Hays Post Sports
HAYS — The TMP-Marian Monarchs extended their winning streak to 14 games to start the season with a sweep of the Clay Center Tigers on Friday night in Hays.
GAME 1: TMP 9, Clay Center 1
The Monarchs scored at least one run in every inning, and
starter Ty Schmeidler matched his career-high with 11 strikeouts as TMP took
Game 1, 9-1.
TMP jumped out early, scoring five runs over the first two innings.
Grant Nehls opened the scoring with an RBI double in the bottom of the first inning, and two batters later, Caden Dinkel delivered an RBI triple to center, making it 2-0 after one inning.
In the bottom of the second, Carson Liles hit the last of three straight singles, driving in a run to make it 3-0.
Nehls added a second RBI on a groundout, putting TMP up 4-0. Logan Baalmann followed with an RBI double, giving TMP a 5-0 lead after two innings.
The Monarchs scored single runs in the third and fourth innings on sacrifice flies by Jacob Seib and Nehls for a 7-0 lead.
TMP added two more runs on groundouts by Seib and Liles to secure the 9-1 victory.
Ian Nehls and Carson Liles each collected two hits. Grant Nehls drove in three runs.
Schmeidler improved to 2-0 on the season. He allowed one run on two hits with 11 strikeouts and one walk.
GAME 2: TMP 14, Clay Center 8
Grant Nehls recorded his first career two-homer game, and
the Monarchs scored in every inning in a 14-8 win.
After TMP starter Carson Liles struck out two of the first three hitters he faced, Grant Nehls launched his third home run of the season in the bottom of the first, putting TMP up 1-0.
Jacob Seib made it 2-0 on an RBI groundout, but Clay Center took advantage of three hit batters, an error, a dropped third strike and a groundout to rally for a 6-2 lead through two and a half innings.
The Monarchs answered Clay Center’s six-run third inning with a five-run bottom half.
Caden Dinkel started the inning with an RBI single. Ty Schmeidler followed with a two-run home run, tying the game at 6.
After a pair of walks, Nash Dreiling singled up the middle to score the go-ahead run and give TMP a 7-6 lead.
Clay Center tied the game in the top of the fourth.
Grant Nehls hit a two-run home run to left in the bottom of the fourth to give the Monarchs a 9-7 lead.
TMP added a run on an error and a Carson Liles RBI single for an 11-7 lead after five innings.
The Monarchs capped the scoring with three runs in the bottom of the sixth.
The inning began with a run scoring on a wild pitch and an error, and Dreiling later added an RBI single to make it 14-7.
Clay Center scored once in the seventh, but the Monarchs secured the 14-8 win.
Schmeidler homered and tripled in a three-hit day. Grant Nehls homered twice and drove in three runs.
Liles earned the win with six innings on the mound. He allowed seven runs — four earned — on three hits. He struck out seven with two walks and hit four batters.
Liles leads the Monarchs with a 4-0 record.