Wildcat bats come alive in splits of Osawatomie, Baldwin

By Andy Brown
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Updated: April 25, 2017

Andy Brown / Louisburg Sports Zone

Louisburg junior Garrett Caldwell makes contact with a pitch on April 18 during the Wildcats’ doubleheader in Baldwin City. The Wildcats earned splits over Baldwin and Osawatomie last week.

OSAWATOMIE – It didn’t get the sweep it was hoping for, but the Louisburg baseball team left Osawatomie with a victory Thursday and almost added another.

The Wildcats got a big performance at the plate from juniors Christian Tosterud and Garrett Caldwell, and on the mound from senior Kylan Harper, as they led Louisburg to a 6-4 win over the Trojans in the doubleheader opener.

It appeared the Wildcats were going to get a second straight win, but Osawatomie scored eight unanswered runs in the final two innings for an 8-7 victory.

Louisburg (5-7) got off to a quick start in the opener as it scored two runs in the second, two in the third and two more in the sixth to grab a 6-0 lead. Tosterud got the Wildcat offense going as he was 3-for-4 at the plate with a pair of doubles, a home run and 2 RBIs.

Caldwell also added 2 RBIs on two hits, including a double and senior Dalton Stone finished with two hits.

The Wildcats got going in the second inning as Tosterud opened with a double, Mitchell Drew was hit by a pitch and both came around to score on a Caldwell single.

Tosterud came through again in the next inning. Following a single from Grant Harding, Tosterud hit a 2-run home run to put the Wildcats up by four runs.

In the sixth inning, Caldwell opened the frame with a double and then later scored on a passed ball. Harding added a sacrifice fly to score Sam Guetterman and the Wildcats held a 6-0 lead.

Osawatomie scored a run in the sixth and three more in the seventh that were aided by three Louisburg errors, but the Wildcats held on.

Harper pitched six innings for the Wildcats and picked up the win. He gave up two unearned runs on two hits and also had seven strikeouts. Nate Swenson came in for relief in the final inning to close it out.

Louisburg senior Korbin Hankinson runs in for a sliding catch on April 18 against Baldwin.

Louisburg’s offense didn’t slow down in the nightcap as the Wildcats exploded for five runs in the first inning, one in the third and one in the sixth to take a 7-0 lead.

Freshman Madden Rutherford led the Wildcat bats with three hits and 2 RBIs. Korbin Hankinson, Ben LaJoie and Stone all added two hits, while Caldwell came through with a pair of RBIs. Tosterud also recorded an RBI double and Hankinson had a run batted in.

Rutherford also pitched well on the mound as he threw five scoreless innings before getting into trouble in the sixth. The Trojans scored five runs in the sixth, before scoring three in the seventh on two hits, two hit batters and an error to complete the comeback.

The Wildcats return to action tonight when it hosts De Soto at Lewis-Young Park and will travel to Garnett on Thursday for a doubleheader against Anderson County.

Louisburg splits doubleheader with Baldwin

Blake Ruder, Garrett Caldwell and Korbin Hankinson gave the Wildcats the offense they were looking for during Louisburg’s doubleheader at Baldwin on April 18.

Caldwell and Ruder each finished the opener with three hits, while Hankinson added two more as the Wildcats came through with a 10-run seventh inning to pull away for a 12-7 win over Baldwin.

The nightcap, however, was a different story as the Wildcats’ could muster much offense in the 10-0 loss to settle for the split.

Ruder had a big day in the opener as he finished with a double, a triple and 4 RBIs – including a three-run triple in the big seventh inning. Caldwell also had a big hit for the Wildcats as he connected on a 3-run home run in the seventh.

The game was tied at 2-all going into the seventh after a quality performance from Louisburg starter Dalton Stone as he pitched five innings and gave up one earned run and had three strikeouts.

Sam Guetterman and Kylan Harper came in for relief to finish the game off after Baldwin scored five runs in its half of the seventh inning to make the game interesting.