Baseball Completes Series Win Over Friends
(Wichita, KS) – After Hastings won both games against Friends on Friday, the Falcons won game one 18-14 on a walk-off grand slam, but the Broncos responded with a 7-1 victory in game two on Saturday afternoon.
(Wichita, KS) – After Hastings won both games against Friends on Friday, the Falcons won game one 18-14 on a walk-off grand slam, but the Broncos responded with a 7-1 victory in game two on Saturday afternoon to win their first four-game series since 2021.
Hastings wasted no time getting on the board in game one, as sophomore Tyler Rojas led off the game with a single and junior Evan Morrison homered to go up 2-1. In the top of the second inning, junior Jared Delgado started with a single to center, then freshman Jake Sweet and Morrison walked to load the bases. Junior Samuele Bruno hit a base hit to left, bringing in Sweet and Delgado, then an error by Friends allowed Morrison to score and make it 5-0.
The Falcons got three runs back in the bottom half of the third, with the first two coming on RBI doubles and the last run occurring on an error. Friends cut it to one at 5-4 in the third on an RBI groundout following a leadoff double and sac bunt.
With two outs in the fourth, Hastings strung together three straight hits to score two runs. Bruno singled and sophomore Peighton Vargas followed him up with an RBI-double to left. Senior Tristan Martinez then drove in Vargas on an RBI-single to center, going up 7-4. Friends responded with four runs in the bottom of the fourth inning, taking an 8-7 lead.
Hastings put runners on first and second with one out in the next inning and Rojas drove in senior Chris Faherty, followed two batters later by an RBI-single from Bruno to retake the lead at 9-8. Friends hit a two-run home run in the fifth to take a 10-9 lead.
In the sixth, T. Martinez was hit by a pitch and freshman Diego Martinez moved him to third on a double. With two outs, senior Jace Valdez hit a pinch-hit double to left, scoring both base runners, and Rojas followed him up with an RBI-single to make it 12-10. Morrison's second home run of the game put Hastings up 14-10.
Friends scored four runs in the bottom of the sixth on one hit, two hit-batters, and two errors, tying the game at 14. Still tied at 14 in the bottom of the ninth, Friends loaded the bases and with one out, the Falcons walked it off with a grand slam to win 18-14.
Morrison went 2-5 and drove in four runs with a pair of home runs, scoring three runs and adding a walk. Rojas and Bruno had three hits each, while Delgado and T. Martinez had two hits as well.
In game two with runners on second and third, Hastings took an early lead on an RBI-groundout by senior Kaden Steen, scoring senior Ben Richter. Junior Dylan Wimbs doubled to left to bring in Morrison, making it 2-0. Hastings got another run in the third, as junior Levi Fletcher singled and after going to third on an error, he scored on a base hit by Valdez.
Wimbs got on base with one out in the third on an error and scored on an RBI-double hit by junior Nick Deterding to go up 4-0. Friends got their first run in the bottom of the third, cutting it to 4-1.
Hastings loaded the bases on a pair of walks and a single, then Steen walked to bring in Valdez from third. They scored another run by Wimbs getting hit by a pitch to take a 6-1 lead.
In the sixth inning, Faherty opened the inning with a single and a stolen base. Vargas walked and he teamed up with Faherty for a double steal. Wimbs would bring in Faherty on an RBI-groundout, making it a 7-1 final after a couple more scoreless innings by junior pitcher Eduardo Galicia.
Galicia pitched seven innings, allowing only one run on five hits, striking out one. Richter went 3-5 at the plate and scored two runs and Wimbs was 1-3 with three RBIs.
Up next, Hastings will play a single game at Southwestern Christian on Tuesday, Mar. 3 at 1pm.
