Council Grove’s baseball team needed just seven innings in the two games combined to earn a doubleheader sweep of Northern Heights on Friday, giving the Braves seven wins in their last eight games.
Game One took just three innings, as the Braves put together a 12-run top of the first on their way to a 16-1 win. Seven different Council Grove players had hits and nine Braves crossed the plate with a run. Dusty Maas went 2-for-3 with three stolen bases, and Sean Carr went 2-for-2 and stole a pair of bases. Northern Heights’ lone run came on a first-inning homer by Casey Atchison, but after giving up that shot, Council Grove starter Derek Ziegenhirt struck out seven Wildcats in a row and got the win. Gail Lee took the loss for Northern Heights.
In the second game, Council Grove notched a pair of six-run innings in the third and fourth and finished off a 17-0 run-rule win. The Braves got their 17 runs on just nine hits, as the Wildcats committed four errors. Maas went 3-for-3 with two runs scored, three RBIs and two stolen bases and Ziegenhirt went 2-for-2, drove in four runs, scored three and stole four bases. Starter Wes Roddy got the win for Council Grove, allowing two hits, walking two and striking out seven. Atchison took the loss.
“We’ve had a good week and a good run lately,” Council Grove coach Joe Buchanan said. “... We’ve put ourselves in the middle of the league race, with only Lyndon and West Franklin to go.”
The Braves (9-5, 8-2 Flint Hills League) play both those teams this week, beginning with Tuesday’s home doubleheader against Lyndon. First pitch will be at 4:30 p.m. Northern Heights travels to Herington on Tuesday at 4 p.m.
Chase County
sweeps Burlington
Chase County’s baseball team swept a pair of games from Burlington on Friday, winning the error-filled first game 9-6 and taking the second 11-8.
The teams combined for 11 errors and just 10 hits in Game One, with the Bulldogs winning despite making six of the miscues. A four-run first got Chase County going, with three Burlington errors helping the Bulldog cause. Chase County was up 9-3 entering the top of the seventh, when Burlington rallied for three runs to make the final score respectable. Bulldog starter Shawn Talkington struck out a season-high 16, including the rare feat of striking out four in the first inning. He threw 37 pitches in the first and gave up six runs for the game, but only two were earned. Talkington drove home two runs and scored two. Greg Davis went 2-for-4 and drove in a run; he was the only Bulldog to collect multiple hits.
“This game was definitely decided by defense, but not in a positive manner,” Bulldogs coach Jay Talkington said. “Both teams kicked the ball around or threw it away all game.”
CCHS again got four runs in the first inning of Game Two, with Jim Lauer singling home two runs and Jace Francka doubling home another run. In a four-run sixth inning, Tyler Mullins doubled home Shawn Talkington, and Mullins, Davis and Brandon Line each later scored on wild pitches. Line started on the mound and nearly went the distance, but after Burlington put together three runs in its half of the seventh, Lauer relieved Line and got a first-pitch popup for the game’s final out.
Francka had two hits for Chase County (11-3, 7-3 Flint Hills League). The Bulldogs host Moundridge on Thursday.
Two-man golf squad
finishes second
The Southern Lyon County golf team consisting of Hartford and Olpe golfers competed at Chase County last Thursday.
Southern Lyon County’s two-man team, consisting of Noah Haag and Chad Schmidt, finished second at the event. The four-man team of Colby Gardner, Glen Haag, Matt Gilligan and John Roberts finished in fourth place.