by Brian Turrel
The Schlagle Stallions baseball team got their first win of the season on the biggest stage of the season, 15-4 over the Harmon Hawks at Legends Field, home of the Kansas City Monarchs.
Harmon took a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning, loading the bases and getting runners home on a walk and a hit batter.
Hawks’ starting pitcher Daniel Hernandez pitched two scoreless innings, with five strikeouts, to open the game, but loss of control in the third inning opened the gates for the Stallions, who notched eight runs in the frame. Schlagle pitcher Joey Marshall hit an RBI double that capped the offense.
The Hawks clawed back one run in the bottom of the third on Abraham Miranda’s RBI double to left that scored Lucas Nelson, but Marshall induced consecutive ground ball outs to get out of the inning without further damage.
The Stallions went on another tear in the fifth inning, pushing aggressively on the basepaths to cause problems for the Harmon defense. They ran out to a 15-3 lead, scoring all seven runs with two outs in the inning.
Hernandez got one back for Harmon, stealing second and then dashing all the way home on an errant throw, but Schlagle closed out the game at 15-4.
Shea Rainey was 1-for-3 at the plate for Schlagle, with a double and two runs batted in. Marius Washington reached base in all four plate appearances — the hard way — getting hit by a pitch each time.
Miranda led the Hawks on offense with a double, two walks and two runs batted in.
