The Marmaton Valley Wildcats are heading to the 2-1A state tournament for the first time in school history after winning its regional tournament with a walk-off RBI from freshman third baseman Lane Lord.
Trailing third-seed Moundridge for much of Wednesday’s championship game, the Wildcats willed their way back into contention with a trio of one-run innings. Then in the seventh, Lord plated his brother, senior Tyler Lord, after forcing an infield error with a hard chopper up the middle.
“I just blacked out when I saw the pitch come down the middle,” said Lane Lord, who faced a full count with two outs as he leaned in for his final swing.
“I knew I had a shot, so I took it. After I saw he dropped it, I was amazed.”
Senior Garrett Morrison got the start. He got into some trouble in the second inning, prompting Marmaton Valley coach Adam Borth to go to Lane Lord. Lord tallied a pair of strikeouts but allowed Moundridge to take the lead in the third inning.
Undeterred, Lord held Moundridge scoreless until exiting at the end of the fifth inning.
After throwing a four-inning no-hitter in the semifinals, and receiving an early rest, Tyler Lord took the mound. Lord’s defense did much of the heavy lifting. Lord needed just one strikeout to get out of the next two innings while holding Moundridge scoreless and allowing one hit.
“This is what the senior class has been trying to do since we were freshmen, and we finally got it done,” Tyler Lord said.
Tyler Lord was also the first and last player to score in the championship game. An RBI single by senior first baseman Todd Stevenson put the Wildcats in the lead in the opening frame. Moundridge responded with three unanswered runs, but Marmaton Valley rallied with an RBI grounder by junior outfielder Brendon Newman in the fifth inning, an RBI grounder by sophomore catcher Kaden McVey to tie 3-3 in the sixth, then Lane Lord’s game-winner in the seventh.
“I knew when I was on second that I had to get home no matter what,” Lord said. “As soon as I saw that ball pop out of his glove, I was so happy. I knew Lane had been struggling at the plate, but I told myself ‘He’s got it. There’s no better guy at the plate.’”
Stevenson was Marmaton Valley’s leading hitter while successful in 2 of 3 at-bats with an RBI. McVey and Newman had one RBI each.
Wildcats maul Bulldogs in semifinals
The Wildcats got into the championship game after pulverizing the Chase County Bulldogs 15-2.
With Tyler Lord pitching a nine-strikeout no-hitter before handing the reins to sophomore reliever Thomas Allee in the fifth inning, the Wildcats’ double-digit production seemed overkill.
Morrison plated the first of his team-leading four RBIs in the opening frame with a double, then sophomore outfielder Kris McVey plated Morrison with an RBI single, Allee plated McVey with an RBI single, then a Tyler Lord fly ball and a costly catcher’s interference left the Bulldogs in an early 6-0 deficit.
“I just did my job. I’m here for a reason — to put the bat on the ball,” Morrison said. “I just had to make routine plays, what we’ve been practicing all year. This is awesome. It’s all I’ve dreamed of.”
