Blues blast Minneola

Garden City, Ks (westernkansasnews)-On Friday night, Finney County used a brilliant performance on the bump by Isaiah Rodriguez. On Saturday morning, it was all offense. The Blues pounded out 13 hits en route to a 13-3, run-rule victory over Minneola at Williams Stadium. 

“Everything starts with defense,” Finney coach Lyle Beffort said. “Now our batting is coming around.”

The table setter on Saturday was lead-off man Robert Tomlin, who finished 3-for-3 at the plate, drove in three runs and finished a home run shy of the cycle. 

“We always tell our guys that you have to be able to do something for the team,” Befort said. “Sometimes you’re going to come up with guys on and you have to get hits; that’s what Robert did today.”

Tomlin was one of five players to record a mult-hit game. 

After falling down 1-0 in the top of the 1st, Finney County (20-5) went to work in the bottom half. The Blues scored two runs on two hits including Marcus Zapata’s two-out, RBI single. 

The Blues would tack on a run in the second and four in the third before ending things an inning later.

In what turned out to be the final frame, Finney County sent all nine guys to the dish. After a Jake Curran single, Daven Acker and Zapata walked, setting the table for Mario Montoya’s two-run single. The inning would continue when Addison Deherrera was hit by  a pitch with one out. Tomlin then slapped a one-out, run-scoring single to make it 10-3. 

The game nearly ended when Rodriguez smashed a two-run double to the gap, but Befort held Tomlin at third. It wouldn’t matter because the next batter: Logan Dechant, would finish things off with a game-ending RBI single. 

“We’ve put ourselves in a situation where we’re going for the number one seed tonight against Newton,” Befort said. With that-we’re going with Edgar Montoya-one of our better pitchers, and hopefully he can get us going.”

The Wildcats scored a run in the first when Mati Mclare bounced into a fielder’s choice-scoring Cody Berger. 

Kelton Long’s RBI groundout in the second tied the game at two. 

The Wildcats would add a run in the 4th when Jason Brit scored after Josh Bergman hit into a fielder’s choice. 

MINNEOLA () AT FINNEY BLUES ()

MINNEOLA             AB  R  H BI  FINNEY BLUES         AB  R  H BI
Cody Berger           2  1  1  0  Robert Tomlin         3  2  3  3
Trale Yost            2  0  1  0  Isaiah Rodriguez      4  0  2  2
Brandi Schumale       1  0  0  0  Logan Dechant         3  1  1  1
Mati Mcclare          2  0  0  1  Jake Curran           3  2  2  1
Landon Walker         2  0  0  0  Daven Acker           0  1  0  0
Jason Brit            1  2  1  0  Marcus Zapata         2  2  2  1
Kelton Lang           1  0  0  1  Mario Montoya         3  2  2  2
Josh Bergman          2  0  1  1  Ian Jones             2  2  0  0
Jalin Johnson         2  0  0  0  Addison Deherrera     1  1  1  2
TOTALS               15  3  4  3  TOTALS               21 13 13 12

MINNEOLA                       --
FINNEY BLUES                   --    

LOB--MINNEOLA , FINNEY BLUES . ERR--Cody Berger, Ivan
Gutierrez. 2B--Robert Tomlin, Isaiah Rodriguez. 3B--Jason
Brit, Robert Tomlin. HBP--Ian Jones, Addison Deherrera.
SACB--Daven Acker, Addison Deherrera. SB--Logan Dechant.

 MINNEOLA                        IP    H    R   ER   BB   SO   HR
Jason Brit (L)                 3.33   12   13   12    5    2    0
Trale Yost                     0.00    1    0    0    0    0    0
 FINNEY BLUES
Ivan Gutierrez (W)             4.00    4    3    3    3    2    0

PB--Mati Mcclare, Addison Deherrera. WP--Ivan Gutierrez.
SO--Landon Walker (2), Ian Jones, Isaiah Rodriguez.
BB--Brandi Schumale, Jason Brit, Kelton Lang, Robert Tomlin,
Logan Dechant, Daven Acker (2), Marcus Zapata.

Lyle Befort postgame

Next up: Finney vs. Newton 9 pm Saturday at Williams Stadium