’Hounds take division lead with 30-run sweep

Mackay Williams makes the turn at second base on his way to third following a bad pickoff throw as Fort Scott Community College head coach John Hill III looks on from the third-base coaching box during the bottom of the fourth inning of Friday’s first game at Lions Field. Williams went on to score the first of 5 runs in the inning on a wild pitch.

Scott Nuzum/Tribune

Fort Scott Community College and Allen met at Lions Field Friday with first place in the Jayhawk Conference-Eastern Division on the line.

By the end of the day, the Greyhounds were two games ahead following 12-6 and 18-0 victories over the Red Devils. The teams meet again this afternoon in Iola.

The first game was a back-and-forth affair in the early going. Fort Scott (14-4 East, 26-7 overall) scored first on back-to-back home runs in the bottom of the first. Wes Baker led off with a single to right then scored on Danny Crews’ 2-out homer on an 0-2 pitch. Sean Moore followed up with a solo shot on a 2-0 pitch.

Allen (12-6, 26-9) scored 4 in the top of the second to take the lead. Quinn Waterbury tied the game in the bottom of the third with a solo homer to center field. Mason Gifford reclaimed the lead for his team with a solo shot leading off the top of the fourth.

Mackay Williams was hit by a pitch leading off the bottom of the fourth for Fort Scott. He went all the way to third on a bad pickoff throw and scored on a wild pitch. Baker singled to left with one out and Ben McConnell drew a walk. Brandon Krennrich followed with a line-drive single to center that loaded the bases for Crews, who drew a walk to force Baker home.

Waterbury singled with 2 out to plate McConnell and Krennrich. Ben Kiefer hit another single that brought Crews in to make it 9-5.

Allen scored its final run of the day in the top of the sixth inning. Fort Scott responded with 3 in the bottom of the inning. Krennrich led off and Crews followed with another single. Mitch McAllister came in to pinch run for Krennrich and Moore sacrificed to move the runners up. Waterbury lifted a sacrifice fly to center to score McAllister. Then Kiefer hit his first homer of the season over the right-field fence to make it 12-6.

Waterbury went 3 for 3 at the plate for Fort Scott, driving in 4 runs. Kiefer, Krennrich, Crews and Baker each had 2 hits. The Greyhounds handed Allen pitcher Chase Gooding his first loss of the season in five decisions. He allowed 7 runs on 7 hits and 3 walks with 3 strikeouts over 3 1/3 innings.

Nick Sloan (4-2) allowed 3 earned runs on 7 hits and 4 walks with 2 strikeouts over the first 5 innings. Kobie Schmitt earned his 10th save of the season in the final 2 innings, allowing a run on 3 hits while striking out 4.

Schmitt is second in the nation in saves, trailing only Kevin Nunez of Hillsborough (Fla.), who had 11 going into Friday.

Fort Scott scored in each of the first five innings of game two. As it was scheduled to be the nine-inning game, the run rule didn’t come into effect until the seventh.

A 5-run first kicked off the show for the Greyhounds. Baker reached base on an error. Krennrich and Crews hit back-to-back 1-out singles. Moore doubled in Krennrich and Crews and Andrew Morrow hit a 3-run homer with 2 out.

Eight runs went up in the second with the air of a pair of 3-run home runs by Crews and Morrow. Two more posted in the third to make it 15-0. Krennrich hit a 2-run blast in the fourth to make it 17-0. And McKenzie’s single played Mitch Sloan, who had doubled, with the final run in the fifth.

Fort Scott handed another Allen pitcher his first loss of the season as Derek Sallee (4-1) lasted only one inning. Justin O’Laughlin (6-1), on the other hand, pitched a complete-game 3-hitter, didn’t walk anyone and struck out 9.

Moore was 3 for 4 for the Greyhounds. Crews went 3 for 5 with 3 RBI. McConnell and Krennrich were each 2 for 5, while Morrow, Williams and Mitch Sloan were all 2 for 3. Morrow drove in 7 runs.

Allen goes into today’s play in a 3-way tie for second with Johnson County and Cowley. Johnson county swept Labette in Parsons on Friday while Cowley split and Independence at Arkansas City Thursday. The respective rematches take place this afternoon at Overland Park and Independence.

Game One

Fort Scott........... 301 503 x —12 14 1

WP — Sloan (4-2). LP — Gooding (4-1). Sv. — Schmitt (10).

HR — Allen: Gifford (7, 4th inn., none on, none out). Fort Scott: Moore (3, 1st inn., 1 on, 2 out), Crews (7, 1st inn., none on, 2 out), Waterbury (7, 3rd inn., none on, 2 out), Kiefer (1, 6th inn., 1 on, 2 out).

Game Two

Fort Scott..... 582 210 xxx — 18 18 1

WP — O’Laughlin (6-1). LP — Sallee (4-1).

HR — Fort Scott: Morrow 2 (5, 1st inn., 2 on, 2 out; 2nd inn., 2 on, 1 out), Crews (8, 2nd inn., 2 on, 1 out), Krennrich (7, 4th inn., 1 on, none out).