Grand Opening

Kenny Felt/Special to the Tribune Jake Bradbury is congratulated by Grant Goldston after scoring the first run at the new Dave Regan Stadium Tuesday afternoon. Bradbury scored in the bottom of the first inning on Chase Brownb's single, which was the Tigers' first hit at the facility. The Tigers took game one from Louisburg 10-0 and rolled in the second game 15-0. (Kenny Felt/Special to the Tribune)

The pomp and circumstance surrounding the opening of Dave Regan Stadium at the LaRoche Baseball Complex Tuesday and the large crowd gave a pair of regular-season baseball games a State Tournament atmosphere.

Without a doubt holding more than its listed 500-spectator capacity, the Fort Scott High School baseball team opened the facility, named for the program's first head coach, in dominating fashion, sweeping visiting Louisburg 10-0 and 15-0.

"That's every bit as much atmosphere as you have at State games," Fort Scott head coach Josh Regan, Dave's son, said. "But this group has been in the fire, not just in baseball but in football and basketball too. That's the beauty of it; they just came out and played. I'm so proud of them for that."

Senior Mason Knopp pitches to a Louisburg batter during game one. Knopp allowed 5 hits, didn't walk a batter and struck out 7 in the first game of the doubleheader. (kenny Felt/Special to the Tribune)

The entire doubleheader lasted just eight innings. Five innings in the first before the 10-run rule kicked in. Three innings in the nightcap, when the 15-run version came into effect.

And remember, because last Thursday's games at Girard couldn't be played due to wet field conditions, these were the Tigers' first games of the season.

"We flat out hit the baseball," Regan said. "We've scrimmaged once. It was like we were in mid-season form. They were aggressive. They were confident.

"We've got a special group and I'm so lucky to be able to coach them. Every day when I come to practice, I feel so grateful. It's not just the talent; it's the attitude. I'm constantly amazed at how fun this group is and how much I respect them as young men, not just players."

Mary Regan, Dave's mother and grandmother of Josh Regan and Adam LaRoche, threw the ceremonial first pitch. The honor of throwing the first competitive pitch went to senior Mason Knopp. And he dominated.

Knopp's strikeout of the stadium's first batter, Cole Kramer, was the first out in the facility. Two batters later, Austin Henderson got the first hit but Knopp struck out Lucas Smith to end the inning.

Smith's plan as Louisburg's pitcher wasn't to be the one who surrendered a lot of the stadium's firsts. But the Tigers didn't allow him to have a choice. Jake Bradbury walked leading off the bottom of the first then moved all the way to third when Smith's pickoff throw ended up in right field.

Catcher Chase Brown got Fort Scott's first hit, a single to left, that plated Bradbury with the stadium's first run scored. Drew Martin went in as the courtesy runner and stole second, scoring on Knopp's 2-out single to left.

Fort Scott made it 5-0 after two. Aj Smith led off with a walk then scored on Kaleb DeLaTorre's 2-out double to center. Brown singled to score DeLaTorre. Martin, running again, moved around to third on Carter Young's single and scored on Knopp's single to left.

Benjamin Labbe drew a walk leading off the third. Smith singled and Alex Fink bunted the runners over. DeLaTorre hit a single to right-center to bring home both runners to make it 7-0 after three.

Grant Goldston reached base on a fielder's choice in the fourth, then moved up on two wild pitches. He scored on Labbe's flair single to left to make it 8-0.

Fort Scott closed out the game with the air of a pair of Louisburg errors. Knopp's one-out fly ball to short right was dropped. Labbe walked with 2 out and the runners moved up on a passed ball. Smith's fly ball to deep left was also dropped, allowing both runners to score.

DeLaTorre was 2 for 4 for the Tigers while Brown and Knopp were each 2 for 3. In addition, Knopp allowed 5 hits and struck out 7 batters.

"With all the distractions and everything and all that was going on and the atmosphere, the pressure that was on them, I just couldn't have been prouder of the way they responded to all that," Regan said.

