HOISINGTON — The Hoisington Cardinal baseball team played the spoiler role to perfection. The Cardinals snapped Larned's 13-game winning streak 4-3 in Tuesday's baseball opener, which cost the Indians a home site for the 4A baseball playoffs. Larned won the nightcap 10-4.
No. 5 Western 4A seed Larned (16-6, 13-5 CKL) is projected to play Chapman (11-9) in the first round. Two-time 4A state champion McPherson (19-7) will earn the home site with a better win percentage.
CARDINALS 4, INDIANS 3 (G1) — Hoisington second baseman Rhen Galla flipped to shortstop Mason Martin, who turned a game-ending double play on Larned's Cade Colglazier on a 3-2 pitch by reliever Preston Roat. Cardinal starter Lane French (2-2) retired Mason Miller and Tristan Regan to escape a bases-loaded sixth-inning jam.
Cardinal shortstop Mason Martin threw out Brady Hope at home on an attempted steal. Catcher Marcus Ingram threw out Reese Morgan on an attempted steal.
Larned led 2-0. Hope scored on a first-inning error. Caden Morgan scored on Carson Shaver's sacrifice fly.
Hoisington's Carson Mason scored on a wild pitch and Martin scored on an error. Tony Moore scored on French's triple for a 3-2 lead. Mason's sacrifice fly scored Kaidenn Chambers after a double and wild pitch for a 4-2 lead.
Hope's single scored Shaver in the fifth inning.
INDIANS 10, CARDINALS 4 (G2) — Larned's Hope (5-1) struck out eight batters and yielded one earned run, thanks to five Indian errors. The Cardinals (12-10, 10-8 CKL) threw four pitchers to preserve pitching for Friday's 3A regional showdown against Russell/Victoria.
Larned's Caden Morgan drove in two runs. Shaver, Hope, Ty Smith, Deacon Martin and Reese Morgan each drove in a run. Hoisington's Moore, Brodie Crites and Kolter Hahn drove in runs.
Larned 110 010 0 — 3 8 1
Hoisington 003 100 x — 4 5 3
Caden Morgan, Shaver (3) and Shaver, Martin (3). French, Roat (7) and Ingram. W—French, 2-1. L—C. Morgan, 2-2. SV—Roat. 2B—H—Chambers; L—Gonzalez, Hope. 3B—H—French.
Larned 400 410 1 — 10 11 5
Hoisington 020 000 2 — 4 6 3
Hope and Shaver. Hekele, Penka (3), Dalton (5), Russell (7) and Ingram. W—Hope. 5-1. L—Hekele, 0-3. 2B—L—Hope, Shaver.
4A WEST PROJECTED—1—Abilene 20-2 vs. 16—Winfield 5-18; 8—Wellington 17-9 vs. 9—Mulvane 16-9
2—Clay Center 20-4 vs. 15—Concordia 7-13; 7—Ulysses 12-6 vs. 10—Lyons/Sterling 14-8
3—Pratt 20-4 vs. 14—Circle 13-11; 6—Scott City 11-5 vs. 11—Rose Hill 13-10
4—McPherson 19-7 vs. 13—Buhler 13-11; 5—Larned/La Crosse 16-6 vs. 12—Chapman 12-10
ELIMINATED 17—Hugoton 4-15; 18—Andale 4-19; 19—Clearwater 3-15
