The Park Hill baseball squad got off to a solid start in Suburban Gold Conference play this spring.
The Trojans earned a pair of one-run victories to sweep a league doubleheader from Lee’s Summit North on Thursday, March 21 in Lee’s Summit.
In the opener, Park Hill plated all three runs in the top of the sixth and Chandler Ashby delivered seven innings of one-hit ball for a 3-2 win.
In the game-changing sixth, Ryan Kiser drove home the eventual game-winning run with a two-out sacrifice fly to center field, plating Trent Trammel.
Trammel, who had two hits, singled home a run to knot the score at 2-2. Carter Jensen, who doubled to lead off the frame, advanced to second on a Mac Cross walk and then to third on a passed ball before scoring on a steal of home with Trammel at the plate.
BRANDON MISENER/Special to the Citizen
Park Hill’s Zayne Morrow delivers a pitch home against Liberty during the Metro Leadoff Classic on Monday, March 18. The Blue Jays won the game 6-4.
Ashby, a Crowder College signee, registered eight strikeouts and walked just one in a complete-game effort. He used 98 pitches while allowing two earned runs, both in the third inning. The Trojans had two errors, compared to Lee’s Summit North’s four.
Park Hill pounded out 11 hits in a 12-11 win in Game 2 of the doubleheader.
The Trojans, who overcame six errors, won the back-and-forth affair that saw eight lead changes, the final one coming with Park Hill plating three runs in the top of the seventh.
Sam Eblen closed it out with 1/3 innings of relief, allowing no hits on just 12 pitches.
Joe Daneff posted a 3-for-4 effort and reached base on all five tries for the Trojans. He doubled twice, drove in a pair of runs and came around to score five times.
Zayne Morrow drove in three runs on two hits. He also walked twice and scored once. Drew Townsend also had a two-hit day. Trent Trammel had a double and two RBI. Tavian Josenberger and Max Pitts each drove in a run.
Park Hill starter Ayden Mertz allowed three hits and five runs, but all were unearned. He struck out two batters and walked one on 64 pitches.
Will Stevens surrendered no hits and an unearned run in an inning of relief. Jake Fickenscher allowed two runs — one earned — on two hits in one inning. The Broncos scored three earned runs on Jake Evans, who recorded two outs before Eblen came in to put out the fire.
Blue Springs South 10, Park Hill 7
Park Hill continued league action on Monday, March 25 in Blue Springs.
The Trojans, however, couldn’t overcome an early 8-1 deficit, as Blue Springs South (4-0) held on for its first conference victory of the season.
The Jaguars jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the second before adding five in the fourth for an 8-1 advantage. Park Hill (5-3) cut the lead to 8-7 with a six-run fifth, but Blue Springs South added two in the sixth and held Park Hill at bay in the final two frames for the win.
Stevens was dealt the loss after allowing eight runs on four hits and seven walks. Hunter Atkinson allowed two runs on two hits and Eblen allowed zero runs on one hit in the final inning.
Daneff tripled home a run to make it 8-2 in the fifth. Morrow followed with an RBI single before Jensen hit a two-run home run to make it 8-5. Pitts, who singled after Jensen’s homer, scored on a wild pitch ahead of Kiser’s RBI single to cut the lead to 8-7.
Townsend finished with a two-hit day. Morrow and Jensen both had two RBI.
Park Hill 4, Smithville 2
The Trojans opened the season with a 3-2 showing in the Metro Leadoff Classic on March 15-19.
Behind Ashby’s gem, Park Hill earned victory No. 1 with a 4-2 result against Smithville on Friday, March 15.
Ashby struck out seven and walked zero batters in five innings of three-hit ball. He used 67 pitches in his season debut before giving way to Evans, who allowed two runs on five hits in a two-inning save.
Kiser trotted home after the umpire called a balk, giving Park Hill a 1-0 lead in the third. The Trojans added to their lead with a two-run fifth, courtesy of Daneff’s sacrifice that scored Townsend and Josenberger, who were both in motion on the pitch.
Townsend, who had two hits, made it a 4-0 lead with an RBI single to right field, scoring Jensen before Tyler Koch was thrown out at the plate trying to score from second.
Kearney 1, Park Hill 0
Park Hill was limited to just one hit in Game 2 on Friday, March 15.
Jason Jakubec delivered a gem for Kearney, hurling seven innings of one-hit ball with six strikeouts and two walks.
Austin Brewer singled home the lone run with two outs in the bottom of the fourth inning, plating Jakubec, who singled.
The Trojans used a trio of pitchers to limit the Bulldogs to three hits. Starter Mertz surrendered one run on three hits. He struck out three batters and walked two. Jake Fickenscher got the final out of the fourth inning, a strikeout, before Eblen pitched two no-hit innings the rest of the way.
Morrow recorded Park Hill’s only hit, a single to lead off the fourth.
Park Hill 3, Rockhurst 2
Pitts wrapped a two-run double in the top of the sixth to help the Trojans to a 3-2 win over Rockhurst on Saturday, March 16.
Pitts plated Ashby and Morrow, who both stole bases during Pitts’ at-bat, with a double to center field, giving Park Hill the one-run lead after behind down 2-1 for three innings.
The Trojans took a 1-0 lead in the first when Pitts hit a sacrifice fly to center field, scoring Josenberger.
But Rockhurst responded with a two-spot in the second, the first coming via a Park Hill error and the second on a bases-loaded walk issued by Stevens, who didn’t allow a hit and struck out nine batters in three innings of work.
Trammel allowed just two hits and no runs in two innings of relief work. Townsend followed with two hitless innings, striking out four.
Park Hill 13, Liberty North 5
Pitts, Daneff and Trammel each posted multiple-RBI performances in the Trojans’ run-rule victory over Liberty North on Monday, March 18.
Pitts registered a two-run single and drew a bases-loaded walk, Daneff had an RBI single and also walked with the bases loaded and Trammel doubled home a pair of runs to lead the Park Hill offense, which produced 10 hits in four frames.
Kiser and Daneff each had a pair of his for the Trojans, while leadoff hitter Josenberger scored three runs. Morrow drew two walks.
Atkinson allowed four runs on four hits while striking out four in the start. Jackson Ramsey pitched two innings of no-hit ball, striking out three and walking one. Eblen surrendered one run on two hits in the top of the fifth, the final frame.
Liberty 6, Park Hill 4
The Trojans recorded four errors in a loss to Liberty on Monday, March 18.
Park Hill outhit the Blue Jays 9-5, but couldn’t overcome the errors that turned into five unearned runs.
Morrow allowed four runs — one earned — on three hits across 3 innings. Evans came on in relief, surrendering no runs on one hit in 1 innings of work. Fickenscher gave up one hit in an inning, but two unearned runs came across to score. Townsend threw a perfect final frame, registering one strikeout.
Two batters in and Park Hill had a 1-0 lead. Daneff singled to right to score Josenberger, who walked to lead off the game and stole second before Daneff’s hit.
Liberty plated three in the second before Cross tripled and Josenberger plated a run on a groundout to knot the score at 3-all in the fourth. But the Blue Jays made it 4-3 with a run in the fourth and 6-3 with a two-spot in the sixth.
Morrow recorded an RBI groundout to trim Liberty’s lead to two in the seventh, but Kiser grounded out to end the threat.