Lawrence hits AAAs around
Saturday, June 7, 2008
The Lawrence Raiders didn’t do anything on Friday night to hurt their reputation as one of the state’s best hitting teams.
With the help from some Emporia miscues, Lawrence showed its offensive capability in a 12-0, four-inning victory in the Sam Ellis Classic at Soden’s Grove.
“They hit, hit, hit and hit,” Emporia AAAs coach Aaron Lechien said of the Raiders. “ ... You’ve got to either have a great arm to neutralize them, or you’ve got to put up a lot of runs with them.”
The AAAs couldn’t come up with either on Friday, though the team’s defense didn’t do much to help starter Michael Knight.
The AAAs committed five combined errors in the first two innings.
Lawrence’s hitters took full advantage, posting two runs in the first before exploding for eight in the second.
“It’s really tough to overcome,” Knight said of the errors. “One error is enough, but when they just multiply like that, it gets really tough being on the mound. You lose your composure a little bit.”
The Raiders also showed their power-hitting abilities in the run-rule-shortened game.
Hunter Scheib sent a solo home run to right in the first, and Ben Wilson followed with a towering solo shot in the second.
Scheib and Travis Sanders then contributed back-to-back doubles to start off the third.
Lawrence had nine hits in all.
“They could pretty much hit it wherever the ball was at — any type of pitch,” Knight said. “They just knew how to hit it well.”
Meanwhile, Emporia’s best opportunities to score came in the first two innings.
After a groundout in the first, Zach Gifford beat out an infield single and moved to second on a stolen base.
Two consecutive strikeouts ended the threat.
In the second, Knight singled down the left-field line, and Harrison Stone later drew a one-out walk.
A groundout moved both runners to scoring position before a roller to the third baseman ended the inning.
“I don’t think we played our perfect game obviously, but we definitely got better in the second game (of the day),” Lechien said. “I know the score definitely wasn’t indicative of how we played.”
Gifford, Knight and James Sparks had Emporia’s three hits.
Travis Sparling picked up the win for Lawrence, striking out four while walking one.
Emporia will play again at 7:30 tonight against a to-be-determined opponent. The AAAs also are guaranteed at least one game on Sunday.
“We’re going to come back fired up,” Knight said. “A 12-0 loss obviously hurts a little bit. We’re going to use that (today) to help us out.”
Buhler 7, Emporia AAAs 1
Jake Weninger shut down Emporia’s bats, striking out seven in Buhler’s 7-1 victory on Friday afternoon.
Emporia didn’t score until the sixth. James Sparks started the inning by reaching on an error, and after Harrison Stone was hit by a pitch, Brandon Little provided an RBI single.
Little, Taylor Clark and Jared Krause contributed Emporia’s three hits.
Nick Riggs picked up the loss, allowing five runs in three innings.
Sam Ellis Classic
Friday at Soden’s Grove
Game One
Buhler 7, Emporia AAAs 1
Buhler 302 200 0 — 7 8 1
Emporia AAAs 000 001 0 — 1 3 3
W — Jake Weninger. L — Nick Riggs.
2B — Buhler: Jared Weninger. 3B — Buhler: Lance Pfannenstiel. SB — Buhler: Josh Hoefler, Pfannenstiel, Cody Neville, Jordan Hoefler, Jar. Weninger. Emporia AAA highlights — Brandon Little 1-1, RBI, BB, HBP; Jared Krause 1-3, HBP; Taylor Clark 1-4.
Game Two
Lawrence 12, Emporia AAAs 0
Emporia AAAs 000 0XX X — 0 3 5
Lawrence 282 XXX X — 12 9 0
W — Travis Spurling. L — Michael Knight.
2B — Lawrence: Hunter Scheib, Travis Sanders. HR — Lawrence: Scheib, Ben Wilson. SB — Emporia: Zach Gifford, Knight; Lawrence: Matt Abel, Wilson, Lance Lamborn, Bill Gadberry. Emporia AAAs highlights — Zach Gifford 1-2, SB; Michael Knight 1-2, SB; James Sparks 1-2.