Fort Scott wins pair of pitcher's duels at Girard

GIRARD, Kan. -- Fortunately for Fort Scott High School, its pitchers were in the zone Friday night.

The Tigers scored just six runs in a non-league doubleheader with Girard but pitchers Drew Lawson and Cole Pruitt held the Trojans to two runs in a 4-2, 2-0 sweep.

Lawson won the first game as he allowed six hits and three walks while striking out 10 to get his first win of the season. Pruitt held Girard hitless for the first three innings in the second game as he won on three hits, three walks and five strikeouts.

"They got ahead of the hitters and stayed ahead in the count," Fort Scott head coach Jeff DeLaTorre said after the sweep improved his team to 2-1 on the season. "Those two guys to both give us complete games was very good. They definitely gave us a shot to win."

Girard's losses came after it had swept Lamar, Mo. by scores of 11-1 and 16-1 to open the season on Tuesday. The Trojans used four pitchers to try and stop Fort Scott's offense Friday night but walks and errors thwarted that effort.

Justin Blair and Adam Kammer paired up to strike out 12 Fort Scott batters in the opener. Tanner Poppe and Taylor Woods combined to strike out 12 Tigers in game two.

Fort Scott scored first in the opener as Troy Stumfoll's single scored John Leek in the top of the first inning. Girard tied the score in the bottom of the frame when Blair's sacrifice fly to right field plated Tyler Bennett, who walked to lead off the inning and then stole second and third.

The Tigers scored an unearned run in the second after Pruitt was awarded second on a wild throw to first on a grounder to shortstop with two out. Leek brought him in on a single to right.

Girard tied it again in the fourth as Kammer singled to right to lead off the inning and scored on a two-out bases loaded walk. Lawson struck out Blair looking to escape further damage.

The Tigers got insurance runs in the sixth as Levi Weilert led off with a walk and was replaced by courtesy runner Travis Proctor. Dakota Hall bunted Proctor to second and Lawson reached base on an error.

Lawson stole second and Pruitt singled to right with two out to bring both runners home.

Weilert had two of the Tigers' five hits. Kammer had two hits for Girard.

Fort Scott also opened the scoring in the second game with a run in the first. Pruitt led off by reaching base when the catcher could not keep strike three from getting by him. Leek and Dillon Knopp both walked to load the bases with one out. Weilert struck out but Stumfoll drew a walk to force Pruitt home.

Girard started its half of the first in similar fashion as Bennett led off by also reaching on a dropped third strike. But Pruitt got two strikeouts and a ground out to get out of the inning.

Blair got the Trojans' first hit in the bottom of the fourth when he led off with a single to left. Poppe walked and Joe Grilz bunted the runners over.

Kramer got Kammer to pop out to Hall at third base but issued a walk to Curtis Thom to load the bases. However, Kramer got a groundout to end the inning.

Pruitt singled to left with two out in the fifth for what turned out to the Tigers' only hit of the contest. But Woods got a strikeout to end the inning.

Fort Scott got its insurance run in the top of the seventh as Girard committed three errors. Hall reached base to start the inning on an error at third. Cole Bowman reached base when Woods threw his bunt into right field. Hall was sent around third and scored when the relay from right field was thrown wildly past home plate.

In all, the Trojans committed five errors in the nightcap, all in the last two innings. Fort Scott committed only three errors all night.

Bennett, Blair and Kammer had Girard's only hits.

"After the games, we talked about how we're going to have to get the bats going," DeLaTorre said. "We can't rely on winning with four runs and two runs very often."

Fort Scott will host Pittsburg Thursday evening in a Southeast Kansas League doubleheader that begins at 4:30. These games will be played at Ty Cullor Field as Fort Scott Community College will host a doubleheader that afternoon at Lions Field against Kansas City Kansas Community College.