Hays Post Sports
HAYS — The TMP-Marian Monarchs remained unbeaten Friday night with a pair of wins over Abilene. to move to 10-0 on the season.
Game 1: TMP 5, Abilene 4
The Monarchs rallied from a one-run deficit, scoring twice in the bottom of the seventh for a walk-off win in the opener of the doubleheader.
TMP jumped out to an early 2-0 lead, taking advantage of a pair of two-out walks ahead of Ty Schmeidler’s two-run double.
The Monarchs were held at bay for the next five innings, scoring just once on a Jacob Seib groundout in the bottom of the fourth.
Meanwhile, Abilene chipped away at the deficit, scoring one run in each inning from the second through the fifth to take a 4-3 lead into the seventh.
With one out in the bottom of the seventh, Carson Liles and Grant Nehls hit back-to-back singles ahead of Logan Baalmann, who singled to left to drive in the tying run.
On the very next pitch, Caden Dinkel singled to left, bringing home the winning run to secure the 5-4 victory.
Liles, Schmeidler and Nehls each had two hits, while Schmeidler drove in two runs.
Nehls earned the win in relief, striking out four over 2 1/3 hitless innings.
Game 2: TMP 16, Abilene 6 (5 innings)
Ty Schmeidler matched his career high with five RBIs, including a grand slam, as the Monarchs completed the sweep with a 16-6 win in five innings.
TMP wasted little time, carrying momentum from the first game into a seven-run first inning.
Schmeidler delivered the big blow with a grand slam to right field, putting TMP up 4-0.
Two batters later, Connor Breit added an RBI single to make it 5-0, and Ian Nehls capped the inning with a two-run triple for a 7-0 lead.
Abilene scored two runs in the top of the second, but TMP answered with three in the bottom of the inning for a 10-2 advantage.
Baalmann and Breit each had RBI singles, and the Monarchs added another run on an error.
Abilene again scored two runs in the top of the third to make it 10-4, but TMP responded with five runs.
Caden Dinkel drove in two runs with a double, and Schmeidler added his fifth RBI with a single to right. Three batters later, Nash Dreiling capped the inning with a two-run double, extending the lead to 15-4.
Abilene made it 15-6 with two runs in the fourth before TMP added its final run on a Grant Nehls RBI groundout.
The Monarchs secured the run-rule win in five innings.
Baalmann, Dinkel and Schmeidler each had two hits.
Carson Liles earned the win, allowing six runs — four earned — over four innings with four strikeouts.
The Monarchs will travel to Plainville on Tuesday.