Photo by Jordan Haiduk
Chase Speer of the Emporia Legion A's Gold Team throws a pitch against Augusta on Sunday.
The Emporia A-16 Gold team’s doubleheader against Augusta on Sunday was a late addition to the schedule — a pair of games added within the last week to fill an open date.
Hindsight being what it is, the Emporia Gold squad probably wishes it had kept Augusta off the docket.
Augusta came away with a pair of run-rule victories over Emporia at Soden’s Grove, defeating the Golds 10-1 in Game One before a 24-1 whitewashing in the second game. The sweep came one day after Emporia dropped a doubleheader to Manhattan on Saturday, 7-5 and 10-0.
Defense proved to be the downfall for Emporia, as the Gold team committed a combined 21 errors in the twinbill. Emporia’s offense couldn’t make up the difference, as the Golds managed just four hits total in the two games.
In Game One, Emporia actually took the lead early with a run in the bottom of the first to go up 1-0.
Photo by Jordan Haiduk
The Emporia Gold’s Ryan Huth swings at a pitch during his team’s game against Augusta on Sunday at Soden’s Grove.
James Rodriguez led off the game with a double to the wall in right field and scored when Josh Lambert reached on Augusta starting pitcher Dugan Smith’s errant throw to first.
Lambert stole second and went to third on a wild pitch, but Emporia could not bring him home.
Emporia would not get another batter past first until the bottom of the fifth.
In the meantime, Emporia starter Chase Speer battled enough to keep the Golds within striking distance. Through five innings, Speer had held Augusta to just four runs — with all four runs coming off Emporia errors — as he allowed just six hits while collecting eight strikeouts.
Disaster then struck in the sixth inning.
Augusta sent 10 batters to the plate and scored six runs in the sixth off three Emporia errors, as the Golds did not record an out until the sixth batter of the inning.
With Augusta leading 10-1, Emporia need to score at least one run in the bottom of the frame. Zach Schuler led off with a double, but a foulout to the catcher by Ryan Huth and a double play to end the game gave Augusta the run-rule victory.
Rodriguez and Schuler’s doubles were the only base hits for Emporia.
In Game Two, things got ugly right from the start for the Golds, and they only went downhill from there.
In one of two innings in which Augusta would send at least 14 batters to the plate, Augusta scored eight runs in the opening inning off four Emporia errors to take an 8-0 lead.
Augusta would then score single runs in the second and third to go up 10-0.
Emporia scratched a run across in the bottom of the third when Rodriguez singled, stole second, advanced to third on a wild pitch and then came home on a run-scoring single by Schuler to make it 10-1.
After a scoreless fourth for both teams, the deluge came pouring down in the fifth, effectively sinking Emporia for good.
In the fifth, Augusta sent a whopping 18 batters to the plate, scoring 14 more runs on just six hits and another five Emporia errors, three of which came with two outs.
In all, Augusta managed its 24 runs despite just eight base hits.
Emporia, meanwhile, collected just two hits again in the second game: Rodriguez and Schuler’s singles in the third.
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