Hays Post Sports
MANHATTAN – The TMP-Marian Monarchs are on to the 2-1A state baseball championship game thanks to timely hitting and another solid pitching performance — this time from senior Carson Liles — as they downed Rossville 6-2.
Rossville took a 1-0 first-inning lead on an RBI single to left field.
The Monarchs (29-1) answered in the bottom of the inning when Ty Schmeidler drove in a run on a groundout to second base, tying the game at 1-1.
After a scoreless second inning, Rossville again pushed a run across for a 2-1 lead on an RBI double.
Just like in the first inning, the Monarchs answered back in the bottom half, scoring three times to take a 4-2 lead.
Schmeidler drove in the first run with a triple to right field, and then Caden Dinkel followed with his sixth home run of the season — a two-run shot to left that put TMP up by two.
That was all the offensive support TMP starter Carson Liles needed.
Liles worked around traffic throughout the game, allowing five hits and five walks but just two runs while striking out nine over seven innings. Liles improved to a team-best 10-0 on the season.
Meanwhile, the Monarchs added a run on a wild pitch in the fourth inning and another on a Dinkel RBI single in the sixth on their way to a 6-2 victory.
Seven of the nine Monarchs in the lineup collected at least one hit. Dinkel finished 3-for-4 with three RBIs, while Grant Nehls walked four times and scored two runs.
TMP will take on St. Mary’s Colgan (19-7) in the championship game Friday night at approximately 6:45 p.m. in Manhattan.