By Staff
HOISINGTON – The Smoky Valley baseball team closed out their 2023 season with a heartbreaking, extra inning, 1-0 loss to Ellinwood/Stafford in the first round of their Class 3A state regional playoffs.
With the loss, the Vikings end the 2023 season with a record of 4-17.
Neither team could find hits on offense and not a single run was scored until the bottom of the eighth when Ellinwood/Stafford got just their third hit of the game which pushed the winning run across.
Kade Blanchat was the bright spot for the Vikings as he had one of the teams two hits, the other came off the bat of Teron Miller, with Blanchat’s hit being a double.
The loss also overshadowed an outstanding show on the pitchers mound by Blanchat as he pitched to all but the last two batters, threw 109 pitches, gave up but two hits, walked none and struck out a whopping 17 Eagle batters.
SMOKY VALLEY VIKING BASEBALL vs. Ellinwood/Stafford at Class 3A Regionals
Scoring: Smoky Valley > 0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0 = 0-2-1; Ellinwood/Stafford > 0-0-0-0-0-0-0-1 = 1-3-0.
SMOKY VALLEY HITTING (ab-r-h-rbi-bb): Nolan Dauer > 3-0-0-0-0; Braxton House > 3-0-0-0-0; Ty Heitschmidt > 2-0-0-0-1; Kade Blanchat > 3-0-1-0-0; Trevor Jones > 3-0-0-0-0; Ethan Able > 3-0-0-0-0; Nicholas Jones > 3-0-0-0-0; Teron Miller > 3-0-1-0-0; Nolan Moore > 3-0-0-0-0. Team Totals > 26-0-2-0-1. 2B (1) > K. Blanchat – 1.
SMOKY VALLEY PITCHING (ip-p-h-r-er-bb-so): Kade Blanchat > 7.1-109-2-1-0-2-17; Nolan Moore > 0.0-4-1-0-0-0-0. Team Totals > 7.1-113-3-1-0-2-17.
Ellinwood/Stafford Hitting > 26-1-3-1-2, 3 – 2B. Ellinwood/Stafford Pitching > 8.0-116-2-0-0-1-14.
(The Staff covering McPherson County Activities can be reached by email at crossdovewriter@gmail.com)