A-16s’ bats silent in 1-0 loss to open zone tourney
By The Emporia Gazette (Contact)
Tuesday, July 17, 2007
The Emporia A-16s picked a bad night to go cold with the bats, losing 1-0 to Manhattan Pro Copy in the first game of the Zone Tournament in Junction City.
“I understand as a hitter that everyone goes into slumps,” A-16s coach Aaron Lechien said. “You just hope it’s not your whole team.”
Unfortunately for Emporia, that exact scenario played out on Monday night.
The A-16s scratched out just one hit — a bunt single by Nick Riggs in the second inning.
“Hats off to Manhattan’s pitcher,” Lechien said. “He did his job well.”
Meanwhile, Emporia received all it could have asked for out of Riggs on the mound.
The A-16 starter pitched a complete game, allowing just three hits and one run. He struck out eight Manhattan batters and walked two.
“He didn’t make a lot of mistakes,” Lechien said. “When he needed pitches, he did a good job of making them.”
Pro Copy’s only run came in the third.
After a single and fielder’s choice, the Manhattan runner moved to second on a wild pitch.
An inside-out swing produced an opposite-field double down the right-field line for Pro Copy, which was good enough to bring the runner around.
Emporia (9-17) will play tonight at 6 p.m. against Junction City.
The A-16s will be eliminated from the four-team tournament with their next loss.
“A game like this knocks you down a little bit, but the kids have been resilient all season,” Lechien said. “I’ve still got everyone left on my pitching staff. If we hit a little bit, we’ve still got a shot.”