FCB Juniors split with Ogallala

OGALLALA -- The McCook First Central Bank Juniors A team split a doubleheader at Ogallala Tuesday night, losing the opener 6-5 and winning the nightcap 11-10.

The Juniors will take an 8-6 record to the Hays (Kan.) Tournament Friday and Saturday.

"We ended up turning it into a doubleheader to make up for our other postponed games," said McCook FCB Juniors A team coach Lirin Yost.

"In the first game Michael Grabowski took the mound for us and pitched a good game. It was definitely a pitcher's duel where we were hitless til the third inning when we got our bats going and scored two runs.

"They rallied back and scored three runs in the bottom of the third inning. We picked up a run in the fourth and another run in the fifth to take the lead 4-3. Then we added one more run in the top of the sixth to take a 5-3 lead, but then ran into some trouble in the bottom of the sixth.

"After giving up a hit and a walk they seemed to find the gaps and scored three runs on us to take the lead 6-5. When we came up to bat in the top of the seventh, we just couldn't find the gaps and ended up losing 6-5 in the opener."

In the second game, McCook started Adam Kruger on the mound as the Juniors were the home team.

"After a walk and a hit and a couple stolen bases, they took the early lead 2-0," Yost said.

"Our bats seemed to come alive in the second game and we found some gaps. By the third inning we were down 8-1, but the guys didn't give up and scored three runs in the 3rd inning to lessen their lead to 8-4.

"We produced a run in the 4th and one in the fifth to narrow the lead to 8-6. Brady Chancellor came in to relieve Adam Kruger in the second inning.

Ogallala scored another run in the top of the sixth to retain the lead 9-6.

Then our guys started coming alive and with two outs we started hitting the ball and we ended up scoring four runs to take the lead 10-9.

McCook allowed a run in the top of the seventh to tie the game and couldn't get a run across in the bottom half of the inning to end the game, so we had to go to extra innings.

In the bottom of the 10th, Dillon Goltl led off the inning with a shot to deep left and because of the wind it stayed in the park and he ended up with a stand-up triple.

"Then Matt Thayer came up to bat and while they all were playing up to stop Dillon from scoring, Matt hit a hard grounder between shortstop and third to allow Dillon to score the winning run for us."

McCook is scheduled to play at 2 p.m. and 6 p.m. Friday at Hays High, and then at 10 a.m. and noon on Saturday, also at Hays High.