Chieftains take fifth at classic
Benton Smith
Kansas City, Kan. ? Basehor-Linwood held the Tonganoxie High baseball team scoreless in the top of the first but the Chieftains scored in every following inning on the way to a 13-6 win in the fifth-place game at the Butch Foster Memorial Baseball Classic on Saturday.
The Bobcats’ Brandon Leppke had an infield single and scored in the first inning to give BLHS its only lead of the game before THS responded with three runs in the top of the second.
Dylan Caywood, who led Tonganoxie offensively, going three for four, pounded a double to the left-field gap to start the inning. Dylan Puhr followed that up with a single to left. Jon Harris laid down what was intended to be a sacrifice bunt but reached safely on an error as Caywood scored to tie the game. Tucker Hollingsworth drove home Puhr with a ground out and Ethan Lorance scored Harris on a single up the middle.
Basehor-Linwood kept the contest close in the bottom of the inning, when Ben Zuk led off with a single and later scored on a Tyler Henly sac fly that cut Tonganoxie’s lead to 3-2 in but that was as close as the Bobcats could get on Saturday at CommunityAmerica Ballpark.
Jace Waters started on the mound for Tonganoxie (10-3) and threw six innings. The senior had a tough fourth inning, when Basehor’s first three batters — Justin Gripka, Nathan Quigley and Leppke — all reached base and scored. But that was his only significant hiccup as he walked six, struck out four and scattered seven hits.
Benton Smith
Rob Schlicht went two for five and scored twice for THS. Caywood drove in a run and scored three times. Waters had an RBI-double and scored twice.
Leppke led the Bobcats, going two for two with pairs of walks and runs. Austin Stubbs was two for four.
Next up, Tonganoxie plays host to Lansing for a doubleheader on Monday.