SALINA – After a tough loss to the defending champions to start the day, the Hays Senior Eagles bounced back with a thrilling win over the host team to finish pool play 2-1 at the Kansas Grand Slam Wood Bat Tournament in Salina Friday.
The Eagles (10-1) will begin bracket play against a yet to be determined opponent at 9 p.m. Saturday night at Dean Evans Stadium.
Millard North 14,
Eagles 4 (4 innings)
Millard North, who’s won seven of the last nine Grand Slam championships,
scored five runs in the first inning, four in second and three in the third for
a 12-3 lead.
Dalton Dale collected two of the Eagles five hits while Brady Kreutzer drove in two runs.
Colby Dreiling gave up all five first innings runs on three hits and took the loss.
Eagles 14, Salina
Falcons 12 (8 innings)
For a second straight day, the Eagles pulled out a slugfest win at James
Matson Field. After holding off the Topeka Scrappers 13-11 to open pool play Thursday, they needed extra innings to get by the Falcons Friday afternoon.
The Eagles struck first with three runs in the top of the second. Dalton Dale’s one-out single following two straight walks, scored Carson Jacobs. Jack Fields followed with a walk which scored Dawson VonFeldt. Brady Kreutzer’s fielder’s choice to the pitcher scored Garrett Wellbrock.
Salina answered with five unearned runs in the bottom of the inning off of starter Garrett Wellbrock who walked four in the frame.
The Falcons tacked on two more unearned runs in the third before the Eagles exploded with a six-run fourth to take a 9-7 lead. Colby Dreiling’s two-run double to left closed the gap to 7-5. Carson Jacobs hit a two-out single to left to tie the game 7-7. Following a Josh Haynes walk, Dawson VonFeldt doubled to left which scored two.
The Falcons tacked on single runs in the fifth and sixth to tie the game 9-9.
Brady Kreutzer’s single to left scored Remington Cox in the top of the seventh but the Falcons answered with a two-out double to tie the game in the bottom of the innings.
With each team getting a runner at second base in extra innings, the Eagles tallied four runs with two outs in the eighth.
After loading the bases with a single and hit batter, Brock Lummus and Josh Haynes scored on a throwing error by the shortstop on a grounder from Dalton Dale. Following a Jack Fields walk, Brady Kreutzer singled to left scoring Cox and Dale which gave Hays a 14-10 lead.
Salina made things interesting in the bottom the inning, scoring twice and had runners at second and third when reliever Brady Kreutzer got a flyout to left to end the game.
Kreutzer allowed two runs on four hits with two strikeouts and two walks over two innings of relief for the win.
Starter Garrett Wellbrock went five innings allowing eight runs, all unearned, on five hits with six walks and four strikeouts.
Kreutzer, Carson Jacobs and Jack Fields all had three of the Eagles 12 hits with Kreutzer driving in four, Jacobs two and Dawson VonFeldt two.
Jr. Eagles lose to Hawks
The Junior Eagles fell 17-3 to the Salina Hawks to go 0-3 in pool play. They play a consolation game at 4:45 p.m. Saturday at Dean Evans Stadium.