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Homers help 'Hounds sweep Independence
Fort Scott Community College's baseball team swept a Jayhawk Conference-Eastern Division doubleheader from Independence at Lions Field Friday, taking game one, 7-3, and using five homer runs to take the nightcap, 8-6.
These games were moved from Thursday due to anticipated bad weather (see box, right, for more schedule changes).
Fort Scott (4-2 East, 14-5 overall) scored first in the opener when Brandon Kennrich belted his third home run of the season, a 2-run shot, in the top of the first. Will Baker was on base after drawing a one-out walk.
Fort Scott High School graduate Chase Brown was 2 for 3 for Independence (2-4, 8-13), belting a home run leading off the top of the second inning. It was his fifth homer of the season
Ben Kiefer singled with 2 out in the bottom of the second and stole second. Mitch Sloan drove him in to make it 3-1.
Collin Klingensmith hit a solo homer with one out in the top of the third for the Pirates to bring them within one.
Fort Scott added one in the fourth when Quinn Waterbury doubled to left with one out and scored on Sloan's 2-out single past the shortstop.
Indy put up one in the top of the fifth to get within 4-3. Fort Scott got that run back in the bottom of the inning as Danny Crews drove in Mackay Williams on a 2-out single to center.
The Greyhounds put up the last 2 runs in the bottom of the sixth. Kiefer drew a leadoff walk and Ben McConnell reached base on a bunt. Baker singled to left, plating Kiefer and Kennrich singled to right with 2 out to score McConnell.
Kennrich was 3 for 4 with 3 runs batted in for Fort Scott. Baker and Sloan were each 2 for 3.
Nick Sloan (1-2) pitched the first 6 innings, throwing 97 pitches. He allowed 2 earned runs on 6 hits and 3 walks while striking out 3. Kobie Schmitt worked the seventh and allowed a hit and a walk while striking out 2.
Although the Greyhounds took the initial lead in game two on Ben McConnell's first-inning leadoff homer, the Pirates scored 5 in the third to hold the lead after three. A 2-run shot by Greyson Pinkett aided Indy's cause.
Kennrich's second home run of the day and Quinn Waterbury's third of the season --both solo shots -- helped Fort Scott get within 5-3 after four. Andruw McKenzie leadoff homer in the fifth brought the Greyhounds one run closer.
Andrew Morrow's 3-run shot with 2 out in the bottom of the sixth put Fort Scott ahead, 7-5. Williams singled to lead off the winning and Crews reached base on dropped third strike to get on base ahead of the homer.
Mitch Sloan singled leading off the seventh and Baker brought him in with a line-drive single to right to make it 8-5.
Jacob Mueller's leadoff homer in the top of the eighth brought Independence within one run.
McConnell and McKenzie were each 2 for 4 for the Greyhounds.
Justin O'Laughlin (4-1) threw 125 pitches in eight innings to tough out his fourth win of the season. He allowed 6 runs on 8 hits and walked 4 but also struck out 11. Schmitt earned his third save of the season, pitching a perfect ninth. He threw 11 pitches, 10 for strikes.
The Greyhounds and Pirates will face each other again at Independence on Sunday. Then Fort Scott takes on the Ottawa University junior varsity on Monday at Lions Field. Both doubleheaders begin at 1 p.m.
Today:
Postponed due to weather. In fact, every doubleheader in the Eastern Division was moved either to Friday (Allen at Labette) or Sunday (Coffeyville at Kansas City, Cowley at Johnson County, and Highland at Neosho County).
Sunday:
Saturday's doubleheader at Independence has been rescheduled for Sunday. First pitch of game one is at 1 p.m.
Monday:
Games originally scheduled to be played at the Ottawa junior varsity have been moved to Fort Scott. The first pitch of game one will be at 1 p.m.
Game One
Independence.... 011 010 0 -- 3 7 0
Fort Scott............. 210 112 x -- 7 12 3
WP -- N.Sloan (1-2). LP -- Grant (1-3).
HR -- Independence: Brown (5, 2nd inn., none on, none out), Klingensmith (1, 3rd inn., none on, 1 out). Fort Scott: Kennrich (3, 1st inn., 1 on, 2 out).
Game Two
Independence.. 005 000 010 -- 6 8 0
Fort Scott........ 100 213 10x -- 8 9 2
WP -- O'Laughlin (4-1). LP -- Christenberry (1-1). Sv. Schmitt (3).
HR -- Independence: Pinkett (3, 3rd inn., 1 on, 2 out), Mueller (5, 8th inn., none on, none out). Fort Scott: McConnell (3, 1st inn., none on, none out), Kennrich (4, 4th inn., none on, 1 out), Waterbury (3, 4th inn., none on, 2 out), McKenzie (1, 5th inn., none on, none out), Morrow (1, 6th inn, 2 on, 2 out).