Emporia High’s baseball team got back over the .500 mark with a pair of wins on Tuesday at Topeka West.
A six-run top of the sixth inning carried the Spartans to an 8-2 win in Game One, and help from the Chargers was key in Game Two, with EHS taking a 10-2 victory.
Four singles in a row and a three-run triple by Zach Gifford keyed the big inning that broke a 2-2 tie in the opener. Ryan Huth, Corey Bacon, Gary Rivera and Brian Keisler strung together the hits to set up Gifford. The six-run effort in the sixth was more than enough cushion for starting pitcher Rivera, who pitched a complete-game four-hitter, striking out four and walking two.
“It was big for our guys, but Gary had pitched well against Manhattan, and we didn’t have the hits... behind us,” EHS coach Mike Strickland said. “And I really challenged the guys in the sixth inning to really back their teammate there. Gary was pitching a great game, and I wanted that to really show for Gary. And our guys really responded well there.”
Another key pitching performance for EHS was one of the highlights of Game Two. Remington Pinick relieved starter Chase Speer after Speer walked the first four Topeka West hitters, and Pinick got a flyball, a strikeout and a groundball out to end the inning. From there, Pinick stayed sharp, allowing just three hits in pitching the rest of the way. He also contributed with his bat, stroking two doubles.
“I just wanted to come in and shut the door and make sure that it didn’t go any further than the bases loaded and one run getting in,” Pinick said. “So I just wanted to come in and make sure I threw strikes.”
A five-run second inning got EHS out in front, with Topeka West (6-8) helping out the Spartans with several walks in the inning. Runs came home on one of Pinick’s doubles, Derek Nielsen reaching on an error and a sacrifice fly by Christian Keisler. Emporia (9-7) ended up scoring its 10 runs on just four hits.
Bacon had three singles in Game One and drove in a run on a sacrifice fly in the second game. Brian Keisler went 2-for-4 in the first game.
Emporia is in action again on Friday and Saturday at Soden’s Grove. The Spartans will play Louisburg at 6:30 p.m. Friday following a game at 4 p.m. between Winfield and Eudora. On Saturday, Winfield and Louisburg will play at 10 a.m., and the Spartans will take on Eudora at 11:30.
Tuesday at Topeka West
Game One
Emporia 020 006 0 — 8 11 4
Topeka West 000 200 0 — 2 4 3
WP — Rivera. LP — Smith.
2B — EHS: Loucks, Nielsen. 3B — EHS: Gifford.
Game Two
Emporia 051 301 0 — 10 4 3
Topeka West 100 000 1 — 2 3 4
WP — Pinick. LP — Proctor.
2B — EHS: Pinick 2.