TOPEKA — Dominic Rodriguez was the only Spartan getting good metal on the ball against Hayden’s overpowering pitching in Game One of Emporia High’s doubleheader on Tuesday. And Rodriguez’s bat, as it turned out, was the only one the Spartans needed to get a huge extra-inning road victory.
Using a new batting stance, Rodriguez had Emporia’s only three hits, including an RBI single and a crucial eighth-inning double that set up the game-deciding wild pitch in the Spartans’ 2-1 win. That opening victory left Emporia feeling good even after Hayden earned a split in Game Two with a 10-0 run-rule win.
“(It’s) giving us confidence,” Rodriguez said. “Now we can beat any team that we come up against.”
Before they could beat Hayden, EHS (4-2) had to hang with the undefeated Wildcats. The Spartans did that for seven well-played innings before a combination of breaks and Rodriguez’s hot bat finally pulled them through.
With two outs in Emporia’s half of the eighth, Jacob Loucks reached on a throwing error by Hayden shortstop Cody Schumacher. Then the lefthanded-hitting Rodriguez stroked a sharp double the opposite way off hard-throwing Wichita State signee T.J. McGreevy, plugging the left-center gap and moving Loucks to third. That brought up Christian Keisler, and EHS head coach/third base coach Mike Strickland made sure Loucks was aware of the possibility of a pitch getting loose. Sure enough, when a McGreevy pitch got by catcher Adam Smith and went to the screen, Loucks bolted for home. Smith had trouble barehanding the ball, ensuring that Loucks scored to finally give the Spartans the lead.
“Strickland said that if the ball gets by, then it’s my call to see if I wanna go,” Loucks said. “And the ball looked like it was deep enough, and it stopped, so I thought, ‘Might as well go for it — we have nothing to lose.’”
Loucks retired Hayden 1-2-3 in the bottom half of the eighth, finishing off a complete game with four strikeouts and two walks.
“He worked well,” Strickland said. “The whole time, I’m monitoring his arm speed, everything else, and talking to him, and he didn’t have any trouble. ... You get in a game situation like that, one to one, you ask him, and he definitely wanted the ball in that situation. And that shows his intensitty and his heart there, and he was doing a real good job tonight for us.”
Hayden starter Rick Rineberg, who went six innings, had dominated the Spartans through three, holding them hitless and notching the first six of his 11 strikeouts. But with Hayden leading 1-0 entering the top of the fourth, Zach Gifford drew a walk, then advanced to third when Loucks reached on a throwing error by third baseman Kyle McGreevy. That brought up Rodriguez, who grounded a first-pitch single past the diving second baseman to tie the game. Rodriguez also doubled over the right fielder’s head with one out in the top of the fifth, then was thrown out trying to stretch the hit into a triple.
“I changed up my stance to see a little closer to the plate,” Rodriguez said. “Took my hands, hips and drove it — exactly what Coach taught me.”
Loucks got big-time help from his defense in the bottom of the fourth, when the Wildcats had the bases loaded and just one out. Brad Girard grounded to Derek Nielsen at second, who tossed to Brian Keisler at short for one. Keisler’s throw to first just nipped Girard for an inning-ending double play.
Hayden (5-1) got started early in the second game and finished it in six innings. The Wildcats jumped on EHS starting pitcher Brian Keisler for five earned runs, knocking him out of the box with no outs recorded in the second inning. Gary Rivera relieved Keisler and was later followed by Brett Lechien and Chase Speer. Hayden led 7-0 at the end of three innings and finally ended the game with Girard’s two-run, bases-loaded single to right in the bottom of the sixth.
The Spartans managed five hits in Game Two, including two more for Rodriguez, who dribbled one down the third base line for an infield hit and also singled solidly to right. Otherwise, Emporia didn’t do much against Hayden starting pitcher Shannon Engroff, who held them scoreless while striking out eight.
“Now, the second game, I think our emotions were pretty high after the first game,” Strickland said. “And to be honest with you, I don’t think we (showed) up with the same intensity for the second game. So we need to make sure we put two together. And that’s the tough thing with baseball: after the first game, you gotta leave it in the past, you gotta live for the next game and keep going.”
Strickland hopes the Game One win will earn the Spartans a little more recognition. At 4-2, they’re already one win away from their 2008 total.
“I’m just happy with the way our guys responded,” he said. “They showed some heart tonight, and they really fought tonight, and I hope it does give these guys confidence, I really do. Because I think a lot of times, we’re overlooked a little bit, and sometimes I don’t think we get the respect sometimes of what these kids deserve.”
Tuesday at Hayden
Game One
Emporia 000 100 01 — 2 3 2
Hayden 010 000 00 — 1 3 2
WP — Loucks. LP — T. McGreevy.
2B — EHS: Rodriguez 2; HAY: Smith. 3B — HAY: Engroff.
Game Two
Emporia 000 000 — 0 5 0
Hayden 241 012x — 10 12 1
WP — Engroff. LP — B. Keisler.
2B — HAY: Schumacher.