The Pratt 86ers shook off some early season struggles as they opened Smoky Ford Invitational play last night with an 11-3 win over the Hutchinson Hawks at Smoky Ford Field.
Pratt pounded out 12 hits in the game and left 12 Hutchinson baserunners stranded as pitchers Brad Richardson and Zach Pixler worked out of several jams.
The 86ers scored two runs in the first, two in the second and three in the third to take a commanding 7-1 lead before scoring four runs in the bottom of the sixth to end the game early.
Hutchinson got on the scoreboard first, taking advantage of an error and back-to-back singles to get their leadoff batter all the way around to score.
But, the 86ers settled down as third baseman Jake Strecker caught a fly ball, Richardson struck Hutchinson’s Dakota Brower out, and then got Jermaine Bishop to fly out to Caleb Gillig in left field to end the inning and strand three runners.
With one out in the bottom of the first, Colton Matthew got the 86ers offense started with a single up the middle. With two outs, Skylar Angood drew a walk and Richardson singled.
Pratt catcher Jake Siroky then drove in both Matthew and Angood with a hard-hit single into left center field.
Bishop then got Strecker to ground out to the Hutchinson shortstop to end the inning, but the 86ers had taken the lead for good with a 2-1 edge going into the second inning.
After giving up a leadoff walk in the second, Richardson retired the next three batters, getting some help from first baseman Zach Pixler and second baseman Chris Nicholson on back-to-back fly balls.
The 86ers were down to their final out of the second inning when Nicholson drew the first of back-to-back walks.
With Nicholson and Matthew on base, Bryant Theis was hit by a pitch to load the bases for Angood.
The PHS senior-to-be showed exactly why he is the 86ers’ cleanup hitter, pounding a single past the shortstop to drive in a pair of runs.
Richardson singled to re-load the bases, but Siroky hit into a fielder’s choice and the Hawks easily got Brady Batman (Richardson’s courtesy runner) out at second to end the inning.
Still, the 86ers scored two runs on two hits to take a 4-1 lead after two innings.
Richardson faced just four batters in the top of the third, giving up a one-out single to Jordan Stocklein before striking out Brower and getting Seaver Williams to ground out to Angood at shortstop.
Pratt wasn’t able to add to the lead in the fourth or fifth innings, but the 86er defense also held the Hawks scoreless to take a 7-1 lead into the sixth inning.
Hutchinson scored a run on Jerome Rohn’s RBI single with two outs and had the bases loaded again when Richardson and Pixler traded positions.
Stocklein worked Pixler for a walk to bring Isaac Roehn in and make it 7-3, but Pixler got Brower to pop up near the mound for the third out, stranding three runners and preserving the Pratt lead.
With one out in the bottom of the sixth, Angood singled, Richardson walked, Siroky singled to drive in Angood, and Strecker doubled to drive in Richardson.
Gillig then finished the game with a two-run single that scored Zach Richert (Siroky’s courtesy runner) and Strecker to make it an 11-3 run-rule win.
The 86ers finished with 12 hits in the game.
Angood, Matthew and Richardson each went two-for-three at the plate, and Angood finished with two RBIs while Matthew had one.
Gillig and Siroky were two-for-four batting with two RBIs each.
Pixler had one base hit and two RBIs while Strecker also had a hit and an RBI.
Richardson got the win, scattering eight hits in 5 2/3 innings. He walked four batters and struck out four.
The 86ers committed three errors in the game, and they stranded eight runners.
Pratt will be back in action tonight at 7:30 p.m. to take on Osawatomie in another pool play game.
Pool B games began at 10:30 a.m. today and will continue throughout the afternoon.
The 86ers will finish Pool A play at 5:15 p.m. Saturday against Alva, Okla.
Sunday’s matchups will be determined based on pool play records, with the fourth place teams from each pool playing for seventh place, the third place teams facing off for fifth, the second place teams meeting for third place and the pool winners meeting in the 5:15 p.m. championship game Sunday evening.
Pratt, Kan. —
