BY JIM MISUNAS
HOISINGTON – Larned's Legion baseball team rolled past Goodland 15-5 Monday to capture the Zone 4 championship. Larned (10-8) advances to the AA/AAA Legion state tournament July 29-Aug. 2 at Pittsburg. Goodland forced a second championship game with a 4-2 victory over Larned Sunday.
The Larned Junior Legion captured the A state title in 2019. The AA Legion team won the state title in 2016. Larned pulled it off after starters Logan Erway and Jacob Grosfield sustained season-ending injuries.
"We were pleased. This is good for our young baseball players," said Larned coach Chad Erway. "It's good to see the guys be able to play at this level."
LARNED 15, GOODLAND 5 (G7) –Larned took advantage of 14 walks and five hit batters as Goodland pitchers Mason Hernandez and Bryson Waters struggled to throw strikes. Winning pitcher Brady Hope (2-0) was keyed by a double play turned by second baseman Ian Orth.
''Goodland's first two pitchers had good arms. They couldn't throw strikes. That can happen with the pitch-count rule and two appearances in three days," said Erway. "We took a lot of pitches and didn't swing into outs.
Jack Stelter delivered the game's biggest hit with a bases-loaded fourth-inning triple. Larned scored its first eight runs without an RBI hit. Two runs scored on errors, two on wild pitches and two on passed balls. One run scored on a bases-loaded walk. Stelter drove home Mello Bryant with a sacrifice fly in a seven-run second inning.
Dillan Smith drilled an RBI single and Carlos Ibarra hit a sacrifice fly in a two-run third inning. Larned secured a run-rule victory when Stelter scored on a Gavin Alvarez sacrifice fly for a 15-5 lead.
Goodland (5-5) was sparked by a two-run single by Brock Mull. Octavio Gonzalez scored on a second-inning error. Kyan Ensign drilled an RBI single and Manuel Gonzalez scored on a fourth-inning error.
GOODLAND 4, LARNED 2 (G6) – Goodland pitcher Octavio Gonzalez yielded eight hits and stranded nine baserunners with clutch pitching. Larned batted 1 for 6 with runners in scoring position. Larned pitcher Jack Stelter (1-1) yielded one earned run.
Larned's Carson Shaver scored on Ian Orth's third-inning groundout. Goodland's Bryson Waters doubled home Mason Hernandez and Cole Linton scored on a third-inning passed ball.
Carlos Ibarra and Eian Sanders singled in the fourth inning. Ibarra was tagged out at home by catcher Mason Hernandez on Shaver's single on a clutch throw by centerfielder Manuel Gonzalez.
Goodland's Gentry Deeds scored after back-to-back fourth-inning errors and Linton's single scored Kyan Ensign for a 4-1 lead. Dillan Smith scored on Stelter's fifth-inning sacrifice fly. Brady Hope and Stelter singled in the seventh inning, but Gavin Alvarez popped out to end the game.
OTIS-BISON 18, ELLINWOOD 9 (G4) – Otis-Bison exploded for six runs in the seventh inning to pull away for a 18-9 victory in an elimination game. Dalton Regan led the way with a pair of run-scoring singles. Christian Roth, Braden Ford, B. Conner, Ky Schwartz, Dalton Regan and Kaden Foust scored runs. In a five-run fourth inning, Ethan Graff, Hayden Norrison, Nathan Roth, Ford and B. Conner scored runs.
Ellinwood's five-run fourth inning saw Morgan Hoeffner, Trey Schofield, Chase Gibson, Cooper Hosman and Koy Behnke score runs.
LARNED 4, GOODLAND 3 (G3) – Larned reliever Dillan Smith pitched 31/3 shutout innings to spark the Legion baseball team past Goodland 4-3 Saturday. Smith retired the final eight Goodland batters.
Larned’s Ty Smith singled home Hope and Carlos Ibarra after a walk and error to start the second inning. Mello Bryant and Hope scored on Goodland passed balls in the third inning for a 4-0 lead.
Goodland rallied with a run in the third inning when Cole Linton singled home Manuel Gonzalez. Manuel Gonzalez singled home Octavio Gonzalez and Mason Hernandez scored on a fourth-inning wild pitch. Dillan Smith worked out of a bases-loaded situation by striking out Brock Mull to end the rally.
GOODLAND 7, ELLINWOOD 3 (G2) – Goodland’s Shane Puckett shut down Ellinwood as the Cowboys ran past Ellinwood 7-3.
Ellinwood’s Gage Hosman, Koy Behnke and Bryan Jaske scored runs.
Goodland’s Deeds singled home Puckett and Deeds scored a second-inning run. Puckett singled home Linton in the third inning. Hernandez, Manuel Gonzalez and Linton scored fourth-inning runs. Octavio Gonzalez scored a fifth-inning run.
LARNED 11, OTIS-BISON 1 (G1) – Larned’s Hope, Eian Sanders and Ty Smith each drove home two runs to spark a run-rule victory.
Orth scored on a first-inning sacrifice fly by Hope. Owen Reece scored on Shaver’s second-inning single and Ty Smith scored on a passed ball for a 3-0 lead.
Otis-Bison’s Ethan Graffe singled home Conner Weihe in the third inning. Larned pitcher Mello Bryant threw to
Larned took advantage of three Otis-Bison errors to spark a five-run fifth inning. Orth scored on Hope’s single. Hope scored on a Sanders’ groundball. Ty Smith scored on an error.