Game two opended with back-to-back singles by Louisburg's Kramer and Mitchell Caldwell, the latter just tipping off the glove of a jumping Labbe at third. But Ryan Pickert struck out Henderson for the first out and got out of the inning without any more trouble.

Fort Scott's offense exploded for 10 runs in the bottom of that inning. Every Tiger scored at least once.

Bradbury drew a leadoff walk. DeLaTorre singled to right. Then Brown stepped in and cranked Dave Regan Stadium's first home run, over the right-field fence.

That shook Louisburg starting pitcher Dalton Stone, who hit four of the next five batters. Young and Knopp got plunked, then Goldston singled to right. Labbe got hit, forcing Young in. Then Smith got hit, forcing in Knopp.

Fink singled to short center, scoring Goldston. Bradbury came up again and singled to right, scoring Labbe and Smith.

The next two batters got out but those were sacrifice flies by DeLaTorre and Brown with runs 9 and 10.

Three more runs posted in the second. Labbe drew a leadoff walk and Smith followed with a double. Fink brought both runners in with a single to right, then moved to second on a wild pitch. Bradbury reached when he grounded to the first baseman and beat him to the bag as the pitcher didn't run over to cover. DeLaTorre was then hit by another pitch -- the fifth batter of the inning to get struck by the ball -- and Brown singled through a drawn-in infield to get Fink home, making it 13-0.

Labbe walked to lead off the third with the Tigers needing 2 runs to end things extremely early. However, the Wildcats turned a double play and looked as though they might be able to extend the game.

However, Fink walked and moved to second on a wild pitch. Then pinch-hitter Martin singled to right to score Fink. DeLaTorre ended the game with a run-scoring double.

Fort Scott had just 18 at-bats in the second game but cranked out 13 hits. Bradbury, DeLaTorre, Brown and Fink each had two. Brown drove in 5 runs while DeLaTorre and Fink each had 3 RBI.

Pickert allowed 3 hits and a walk while striking out 2 in his short stint.

After talking to his team, Regan went up to the concourse and leaned on the fence that keeps spectators back from the statue of his father that's been erected near the stadium entrance to reflect.

"It's an incredible tribute," Regan said. "The fact that Dad will be here forever, his spirit. My kids, when they're old enough to understand it, will see it and know who their Granddad was and be proud of his legacy. What Adam's given to our family is something I can never pay back.

"As I said before the game, he's not here anymore. But his character and his charisma will never die. That's so incredibly powerful to me and my brothers and his whole family."

Pitch: Mary Regan (Ceremonial), Mason Knopp (official).

Batter: Louisburg's Cole Kramer, who was...

Strikeout: ...struck out by Knopp leading off the game.

Putout: Brown, because scorekeeping rules give the putout to the catcher on a strikeout.

Hit: Austin Henderson, Louisburg, a 2-out single in the first inning (Fort Scott's first hit was a Chase Brown single in the bottom of the inning).

Run scored: Jake Bradbury on Brown's single.

Home run: Brown, a 3-run shot to right-center in the first inning of the second game.

Stolen base: Drew Martin in the first inning as a courtesy runner for Brown.

Game One

Louisburg......... 000 000 0 -- 0 5 3

Fort Scott.......... 232 102 x -- 10 10 1

Two out when game ended.

E -- L.Smith, E.Caldwell, Harding, Labbe.

2B -- DeLaTorre, Labbe. SB -- M.Caldwell, Martin. CS -- Bradbury. S -- C.Smith, Fink.

HBP -- Brown (by L.Smith). WP --L.Smith, C.Smith 2, PB --Dunn, Brown.

Game Two

x -- DH batted in his place.

Louisburg......... 000 xxx x -- 0 5 0

Fort Scott..... (10)32 xxx x -- 15 13 0

Two out when game ended.

DP -- Louisburg 1.

2B -- DeLaTorre, Smith. HR -- Brown (1, 1st inn., 2 on, none out). SB -- Bradbury. SF -- DeLaTorre, Brown.

HBP -- DeLaTorre (by Stone), Young (by Stone), Knopp (by Stone), Labbe (by Stone), Smith (by Stone). WP -- Risenhoover 2.