Tigers roll Mac County; Pitt, LCHS split

Carter Young, seen here pitching in a game earlier this season, drove in 4 runs in the first 2 innings for Fort Scott High Tuesday at Dave Regan Field as the Tigers run-ruled McDonald County, Mo., 10-0. (Tribune file photo)

At the beginning of the day, Fort Scott High School's baseball team had no control over its fate in the Southeast Kansas League race.

By 9 p.m. Tuesday night, Fort Scott had its fate in its hands as co-leaders Pittsburg and Labette County split a league doubleheader at Altamont. This puts both those teams at 9-3 in the SEK, assuring each of a share of the title.

If Fort Scott, 7-3 in the league, sweeps an SEK twinbill at Chanute today --it's been moved up to avoid the chance of storms on Thursday --the Tigers will make it a 3-way tie.

Fort Scott didn't allow the championship chase to act as a distraction Tuesday at Dave Regan Stadium, rolling by McDonald County, Mo., 10-0 in five innings to improve to 13-4 on the season overall. The Tigers, ranked No. 2 in Class 4A-Division I by the Kansas Association of Baseball Coaches, have won their last five games.

Jake Bradbury hit the first pitch he saw leading off the bottom of the first inning, then stole second base. Chase Brown walked with one out. Then Mason Knopp reached base on an error, loading them for Carter Young, who hit a bases-clearing triple to put the Tigers ahead 3-0.

The visiting Mustangs could have gotten out of the second inning in order, but catcher Emitt Dalton let strike 3 to Bradbury get by him. Bradbury then stole second. Kaleb DeLaTorre hit a grounder to short but McDonald County's Dagan Stiles opted to try to get Bradbury out at third, perhaps thinking the throw to first was too long to make by the time he had reached the ball. Bradbury was safe and DeLaTorre was on first.

Brown came up and hit a single to center, which allowed Bradbury to score. DeLaTorre and Brown each got an extra base on an error on the throw back to the infield.

DeLaTorre scored when Knopp grounded a ball to shortstop that Stiles had no play on by the time he got to it. Then Young drove in his fourth run in 2 innings with a single to left, making it 6-0.

The third was the only inning in which Fort Scott didn't score. DeLaTorre tripled with one out in the fourth and scored when Brown got a single past a drawn-in infield to make it 7-0.

Pitcher Wyatt Reehl reached base on an error with one out in the fifth, with Drew Martin then coming in to courtesy run. Benjamin Labbe drew a walk and Alex Fink singled to center to load the bases.

Bradbury drew a bases-loaded walk, forcing Martin home. DeLaTorre followed up with a double to right to score Labbe and Fink, ending the game on the 10-run rule.

Young, DeLaTorre and Brown had 2 hits each for the Tigers, who had 9 hits off three Mac County pitchers.

Reehl (4-0) allowed just one hit -- a third-inning, 2-out single to Jake Wilkie -- and 2 walks with one strikeout as he went the distance on the mound.

This game began at 3 p.m. so that the players could make it to Tuesday night's award ceremony. The Pittsburg-LCHS twinbill began in Altamont at the usual time of 4:30.

The Grizzlies (16-4 overall) clinched its share of the SEK as well as the No. 1 seed for next week's Fort Scott Class 4A-Division I Regional Tournament with a 4-1 victory in the opener. Labette County scored 3 runs in the first inning and added another in the fourth.

The Grizzlies held a 4-1 lead again in the second game, again after four innings. But the Purple Dragons (11-9) scored 7 times in the next two innings to take the lead and grab its share of the league championship.

This is Labette County's first SEK title, the league first sponsoring the sport in 1990. Pittsburg has won baseball a league-record 11 times. If Fort Scott can climb into the tie today, the Tigers will grab a share of their ninth title.

JUNIOR VARSITY -- The Tigers won 8-3 over McDonald County, scoring 6 times in the bottom of the fourth to break a 2-2 tie.

Chandler Defebaugh pitched the first 4 innings, allowing 2 runs on one hit and 3 walks while striking out 4. Marcus Jamison and Jessie Lawrence each scored 2 runs.

Monday: Fort Scott 16, Girard 3.

This was originally scheduled as a doubleheader at Girard. Instead it was moved to Dave Regan Stadium and played as a single game, however the Tigers played as the visiting team.

Fort Scott scored in every inning of the five that were played, cranking out 14 hits. Grant Goldston was 3 for 3 at the plate while Mason Knopp was also 3 for 3 and credited with 3 RBI. Jake Bradbury went 3 for 5 with 2 RBI. Kaleb DeLaTorre was 2 for 5 with 2 RBI. Carter Young, Benjamin Labbe and Alex Fink were credited with 2 RBI each.

Eight of the Tigers' hits were for extra bases, including 6 doubles and 2 triples. Goldston hit 2 doubles while DeLaTorre had a double and a triple.

Young (3-1) pitched all 5 innings, allowing no earned runs on 5 hits and 2 walks while striking out 4.

NOTES -- Because of the championship implications of today's games, KOMB-FM (103.9) will broadcast the baseball doubleheader today instead of the softball twinbill as originally scheduled....

Monday's Game

Girard.................. 030 00x x -- 3 5 4

WP -- Young (3-1). LP -- Ausemus.

HR -- None.

Tuesday's Varsity Game

Fort Scott........... 330 13x x -- 10 9 0

One out when game ended.

WP -- Reehl (4-0). LP -- Hanke.

HR -- None.

Tuesday's JV Game

McDonald County... 002 01 -- 3 2 4

Fort Scott............... 002 6x -- 8 5 1

Tuesday at Labette County

Labette County........... 300 100 x -- 4

Game Two

Labette County........... 021 100 1 -- 5