’Hounds salvage split with KCK

Fort Scott Community College’s baseball team salvaged a split of its season series with Jayhawk Conference-Eastern Division opponent Kansas City Kansas Saturday by rallying in both games of a 7-6, 15-13 sweep of the Blue Devils. The Greyhounds dropped the first two games of the series Thursday in Kansas City.

The Greyhounds (19-5 East, 33-7 overall), who fell five places to No. 20 in this week’s NJCAA Division I poll, remained in second place in the conference, two games behind 12th-ranked Cowley (21-3, 28-8), which won a pair of high-scoring games at Highland, 15-9 and 23-16. For the weekend, including Thursday’s games at Arkansas City, the Tigers outscored the Scotties 64-33.

Third-place Johnson County (15-9, 27-12) managed only a split at home versus Allen on Saturday and fell to four games behind the Greyhounds in third place. Allen, meanwhile, continues its freefall as the Red Devils (11-13, 20-16) are now in seventh place — they had won 13 of their first 15 to start the season and their first five conference games.

KCK (13-11, 21-16) is in fourth place, one ahead of both Neosho County (23-13 overall) and Coffeyville (21-17), teams going in opposite directions. The Panthers have lost seven of their last nine games while the Red Ravens won eight straight before losing at No. 10 Connors State, Okla., on Monday and 10 of their last 13.

Fort Scott trailed 6-4 going into the bottom of the seventh inning of the opener. Ben Kiefer led off the inning and drew a walk. With one out, Ben McConnell also walked. Connor Fraley singled in Keifer and Owen Wilson, who was 3 for 4 with 3 runs batted in for the ’Hounds, drove in McConnell and Fraley with a single.

Fraley was 2 for 4 for the Greyhounds. Tim Schwoegler (1-0) was the winning pitcher in relief. He allowed 1 hit and struck out 1 in 1 1/3 innings.

Andrew Morrow hit his 12th home run of the season in the fourth inning, a 2-run shot that followed Wilson’s leadoff single. That cut the deficit at that point to 5-2. Keifer hit a solo homer leading off the bottom of the fifth inning. Wilson drove in another run later in the frame to bring Fort Scott within 6-4.

Kansas City led 6-0 after three innings of game two. The Greyhounds scored 9 runs in the bottom of the fourth on 5 hits and 3 errors. Quinn Waterbury’s team-leading 13th homer of the season, a 2-run shot with 2 out, capped the scoring.

KCK led 13-12 after its turn in the top of the eighth. Fort Scott got them back in the bottom half. Sean Moore drew a one-out walk and moved to second on a passed ball. Cole Solomon followed with a hit. Moore scored thre tying run when Alexei Cazarin grounded into a fielder’s choice that the shrotstop had no play on. A passed ball saw Solomon move to second. Cazarin beat a throw to second that went wild, allowing Solomon to score. McConnell then doubled Cazarin home.

Kobie Schmitt (1-2), Fort Scott’s closer, allowed the 3 KCK runs in the top of the eighth but got the win when Fort Scott took the lead. He then got the side out in order in the top of the ninth.

McConnell, Fraley, Solomon and Cazarin had 2 hits each. Wilson drove in 3 runs.

Fort Scott faced No. 13-ranked Crowder, Mo., in a single game on Tuesday at Lions Field. The Roughriders (31-9) won 16-1 as they pounded five Fort Scott pitchers for 16 hits.

The Greyhounds play Johnson County in a Jayhawk Conference-Eastern Division doubleheader Thursday at Lions Field. The first game will begin at 2 p.m. The teams will play each other again Saturday at Overland Park.

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Saturday’s Games

Game One

Kansas City Kansas...... 013 110 0 — 6 4 0

Fort Scott.............. 000 220 3 — 7 8 1

One out when winning run scored.

WP — Schwoegler (1-0). LP — Rivera (2-2).

HR — Kansas City: Gifford (4, 4th inn., none on, 1 out). Fort Scott: Morrow (12, 4th inn., 1 on, none out), Keifer (4, 5th inn., none on, none out).

Game Two

Kansas City Kansas...... 123 031 030 — 13 12 6

Fort Scott.............. 000 903 03x — 15 11 4

WP — Schmitt (1-2). LP — Vestal (1-3).

HR — Kansas City: Gifford 2 (6, 3rd inn., 1 on, 2 out; 8th inn., 2 on, 1 out), Goodfellow (2, 5th inn., 2 on, 1 out). Fort Scott: Waterbury (13, 4th inn., 1 on, 2 out).

Tuesday’s Game

Crowder, Mo............... 180 124 0xx — 16 16 3

Fort Scott................ 000 010 0xx — 1 2 2

WP — Weber (2-1). LP — Richter (4-1).

HR — Crowder: Reilly (7, 4th inn., none on, none out), Price (5, 2nd inn., 3 on, none out).