SABETHA — Hoisington pitcher Kaleb Blazek threw a masterful game to spark Friday’s 6-0 victory over Russell to finish the AA state baseball tournament. Blazek struck out seven batters and benefited from two dazzling double plays.
Hoisington (16-9) finished 2-1 in pool play, but lost the runs permitted tiebreaker to Iola and Silver Lake. Iola (2-1) yielded eight runs, Silver Lake (2-1) permitted 12 runs and Hoisington (2-1) gave up 15 runs.
“I was really proud of the our guys and the way they carried themselves on-and-off the field. It was a fun summer,” said Hoisington coach Bob Brungardt. “We gave up too many runs on day one.”
HOISINGTON 6, RUSSELL 0 (Friday) — Hoisington second baseman Braxton Donovan and shortstop Collin Schlochtermeier teamed for a 4-6-3 fourth-inning double play. Blazek and first baseman Kyle Lang combined for a 1-3-2 double play to catcher Jeremy Breit on baserunner Kade Evans.
Blazek worked out of a bases-loaded second-inning jam by retiring Cooper Pfannenstiel. Brooks Nichols grounded into a fourth-inning double play. Kyler Fritschen’s fifth-inning bunt turned into a nifty double play.
Hoisington’s Schlochtermeier scored on a first-inning wild pitch and Braxton Donovan scored on a bases-loaded walk as Russell yielded five walks.
Blazek singled and Breit doubled to ignite a three-run fifth inning. Pinch runner Jacob Specht scored on a wild pitch. Breit scored on an error. Kyle Lang scored on Seth Hoopengarner’s groundout.
Blazek delivered an RBI double to score Schlochtermeier for a sixth-inning run.
HOISINGTON 8, SILVER LAKE 5 (Thursday) — Hoisington surprised Silver Lake 8-5 Thursday with five seventh-inning runs in the AA Legion state baseball tournament. Jeremy Breit delivered the big hit with an RBI two-run triple.
Kade Urban and Schlochtermeier walked and Donovan hit an RBI single to break a 3-3 tie. Breit’s triple drove home Donovan and Blazek and Breit scored the seventh run.
Jerrod Biberle’s single drove home Lang and Bieberle scored for a 2-0 lead. Silver Lake’s Cale Adams delivered an RBI single and Wyatt Heiman and Trent Byers for a 2-2 tie.
Hoisington’s Seth Hoopenharner scored a fourth-inning run. Cale Adams fifth-inning RBI double tied it 3-3.
IOLA 10, HOISINGTON 0 (Wednesday) -- Iola started with a nine-run first inning and coasted past Hoisington 10-0 in Wednesday’s AA state baseball tournament. Iola captured the 4A-Division 2 state baseball title this spring and placed as state runner-up in 2017.
Hoisington managed a second-inning double by Kyle Lang. Kade Urban singled in the third inning, but was forced out on Colin Schlochtermier’s double play grounder.
Iola’s Daylon Splane threw a two-hit shutout. Iola strung together eight hits in a nine-run first inning. Derek Bycroft, Blake Ashmore, Cole Leonard, Jackson Aikins, Isaac Vink and Daylon Splane delivered RBI base hits. Iola secured the run-rule victory with a fourth-inning run on Bycroft’s RBI single.
“Iola was pretty solid,” said Hoisington coach Bob Brungardt. “It was not a good first game. We look to do better next time. Silver Lake in the next game is no cupcake.”
CLASS AA STATE
At Sabetha
WEDNESDAY
Iola 10, Hoisington 0
Hays-TMP 10, Garnett 1
Silver Lake 13, Russell 1
Marysville 6, Sabetha 3
THURSDAY
Marysville 9, Garnett 4
Iola 15, Russell 1
Hays-TMP 5, Sabetha 2
Hoisington 8, Silver Lake 5
FRIDAY
Silver Lake 7, Iola 3
Hoisington 6, Russell 0
Sabetha 8, Garnett 0
Marysville 6, Hays-TMP 3
SATURDAY
SEMIFINAL—Marysville 6, Silver Lake 5
SEMIFINAL—Iola 8, Hays-TMP 3
CHAMPIONSHIP--Iola 3, Marysville 0
KANSAS LEGION CHAMPIONHIP WEDNESDAY--Salina Falcons (33-2) at Iola (23-6)
HOISINGTON 6, RUSSELL 0
Russell 000 000 0 — 0 4 3
Hoisington 200 030 x — 5 4 1
Walker Braun, Farmer (1) and Schmidtberger. Blazek and Breit. W—Blazek. L—W. Braun. 2B—H—Breit, Blazek.
HOISINGTON 8, SILVER LAKE 5
Hoisington 020 100 5 — 8 4 0
Silver Lake 020 010 2 — 5 6 0
Boxberger and Breit. Lindstrom and Blaylock. W—Boxberger. L—Lindstrom. 2B—H—Lang; SL—Adams 2. 3B—H—Breit.
IOLA 10, HOISINGTON 0
Iola 900 1 — 10 10 0
Hoisington 000 0 — 0 2 1
Splane and Taverez. Schlochtermeier and Breit. W—Splane. L—Schlochtermeier. 2B—H—Lang; Iola—Vink.
