The Emporia AAAs needed just one good inning to take a Game Two lead against Salina.
Unfortunately for Emporia, it only needed one bad inning to give the contest right back.
After rallying from five runs down, Emporia blew a two-run lead in the final inning, falling 10-9 to Salina in the second game of a doubleheader Wednesday at Soden’s Grove.
“It’s pretty disappointing that we couldn’t finish the job,” Emporia outfielder Cameron Smith said. “You work so hard to get a big inning like that, and then you just don’t finish it.”
The AAAs also lost the first game, 10-0.
Trailing 9-7 in the top of the seventh of Game Two, Salina made its move against Emporia reliever Jared Krause.
Evan Freeman and Brett Callahan led off with walks, and Levi Debold followed with a sinking liner into left.
Emporia left fielder Brandon Little made a dive but couldn’t come up with the catch, and the ball scooted all the way to the warning track for a two-RBI triple.
AAAs coach Aaron Lechien said he had no problem with Little’s decision to lay out for the ball.
“I want my guys to be aggressive. If he gets a good read, I’d say go for it,” Lechien said. “He’s a good enough outfielder and a good enough player — I never have any question he’s playing hard.
“If he thought he should have dove for it, I’ll stick with my guy.”
Curt Compognone followed with an RBI grounder to third to give Salina a 10-9 advantage.
Emporia threatened but couldn’t push across a run in the bottom of the seventh.
With two outs, Compognone threw 11 consecutive balls to walk both Zach Gifford and Krause and run a 3-0 count to Taylor Clark.
The pitcher followed with three consecutive strikes, getting Clark on a called third strike to end the game.
“I don’t know if we just ran out of gas or lost focus or maybe we thought we had it,” Lechien said. “I don’t know. We just couldn’t find a way to close it out.”
The worst part for Emporia was knowing that it wasted one of its best offensive innings of the year.
After getting one-hit in two consecutive games, Emporia’s offense started off just as stagnant in Game Two on Wednesday.
The AAAs fell behind 6-1, mustering just one hit through three innings before coming to life in the fourth.
Smith and Harrison Stone were both hit by pitches, and a walk to Little loaded the bases with one out.
After combining for just three hits in its previous 14 1/3 innings, Emporia managed to put together four consecutive hits when it needed them the most.
Gifford’s bloop single to left scored one, and Krause followed with a two-run double down the left-field line.
Clark added a pair of RBI, smashing a liner past third baseman Levi Debold to tie the game at 6.
James Sparks contributed a single off the glove of Debold, and after a double steal, Clark scored on a throwing error.
Sparks later came home on an RBI single from Smith that made it 8-6.
“We fought really, really hard to get back,” Lechien said. “We did a lot of things well.”
After trading runs in the fifth, though, Emporia couldn’t hold onto its lead in the seventh.
In their Game One loss, the AAAs struggled at the plate against Salina starter Tyler Benton.
Emporia had just one hit: a single by Clark in the first.
Smith’s walks in the second and fourth innings gave Emporia its only other baserunners.
Benton finished with six strikeouts.
Smith led Emporia’s offense in the doubleheader, going 2-for-3 with a stolen base, RBI and two runs scored. He reached safely in five of his six plate appearances.
“I just saw the ball a lot better tonight and got lucky enough to get on base,” Smith said. “I think that kind of helped out the team.”
Krause added two hits — including a double — and three RBI in Game Two.
The AAAs will play their final home doubleheader on Saturday against Lawrence.
Wednesday at Soden’s Grove
Game One
Salina 10, Emporia AAAs 0
Salina 422 02X X — 10 10 1
Emporia AAAs 000 00X X — 0 1 4
W — Tyler Benton. L — Cameron Smith.
2B — Salina: Conner Martin 2, Tanner Vinson, A.J. Farmer, Brett Callahan, Sean Leary. HR — Salina: Evan Freeman. SB — Emporia: Taylor Clark, Cameron Smith. Emporia AAA highlights — Taylor Clark 1-2, SB; Cameron Smith 0-0, 2 BB, SB.
Game Two
Salina 10, Emporia AAAs 9
Salina 203 101 3 — 10 9 2
Emporia AAAs 010 710 X — 9 8 2
W — Conner Martin. L — Jared Krause.
2B — Salina: Wyatt Hall, Conner Martin, Evan Myers, Evan Freeman; Emporia: Jared Krause, Brandon Little. 3B — Salina: Levi Debold. HR — Salina: Tyler Benton. SB — Emporia: Zach Gifford, Taylor Clark 2, James Sparks, Cameron Smith, Little. Emporia AAA highlights — Cameron Smith 2-3, BB, SB, RBI, 2R; Jared Krause 2-3, 2B, 3 RBI, R; Brandon Little 1-1 2B, 2 BB, SB, 2 R; Taylor Clark 1-3, 2 SB, 2 RBI, R.