Prep baseball roundup: Long day for Van Horn ends on a happy note

A busy day for Van Horn’s baseball team ended with the Falcons still having a perfect record on the season.
After touring the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum and taking part in Jackie Robinson Day at Kauffman Stadium, the Falcons traveled to Center and left with an 8-6 win.
The Falcons (2-0) scored five runs in the fifth inning to secure the win. Aaron Driskell – who walked five times – picked up the win. Kyle Davis – who finished with three hits and three RBIs – earned the save.
“It’s a pretty big deal,” Falcons coach Tim Wilson said. “I’d have liked to have seen the game go better than it did, but at the end of the day, I’ll take it.
“It was a long, exhausting day. It was good to come out on the positive side rather than the negative side.”
BLUE SPRINGS 9, ST. JOSEPH CENTRAL 0: Solid pitching and defense paid off for Blue Springs.
Kyle Seithel scattered five hits, struck out 10 and walked two in a complete-game shutout as the Wildcats routed St. Joseph Central Wednesday in a Suburban Big Seven road game.
Seithel (3-1) was backed by a 12-hit attack. Sam Guffey hit a two-run homer and a double and Greg Wisner homered and singled with two RBIs to help the Wildcats improve to 6-4 overall and 2-1 in the conference.
“The kids did a good job,” Blue Springs coach Marc Hines said. “They hit the ball real well and played good defense. Kyle had a good game pitching. It was great to have all of the extra base hits, particularly in the gaps.”
Evan Berndt had three hits, including a triple; Will Sherman hit three singles; and Jordan Brown and Seithel each doubled to help spark Blue Springs, which scored two runs in the second and three in each of the fourth and sixth innings.
Central dropped to 2-5 and 0-3.
GRAIN VALLEY 12, SMITHVILLE 2: Winner Jordan Oddo and Anthony Braxton combined for a three-hitter as Grain Valley posted a five-inning nonconference win.
David Duncan singled and doubled with two RBI, Austin Gouldsmith singled and doubled and Jake Talamonte singled twice to pace a 10-hit attack for the Eagles (6-2, 1-1).
“It was a great day to play baseball,” Grain Valley coach Mark Lyford said. “We hadn’t played since last Thursday. Hopefully, we can use this game for a big conference game on Friday at Oak Grove.”
NORTH KANSAS CITY 1, FORT OSAGE 0: Freshman Zach Tyson’s one-out, bases-loaded single scored Jake Welker from third base in the bottom of the seventh inning, giving the host Hornets a tight Suburban Middle Six victory.
Josh Dennett allowed only a seventh-inning double by freshman Drew Standifer in pitching the Hornets (5-4 2-2) to the win.
Johnnie Johnson suffered the loss for Fort Osage (2-4, 0-2). He struck out nine and walked four. All of the Fort Osage losses have been by one run with three coming in the bottom of the seventh.
“Johnnie pitched his way out of a few jams,” Fort Osage coach Chris Walker said. “He did a great job. It was a gutsy performance by the senior. We have to start hitting the ball better.”
PARK HILL 5, TRUMAN 0: Host Truman averted a no-hitter with all four of its hits in the sixth and seventh innings while suffering its second straight loss after opening the season 9-0.
Trojans starter Erik Johanson held the Patriots to no hits before Kyle Clifton, Ian Barker, Josh Felz and Mitch Kilpatrick got the hits in the final two frames.
“We had our chances,” Truman coach John Eglich said. “We had runners on second and third in the sixth and couldn’t score, and we loaded the bases in the seventh. We had our chances to score; we just didn’t come through with the big hit.”
Kyle Gehrs (2-1) suffered the loss as the Patriots fell to 9-2 overall and 3-2 in the Suburban Big Six. Park Hill improved to 4-3 and 1-1.
LEXINGTON 3, OAK GROVE 1: The hitting woes for Oak Grove continue.
The Panthers mustered only one hit Wednesday – a solo home run by Jackson Schnieders – in a tough road loss.
It’s the seventh time this season the Panthers have scored two runs or less.
“When you have seven games where you score two or one runs, it’s not the pitching,” Panthers coach Kirk Sears said. “We’re just not swinging it well.”
The Schnieders home run put the Panthers up 1-0 in the fourth inning, but Lexington scored three in the bottom of the fifth to grab the win.
PARK HILL SOUTH 6, WILLIAM CHRISMAN 3: Eddie High pitched well and hit a solo home run. But poor defense led to Chrisman’s downfall in a Suburban Big Six loss to host Park Hill South.
“He pitched pretty solid,” Chrisman coach Justin Woods said of High. “But we made a few errors in some innings. He had a good pitching performance, but we couldn’t get the offense going.”
Each team had only four hits. Patrick Brady was the winning pitcher.
Dante Jones singled and doubled and Korey Stucker doubled for the Bears (1-9, 0-3).
Chrisman led 3-1 but the Panthers (6-4, 3-2) scored two runs in the third and two more in the fifth to take the lead for good.
WINNETONKA 4, LEE’S SUMMIT NORTH 2: Winnetonka (6-1) took a 4-2 lead after three innings and held on for a non-conference victory over host North.
“It was nice to get outside and play,” North coach Jeff Diekmann said. “Both of their pitchers did a nice lob.”
David Longcoy had three of the five hits for North (6-2).
BELTON 5, RAYTOWN 4: Belton scored the winning run in the bottom of the eighth inning on a passed ball for a Suburban Middle Six decision over visiting Raytown.
Raytown (4-6, 2-4) scored all of its runs in the sixth inning for a 4-3 lead. Belton tied the score in the bottom of the inning.
“Defense hurt us,” Raytown coach Jaime Oyler said. “We had a critical error in the eighth and made some baserunning mistakes. But all of the pitchers did an outstanding job.”
Losing pitcher Cody Robinson singled twice with two RBIs to power the Blue Jays.
LEE’S SUMMIT WEST 10, EXCELSIOR SPRINGS 0: Four pitchers combined for a one-hitter to pace host Lee’s Summit West (6-2). Brandon Fields was credited with the win.
The game was scoreless until West exploded for six fourth-inning runs. The game was called after six innings because of the mercy rule.
“We played good, steady baseball,” West coach Jay Meyer said. “Going into the game we planned on using our pitchers like this and they threw well.”
Max Icing singled and doubled with four RBI and Alex Hall and Michael Schulze each doubled for the Titans.
RAYTOWN SOUTH 10, PEMBROKE HILL 5: A four-run fifth inning broke open a tight game and carried Raytown South (4-4) past visiting Pembroke Hill.
Aaron Smith pitched five innings for the win.
Joe Samuels and Marcus Douglas each singled and doubled with two RBIs and Brian Morris singled twice to lead South.
“It wasn’t the most efficient game, but a win is a win,” South coach Steve Peck said.