MHS sweeps Moundridge to kick off HOA league play

The Marion baseball team started Heart of America league play with a sweep of Moundridge Thursday in a pair of games rescheduled from Tuesday because of rain.

Marion won Game 1, 10-2.

After two scoreless innings, Marion plated four runs off two hits and an error in the bottom of the third. Seth Savage keyed the frame with a two-RBI single.

Moundridge put up a single tally without a hit in the top of the fourth inning, and Marion responded by scoring three runs off two hits in the bottom half of the inning. Corbin Wheeler highlighted the frame with a bases-clearing, three-run double.

The Warriors made it 9-1 by scoring two runs off two hits in the fifth inning. Dylan Deines and Evann Heidebrecht hit singles in the frame.

Each team added one run in the sixth inning. For Marion, Wheeler led off with a single, and Blaine Mermis drove in a run with a base hit.

Nathan Baldwin (2-0) earned the pitching win. In five innings of work, he gave up one hit and one earned run. He walked three batters and struck out eight.

Marion won Game 2, 14-4, in six innings.

The Warriors piled on runs early, bringing 13 batters to the plate in the opening inning, knocking out six hits and scoring nine runs.

With the bases loaded, Seth Savage drove in Marion’s first runs with a two-RBI single, then Deines hit a single to load the bases. Garrett Hoffner was hit by a pitch, allowing another run to score, then Evann Heidebrecht worked a bases-loaded walk. Cole Srajer cleared the bases with a three-run double. Mason Pedersen hit an RBI single after that, then Peyton Heidebrecht reached via error. Corbin Wheeler hit a single before Moundridge finally got out of the inning.

Moundridge used two hits to score one run in the second inning, leaving the bases loaded. The Wildcats scored two more runs off three hits and an error in the top of the third inning.

Marion scored its 10th run in the bottom of the third inning when Peyton Heidebrecht hit an RBI single.

The Wildcats scored their final run in the fourth inning, then Marion plated one run off one hit in the fifth and completed the run-rule victory by scoring three runs off three hits in the sixth inning. Hoffner and Evann Heidebrecht hit back-to-back doubles to key the frame. Marion also benefitted from a bases-loaded walk and an RBI single by Wheeler to end the game.

Savage (1-0) earned the pitching win. In four innings, he gave up seven hits and four runs (three earned). He walked three batters and struck out no one.

While coach Roger Schroeder said he was pleased with the victories, he said he would like to see more concentration and less complacency at the plate.

“The end results look good,” he said. “10-2, 14-4, that looks real good. I was disappointed with some of our at-bats early in the first game and in the middle of the second game. We kind of just sat on our lead and got comfortable. We talked about this last Tuesday. If you have an opportunity to shorten a game, we need to try to take it with the pitch count rules.”

Schroeder said he was pleased, for the most part, with his defense and pitching.

“All in all, (I’m) pleased,” he said. “(We) got the league season off to a good start. That’s goal No. 1 for us is to try to win the league. To go 2-0 against a team that always seems to play us kind of tough, (I’m) happy with that.”

Coming—Marion (2-0, 4-0) was scheduled to host Sedgwick Tuesday and will host Hillsboro Thursday.

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