Wildcat squads deck Jet teams

MORAN — Marmaton Valley High’s Wildcat baseball and softball teams wrapped up an eight-game homestand with doubleheader sweeps Monday.
The Wildcat boys blasted Altoona-Midway High’s Jets 20-0 and 25-4. Both games went just three innings because of run rule.
The Wildcat girls worked a bit longer. They shut out Altoona-Midway 10-0 in five innings then rolled to a 16-6, run-rule win in six innings.
Marmaton Valley’s squads have one more Three Rivers League game apiece. The Wildcats travel to St. Paul Thursday to finish the regular season.
Next week, Marmaton Valley hosts a Kansas Class 2-1A softball regional. The Marmaton Valley boys go to Pittsburg to a Class 2-1A baseball regional.
On Monday, the Wildcat boys took full advantage of the Jets’ inability to throw strikes. Jet pitchers issued 10 walks in the first game and nine in the second game.
Cole Becker and Jimmy Frye each notched their third pitching victories of the season. “Cole threw very well and Jimmy started off a little slow but made some adjustments and figured it out,” said MVHS head baseball coach Derek Scharff.
Becker worked two innings in the first game, walked one batter and struck out five. Ryan Smith had one inning of work, walking two, hitting one batter and striking out three.
Offensively, Becker had two doubles and Frye had three singles in the opener. Austin Harrison, Gage Stewart and Mike Swift each had two singles. Smith and Levi Ramsey each hit a double while Daylen Houk and Chris Bowman had a single each.
Frye went two innings in the second game, walking three, allowing three hits and striking out five. Swift pitched one inning, allowing one hit and one walk. He struck out one.
Swift hammered a home run in the contest. Ramsey connected for four singles and Houk had three base hits and a double. Smith and Stewart hit three singles each.
Ron Goodman had a single and a triple. Becker had a single and a double. Harrison doubled. Frye and Bowman each singled.
Working behind strong pitching of Maggie Meiwes, the Wildcat girls posted two wins over the Jet girls. Meiwes walked six, hit a batter and had six strikeouts in the five-inning shutout, 10-0. She walked two in the second game and had five strikeouts, winning 16-6.
In the first game, Kacie Shadden led the Wildcat offense with a double and a single. Hitting a single each were Jamee McEndree, Kailey Boyd, Hannah Endicott, Michelle Heskett, Meiwes and Kayla McNutt.
Boyd cranked out a home run, a triple and a single in the second game. MaRyiah Cavender hit two singles and a triple. Heskett, Meiwes and Shadden hit two singles. McEndree and Hollie Sparks had a single apiece.
“We were able to string some hits together in both games leading to runs and victories,” said Brenda Mills, MVHS softball head coach. “We had two double plays in the second game at crucial times.”