Take them as they come
By Michael Ashford (Contact)
Originally published 09:39 a.m., June 14, 2008
Updated 06:52 p.m., June 14, 2008
Wins are wins no matter how a team comes by them, and for the Emporia A-16 Blue squad on Friday night, a pair of victories meant its winning streak reached 10 games.
The Blues came away with two victories in pool play at the Wendy’s Tournament at Soden’s Grove in dramatically different styles, first dispatching of the Wichita Sox, 11-1, in a run-ruled game before grinding out a 7-4 victory over Nixa (Mo.) in the nightcap.
“We’ll take them (the wins) either way,” Emporia coach Dick Evans said. “It’s a lot easier when you’re way out ahead, but I like the way my team played in both games.”
As has been the case throughout the team’s winning streak, Emporia got the job done in both games thanks to solid pitching, reliable defense and a hot offense.
Starting pitchers Adam Ewy in Game One and Ethan Hall in Game Two each lasted at least four innings before giving way to Jacob Loucks, who proved to be nearly unhittable as the squad’s closer.
With Ewy and Hall each leaving their respective games with a lead, Loucks only gave up two hits and two runs in four total innings of work.
“I thought I was pitching good,” Hall said. “(In Game Two), we were hitting it hard at the beginning of the game, and I knew that at some point, things would just fall into place for us, and it did.”
And even though Emporia had three errors in Game Two against Nixa, the miscues never came back to haunt the Blues.
Add in that Emporia totaled a combined 19 hits on the night, and it added up to a win streak that has now reached double figures.
“We’ve been playing really well as a team,” Loucks said. “We’ve been hitting the ball in the spots where it needs to be, our pitching has been great and our defense has really stepped up. That’s not saying we couldn’t have had the winning streak, it’s just that we’re playing so good right now that there’s no reason why we shouldn’t be winning.”
Emporia put Game One against the Wichita Sox out of reach early, scoring eight runs in the first two innings to take an 8-0 lead.
The Blues scored three runs in the first off an RBI groundout from Hall that drove in Matt Fry and a two-RBI triple from Henry Ott that plated Brett Lechien and Nathaniel Flanagin.
Emporia then got five more runs across in the second, with Loucks and Flanagin each coming through with two-RBI doubles for two of Emporia’s six hits in the frame.
From there, the Blues went into cruise mode.
Ewy settled in nicely on the mound before running into some trouble in the fifth, but the only real drama was whether or not Emporia would end the game by run-rule or not. That’s because after Ewy loaded the bases on a single, a walk and a hit batter, Loucks came on with an 11-0 lead and slammed the door shut by allowing an RBI single to Sam Beham before striking out the last three batters.
Loucks led the way at the plate for Emporia in Game One, going 2-for-4 with two doubles, a run scored and four RBI. Remington Pinick went 2-for-3 with two runs scored, while Brett Lechien was 1-for-2 with a walk, a hit-by-pitch, two runs scored and two RBI.
Against Nixa, Emporia got out to a 1-0 lead when a single by Brine Gonzales drove in Hall, but Nixa came back with three runs in the bottom of the inning to go up, 3-1.
It didn’t take long for the Emporia bats to respond, however, as the Bues struck for three runs in the fourth thanks to four straight base hits by Hall, Flanagin, Zach Nowell and Gonzales, with a two-RBI double from Gonzales being the key hit of the frame, as it put the Blues ahead for good at 4-3.
“We got some crucial hits after we got down by a couple runs,” Evans said. “Gonzales really came though with a really big hit there for us.
“That was nice to see us come back with some key base hits against a really good team like that.”
Hall provided an RBI single in the fifth that drove in Ott, while Ott turned around and smacked a two-RBI single in the fifth that plated Fry and Lechien, providing the Blues with a little breathing room.
Nixa managed to scrape across a run in the bottom of the sixth, but it would not be enough.
Hall led the offense in Game Two, going 2-for-2 with a walk, two runs scored and an RBI. Loucks also went 2-for-2 to finish his day 4-for-6 at the plate. Every player who had at least one at-bat in the two games collected a hit for Emporia.
“We’re hitting really well,” Hall said. “We’re hitting all the way through the lineup, and everybody’s getting on base. Everyone can hit the ball.”
With the two victories, the Emporia Blues wrapped up the No. 1 seed in bracket play, meaning Emporia will not play again until 1:30 p.m. Sunday after pool play and the first few rounds of bracket play have been completed.
Wendy’s Tournament
Friday at Soden’s Grove
Emporia Blues 11, Wichita Sox 1
Emporia 350 03 — 11 10 0
Wichita 000 01 — 1 5 2
Emporia: Adam Ewy and Jacob Loucks (5), and Remington Pinick. Wichita: Cooper Rowe and Gus Myer (5), and Lance King.
W — Adam Ewy. L — Cooper Rowe. 2B — Emporia: Matt Fry, Jacob Loucks 2, Nathaniel Flanagin. 3B — Emporia: Henry Ott. Emporia highlights — Loucks 2-4, run scored, 2 doubles, 4 RBI; Remington Pinick 2-3, 2 runs scored; Brett Lechien 1-2, 1 BB, 1 HBP, 2 runs scored, 2 RBI.
Emporia Blues 7, Nixa (Mo.) 4
Nixa 003 001 0 — 4 5 1
Emporia 010 312 X — 7 9 3
Emporia: Ethan Hall and Jacob Loucks (5), and Loucks and Zach Nowell (5). Nixa: Dan Guier and Thomas Dean.
W — Ethan Hall. L — Dan Guier. 2B — Emporia: Zach Nowell. Emporia highlights — Hall 2-2, 1BB, 2 runs scored, RBI; Brine Gonzales 2-3, 3 RBI; Jacob Loucks 2-2.
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