KINSLEY  – Elkhart eliminated the Kinsley/Macksville baseball team 12-9 in eight innings of a 2-1A baseball regional opener. 

The Coyotes forced extra innings when Diego Esparza raced home on a wild pitch for a 9-9 tie. Kinsley drew three walks and had a batter hit by a pitch. But Julian Gomez was thrown out on an attempted steal.

Kinsley (9-10) nearly escaped the eighth inning, but Eli Torres, Don Rhodes and Kaden Perry scored when Juan Villa's fly ball was misplayed with two out.

The Coyotes committed seven errors that led to 10 unearned runs. Kinsley's Peyton Schmidt drove in three runs. Conner Chamberlain doubled twice and drove in two runs. 

Elkhart 000 450 03 — 12 8 3

Kinsley 100 241 10 — 9 8 7

Lancaster, Chamberlain (4), Schmidt (5) and Chamberlain, Lancaster (4). L—Schmidt. 2B—K—Chamberlain 2; E—Villa, Knelsen. HR—K—Schmidt; E—Shackelford.

MINNEOLA 5, KINSLEY 4 (G2) — Minneola’s Britt Grigbsy scored on a seventh-inning wild pitch for the game-winning run. Minneola took advantage of two Kinsley errors and a walk.

Kinsley’s Cason Lemuz drilled a second-inning homer.  Diego Esparza scored on Conner Chamberlain’s third-inning single. Kendall Grippin scored on a Lemuz single for a 3-1 lead.

Minneola’s Eli Lang tagged a 3-run homer for a 4-3 lead. Lemuz capped a 3-RBI day doubling home Woodrow Lancaster for a 4-4 tie.

MINNEOLA 10, KINSLEY 0 (G1)  — Kinsley pitchers Levi Lang and Eli Lang combined for a 3-hit shutout. Kinsley’s Peyton Schmidt, Lancaster and Chamberlain singled.

Eli Lang drove in three runs. Sergio Granados drove in two runs.

Kinsley 000 00 — 0 3 3

Minneola 103 24 — 10 9 1

Chamberlain, Schmidt (5) and Lancaster. E. Lang and.Grigsby. W—Eli Lang. L—Chamberlain. 2B—K—Schmidt, Lancaster; M—Miller, L. Lang. 

Kinsley 012 010 0 — 4 7 5

Minneola 013 000 1 — 5  5 2

Lancaster, Grippin (4), Schmidt (5) and Chamberlain, Lancaster (4). L. Lang, E. Lang (6) and Grigsby. W—E. Lang. L—Schmidt. 2B—K—Lemuz. HR—K—Lemuz; M—E. Lang.