The Hancock-Henderson Quill, Inc.
Tuesday August 29th West Central baseball teams resumed play with two games at Dallas City. The 7th and 8th grade team was victorious after a seventh inning charge that lead to a runaway score of 21 to 5 on 18 hits in the first game. The 6th graders came up short falling 8 to 3 in the night cap.
At 4:30 p.m the first game got underway. The top of the first inning got off to a quiet start with three up and three down for the visiting West Central Heat offense.
The Dallas City Bulldogs scored the first run of the game in the bottom of the first. Blake Durflinger batted 3 for 4 and opened his day in the top of the second by launching a double into deep centerfield, first baseman Brandon Brent then tied the score knocking Durflinger in with an RBI double. Kyle Burgus earned a free pass with a catcher interference but was stranded on first base at the end of the inning. W.C. sat D.C. down in order in the bottom of the second leaving the score tied 1 to 1.
In the top of the third, Kyle Mesecher laced a one out double to the outfield and later scored with Durflinger's right side RBI double. Catcher Sam Hilten's two out single left him on base as the next W.C. batter few out to the short stop. Dallas City was retired again in order in the bottom of the same inning. Fourth inning action put two more runs on the board for West Central. Ethan Lafary reached base safely on a short stop throwing error. Logan Stogdill brought Lafary home with an RBI double, and Brock Heap scored Stogdill increasing the lead 4 to 1.
Dallas City threatened in the fifth picking up two runs to narrow the gap and trail by only one run. Starting pitcher Kyle Mesecher went five complete innings, leaving the mound after striking out the number five batter to get out of a bases loaded jam. He allowed three runs on three hits, four walks and fanned six batters.
Dallas City also made a pitching change to begin the top of the sixth. Ethan Lafary led off the sixth inning, reaching base on an infield error, he made the rounds and took home on a past ball. Ryan Bigger drew a full count walk and Austin Pullen entered as a pinch runner. Stogdill walked, and Brock Heap advanced runners on a ground ball put out.
Mesecher scored A. Pullen while grounding out to the shortstop and Stogdill was thrown out at the plate to end the inning. W.C. increased their lead 6 to 3. Pitching duties for the Heat were handed over to Brandon Brent to begin the top of the sixth inning. Brent faced four batters and held the Bulldogs scoreless. Dallas City made their second and third most costly pitching changes in the top of the seventh inning allowing W.C. to send twenty batters to the plate to fuel a 15 run inning.
E. Pullen led off the top of the seventh and went 3 for 6 for the day, he added a double on a fly ball to centerfield. Durflinger picked up his second RBI with a single to score Pullen. Hilten batted 3 for 4 and came up with a shot that bounced off the center field fence for a double.
Brent hit to the left field fence for a double that scored Hilten and Durflinger. Lafary lifted a rocket to left field that looked gone but came down just inside the fence, Brent came home.
Bigger singled to score Lafary, Gage Jones pinch ran and Stogdill singled as Johnny Ryffel entered as a pinch runner. Heap also picked up a base hit to load the bases and Mesecher drew a walk to score Jones. Ryffel scored when E. Pullen added an RBI single aimed at the left field fence, bringing up Eric Hilligoss who hit to the right side for an RBI to score Heap.
Mesecher crossed the plate on an overthrow at second base. The hitting frenzy continued as Trey Goff reached on a fielder's choice taking Hilligoss out at second but scored E. Pullen.
Free passes went to lefties Brent and Joel Fryrear to load the bases. Jared Clark contributed with an RBI single to score Goff. Stogdill reached on a fielder's choice throwing error to score Brent. Every part of the line-up contributed to the rising score.
The top of the order sent Heap to score Clark on a short stop error. Mesecher's fielder's choice at short stop took out Heap while scoring Fryrear from third.
Returning to the plate for a third appearance in the same inning, E. Pullen picked up his third hit of the day and smoked a two out RBI single that scored Stogdill. The half inning came to a close on the 20th W.C. batter for the third out.
Dallas City managed two runs in the bottom of the seventh before Brent stuck out the last batter to end the game. Brent turned in two complete innings of work, recorded two strikeouts, allowed only one hit and issued two walks.
Final score 21 to 5 in favor of West Central for their seventh straight win. Kyle Mesecher would pick up the win and Brandon Brent with the save. Later in the week W.C. played La Harpe on Thursday August 31st at La Harpe with the tying run at the plate, W.C. lost a heartbreaker.
Final score 9 to7 putting their season record at 7 wins and 1 loss. Newest member of the team is 7th grade student Colin Olson.