MORAN — A newly formed baseball team, suiting up against some of the most powerful squads in southeast Kansas, is having some growing pains, but still improving.
The Moran American Legion Post 385 Wildcats — consisting of players from Moran and Yates Center — finished off a busy week with games in Coffeyville, Topeka and Pittsburg.
The Wildcats went 0-6.
“We are starting to hit the ball better,” head coach Byron Marshall said. “I can see some potential in these kids. Wins are coming. We just have to keep playing.”
The Wildcats — the nickname is a natural since both Yates Center and Marmaton Valley’s high schools carry the same moniker — traveled June 17 to Coffeyville to take on Montgomery County, falling 15-2 and 17-9.
Montgomery County took control early in the opener, scoring four in the first, six in the second and five in the third.
Jaron Morrison walked and Carter Burton hit a single to kickstart Moran’s two-run rally in the first. Wyatt Ard followed with a single, aided by a Montgomery County error.
Burton added another single in the third, and Canon Cavender tripled to lead off the fourth, but was gunned down at home plate attempting to score.
THINGS were considerably more electric in the second game.
Moran jumped out to a 5-0 lead after the top half of the first, Morrison reached on an error, Burton singled and Dylan Drake walked to set the table for Cavender, who singled. Quincy Adams continued the fun with a walk before Collin Randall and Quinton Adams delivered singles.
Montgomery County responded with three in the first to close the gap before Morrison and Cavender had hits around a walk to Drake and a hit batter to push the Wildcats’ lead to 7-3.
Montgomery County scored twice in the second to pull within 7-5, and then erupted with a 12-run third inning to take the lead for good.
Moran didn’t go down quietly, with a familiar trio — Morrison, Burton and Cavender — all collecting singles as part of a two-run rally to cap the scoring.
Cavender led Moran with three hits, followed by Morrison and Burton with two apiece. Randall and Quinton Adams also had singles.
MORAN ran into a buzzsaw Friday in Topeka, with a game against the Kansas Senators, based out of Topeka. The Senators scored 19 runs in the first inning and eight in the second to win, 27-0.
Moran had one hit, a second-inning single by Ard.
“Those guys are good,” Marshall said. “We ran into a team with lots of experience.”
