The Kewanee baseball team posted back-to-back one-run wins over Orion and Bureau Valley to move to 5-9 on the season.
The Boilers built early leads against the Chargers and Storm and had to withstand late rallies from both teams to pick up the wins.
Kewanee recorded an 8-7 win over Orion on Friday and a 6-5 win over Bureau Valley on Monday.
In Friday’s win over Orion, Kewanee was ahead 7-4 in the fourth inning, but runs by Maddux Anderson and Derek Dykeman trimmed the lead to 7-6. Ben Taylor scored an insurance run for the Boilers in the top of the seventh inning to help secure the win.
Kewanee was ahead 6-0 in the fourth inning before Bureau Valley scored five late runs to get within one of the Boilers.
Orion falls to 2-10 on the season and 0-3 in the TRAC-East and Bureau Valley is 5-7 and 0-2 the conference.
Kewanee 8, Orion 7
The Boilers put up two runs at the top of the first inning. Ben Taylor scored first, giving Kewanee a 1-0 lead. Cruz Paredes then reached on an error and Brady Clark scored on the play to go up 2-0.
Anthony Clark got Orion on the board in the bottom of the first to trim the lead to 2-1.
The Boilers tacked on three more runs in the second inning to extend the lead to 5-1. Brady Schiltz belted out a double to right field, sending home Brayden Conley for a lead of 3-1. Schiltz then stole home, adding another run to the Kewanee tally.
Jackson Hawkins hit a grounder to plate Clark, pushing the Kewanee lead to 5-1.
Orion charged back with two runs in the bottom of the second inning. Joe Norton scored on a sacrifice fly and Kaden Edmunds raced home on a wild pitch for a score of 5-3.
Schiltz came back with a single in the third inning and Griffin Hicks scored on the play. The Chargers rebounded with a run of their own in the third inning, but the Kewanee lead held at 6-4.
At the top of the fourth, Paredes hit a sacrifice fly to right field and Nick Welgat scored, putting the Boilers up 7-4.
Orion’s Bryan Peterson hit a single and Maddux Anderson scored on the play to trim the Kewanee lead to 7-5 in the bottom of the fifth inning. Max Larson then grounded into a fielder’s choice and Dykeman scored to pull within one at 7-6.
In the top of the seventh inning, Taylor scored his second run of the game (off of a single by Welgat) to give the Boilers a two-run cushion at 8-6.
In Orion’s final at-bat, Peterson reached on an error and Anderson scored, but the rally fell short and Kewanee pulled out the 8-7 win.
Landon Sheets picked up the win for Kewanee. Across five innings, the junior hurler struck out three and walked seven, while surrendering four hits and six runs (all earned).
Mason Laleman took the loss for Orion. In three innings, he struck out one and walked three, while giving up three hits and six runs (three earned).
At the plate:
Schiltz (2-4, 1 double, 2 RBI, 1 run). Welgat (2-4, 1 run, 1 RBI, 1 BB). Clark (2-4, 2 runs, 1 walk). Conley (1-2, 1 run, 2 BB). Paredes (1-3, 1 double, 1 RBI). Taylor (1-4, 2 runs). Sheets (1 RBI). G. Hicks (1 run). Lincoln Mason (1 RBI)
Kewanee 6, Bureau Valley 5
Jackson Hawkins and Landon Sheets each hit doubles in the first inning to help the Boilers to a 2-0 lead. Hawkins batted in Colson Welgat and Ben Taylor when his fly ball double sailed to right field.
On the mound, Welgat then struck out three of the four batters he faced in the bottom of the first inning. Welgat and the Kewanee defense held the Storm scoreless through the first four innings of play.
Kewanee had a productive fourth inning, scoring four runs en route to building a lead of 6-0.
Lincoln Mason scored the first run of the inning off a wild pitch. Welgat then hit a triple shot to center field, driving home Brayden Conley and Brady Schiltz to expand the lead to 5-0.
Hawkins grounded out, but Welgat scored on the play for Kewanee’s final run of the fourth inning and a lead of 6-0.
The Storm put their first runs on the board in the bottom of the fifth inning. Elijah Endless reached on an error and Bryce Helms and Landon Smith scored. Logan Philhower then singled on a fly ball to left field, sending home Landon Birdsley for a score of 6-3.
Bureau Valley made one last run at the lead in the bottom of the sixth inning. Brock Rediger and Blake Foster scored, but Kewanee prevailed in the 6-5 win.
In a tough pitching duel, Welgat and Philhower struck out a combined 19 batters, going five innings each.
Welgat was the winning pitcher for the Boilers. He struck out nine and walked four, while allowing four hits and three runs (two earned).
Philhower took the loss for the Storm. He struck out 10 and walked six, while giving up five hits and six runs (all earned).
At the plate:
Welgat (3-4, 1 triple, 2 runs). Hawkins (1-3, 1 double, 3 RBI, 1 BB). Sheets (1-3, 1 double, 1 BB). Conley (1-3, 1 run). Mason (1 BB, 1 run). Schiltz (1 BB, 1 run). Taylor (1 BB, 1 run). Paredes (2 BB).
