'Hounds rally to win district debut

Freshman Colby Dohrman tossed three effective innings in relief to keep the 'Hounds in the game so they could pull out the victory at the end. (Chris Allen/Democrat-News) [Click to enlarge] [Order this photo]

CONCORDIA -- Senior Jacob Navarro was the No. 9 hitter, but cleaned up the Sweet Springs baseball team's mess Monday.

Navarro's single in the bottom of the seventh inning drove in the tying and game-winning run for a 7-6 victory over Bosworth in the first round of the Class 1, District 15 Tournament at Concordia.

After erasing a 4-1 deficit, the Greyhounds had twice fallen behind in the late innings on a balk and bases-loaded walk.

Senior Quinn Jones and junior Brent Boland began the seventh with singles and moved into scoring position on an error. An intentional walk filled the sacks before Navarro drilled senior Wayne Sisk's pitch to deep center field, Boland easily crossing the plate to end the game.

Jones doubled and raced home on the back end of a delayed double steal in the second to give Sweet Springs an early lead, but the Bulldogs answered with four runs in the third.

A walk and singles by sophomore Vance Bruce and senior Trevor Wagy brought in Bosworth's first run.

Sophomore David Hall plunked a batter to load the bases with no outs. Senior Frank McCloud cracked a two-run double and sophomore Vince Bruce followed with an RBI single before Hall struck out three straight batters to get out of the jam.

Jones singled and scored on an error and a pair of two-out hits, junior Aaron Schlatweiler's double and a triple by senior Blake Vogelsmeier, tied the game in the fourth.

Freshman Colby Dohrman didn't allow an earned run in three innings of relief for the 'Hounds, although McCloud doubled and scored on a two-out balk with the bags packed in the fifth.

Sophomore Matt Vogelsmeier stroked a pinch single and Schlatweiler tripled to even the contest at 5-5 in the sixth, but the Bulldogs (2-4) took advantage of junior Billy Martin's wildness to re-take the lead without a hit in the seventh before junior Andy Litton took over and got the final two outs of the frame to keep the deficit at one run -- and earning his first varsity win.

Jones had three hits and scored three runs for Sweet Springs (5-10), which had lost eight of its previous nine games.

For their trouble, the 'Hounds were rewarded the unenviable task of challenging the defending state champion -- top-ranked Santa Fe -- in today's semifinal round.