Knox Babe Ruth League action at Mount Vernon's Memorial Park included four wins by 10 runs or more and two close contests. There was a 15-run win and a one-run game. Moose and Elks each won a pair of games during the week.
Rotary 15, Elks 4
On July 11, Rotary had an offensive explosion of 16 hits on their way to a 15-4 victory over the Elks.
Rotary scored four runs in each of the first three innings to go up 12-0 before the Elks were able to put a run on the board. Rotary then responded with a run in the fourth and two runs in the fifth to make it a 15-1 game. The Elks put together a three-run fifth, but Rotary fended off a late comeback attempt to seal the win.
Coen Armstrong pitched a complete game for Rotary, scattering 10 hits, walking three batters and allowing four earned runs, while he struck out nine batters. He also went 2-for-4 at the plate, with a double, two RBIs and a run scored.
Leading the Rotary offense was Preston Hempfield, who was 2-for-3 with a double, three RBIs, three runs scored and a walk. Aric Lust was 3-for-3 with three runs, three RBIs and a walk. Bryson Armstrong had a 3-for-4 day with two runs and an RBI. Landon Bakely went 2-for-3 with a pair of RBIs and a run.
For the Elks, Toby Burak led the team with a 3-for-3 day, and he also knocked in a run. Skylar Lawrence went 2-for-3 and scored twice. Jacob Morrison went 1-for-2 with an RBI, a run and a walk, and Ethan Garret was 2-for-3 with an RBI.
Griffin Insurance 18, Kiwanis 8
Griffin Insurance had a huge first two innings in a game in which they piled on 18 hits.
Kiwanis opened the game with a one-run first inning, but Griffin responded with a five-run first and a nine-run second to take a commanding 14-1 lead. Kiwanis then put a five-spot on the board in the fifth, but Griffin followed with three runs, making it a 17-6 game. Kiwanis and Griffin each scored a run in the fourth and Kiwanis scored one run in the fifth as Griffin was able to cruise for the win.
Griffin was led by Talan Stevison, who had a 3-for-4 day with a double, triple, two runs and four RBIs. Tobias Burt went 3-for-4 with an RBI and three runs scored. Carson Meyer had a 2-for-3 day with three runs and a pair of RBIs. Bryce Kreager also had a pair of of RBIs and a pair of runs in a 2-for-4 day.
Leading Kiwanis was Cameron Hill with a three-RBI day, going 1-for-3 and also scoring a run. J.D. Winegardner had a pair of RBIs and went 1-for-2.
Moose 11, Griffin 10
On July 12, despite a late push by Griffin, Moose held on for an 11-10 victory.
Griffin started the game with a run in the first to take the early lead, but Moose piled on five first-inning runs and then four more in the second inning to go up 9-1. Griffin and Moose each scored twice in the third inning, but Griffin mounted a comeback and put four runs on the board in the fourth and two runs in the sixth to make it an 11-9 game in favor of Moose. Griffin made a last-ditch effort in the seventh and managed a run, but Moose's defense toughened and held Griffin off to secure the win.
Moose was led by Mason Mitchell, who had a 2-for-4 day with three RBIs and two runs scored. Grayson Brokaw went 2-for-3 with an RBI and two runs, and a walk. C.J. Fisher was 2-for-3 with three runs scored. As a team, Moose connected for 10 hits in the game.
Griffin raked out 11 hits in the game and were led by Bryce Kreager, who was 4-for-5 with an RBI and three runs scored. One of his hits was a double. Talan Stevison smacked a double and three RBIs. Carson Meyer went 2-for-3 with a double, two RBIs and a run.
Elks 21, Kiwanis 6
Kiwanis pitching had trouble with control against the Elks, who walked 14 times.
It was a 1-1 game after the first inning, but then Kiwanis put four runs on the board in the second inning to make it 5-1 in their favor. The Elks responded with eight runs in the bottom half of the second and added 10 more in the third to make it a 19-5 game. Kiwanis managed one run in the fourth and the Elks scored twice.
The Elks were led by Toby Burak, who had four RBIs and three runs scored in a 3-for-4 day. Zach Clow and Skylar Lawrence each tripled and knocked in a run. The team had four total hits on the day – 21 runs on four hits.
Kiwanis was held to only three hits in a combined pitching effort by Lawrence, Clow and Jacob Morrison for the Elks. Leading Kiwanis were Wyatt and Wayde Denuit, who each had a single in the game.
Moose 9, Rotary 6
Moose benefited from a big third inning in a 9-6 win over Rotary on July 13.
Rotary took an early lead with a three-run first inning, and Moose responded with a run in the second to make it 3-1. In the third, Moose broke things open and piled on eight runs to take the lead for good and drive the score to 9-3 in their favor. Rotary scored a run in the fifth and two runs in the seventh inning, but Moose held on for the three-run win.
Moose belted out 12 hits in the game and was led by Mason Mitchell, who had a 3-for-4 day with three RBIs and a run scored. He also pitched a complete game, allowing six earned runs and nine hits while striking out five batters. Vincent Kizer was 2-for 4 with a triple, two runs and two RBIs. Azland Morris went 3-for-4 with an RBI, two runs and a walk. Nicholas Mitchell tripled, walked, scored a run and had an RBI in the win.
Rotary was led by Aric Lust’s 4-for-4 showing in which he doubled and scored three runs. Preston Hempfield went 2-for-3 with two runs and an RBI. Bryson Armstrong was 2-for-4 with an RBI.
Elks 12, Griffin Insurance 2
While the bats weren’t banging out a ton of hits for either team, the Elks managed to draw nine walks and took a 12-2 win in a game in which Griffin also struggled defensively with seven errors.
The Elks scored two runs in the first, flooded the plate with six runs in the second inning and tacked on two more in the third to take a commanding 10-0 lead after three innings. Griffin got on the board in the fourth with a two-run inning, and the Elks finished it off with two runs in the fifth.
Leading the Elks on the hill was Draven Elliott, who had a complete game with only one earned run allowed. He struck out three batters while allowing three hits and two walks. At the dish, Elliott had an RBI and two walks. Zach Clow knocked in two RBIs in the game with a 1-for-4 showing. He also scored a run. Skylar Lawrence had the lone extra-base hit for the Elks with a double, and he scored three times.
Griffin’s top hitter was Auden Lehman, who belted a triple on a 1-for-2 day. Talan Stevison and Owen Peck had an RBI each. Bryce Kreager and Noah Crowthers each singled, and Crowthers scored a run.
