Wildcats open season with sweep of Harrisonville

By Andy Brown
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Updated: March 27, 2023

Andy Brown / Louisburg Sports Zone

Louisburg second baseman Brody McGreer tries to tag a Spring Hill runner out Thursday at Lewis-Young. On Wednesday, the Wildcats traveled to Harrisonville and came home with two wins.

HARRISONVILLE, Mo. — Louisburg head baseball coach Kade Larson wasn’t quite sure what to expect from his team in Wednesday’s season opener against Harrisonville.

The Wildcats feature a number of underclassmen in their starting lineup and on the mound. Larson knew he had talent, but wasn’t sure how it would all come together.

Louisburg certainly put together a strong first showing.

The Wildcats cruised to a 13-1 victory in the first game against Harrisonville and then followed that up with a 6-3 victory in the nightcap at Harrisonville High School.

“It was great starting off the season with two wins,” Larson said. “The guys came ready to play in game one and really swung it well. Their game two starter was solid and it took us a few innings to get to him, but the guys stuck with a great approach and found a way to put some runs on the board late.”

Louisburg got a good combination of pitching and offense to come away with the wins and it was a senior starter that got the Wildcats off on the right foot.

Corbin Hamman pitched a complete game in the opener as he lasted six innings and struck out six. He also allowed just one earned run and had no walks.

Solid pitching continued into the second game. Sophomore Alex Saad kept the Harrisonville batters off balance and he struck out 11 in five innings and gave up two unearned runs.

Junior Declan Battle finished off the game as he gave up just one earned run in two innings and also struck out two.

***Louisburg shortstop Luke Schultz throws a runner out Thursday against Spring Hill.***

“Hamman, Saad and Battle all threw really well for us throughout both games,” Larson said. “All three threw a ton of strikes and that usually leads to a lot of outs. Hamman going the distance for us was huge. He really let his defense work and made them put the ball in play leading to lots of quick outs.

“Saad threw really well in game two and you could tell he was on a mission on the mound all night.”

The offense followed suit, especially in the first game. The Wildcats pounded out 13 runs on nine hits.

Louisburg led 3-1 after the third inning, but scored three in the fourth and seven in the sixth inning to blow the game open.

Freshman Danny Napier led the Wildcat bats as he recorded a pair of hits, including a triple, and had 3 RBIs. Sophomore Luke Schultz also drove home two runs and had a double.

“Luke and Danny got our bats going with a couple big hits which was great to see,” Larson said. “Anytime younger guys can step up it is great for everyone to rally behind. Both have swung it well all spring and have some great potential to be a force for us throughout the season.”

***Junior Wyatt Holland leads off first Thursday against Spring Hill.***

Junior Brody McGreer had a pair of hits, while seniors Jackson Kush, Cade Driskell and Hamman each had runs batted in. Battle scored three times and finished the game with three stolen bases.

Schultz had another big game in the nightcap as he went 3-for-3, including a triple and an RBI. Battle finished with a pair of hits, including a double from the leadoff spot and scored two runs.

Junior Wyatt Holland also had an RBI hit as the Wildcats scored three in the fifth to overcome a 2-0 deficit. Louisburg then tacked on a run in the sixth and two more in the seventh to get the sweep.

Spring Hill hands Wildcats loss in home opener

Coming off a sweep of Harrisonville, Louisburg was hoping to ride its momentum to another victory Thursday as it hosted Spring Hill at Lewis-Young Park.

The Broncos had other ideas.

Spring Hill scored seven runs combined in the third and fourth innings and handed Louisburg an 8-1 loss.

The Wildcats scored their lone run in the sixth as Danny Napier singled home Declan Battle to prevent the shutout.

***Freshman Bristol Barbour struck out six against Spring Hill in his varsity debut.***

“Spring Hill was solid all night,” Larson said. “Their hitters were ready to hit early in the count and their starter on the mound was throwing a lot of strikes with fastballs and offspeed. He kept us off balance and made it difficult to get on base and move them around to score. We will learn from it and try to get better for our game Tuesday against Baldwin.”

Freshman Bristol Barbour made his varsity debut on the mound as he struck out six in 2.2 innings and allowed three earned runs. Sophomores Jayce Toms, Luke Schultz and senior Jackson Kush all pitched in relief.