Game Photo courtesy of Camden Augustine

GAME 1: 

MAIZE 5

SOUTH 3

The Cougars aren’t where they expected to be through the first half of the season, and with injuries to an already taxed pitching staff, it will be all hands on deck the rest of the way.

South hosted a red hot Maize Eagles squad which had won 7 consecutive games entering Tuesday’s doubleheader. The Eagles were also looking for some payback after South swept them in Wichita last year.

Wyatt Breeden took the mound for the Cougars in Game 1 and delivered a quality start. Breeden provided necessary length while holding the Eagles offense below their usual production with just 3 earned runs in 5 innings pitched.

The Cougar bats were also determined to produce after being shutout in their last two games on Friday.

Each time Maize plated a run, South responded the next half inning, resulting in a 3-3 tie through 5 innings. Jaxon Anthony, Wyatt Breeden and Izzy Telles all drove in runs.

The late innings were not kind to the Cougars and unfortunately it was their own mistakes which cost them. Corbin Sparks-Beason came off the JV field and was tasked with keeping one of the best 6A lineups off the scoreboard in the 6th inning.

With runners on first and second base, Sparks-Beason was one out away from keeping the game tied but a dropped fly ball in right field by Jaxton Kitchener allowed Maize to take a 4-3 lead.

The Eagles insurance came a blip hit that dropped in shallow right field and would have been an easier play if the wind hadn’t picked up at Dean Evans Stadium.

Trailing 5-3 in the bottom of the 7th, Caden Satuffer singled, tried to steal second base one out later and was caught stealing to end the game.

GAME 2:

MAIZE 9

SOUTH 4

Tuesday’s second game had a different feel to it from the start. Maize plated six runs in the 1st inning as Yaden Montanez only recorded one out for South.

Jaxton Kitchener, Easton Wilcox and Aidan Speilman pitched the rest of the innings in relief.

Maize countered with Kansas commit Quicy Koehn who only threw three innings but allowed just one run.

Caden Stauffer and Izzy Telles drove in three runs for the Cougars in the 4th inning but they couldn’t claw all the way back.

After Tuesday’s sweep, Maize has won nine games in a row and are 12-2 overall. South has dropped four straight and fell to 4-11 overall.

The Cougars head to Hutchinson for their next games on Friday.