Hays Post Sports
HAYS – The TMP-Marian Monarchs baseball team extended their win streak to four straight games to open the season, taking two from Ellinwood on Tuesday in Hays.
GAME 1: TMP 14, Ellinwood 4
The Monarchs scored in all four innings, and all hitters in
the lineup, except one, collected at least one hit in a 14-4 win over the
Eagles in the first game of the doubleheader.
Freshman Grant Nehls gave the Monarchs an early lead, hitting his second home run of the season —a first-inning grand slam —that gave TMP a 4-0 lead.
The Monarchs added six more runs in the second inning, capitalizing on a pair of errors and a walk to start the inning.
A Caden Dinkel sacrifice fly put TMP up 5-0.
Adler Brown, two hitters later, added a two-run single to extend the TMP lead to 6-0. Connor Breit followed with a two-run single, extending TMP's lead to 8-0. Trevor Frabrizius added a two-run double, giving TMP a 10-0 lead through two innings.
Already leading by double-digits, the Monarchs added three more runs in the bottom of the third, taking advantage of three walks and a hit by pitch. Dinkel singled home a run, and TMP added runs on a passed ball and a Frabrizius walk with the bases loaded, helping the Monarchs to a 13-0 lead through three innings.
TMP added a single run in the bottom of the fourth, making it 14-0 on the second RBI single of the game for Dinkel.
The Monarchs went on to claim the 14-4 run-rule victory in four and a half innings.
Grant Nehls finished 1-for-3 with the grand slam. Caden Dinkel drove in three runs and finished two-for-two. Trevor Fabrizius also drove in three runs for TMP.
Dinkel got the win on the mound. He allowed just two hits with five strikeouts in four shutout innings.
GAME 2: TMP 6, Ellinwood 4
In the final game of the day, the Monarchs scored in all but
one inning and added a pair of runs in the sixth inning on their way to a 6-4
victory over the Eagles.
Ellinwood got the lead early in game two, scoring two runs in the first inning.
TMP scored a single run in the bottom of the inning. After the first two hitters of the game reached base for TMP, Ty Schmeidler drove in a run with a groundout.
With Ellinwood leading 2-1 heading into the top of the third inning, the Eagles added another run on an RBI groundout for a 3-1 lead.
In the bottom of the third, the Monarchs loaded the bases with no one out, and Adler Brown drove in the second TMP run on a groundout, making it 3-2 Ellinwood.
But TMP left two runners in scoring position.
After a 1-2-3 top of the fourth inning, the Monarchs came all the way to tie the game at three on an RBI triple from Ty Schmeidler.
Ellinwood got another run in the inning and led TMP 4-3.
TMP again tied it in the bottom of the frame on a Connor Breit ground out.
In the bottom of the sixth, Ian Nehls singled with two outs and then stole second and third base before sliding in safely at home on a passed ball, giving TMP a 5-4 lead.
They added a Caden Dinkel RBI double, hitting, giving TMP the 6-4 lead heading into the seventh inning.
In the seventh, with one out, the Eagles threatened in their half of the inning, before the Monarchs closed the doors on an Ellinwood comeback with a game-ending double play, securing the 6-4 TMP victory.
Ian Nehls finished 3-for-4 with two runs scored. Ty Schmeidler also scored a pair of runs, drove in two runs, and finished 2-for-3.
Grant Nehls earned the win in relief. He allowed one unearned run on four hits, striking out five in three and a third innings pitched.
The Monarchs travel to Hoisington on Friday.