Silent Sticks
Emporia AAAs can’t get their bats going in 4-1 loss to Newton
By Michael Ashford
Tuesday, June 19, 2007
If hits in baseball went for a price, the Emporia AAAs would be in the market to buy.
The AAAs suffered a 4-1 loss at the hands of the Newton Knights Monday night at Soden’s Grove, and though the AAAs matched the Knights in hits (6), Emporia never could come up with the crucial swings needed to get its offense going.
“Those key hits that we need, we just can’t buy a hit,” Emporia’s Taylor Clark said. “We go up to the plate with everything we’ve got, but we either hit it right at them or pound one into the ground. If it’s not one thing, it’s another.”
Emporia stranded eight base runners — four in scoring position — and struck out nine times against Newton starter B.J. Bryant, who went the whole seven innings and fended off a late Emporia rally to claim the complete-game victory. The second game of the doubleheader was canceled in the top of the fourth because of heavy rain with Newton leading 4-0.
“Right now, we’re just not executing at the plate, and it’s really showing,” AAAs coach Ryan Oden said. “We’re not playing good baseball right now.”
Game One started promisingly enough when Clark led off with a single through the left side, then moved to second on a wild pitch. The next batter, Jared Krause, struck out, and then Clark got caught too far off the base on a hard-hit grounder to the Newton shortstop, who threw behind a diving Clark for the tag at second. Cole Armitage grounded out to the third baseman to close the inning.
From there, Emporia would not get another hit until Brandon Little singled in the bottom of the fifth with two outs. In between, Newton’s Bryant was dominant, allowing just two base runners while collecting his eight other strikeouts — which included fanning four straight batters at one point.
“It’s just really frustrating,” Clark said. “Our swings are good, it’s just more in our heads. We don’t have that extra little bit, that X-factor.”
Newton pushed a run across the plate in the top of the third when Adam Spinder drew a leadoff walk, moved to second on a sacrifice bunt and reached third after a passed ball. Kirk Kelly doubled down the right field line to drive Spinder home to make it 1-0.
The Knights scored again in the sixth when Kelly singled to lead off the frame, stole second and moved to third on a throwing error on the steal and then scored on an infield single by Daniel Jaso. Jaso later was thrown out at home trying to score off an Alex Koerner grounder, but Newton plated its second run of the frame when Matt Kochenower singled to right to drive home Koerner from third to put the Knights up, 3-0.
A low throw to first on a pickoff attempt in the seventh allowed Newton’s Kelly to reach first and then move all the way to third after the ball rolled to the fence, and a double from Jaso plated Kelly to make it 4-0.
“Out in the field,” Oden said. “we were kicking the ball around too much.”
Emporia (8-5) pushed a run across in the final half inning when Harrison Stone scored on an infield hit by Clark, who led Emporia with a 2-for-4 night. But the AAAs’ rally fell short when Reyes — with two on and two out — grounded out to second.
“I’d like to see the kids do what they did in that last inning the whole game,” Oden said.
Emporia’s slow night offensively gave its starter, Joe Solis, nothing to show for after a fairly solid night on the mound. In lasting the full seven innings, Solis gave up six hits and struck out five, but gave up three walks and fell victim to three AAAs errors.
“I felt good personally,” Solis said. “The offense wasn’t there. Our at-bats haven’t really been the best. Our approaches to at-bats should be much better. We’re just making too many mistakes.”
The AAAs are back in action at 6 tonight with a doubleheader against the Salina Falcons at Soden’s Grove.
Monday in Emporia
Game One
Newton 4, Emporia 1
Newton 001 002 1 — 4 6 2
Emporia AAAs 000 000 1 — 1 6 3
W — B.J. Bryant. L — Joe Solis.
2B — Newton: Kirk Kelly, Daniel Jaso. SB — Newton: Kirk Kelly (2), Matt Pogue.
Emporia AAA highlights — Taylor Clark 2-4, RBI; Harrison Stone 1R.