Larned iced the game with a three-run sixth inning. Hope and Carlos Ibarra scored on passed balls. Sanders scored on Ty Smith’s sacrifice fly for an 11-1 victory.
Goodland 211 10 – 5 7 2
Larned 272 4x – 15 4 4
Hernandez, Waters (2) and Ensign. Hope and Stelter. W—Hope, 2-0. L—Stelter, 1-1. 3B—L—Stelter..
Larned 001 010 0 – 2 8 3
Goodland 002 200 0 – 4 8 3
Stelter and Hope. Octavio Gonzalez and Hernandez. W—O. Gonzalez. L—Stelter, 1-1. 2B—G—Waters.
Larned 022 000 0 – 4 3 1
Goodland 001 200 0 – 3 5 2
Alvarez, Dillan Smith (4) and Shaver. Linton, Gonzalez (7) and Hernandez. W—Alvarez, 1-3. L—Linton.
Otis-Bison 041 511 6 – 18
Ellinwood 011 511 0 – 9
Ford and Weige. Moore and Brack, Schenk. W—Ford. L—Moore. 2B—E—Gage Hosman.
Ellinwood 101 001 0 – 3 2 2
Goodland 021 310 x – 7 7 1
Brack, Hosman (5) and Jaske. Puckett and Ensign. 2B—G—Puckett.
Larned 120 053 – 11 7 0
Otis-Bison 000 000 – 1 2 6
Hope, Bryant (3) and Shaver. Dalton Regan, Ford (3) and Jones. W--Bryant, 1-1. L—Regan.
LEGION AAA ZONES (19 and under)
GREAT BEND BARTON COUNTY (7-20)—G1—Great Bend 15-7 vs. Newton 11-11, 5 p.m.; G2—Hays 17-4 vs. winner, 7:30; 7-21—G3—G1, G2 losers, 5 p.m.; G4—G2, G3 winners, 7:30
TOPEKA (7-21)—G1—Leavenworth vs. Salina Falcons 12-14, 6 p.m.; G2—Topeka vs. G1 winner, 8:30
EMPORIA—Emporia 12, Ottawa 3; Pittsburg 13, Emporia 1; Ottawa 20, Emporia 2; Pittsburg 5, Ottawa 2; SQ—Pittsburg, Ottawa
LEGION AA ZONES (19 under)
HOISINGTON—G1—Larned 11, Otis-Bison 1; G2—Goodland 7, Ellinwood 3; G3—Larned 4, Goodland 3; G4—Otis-Bison 18, Ellinwood 9; G5—Goodland def. Otis-Bison; G6—Goodland 4, Larned 2; G7—Larned 15, Goodland 5; SQ—Larned 10-8
BELOIT (7-20)—Clifton-Clyde 6-15 vs. Norton 1-11, 11 a.m.; Smith Center 18-13 vs. Republic County 7-13, 1 p.m.; Beloit 14-6 vs. Norton/Clifton Clyde winner, 3 p.m.; G4—losers G1, G2
IOLA—Iola def. Wamego; Silver Lake 3, Iola 0; Iola 8, Wamego 0; Iola 8, Silver Lake 3; Silver Lake def. Iola, SQ—Silver Lake 18-7
SABETHA—G1—Doniphan County 10, Seneca 1; G2—Marysville 6, Hiawatha 5; 7-19—G3—Marysville 4, Corning 0; G4—Doniphan County 6, Sabetha 2; 7-20—G5—Seneca 9-11 vs. Corning 9-8, 6 p.m.; G6—Sabetha 21-9 vs. Hiawatha 1-16, 8 p.m.; 7-21—G7—Winners G5, G6, 6 p.m.; G8—Marysville 12-10 vs. Doniphan County 13-10, 8 p.m.
LEGION A ZONES (17 and under)
CHANUTE—G1—Pittsburg def. Ottawa; G2—Overbrook Santa Fe Trail def. Garnett; G3—Pittsburg 3, Iola 0; G4—Chanute 14-4 vs. Overbrook Santa Fe Trail 15-6; 7-20—G5—Ottawa vs. Garnett; G6—Iola vs. loser G4; G7—Pittsburg vs. winner G4
CLAY CENTER—G1—Clay Center 10, Hays (17) 2; G2—Salina Eagles 6, Clay Center 4; G3—Junction City 12, McPherson (15) 9; G4—McPherson 6, Hays (17) 1; G6—Junction City 10, Salina Eagles 0; G6—McPherson 7, Clay Center 2; G7—Salina Eagles 8, McPherson 2; G8—Junction City 14, Salina Eagles 3; SQ—Junction City 16-7, Salina Eagles 20-12
MCPHERSON (7-21)—G1—Andover Central 9-3-2 vs. Winfield 1-15, 5 p.m.; G2—McPherson (16) 16-8-1 vs. Hays (15) 8-11, 5 p.m.; G3—winners G1, G2, 7 p.m.; G4—losers G1, G2, 7 p.m.
TOPEKA—Salina Hawks 7, Hiawatha 0; Salina Hawks 16, Doniphan County 0; Marysville, Seneca, Topeka; SQ—Salina Hawks 37-4; Doniphan County
