Park Hill senior Chris Kemp had the go-ahead RBI and struck out six batters in the Trojans 3-1 win Over Park Hill South on April 11.
In rival games, a lopsided matchup can turn into a dog fight, and that was the case when Park Hill (2-9) and Park Hill South (12-5) shared the field in the opening day of the Camdenton Wood Bat Tournament on April 11.
Entering the contest at Creekside Baseball Park, the Panthers had six consecutive wins under their belt and the Trojans were on a four-game losing skid. Nonetheless, Park Hill came out with a shocking 3-1 win.
With a runner on second base and a 1-1 tie in the bottom of the sixth inning, Park Hill senior Chris Kemp doubled on a line drive to center field and Dayton Howard turned on the wheels and ended up crossing home plate. Two Trojan batters later, Joe Guastelo connected on a pitch from Evan Demint, which turned into an RBI single.
Trailing 3-1, Park Hill South had one more chance on offense, but its first two batters had pop-outs. Collin Morris reached second base on a Trojan error, but Park Hill’s Franklin Hodge ended the game by catching a fly ball from Hayden Klein.
Kemp made it difficult all night long for the opposing Panther batters when the Trojan pitcher struck out six batters and only allowed two hits in seven innings. Trey Weith had one of the hits as the Park Hill South senior singled in the top of the fifth inning when the Trojans were up 1-0.
Following a pair of Panther groundouts, Fricker made contact and reached first base on a Park Hill error, which sent Weith across home plate. The Trojans had a more efficient offensive performance, connecting with eight hits – despite Aidan Simpson striking out nine batters in five innings.
Luke Moore and Aiden Brooks went two-for-three, but Park Hill South was able to keep the Trojans’ scoring to a minimum. The Park Hill victory gave it three straight wins over Park Hill South and the rivals are set to have a rematch on April 23.
The upset triumph for the Trojans was a step in the right direction as each of their four prior games were losses by exactly two runs. Park Hill South, on the other hand, was on a hot streak ahead of its latest contest as the Panthers won the Camdenton Wood Bat Tournament.
The Panthers poured out 40 runs – only allowing seven runs – while winning all four games in the tournament that took place on April 8 and 9. On the opening day, Park Hill South defeated East Carter (7-5) 8-1, then beat Potosi (3-9-1) by a score of 6-0.
The Panthers connected with 23 hits in the first two games with five players who ended with three hits: Simpson, Morris, Trey Weith, Demint and Bryan Wilhoite. On the second day, Park Hill South came out on top over Excelsior Springs (10-5) and St. Joseph’s Lafayette (4-9).
In the 15-3 victory over the Fighting Irish, the Panthers’ top offensive performer was Wilhoite who had four hits and three RBIs. Park Hill South had 18 hits in the game, while only allowing four.
In the Panthers’ final contest in the Camdenton Wood Bat Tournament, Park Hill South took down the Tigers 11-3. Brody Huft, Klein and Simpson all had two hits apiece in the victory.