Yuma High School’s baseball team will carry a three-game winning streak into Tuesday’s doubleheader at Sedgwick County.
The Outlaws improved to 3-1 by taking care of business with an 11-1 win over Caliche, last Saturday in Yuma, then pulling out an exciting 6-5 walk-off home win over Haxtun on Friday. The teams originally were scheduled to play two on Saturday, but moved up to Friday morning for one game to incoming rough weather conditions.
The Outlaws entered this week No. 8 in the Class 2A CHSAA Selection & Seeding Index. Haxtun entered this week 2-2, splitting with Holyoke and Wiggins, and is ranked No. 6 in the Class 1A Index.
Both teams put on a well-played and entertaining game Friday morning at the Outlaw Hangout.
Haxtun took a 2-0 lead in the third, but Yuma rallied for a 3-2 lead. Tied 3-3 in the fifth, a dropped third strike on what would have been the second out with no one on, led to Haxtun plating two, but Yuma avoided further damage.
A couple of tough calls went against the Outlaws in the bottom of the sixth, which could have turned into a big inning for the home boys. Instead, they still trailed 5-3 entering the seventh.
The Fightin’ Bulldogs left a runner stranded at second in the top half, leaving the Outlaws down by two.
Yuma’s first two batters drew base on balls. Haxtun went to change pitchers, but Yuma’s bench coach called out a substitution irregularity. The umpires and coaches visited behind home plate for about 20 minutes before it was determined Haxtun would have to insert another pitcher.
Yuma tied the game at 5-5 with bases loaded and no outs. Haxtun went to another pitcher, but it did not matter as Hugo Montes’ lined the ball to right field to drive in Silas Baucke with the winning run. (Look for more on this game in the next edition of the Pioneer.)
Yuma played a single varsity game against Caliche last Saturday, followed by the JV claiming a 14-8 win.
Reyli Trejo twirled a one-hitter over five innings for the Outlaws. The sophomore struck out seven and walked only one, while yielding just two hits. Hugo Montes pitched the sixth inning, allowing one run on two hits but avoided further damage.
Yuma jumped ahead with four runs in the bottom of the first inning.
It stayed that way until the bottom of the fourth, when the Outlaws pushed across two more runs. They added three more in the fifth for a 9-0 lead.
Caliche got its one run in the top of the sixth, but the Outlaws plated two in the home half to get the game called one inning early on the 10-run rule.
Silas Baucke was in the lineup for the first time this season, getting two hits, including a double, with three RBI. Lennox Huwa had two hits, including a double, with two RBI and three runs scored. Carson Lynch hit a double and scored two runs. Angel Escobar drew three walks and scored three runs. Trejo had one hit and one run. Alex Pensado had one RBI and one run, and Montes one RBI and one run.