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It figures The Eastern Jackson County Kiwanis League 16-and-under double-elimination wood bat tournament would go an extra game.
After all, the tournament has been set back several times because of rain. Then, it took a deciding game Thursday night to determine a champion because the Blue Springs Vipers refused to quit.
Taylor Sprague’s two-out double drove in the tying runs in the top of the seventh inning. Two innings later the Vipers erupted for four runs, capped by Nick Buccero’s two-run double to clinch a 10-6 victory over the Dodgers and force another game Thursday night to decide the champion.
The Vipers won the second game 6-4, but because the Vipers will not have enough players to field a team the Dodgers will take on the North Kansas City Cubs in a best-of-three series at Crysler to determine the metro’s 16-and-under wood bat championship.
Two games will be at 6 and 8 tonight at Crysler. A third game, if necessary, is set for 1:30 p.m. Saturday.
“It felt good,” Sprague said. “It was my biggest hit of the season. I was nervous. I have hit well this season because of working at home. It was a big win.”
Sprague also came through with a two-run single that capped a four-run second inning and a brief 4-1 Vipers lead.
“You can always depend upon him,” Vipers manager Dan Johnson said of Sprague, who will be a sophomore at Blue Springs South. “He goes deep in the count. We are a 15-and-under team playing in a 16-and-under league. We rely on pitching and defense.”
The Vipers had five hits in the inning. No. 6, however, didn’t come until Sprague’s double as Dodgers pitcher Graham Scarbrough faced only 12 Viper batters from third to sixth innings before developing a blister.
“He asked to come out,” Dodgers manger Chad Thomas said. “He still competed.”
He walked the first two batters he faced in the seventh to set up the tying runs.
Lee’s Summit North sophomore Tyler Hodge also played a big role for the Vipers.
The Dodgers scored five runs in the bottom of the second for as 6-4 lead that stood until Sprague’s heroics in the seventh. Chad Sutton and Dominic Defeo drove in two runs each.
Hodge replaced starter Alex Doty to begin the third and proceeded to pit seven scoreless innings.
It figures The Eastern Jackson County Kiwanis League 16-and-under double-elimination wood bat tournament would go an extra game.
After all, the tournament has been set back several times because of rain. Then, it took a deciding game Thursday night to determine a champion because the Blue Springs Vipers refused to quit.
Taylor Sprague’s two-out double drove in the tying runs in the top of the seventh inning. Two innings later the Vipers erupted for four runs, capped by Nick Buccero’s two-run double to clinch a 10-6 victory over the Dodgers and force another game Thursday night to decide the champion.
The Vipers won the second game 6-4, but because the Vipers will not have enough players to field a team the Dodgers will take on the North Kansas City Cubs in a best-of-three series at Crysler to determine the metro’s 16-and-under wood bat championship.
Two games will be at 6 and 8 tonight at Crysler. A third game, if necessary, is set for 1:30 p.m. Saturday.
“It felt good,” Sprague said. “It was my biggest hit of the season. I was nervous. I have hit well this season because of working at home. It was a big win.”
Sprague also came through with a two-run single that capped a four-run second inning and a brief 4-1 Vipers lead.
“You can always depend upon him,” Vipers manager Dan Johnson said of Sprague, who will be a sophomore at Blue Springs South. “He goes deep in the count. We are a 15-and-under team playing in a 16-and-under league. We rely on pitching and defense.”
The Vipers had five hits in the inning. No. 6, however, didn’t come until Sprague’s double as Dodgers pitcher Graham Scarbrough faced only 12 Viper batters from third to sixth innings before developing a blister.
“He asked to come out,” Dodgers manger Chad Thomas said. “He still competed.”
He walked the first two batters he faced in the seventh to set up the tying runs.
Lee’s Summit North sophomore Tyler Hodge also played a big role for the Vipers.
The Dodgers scored five runs in the bottom of the second for as 6-4 lead that stood until Sprague’s heroics in the seventh. Chad Sutton and Dominic Defeo drove in two runs each.
Hodge replaced starter Alex Doty to begin the third and proceeded to pit seven scoreless innings.
“I felt good,” he said. “I would have like a few more strikeouts.”
The Dodgers were in position to win the game in the bottom of the eighth. Defeo led off the inning with his third hit and second double.
“I was nervous,” Hodge said. “I was hoping for strikeouts or popups.
Hodge got what he wanted. He retired the next three batters on popups and then retired the side in order in the ninth.
“He has ice water in his veins,” Johnson said of Hodge.
Thomas was disappointed over the loss.
“We had too many mental error and in field,” he said. “Our performance wasn’t very much like us.”
