Emporia takes down Dodge
Ryan Buchan - Dodge City Daily Globe
Thursday, July 29, 2010
DODGE CITY — Jacob Loucks of the Emporia AAAs was almost unhittable on Wednesday night against the 19-U Dodge City Rangers, allowing just four hits in a complete-game 4-3 victory in the first round of the Class AAA American Legion state tournament at Demon Field.
With the victory, Emporia will play Olathe South tonight at 8:30 p.m.
Loucks’ bid for a no-hitter ended in the fifth when Jared Helfrich beat out a grounder to second base.
“He was sharp the whole game,” Emporia coach Steve Schlup said.
Loucks had allowed just the one hit going into the eighth, but Dodge City picked up three hits and three runs that inning in a comeback bid.
Josh Ginther had the Rangers’ second hit of the game with a bloop single after Tyson Carpenter reached by getting hit by pitch.
Steven Mills had the second Rangers’ hit of the inning, singling to shallow right and bringing home Carpenter. Ernie Fernandez kept it going, hitting a grounder that got through the infield, bringing home Ginther and making the score 4-2.
Zach Harvey got Dodge City within one with a sacrifice fly.
While Dodge City waited until the end of the game to start hitting, Emporia did not waste any time getting things started, as the first three batters reached and two scored.
Rangers left fielder Colby Penick gunned down Brett Lechien at the plate after Loucks singled. But the Loucks hit did bring home Matt Fry for the first run of the game.
In the third, it was Rangers center fielder Nick Brady’s turn to throw out Lechien at the plate and rob Loucks of an RBI.
Lechien finally scored in the fifth. He was caught leading off too far from third and darted home. Rangers third baseman Fernandez did not make a clean catch on the pickoff throw and could not gun him out at the plate.
Lechien had reached on a single and moved to second on an error. Loucks stroked his third hit of the game, and Lechien ran hard to third and made the turn toward home, but after being thrown out twice in the same situation, he returned to third.
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