Falcons' backs agains the wall

By LARRY MORITZ

Salina Journal

With two games to play today in the Kansas Grand Slam Tournament, the Salina Pestinger Falcons have a remote chance of qualifying for the tourney title game later this evening.

But Falcons coach Ryan Kolzow believes his team's focus should be on more pressing matters when it takes the field this morning.

Salina fell to 1-2 in the round-robin portion of the tournament after its 7-4 loss to Air Academy (Colo.) on Saturday night at Dean Evans Stadium. The Falcons will face Olathe East in a 9 a.m. contest today at James Matson Field and the Midwest Bruins at 1 p.m. at Evans Stadium. A win in both games -- and an Air Academy win over Midwest -- would put the Falcons in the 5 p.m. title game.

"Regardless of what our situation is (today), at this point of the season we need to focus on playing good baseball," Kolzow said. "We have to put any thoughts of playing in the championship game aside and just play consistent baseball."

With two wins on Saturday, Air Academy improved to 3-0 and would lock up a spot in the tourney championship game by winning of two games. The Kadets out of Colorado Springs fell behind Salina 3-0 in the first three innings, but scored the game's next seven runs to take control.

"It was a complete team effort on our part," said Air Academy coach Duggan Moran. "Salina is a good ball club and probably the best team we've beaten this year.

"They had a couple of miscues and we took advantage, and it was an outing of all heart by my pitcher, Billy Shatraw. The kids fought, fought, fought and never gave up."

Salina took advantage of some Air Academy miscues to take the early lead, as all three of the Falcons runs were unearned. Travis Dolan walked and eventually scored on a one-out error in the first inning, and Brett Callahan added a two-out single in that inning to make it 2-0. Ethan Vinson's sacrifice fly scored Conner Martin to push the lead to three runs in the third.

The Kadets took the lead for good the following inning. A leadoff homer by John Tosches was the first hit allowed by Salina starter Conner Martin (3-2). Air Academy added three more hits -- including RBI singles for Zach Gehler and Brennan Flaherty -- as the four-run inning was aided by two Falcon errors.

"One bad inning and too many errors," Kolzow said. "Then we had a poor approach at the plate and didn't make adjustments."

Salina left the bases loaded in the bottom of the fourth without scoring a run, and Shatraw set the Falcons down in order in the fifth and sixth innings. Jovian Santiago singled home a run for Air Academy in the fifth, and Jared Ward's two-out, two-run single in the sixth made it 7-3.

"They stayed up in the dugout when they got behind," Kolzow said. "Their second baseman (Kyle Harmande) is kind of a go-getter and doesn't seem to let them quit. They stayed in the game, battled back and are a good ball club."

Levi Debold walked to lead off the Salina half of the seventh and eventually scored on a wild pitch. The Falcons had the potential tying runs on base when the game ended, the second time in the game they left the bases loaded.

Debold and Travis Dolan had two hits each for the Falcons.

AIR ACADEMY 10, MCPHERSON 7 -- After leading 8-0 in the top of the third, Air Academy held on late when McPherson tried to make things interesting.

The Kadets got offensive contributions throughout the lineup, with seven different players picking up at least one RBI, and four -- Tosches, Nick Stephens, Ryan Fountain and Cameron Bobbit -- getting two hits apiece.

McPherson's L.A. Hoefer had two hits and two runs, leading his team in both categories in the tournament. Hoefer finished the Grand Slam hitting .556 (5 of 9).

McPherson, after defeating Salina in its first game on Thursday, finished 1-4, choosing to forfeit its final game Saturday night against Olathe East.

DODGE CITY 5, OLATHE EAST 2 -- After being held scoreless by Olathe East pitcher Dylan Murray for four innings, Dodge City finally broke through with four runs in the fifth.

Ranger pitcher Lorenzo Rincon settled down after giving up two first inning runs, as he and teammate Jason McClaren shut out the Hawks the rest of the way. McClaren picked up the save with two innings of two-hit relief.

Aaron Heiland had two hits and Ernie Fernandez drove in two runs for Dodge City.

MIDWEST BRUINS 10, DODGE CITY 2 -- The Bruins scored at least one run in each inning of the six-inning game to improve to 3-0 in the tournament and stay in control of their own destiny. Midwest needs to win only one of two games today to earn a spot in the title game.

Midwest had nine hits in the game spread among eight players, with Aaron Rea the only player to have two hits in the game. Dodge City ended its tournament stay with a 2-3 record.

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