Missey’s 4 RBI’s give No. 2 Huskies 10-4 win over No. 15 Jaguars

The varsity baseball team defeated Blue Valley West, 10-4 in the regional semifinal at the DAC May 15. Senior Will Dennis earned the win on the mound.

Gabe Swartz, Editor-in-chief
May 15, 2018

On an afternoon where the No. 2 seeded Blue Valley Northwest Huskies took on a familiar foe in the No. 15 ranked Blue Valley Jaguars, it didn’t take long for the underdog Jaguars to put a scare in the Huskies. After BVW scored on a leadoff double and a single in the top of the first senior Holden Missey said he thought the early deficit was a positive for the Huskies.

“I think when they got up 1-0 [in the top of the first inning], and then they got up 2-1 [in the top of the second inning], it just woke us up,” Missey said. “When they scored I was like “Perfect. That forces us to get on the board and start hitting early.’”

After falling behind 2-1 in the second inning, the Huskies answered back in the bottom half of the third inning. With infield singles by sophomore Matt Miller, senior Clayton Leathers and a bunt single by sophomore Ryan Callahan, the Huskies loaded the bases with no one out in the bottom of the third inning. Then, senior Josh Fiene tied the game at 2 apiece when he hit a sacrifice fly to center field.

Box Score

Hitting:

Matt Miller: 1-for-3, BB, 2 R

Clayton Leathers: 1-for-4, 2 K

Ryan Callahan: 2-for-4, 2B, RBI, 2 R, K

Josh Fiene: 0-for-2, RBI, BB, K

Holden Missey: 2-for-4, 3B, 2B, 4 RBI, R

Ryan Freiermuth: 2-for-4, K

Sean Roseborough: 1-for-3, RBI, 2 K

Drew Black: 2-for-3, 2B, RBI, R

Jack Beckley: 1-for-2, RBI, R

Pitching:

Will Dennis (WP): 5+ IP, 8 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 2 BB, 6 K

David Kephart: 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 3 K

That set the tone for Missey’s 2-run triple to the center field fence which gave the Huskies their first lead of the day at 4-2. Two innings later, Missey delivered his second 2-run swing of the day when he drilled another ball to center field for a double.

“The first one I just kind of really liked,” Missey said. “It was right there and I just made a hard swing at it. That’s all I’m really trying to do, all the practice it’s just the technique. When I’m in the game I’m just trying to hit the ball hard and trust myself. and the first one I hit it well and then the second was probably a little out of the zone but I just made a good swing on it again.”

The fifth inning saw the Huskies bat around the order and score six runs, extending their lead to 10-2. Although senior Will Dennis would run into trouble in the top of the sixth inning and be relieved by junior David Kephart, the No. 2 seed Huskies would go on to defeat the Jaguars, 10-4 and advance to the regional final tonight at the DAC.

Blue Valley Northwest will play the winner of the regional semifinal matchup between No. 7 Shawnee Mission West and No. 10 Olathe East. The Huskies win against BVW completes a three-game season sweep of the Jaguars and improves their record to 16-5. Missey’s 2-run triple extended his hitting streak to 19 games, but he said he’s just focused on winning the regional.

“I’m not concerned with the hitting streak. I’m just concerned with winning this second game.”