MHS baseball: Haven sweep salvages week for Marion
With a convincing victory and a late-inning comeback Monday night, the Marion High School baseball team won two games on the road against Haven.
But a doubleheader April 22 at Wichita Collegiate ended with the Spartans on top 14-2 and 11-5, and two home games Friday left Marion winless against Hoisington, 15-9 and 12-9.
However, Monday the offense and defense were working for the Warriors who took game one 11-2, and eeked out an 8-6 victory in game two.
Brian Fruechting picked up the win on the mound in game one, pitching five innings, allowing six hits, two runs, and striking out three.
Marshall Ragland closed the game out with two innings of shutout ball.
The Warriors scored in every inning except the third and seventh, in large part to leadoff man Calvin Jeffrey reaching base four times. The senior was 4-4 with four RBIs and a stolen base.
Fruechting, Colton Olsen, Matt Sprowls, and Ragland each had two hits in the game, while Olsen and Ragland each recorded two RBIs. Olsen capped off his all-around day with the game's only triple.
Eight of the nine batters in the lineup recorded a hit and scored a run.
"We're getting the whole lineup to come through and get some key hits," head coach Shaun Craft said. "We're getting a few breaks, but we are creating them too."
The breaks came late for MHS in game two as it trailed 3-1 heading into the fifth inning.
A three-run Warrior fifth, was answered by Haven in the sixth with a three-run home run to re-take the lead.
But the top of the order came through in the seventh, scoring four runs en route to the two-run victory.
Jeffrey pitched a 1-2-3 ninth with two strikeouts to earn the victory.
Zan Fine, Logan Richmond, and Fruechting (the 2-3-4 hitters) combined to go 6-12 with six RBIs and three runs scored.
Against Collegiate the Warriors never could get the bats going in either game.
Nine first-inning runs did them in in game one, but Olsen and Fruechting still each knocked in a run.
Wil Case was 2-3 with a double and an RBI in game two, and Fruechting hit a two-run home run, but the Warriors still lost by six.
The team was more competitive against Hoisington, leading 6-4 heading into the sixth before the Cardinals reeled off eight runs.
With three runs in in the bottom of inning and the bases loaded with no one out, Corey Seacat smashed a line-drive that was caught, and two Warriors were tagged out for a triple play.
"That killed us," Craft said. "The runners were stuck no matter which way they went."
The next game went to the Cardinals as well, 12-9.
Despite the overall record, Craft is seeing good things from his team.
"Everybody's been real positive and no one has gotten down," he said. "We knew there would be some growing pains."
The Warriors were in action Tuesday at home against Lyons, and will play Thursday at Hillsboro.
