Schultz homers twice in same inning to power Wildcats to split of Paola

PAOLA — Fresh off clinching its first league title in 22 years, the Louisburg baseball team had to quickly put that behind them and focus on the task at hand.

The Wildcats traveled to rival Paola last Tuesday for a doubleheader in their final road contest of the season and needed to leave with at least one win to assure themselves a spot to host a regional tournament.

Despite an 11-4 loss in the first game, the Wildcats got the win they needed in the nightcap. Louisburg used a 13-run second inning to cruise to an 18-3 victory over the Panthers.

That win earned the Wildcats the No. 3 seed and will be one of four teams to host the Class 4A regional tournament Tuesday.

“We always want a sweep, but being able to come back and get a win in game 2 was big for us,” Louisburg coach Kade Larson said. “That win locked us into the 3 seed and the guys played hard all season to get that opportunity to host regionals.”

Junior Luke Schultz provided one of the best games of his high school career in the nightcap to help the Wildcats earn the split.

Schultz hit two home runs in that second inning, including a grand slam and a 3-run home run to give Louisburg that big lead.

He also did the work on the mound. Schultz got the complete game four-inning victory as he struck out six and gave up just three hits.

“Luke really swung it well for us,” Larson said. “He opened up the game and really got us rolling. Hitting two home runs in the same inning is unheard of. He also threw really well for us on the mound. He threw a lot of strikes and let his defense work behind him.”

The Wildcats took a 1-0 lead into the second inning before they had their 13-run outburst, and they added four more runs in the fourth to seal the win.

Senior Nathaniel Lamm also had a big day with three hits, including a double, and 2 RBIs. Another senior Declan Battle, had an RBI triple and scored four runs.

Senior Brody McGreer had a hit and 2 RBIs, while seniors Jackson Howard and Jackson Anderson each drove home a run.

In the first game, the Wildcats got off to a tough start as Paola scored nine runs in the first two innings and they couldn’t muster enough offense to catch up.

Lamm and Battle each led the way offensively with two hits, while Lamm had a double and Battle scored two runs.

Louisburg will now get ready for the postseason as the host the Class 4A regional tournament Tuesday at Lewis-Young Park. The No. 3 seed Wildcats will face No. 14 Parsons at 4 p.m. in the opening round game, and if they advance, will meet the winner between Wamego and Eudora for the championship immediately after.

“We have some great potential to do some damage in the postseason,” Larson said. “It’ll come down to us playing solid defense and throwing a lot of strikes on the mound. We will have to stay consistent at the plate and continue having great team at-bats, as well.”

Wildcats fall in regular season finale to Basehor-Linwood

In its final game of the regular season, Louisburg hosted Basehor-Linwood on Wednesday, but fell short to the Class 5A team, 10-4.

The Wildcats held a 4-3 lead going into the fifth inning, but the Bobcats exploded for five runs in the fifth to pull away. Errors didn’t help the Wildcat cause as they committed seven for the game. 

Jackson Howard and Bristol Barbour each had two hits to lead the Wildcat offense, while Barbour also had 2 RBIs. Jack Anderson also had an RBI double.