where he was standing when his baseball teammates mobbed him. Boxberger's game-winning single prompted a wild celebration of Hoisington's 5-4 baseball victory over two-time Central Kansas League champion Nickerson Tuesday.
Trey Byers doubled and moved into scoring position with two out. Boxberger's stopped at first base, then waited for teammates to congratulate him. Nickerson has won the CKL title the past two years and qualified for the 4A state tournament the past two years.
NICKERSON 8, HOISINGTON 2 (G1) — The Hoisington Cardinals battled hard in a replay of last year’s season-ending baseball game.
Hoisington pitcher Derek Boxberger matched three scoreless innings with Nickerson all-state pitcher Carson Cornelius.
But Nickerson put the opener away with a four-run seventh inning for an 8-2 opening victory over the pesky Cardinals.
Hoisington pitcher Boxberger three shutout innings when Chandler Eaton doubled home Kaleb Jackson for an unearned fourth-inning run. Cardinal catcher Holt Hanzlick tagged out Cornelius on the double to preserve a 1-0 deficit. Johnny Huggard barely beat a throw by second baseman Braxton Donovan for a 2-0 fifth-inning lead.
Cardinal batter Jerred Bieberle broke up the shutout with an RBI double that scored Boxberger for a 2-1 score after five innings.
Nickerson’s Noah Salazar scored on a wild pitch and Tre Garcia singled home Eaton for a 4-1 lead in the sixth inning.
The Panthers scored four seventh-inning runs off reliever Braxton Donovan. Kaleb Jackson singled home Tanner Schrag. Jackson scored on a double steal. Jarrod Kaufman singled home Salazar and Eaton for an 8-1 lead.
Donovan singled home Boxberger in the seventh inning, but reliever Johnny Huggard retired Jacob Specht to work out of a bases-loaded seventh-inning threat.
HOISINGTON 5, NICKERSON 4 (G2) — Cornelius staked Nickerson to a 3-0 lead when his double scored Tanner Schrag, Kaleb Jackson and Josh Salazar. But Cardinal pitcher Holt Hanzlick retired the next three batters.
Jerred Bieberle scored a first-inning run. Salazar scored for a 4-1 lead after 21/2 innings, but Nickerson did not score again. Quentin Boxberger scored and Jacob Specht singled home Boxberger for a 4-3 score. Bieberle scored a seventh-inning run to force extra innings.
Nickerson 000 112 4 — 8 6 0
Hoisington 000 010 1 — 2 5 1
Cornelius, Huggard (6) and Eaton. Boxberger, Donovan (7) and Hanzlick. Sv—Huggard. W—Cornelius, 1-0. L—Boxberger, 0-1. 2B—N—Eaton.
Nickerson 301 000 00 — 4
Hoisington 102 000 11 — 5
Schrag and Eaton. Hanzlick and Specht. 2B—N—Cornelius 2; H—Byers, Donovan.
