Ark Valley News - Hornets drop two at Goddard

Wyatt Jones snags a ball in the infield to make an out against Goddard April 26.

Hornets drop two at Goddard
By Randy Fisher
Last Updated: May 03, 2019

As the season draws to an end, the Valley Center High School baseball team continues to search for the secret to turning it around.

After a doubleheader sweep April 26 at Goddard, 22-18 and 5-1, the Hornets have now lost five in a row. They are 4-12 overall and 1-8 in Ark Valley Chisholm Trail League II.

"We hit well and had the lead most of the game," coach Nick Barnes said of the first game. "Unfortunately, we could not close the door. We made multiple mistakes late."

It was an all too familiar theme for Valley Center. The Hornets outhit the Lions 19-16 but poor fielding (seven errors) and poor pitching (nine walks, three wild pitches) led to their downfall.

The slugfest started early, as Valley Center led 10-1 after the top of the second.

Wyatt Jones and Jesse Johnson opened the game with singles. Aaron Diehl was hit by a pitch to load the bases with no outs.

A single by Blayne Hightower scored one and kept the sacks full. After Gavin Adams brought one home with a sacrifice fly, Myles Thompson's infield single loaded the bases for a third time.

Diehl scored on a walk, and Thompson came home on a two-out single by Mason Burns to make it 4-0.

After Goddard scored once in the bottom of the first, Valley was back at it in the second.

Johnson doubled to center and scored on Diehl's single to left. Thompson drew a bases-loaded walk to make it 6-1 with no outs.

Burns singled to drive in a run, and Jones plated three with a triple to center for a 10-1 lead.

Goddard bounced back with seven in the second against Wyatt Hager and pulled to within 10-8.

Valley countered with six in the third. With two outs and the bases loaded, Eli DeBaun singled in a run. Burns singled to score two. Jones singled in one, and two scored on an error.

With a 16-8 lead, things looked good for the Hornets. But Goddard chipped away with three in the third and single runs in the fourth and fifth to make it 16-13.

The Hornets countered with single runs in the fourth and fifth as well, leading 18-13 going into the bottom of the sixth. The Lions roared back with nine runs on four singles, two walks and two errors to go up 22-18.

Valley went quietly in the seventh to end the game.

Jones and Burns had their best offensive games of the season, as each went 3 for 5 with four RBI. Jones scored three times and Burns twice.

Johnson and Thompson also had three hits each, with Johnson scoring twice and Thompson knocking in two runs. Diehl also had two RBI.

Valley used five pitchers, with Adams taking the loss in relief of Hager.

The second game was much calmer than the first. Goddard scored three times in the third, adding single runs in the fourth and fifth, en route to the 5-1 victory.

"We pitched well and for the most part played good D (defense)," Barnes said. "We did not have the timely hitting needed to be successful."

Valley scored its only run in the sixth. Hightower doubled to lead off the inning and eventually scored on a ground out by DeBaun.

The Hornets mustered just four hits against the Lions.

Burns allowed five runs in five innings. Jared Newton threw a clean seventh with a strikeout.

Valley Center travels to Salina South for a May 3 doubleheader. The Hornets return home May 7 for the second game of the season with Andover Central. Their first game was played April 20 at Kauffman Stadium.

A make-up date for the April 30 rainout with Newton, which was a rescheduled rainout from April 18, has not been announced.

JV splits — Valley Center split with Goddard, losing 7-1 and winning 9-4. It is now 7-7-1 on the season.

The first game was tied at 1 when the Lions scored six times in the fourth for the final score. The Hornets had only three hits, all singles. Nash Crosby collected two hits and scored Valley's lone run.

Game 2 saw the Hornets score four times in the fourth to overcome a 2-1 deficit. Goddard pulled to within one at 5-4 with single runs in the fourth and fifth. Valley scored four times in the seventh to pull away.

Phil Metcalf and Brett Turner combined to allow eight hits and two earned runs. Zach Romig had two of Valley's nine hits — a double and a triple — and two RBI. Davin Schmelzle also knocked in two runs, and Cooper Watkins scored twice. Five other Hornets had doubles — Schmelzle, Watkins, Crosby, Kekoa Vincent and Grant Lehnherr.

Goddard 22, Valley Center 18

VC 466 110 0 — 18 19 7

GD 173 119 x — 22 16 4

Hager, Thompson (2), Mosher (5), Adams (6), Diehl (6) and DeBaun; Burdette, Mocaby (2), Hoefer (3), Wiley (3) Mitchell (5) and Robinson. W — Mitchell. L — Adams (1-2). 2B: VC — Johnson; GD — Burdett. 3B: VC — Jones; GD — Mitchell, Semrad.

Goddard 5, Valley Center 1

VC 000 001 0 — 1 4 1

GD 003 110 x — 5 6 2

Burns, Newton (6) and DeBaun; Shope, Shulz (6) and Robinson. W — Shupe. L — Burns (0-2). 2B: VC — Hightower; GD — Burdett. 3B: GD — Burdett, Hoefer.