'Hounds split with Allen

IOLA --Although Fort Scott Community College's baseball managed only a split with Allen here Saturday, the Greyhounds clinched a spot in the Region VI Tournament and put themselves in a position to finish in sixth place if things work out right this coming weekend.

Fort Scott won the first game 10-5. Allen won the second game, 4-1, to move into a tie for eighth in the Jayhawk Conference-Eastern Division with Highland with a tiebreaker in hand.

The top eight teams qualify for the Region VI Tournament. Fort Scott (14-18 East, 24-23 overall) is in seventh place, two games behind Independence (16-16, 22-23) for sixth. The Pirates won the season series 3 games to 1, so the Greyhounds would have to finish one game ahead of the Pirates to get the higher seed.

Allen (7-25, 13-31) is in the eighth position on tie-beakers, having defeated Highland (7-25, 14-36) 3-1 in the season series. Labette (6-26, 12-29) is in 10th place but could still make the playoffs. If all three end up in a tie, Allen holds the two-way tie-breakers over Highland and Labette as well as the three-way tie-breaker.

Fort Scott, being seven games ahead of Highland and Allen with four conference games remaining, can't finish lower than seventh. This would put them against the second-place team out of the Western Division in the first round, which currently is Garden City.

The 'Hounds scored first in Saturday's opener. Kaden Shaffer led off the first inning with a single, then got all the way to third following a bad pickoff throw. He scored on Jake Harvey's sacrifice fly.

Zach Taylor led off the third with a single. Shaffer singled with one out. Harvey doubled to score Taylor. Josh Griffith was hit by a pitch with 2 out. Austin Oakes walked to force Shatter in. Parker O'Dell's double scored Harvey and Griffith to make it 5-2.

Barkley led off the fifth with a walk and Griffith followed with a single. After a double steal, Oakes' double made it 7-4.

Shaffer reached on an error leading off the sixth. Harvey singled but was out at second when Lance Barkley grounded into a fielder's choice. Griffith's single scored Shaffer to make it 8-4.

Shaffer's 2-out home run in the top of the seventh plated Kolby Greenslade as well to make it 10-4.

Allen scored single runs in the second, third, fourth, fifth and seventh innings.

Shaffer went 3 for 5 to lead the Greyhounds at the plate. Griffith and Harvey each had 2 hits.

Cody Tolbert (3-2) was the winning pitcher, allowing one earned run on 7 hits and 2 walks with 5 strikeouts in the first 4 innings. Matt Peterson got his fifth save by going the final 3 innings, allowing a pair of solo homers.

Fort Scott's only run in the second game came when O'Dell was hit by a pitch with 2 out and the bases loaded in the top of the third, forcing Barkley home.

Allen took a 2-0 lead in the first as Levi Ashmore led off and stole second. He scored when Kyle Foster doubled. Foster came in when Chase Egelston followed with a single.

Kyle Foster's 2-out solo homer in the bottom of the third stretched the Red Devils' lead to 3-1. Allen added its final run in the fifth when Kyle Heffern scored on a 2-out error.

O'Dell led off the sixth with a single but the Greyhounds couldn't get him home. Fort Scott had the bases loaded with 2 out in the seventh but a fly-ball out ended the inning. A double-play ball helped Allen glide through the eighth.

Harvey singled with one out in the top of the ninth. Barkley walked and Griffith singled to load the bases. But Allen closer Keil Stuaffer got Oakes to fly out in foul territory and O'Dell to end the game with a fly-ball out to center.

Griffith was the only Greyhound with 2 hits in the game. Foster went 3 for 4 with 2 RBI.

The Greyhounds were scheduled to make up a doubleheader at the Ottawa University junior varsity this afternoon.

The conference season concludes this weekend with all East teams playing Thursday and Saturday and all West teams, except Garden City, playing Friday and Saturday.

Fort Scott will play at second-place Neosho County Thursday, then face them at Lions Field Saturday. Independence is at Coffeyville Thursday and home against the Red Ravens Saturday.

With an odd number of teams in the Western Division, Garden City just happens to have this weekend off. Depending on how the other teams fare, current leader Hutchinson, Garden or Butler could end up facing Fort Scott in the first round of the playoffs.

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Game One

Fort Scott........................... 104 021 2 -- 10 11 3

Allen.................................... 011 110 1 -- 5 10 3

WP --Tolbert (3-2). LP -- Pike. Sv. -- Peterson (5).

HR -- Fort Scott: Shaffer (7, 7th inn., 1 on., 2 out). Allen -- Kreifel (7th inn., none on, none out), Walden (7th inn, none on, none out).

Game Two

Fort Scott...................... 001 000 000 -- 1 5 3

Allen............................... 201 010 00x -- 4 10 1

WP -- Kreifel. LP -- Griffith (2-2). Sv. -- Stauffer.

HR -- Fort Scott: None. Allen: Foster (3rd inn., none on, 2 out).