Karns City bats hot in 13-7 baseball win over Moniteau
Against an adept pitcher in Moniteau senior Dawson Wallace, Karns City fell into a first inning pit on Wednesday evening.
Building a figurative ladder with their bats, the Gremlins banged out half of their 14 total hits in a six-run second frame and wound up with a 13-7 baseball conference win at Michelle Krill Field at Historic Pullman Park.
“We had production from all ends of the lineup,” Gremlins coach Josh Smith said. “Wallace is one of the best in this league and we were able to string some runs together, hits together. In baseball, momentum is huge. We knew they weren’t going away, but we just kept on it.”
The Warriors’ Keagan Book’s infield single preceded Dawson Cook’s RBI base knock with two gone in the initial half-inning. Jacob Jones fanned Landon Kelly with the bases full to get out of that jam.
Karns City’s Troy Nagel began the bottom second by slapping a single down the first base line. Adam Manuel followed with a right field blooper before Koen Williams’ one-out RBI single brought in Nagel’s courtesy runner, Colton Christie.
Tyler Kelly had a run-scoring double after that, then Joey O’Donnell plated a score with a single. A throwing error on a fielder’s choice attempt cost Moniteau (0-2) another run. Jacob Callihan singled to load the bases and a fielder’s choice allowed O’Donnell around.
“We were attacking early most of the time,” Callihan said. “We got into some bad counts, but we were squaring balls up. Especially with two outs, we were getting some clutch hits.”
Karns City (3-0) scored five two-out runs in the contest, including when Nagel’s second hit of that inning scored Hobie Bartoe. Manuel struck out looking to end the frame.
“I don’t think, defensively, anything went wrong,” the Warriors’ Kelly said. “They just kept putting the ball where we weren’t. A lot of bloopers. Not much we can do about that.”
The Gremlins forced Wallace to throw 37 pitches in the second. He was pulled after the fourth, having fired 91 offerings.
“When you’ve got a guy like that, with his caliber of stuff, going to Slippery Rock (University) — not everybody gets the opportunity to do that,” Smith said of Wallace. “That comes with me maybe knowing a little bit how you need to attack that guy. He’s going to try to get ahead of you early. We made him work. We grinded out at-bats.”
Moniteau shortened the gap some in the top of the fourth with three consecutive hits. Cook singled and reached third on Ian Ross’ single, which Ross unsuccessfully tried to stretch to a double. Two pitches later, Landon Kelly hit a gap double — driving in Cook — but was thrown out on Mason Sherwin’s relay throw to third.
Callihan led off the bottom half of that inning with a single, Nagel drew a one-out walk, and Callihan and Christie capitalized on a throwing error two batters latter.
Connor Ealy received a one-out free pass in the top of the fifth and scored on Book’s ensuing double. Sherwin replaced the lifted Jones after that, benefiting from O’Donnell’s diving stop on a Wallace infield single to short. That effort didn’t let Book past third before Sherwin got out of the inning by striking out James Gillen and prompting Cook to fly out.
Callihan and O’Donnell both had extra-base RBI hits in the bottom fifth before Landon Kelly, Derrik Moyer, Chason Rugg, and Ealy all had one-out singles and scored in the top sixth. Karns City replied with RBI knocks by Tyler Kelly and Bartoe.
A fundraiser was held during the game to benefit the family of Karns City’s Mason Martin, who is still recovering from an injury suffered during the football season.
Moniteau 100 114 0 — 7 11 3
Karns City 060 223 x — 13 14 1
W: Jacob Jones 4.1IP (4K, 3BB). L: Dawson Wallace 4IP (6K, 1BB).
Moniteau (0-2): Connor Ealy 1B 2RBI 2R, Keagan Book 2B 1B 2RBI R, Dawson Wallace 1B RBI, Dawson Cook 3-1B RBI R, Ian Ross 1B, Landon Kelly 2B 1B RBI R, Derrik Moyer R, Rugg 1B R
Karns City (3-0): Hobie Bartoe 2B 3RBI R, Jacob Callihan 3B 2-1B RBI R, Jacob Jones RBI, Troy Nagel 2-1B RBI, Colton Christie 2R, Adam Manuel 1B 2R, Mason Sherwin 1B 2RBI R, Koen Williams 1B RBI R, Tyler Kelly 2B 2-1B 2RBI 3R, Joey O’Donnell 2B 1B 2RBI 2R
