PRATT – It was the best baseball postseason doubleheader Larned coach Chad Erway could remember. The Indians shocked Central Kansas League champion Pratt 1-0 Wednesday to capture the Pratt 4A baseball regional title.
Larned (14-7) qualifies for the 4A state baseball tournament May 25-26 at Salina. The Indians won two games by scoring three runs on seven base hits.
4A state qualifiers are Rock Creek 21-1, Clay Center 21-1, McPherson 18-4, Fort Scott 16-6, Larned/La Crosse 14-7, Chanute 14-8 and Paola 14-8.
LARNED 1, PRATT 0 – Larned's Deacon Martin singled home Ty Smith with the game-winning seventh-inning run to upset the Greenbacks.
Larned missed a golden scoring opportunity when Larned's Brady Hope was called out on Pratt's appeal for leaving third base too soon on Caden Morgan's fly ball. Hope walked and advanced to third base on Cade Colglazier's sixth-inning single and an error.
Larned pitcher Hope (4-2) threw a brilliant 78-pitch outing with three strikeouts.
"That's a great win. It's one of the better baseball games I've ever been a part of," said Larned coach Chad Erway. "It was players playing really good fundamental baseball. Pratt is well coached.
Hope delivered the game's signature play when he threw to third baseman Ty Smith, who tagged Justus Tatro out for the second out with two runners on base. Pratt's C. Pore flied out to right fielder Tristan Regan for the final out.
LARNED 2, CHAPMAN 0 – Larned pitcher Carson Shaver shut out Chapman 2-0 in Tuesday’s 4A baseball regional, keyed by a game-ending double play.
"You don't see guys pound the strike zone like we did today," Erway said. "I'm proud of our guys. We've got to find a way to earn more wins at state."
Shaver (4-1) threw a 2-hit shutout and benefited by two double plays when Chapman had two baserunners reach base in the sixth and seventh innings. Aven Fisher and Cooper Lewis singled off Shaver.
Larned first baseman Eian Sanders turned a Naythan Hall liner into a sixth-inning double play on Ray Whitehair.
Indian second baseman Brady Hope delivered a textbook finish by starting a 4-6-3 double play to shortstop Hope and first baseman Sanders on Jed Moody’s groundball.
Chapman pitcher Moody struck out six batters and yielded two unearned runs on a pair of Irish errors. With two out, Sanders reached on a fourth-inning error. Sanders scored on Shaver’s double. Shaver scored when Chapman second baseman Chris Falls misplayed a groundball by Deacon Martin.
Larned 000 000 1 – 1 3 0
Pratt 000 000 0 – 0 2 2
Hope and Shaver. Bolen and Teafatiller. W–Hope, 4-2. L–Bolen. 2B–P–Mies.
Chapman 000 000 0 – 0 2 2
Larned 000 200 x – 2 4 1
Moody and Hall. Shaver and Martin. W—Shaver, 4-1. L—Moody. 2B—L—Hope.
4A REGIONAL BASEBALL
CLAY CENTER—CHAMPIONSHIP—Clay Center 4, Augusta 0; Clay Center 14, Hugoton 2; Augusta 6, Lyons/Sterling 2
ST. GEORGE—CHAMPIONSHIP—Rock Creek 5, Wamego 1; Rock Creek 10, Coffeyville 0; Wamego 8, Tonganoxie 7
MCPHERSON—CHAMPIONSHIP—McPherson 6, Buhler 2; Buhler 15, Ulysses 0; McPherson 14, El Dorado 0
IOLA—CHAMPIONSHIP—Fort Scott 4, . Lawrence Seabury 0; Fort Scott 2, Russell 1; Lawrence Seabury 1, Iola 0
ATCHISON—CHAMPIONSHIP—Paola 16, Atchison 5; Paola 2, Louisburg 0; Atchison 11, Eudora 1
PRATT—CHAMPIONSHIP—Larned/La Crosse 1, Pratt 0; Larned/La Crosse 2, Chapman 0; Pratt 6, Mulvane 5
OTTAWA—CHAMPIONSHIP—Chanute 6, Ottawa 3; Chanute 6, Topeka Hayden 4; Ottawa 7, Labette County 0
ROSE HILL 5-18—Abilene 13-7 vs. Wellington 10-10, 2 p.m.; Rose Hill 16-4 vs. Circle 9-11, 4:30 p.m.
STATE QUALIFIERS—Rock Creek 21-1; Clay Center 21-1; McPherson 18-4; Fort Scott 16-6; Larned/La Crosse 14-7; Chanute 14-8; Paola 14-8
