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

GREAT BEND – After two come-from-behind wins to reach the Class 2-1A state title game, the Little River baseball team fell short by one run Friday evening, 5-4, in losing to Mission Valley.

With the loss, the Redskins finish the 2022 season with a record of 20-6.

After the Redskins scored a run in the top of the second, Mission Valley took the lead with by pushing two runs across home in the bottom of the inning.

Little River added a run in the third and then put two more on the board in the fifth to take a 4-2 advantage before Mission Valley scored three more runs in the bottom of the fifth to retake the lead at 5-4 and then held on to earn the Class 2-1A state title.

Little River began the game with Spencer Strecker on the mound for the first 4.2 innings. Strecker threw 103 pitches and gave up eight hits, five earned runs while walking a pair and striking out four. Logan Renken worked relief for the final 1.1 innings and held Mission Valley to just one hit, zero runs, walked one and struck out one on just 20 pitches.

Of the four runs on the scoreboard for Little River, none were considered earn as Mission Valley’s defense committed five errors.

The Redskins had just two hits in the game, both by Braden Young who also scored twice. Dalton Mantz and Logan Renken scored the other two Little River runs.

CLASS 2-1A STATE CHAMPIONSHIP = LITTLE RIVER vs. Mission Valley

LITTLE RIVER 0-1-1-0-2-0-0=4-2-0 > Mission Valley 0-2-0-0-3-0-X=5-9-5

LITTLE RIVER REDSKINS PITCHING (IP-P-H-R-ER-SO-BB): Spencer Strecker 4.2-103-8-5-5-4-2; Logan Renken 1.1-20-1-0-0-1-1. Team Totals: 6.0-123-9-5-5-5-3.

LITTLE RIVER REDSKINS HITTING (AB-R-H-RBI-BB): Braden Young 3-2-2-0-1; Dalton Mantz 3-1-0-0-1; Kaden Schafer 1-0-0-0-3; Grant Stephens 4-0-0-0-0; Logan Renken 2-1-0-1-0; Ty Herzog 3-0-0-0-0; Treygan Birdsong 2-0-0-0-0; Spencer Strecker 3-0-0-0-0; Corbin Herbst 3-0-0-0-0. Team Totals: 24-4-2-1-5. SB (1): Mantz – 1.

FOR MCPHERSON COUNTY ACTIVITY WORK:

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