No. 1 Chiefs roll over 'Hounds, 16-1

Freshman Dalton Wilkinson mopped up the Chiefs' victory over Sweet Springs with two innings of hitless relief. (Chris Allen/Democrat-News) [Click to enlarge] [Order this photo]

CONCORDIA -- The Santa Fe baseball team made short work of Sweet Springs during the Class 1, District 15 Tournament semifinal round Tuesday at Concordia.

The top-ranked Chiefs scored 11 first-inning runs en route to a 16-1, five-inning victory. Having beaten the Greyhounds the previous week, 26-4, with the upperclassmen gone on a senior trip, it was no surprise that Santa Fe advanced into the finals for the third straight year.

Any doubt dissipated when junior Hunter Rolf smashed junior Zach Thomas' first pitch over the left-field fence. However, Sweet Springs didn't help itself by flubbing a pop-up and a grounder, a run scoring on the second error.

A base hit and steal by freshman Dalton Wilkinson set up senior Logan Kirchhoff's two-run single. An error and walk filled the sacks for sophomore Ross Tieman, who plated two runs with a single.

Junior Matt Lovercamp and senior Ben Catlett also stroked singles -- each driving in a pair of runs -- before sophomore reliever David Hall finally got out of the frame, the Chiefs having sent 16 batters to the plate.

Santa Fe got another two-run single from Lovercamp in the second inning and a Wilkinson double tallied two runs in the fourth.

Senior Taylor Wesley, an all-state right-hander, had a couple of hiccups in the top of the first inning. Senior Blake Vogelsmeier walked and junior Billy Martin hit a two-out single, but Wesley retired the next seven batters -- six on strikeouts -- before being lifted for Wilkinson after three stanzas.

Hall drew a lead-off walk in the fifth, rounding the circuit on two wild pitches and an error by a substitute infielder for the 'Hounds' only run.

Sweet Springs (5-11), which suffered a 20-0 loss to the eventual state-champion Chiefs in the first round a year ago, won a district game for the first time since 2001 the previous day when it beat Bosworth, 7-6.

Rolf scored four runs and Lovercamp produced four RBIs for Santa Fe (13-1), which will play for the championship Thursday against Concordia -- an 11-4 winner over Pilot Grove. The Orioles, who have lost twice this season to their I-70 Conference neighbor, bring a four-game winning streak into the finals.