Going into Friday’s game, Hi-Boy Drive In/Post 340 had already wrapped up the American League South Division and were headed into Saturday’s quarterfinals. In other words, Friday’s game didn’t matter.
That, however, didn’t matter to Hi-Boy, which trounced the Post 411 Cavalry of Lansing, Kan., 13-5 in six innings at Blue Springs High School to finish 4-0 in pool play in the American Legion Wood Bat Invitational.
Hi-Boy manager Mike Kline said he didn’t want his team to take a day off.
“This time of year, you want to win every game,” he said. “Our boys have been turning it on every game lately.”
Post 411 got two early runs in the top of the first off starting pitcher Cody Knapp, but Hi-Boy took the lead with three in the second, including a solo home run from catcher Garrin Hoppenstedt.
The home runs didn’t stop there for Hi-Boy, though.
After the Cavalry tied the game in the top of the fourth, Chad Gordon hit an RBI single to take the lead, and designated hitter Parker Jones blasted a three-run blast to left to break the game open.
“That felt really good. I’m finally coming around,” Jones said. “That was my first home run with a wood bat.”
Hi-Boy and Lansing traded runs in the fifth, Hi-Boy getting its from an RBI triple from Bryer Carpenter.
The Calvary got another run in the top half of the sixth to make it 8-4, but it wouldn’t matter as Hi-Boy got back-to-back RBI doubles from Hoppenstedt and Carlos Ramirez, and RBI single from Zach Jungmeyer, another RBI triple from Carpenter, and a final RBI single from Shane Noland to put the spread rule in effect.
“We came in and played as hard as we could,” Jones said of Hi-Boy’s performance. “We didn’t give up.”
Kline is happy to see his team gaining confidence this late in the season. However, he doesn’t want his players to get too ahead of themselves.
“Of course, we want to win the tournament, but my approach is, we’re taking it game by game,” Kline said. “I’m not putting any more emphasis on one game. I don’t want my players to get too high or too low.”
Hi-Boy (19-15) will take on the O’Fallon (Mo.) West Jaguars, also 4-0, in the championship bracket quarterfinals on Saturday at 10 a.m.
Blue Springs, MO —
