By William / www.mcpherson-county-ks.com

BROOKVILLE – After letting game one slip away late, the Moundridge baseball team finally got a win in game two at Ell-Saline on Friday, splitting the doubleheader 14-18, and 15-7.

The Wildcats are scheduled to be back on the competitive diamond on Monday at Oxford.

In game one, Moundridge jumped out to an 8-3 lead by the end of the third inning by scoring two, one and five runs in the first three innings and held a 9-4 advantage entering the bottom of the fifth inning when Ell-Saline poured across six runs and then pounded out eight more runs in the sixth to take an 18-9 lead into the final inning. While the Wildcats scored five in the top of the seventh, it was not near enough and suffered the late game 18-14 loss.

“We played much better tonight,” noted Wildcat head coach Jason Rains. “Our first game got away from us after playing well to start. Pitch counts and some sore arms forced out hand in some decisions that put some people in unusual positions. But we took steps forward in game one.”

Five Wildcats took to the mound in the game starting with Logan Churchill and ending with Ethan Brandeweide. The five combined to give up 18 runs on 18 hits while striking out nine and walking 12.

At the plate, Ty Rains and Lane Durst each had three hits of the teams 15 while Joe Schrag and Joaquin Huff had two hits each for the Wildcats. Schrag knocked across three runs and Rains, Brandeweide and London Ward each earned a pair of runs batted in. both Rains and Brandeweide had doubles and Huff hammered out a triple.

Wildcat base runners scorched the Ell-Saline battery for 20 stolen bases in the game including six by Rains, four from Churchill and two for Durst.

After spotting Ell-Saline for a run in the first, Moundridge powered across nine runs in the top of the second and another six in the fourth on their way to a game two 15-7 victory.

Coach Rains concluded his reflections on the games by saying, “In game two we came out and looked like the team I thought we could be. We finally decided to be more aggressive at the plate and made some things happen. Solid outing on the mound from senior Jerid Montague which really helped us put the game away.”

Montague held Ell-Saline to just seven hits and seven runs while walking just two and striking out eight in just four innings.

Pounding out 16 hits in the game, Joe Schrag led the Wildcats with three hits while Layton Weins, Montague, Kaden Jenkins, Lane Durst, and London Ward each had two. Churchill crushed out a triple and Schrag recorded three runs batted in thanks to hitting a double. Joaquin Huff, Churchill, Ethan Brandeweide, and Jenkins all knocked across two. Rains stole another three bases, giving him nine stolen bases in the two games.

GAME 1:       1-2-3-4-5-6-7=R-H-E

WILDCATS     2-1-5-0-1-0-5=14-15-0     

Ell-Saline       0-1-2-1-6-8-X=18-14-0

WILDCATS PITCHING (IP-H-R-ER-BB-SO): Logan Churchill 2.2-7-3-3-2-6; Lane Durst 0.1-0-1-1-2-1; Ty Rains 1.1-1-4-4-2-1; Joe Schrag 0.2-1-2-2-2-0; Ethan Brandeweide 1.0-5-8-8-4-1. Team Totals: 6.0-14-18-18-12-9.

WILDCATS HITTING (AB-R-H-RBI-BB): Ty Rains 3-3-3-2-2; Joe Schrag 4-2-2-3-1; Ethan Brandeweide 4-1-1-2-1; Joaquin Huff 5-2-2-0-0; Logan Churchill 3-1-1-1-2; London Ward 5-1-1-2-0; Lane Durst 4-2-3-1-1; Camden Dalke 4-1-1-1-1; Jerid Montague 3-1-1-1-1. Team Totals: 35-14-15-13-9. 2B (2): Rains, Brandeweide – 1. 3B (1): Huff – 1. SB (20): Rains – 6; Schrag – 4; Churchill – 3; Durst – 2; Huff, Brandenweide, Montague, Ward, Dalke – 1. LOB: 9.

GAME 2:       1-2-3-4-5-6-7=R-H-E

WILDCATS     0-9-0-6-X-X-X=15-16-0

Ell-Saline       1-0-2-4-X-X-X=7-7-0

WILDCATS PITCHING (IP-H-R-ER-BB-SO): Jerid Montague 3.1-7-7-7-2-8. Win: Montague.

WILDCATS HITTING (AB-R-H-RBI-BB): Ty Rains 2-2-1-1-2; Joe Schrag 4-2-3-3-0; Ethan Brandeweide 3-1-0-2-1; Joaquin Huff 2-1-1-2-0; Layton Weins 2-1-2-0-0; Logan Churchill 2-2-1-2-2; Jerid Montague 3-1-2-0-1; Kaden Jenkins 4-1-2-2-0; Lane Durst 3-2-2-1-0; London Ward 2-2-2-1-1. Team Totals: 27-15-16-14-7. 2B (1): Schrag – 1. 3B (1): Churchill – 1. SB (8): Rains – 3; Schrag, Churchill, Ward, Weins, Montague – 1. LOB: 7.

(William is a free-lance writer covering McPherson County Activities – he can be reached at crossdovewriter@gmail.com)