The Tonganoxie American Legion Post 41 team, made primarily of younger Tonganoxie High players, lost 2-1 in 10 innings.

Tonganoxie broke through first with a run in the first inning. With two outs, the Cubs’ pitcher hit Travis Freeman with a pitch. Freeman then stole second and scored on a Chris Newton double.

Lansing responded with a run of its own in the bottom half of the inning.

Neither team could score again until the bottom of the 10th when the Cubs scored the winning run. Tonganoxie pitcher Booner Sorrell walked a runner with one out. The runner advanced to third on a fielder’s choice and with two outs and the runner at third, Sorrell was called for a balk as the winning run trotted home.

“I felt bad for Boone,” coach Pat Bailey about Sorrell, who played his senior year in the spring for McLouth High. “He pitched one whale of a ball game.

“He just kind of hesitated in the middle of his delivery when he saw the runner breaking for home. It was just a slight hesitation but enough that the umpire was right to call him for the balk.”

Both teams stranded several runners during the game, but neither team could punch in more runs after the first inning — until the balk brought the Cubs’ base runner into score in extra innings.

“It wasn’t that our bats were not working,” Bailey said. “We just could not seem to come up with the big hit when we needed it.”

In the second game, the Cubs again scored in the first inning, but Tonganoxie couldn’t answer.

The Cubs were up 1-0 in the first and added five runs in the third. Tonganoxie scored two runs in the bottom of the third, and another in the fourth, but couldn’t cut further into the lead.

In the third, Kevin Hamm singled and scored on a Freeman single, while Freeman scored on a Sorrell single. In the fourth, Rob Schlicht walked and eventually scored on a James Bailey single.

Tonganoxie downs River Bats

Tonganoxie bounced back June 26 with a sweep of the Leavenworth River Bats in Leavenworth.

Tonganoxie opened the game with five runs in the first.

Blaize Oelschlaeger led off the game with a walk and scored on a Kevin Gill double. With two outs in the inning Gill scored on a Sorrell double. Bailey followed with a walk and both runners advanced on a steal. Sorrell then scored on a passed ball. Bailey scored on a Freeman single.

With the bases loaded Freeman scored when Patrick Holton was hit by a pitch. Theiver Bats got a run in the bottom of the inning. Tonganoxie added two more in the top of the second.

Kevin Gill doubled and scored on a Ryan Stockman double. Stockman then scored on a Sorrell single. Tonganoxie held the River Bats scoreless in the bottom of the inning. After holding Tonganoxie scoreless the River Bats scored once in the bottom of the third.

Tonganoxie, though, continued its early scoring efficiency by scoring four times in the top of the fourth.

Ryan Stockmannd Trey Lohmanalked, while Stockman scored on a Freeman single in the fourth. Lohman scored on a single by Rob Schlicht single and Schlicht scored on a Patrick Holton single.

The River Bats scored twice in the top of the fifth on three hits. Tonganoxie scored three more runs in the bottom of the fifth when Kevin Gill singled, stole second and scored on a Stockman single. Stockman then scored on a Sorrell double. Sorrell later stole third and scored on a Lohman single. Sorrell pitched a complete game, which was called early because of the run rule.

In the second game, Schlicht made his first start as a pitcher.

Schlicht recorded two strikeouts in the top of the first in the 1-2-3 inning.

The Tonganoxie bats, meanwhile, scored twice in the bottom of the first Schlicht reached base on a single and moved to second on a Gill single. A third single, by Sorrell, scored Schlicht. Gill later scored on a Freeman single

Tonganoxie scored two more in the bottom of the second. Schlicht and the defense shut down the River Bats in the third, while Tonganoxie exploded for eight runs in the bottom of the inning.

Stockman, Sorrell, Oelschlaeger, Gallagher, Hamm, Holton, Bailey and Schlicht all scored in the inning.

Bailey said he was pleased with the offensive effort and with Schlicht’s first start at pitcher.

“He pitched pretty well and got some help from his offense,” coach Bailey said.

Line scores

Lansing Cubs 2, Tonganoxie 1

Tonganoxie Post 41 100 000 000 0 — 1

Lansing Cubs 100 000 000 1 — 2

Lansing 11, Tonganoxie 4

Lansing 105 021 2 –11

Tonganoxie 002 100 1 — 4

Tonganoxie 14, River Bats 4

Tonganoxie 520 43 — 14

River Bats 101 02 — 4

Tonganoxie 12, River Bats 3

River Bats 010 20 — 3

Tonganoxie 228 0x — 12