Senior Knights split with Pratt

For the second straight night, the Newton Senior Knights had to overcome a stinker first game in a doubleheader against Pratt Thursday at Klein-Scott Field.

The Knights were able to do that for the second straight split.

Newton lost the first game 8-4 but rebounded to win the second game 9-4.

“The key to the night is throwing strikes,” Newton manager Mark George said. “Cody Opland did a great job in the second game to help us rebound. He was throwing strikes early in the count. He wore down at the end. After about the third inning, he was unable to mix in many pitches, but he still had command of his fastball with location, which kept us in it. ... Our starting pitchers need to get to about the fifth innings. It seems like we’ve been having that one bad inning where the pitcher wears down and we break down defensively. We need to be able to execute.”

In the first game, Newton left six runners on base in the first three innings of play, managing just two runs on five hits. Pratt scored an unearned run in the first and another in the third inning.

Brian Thies hit a three-run triple and scored for Pratt in the fifth inning. Newton loaded the bases with one out in the bottom of the fifth, but two strikeouts ended the threat. Pratt added two runs with two outs in the top of the sixth.

Newton scored a pair of two-out runs in the bottom of the seventh on two errors.

Brad Richardson went 4 1-3 innings for the win. Skylar Angood finished for the save. Kyle Preston took the loss for Newton, allowing two earned runs in four innings, striking out six. Baxter Schmidt closed the game.

Caleb Gillig went two for three for Pratt. Evan Gilbert went two for four for Newton.

The Knights stranded 11 base runners in the game.

“The first game, we didn’t do a good job of scoring with runners on base,” George said. “The second game, we did an excellent job. (In the second game,) we were able to score runs with two outs. The guys came to the plate with a really good approach. They seemed to enjoy themselves more in the second game. We just have to make sure, mentally, to have fun instead of pressing. We tend to press with runners in scoring position.”

Newton opened the second game with a run in the bottom of the first when Matt Moreland singled, went two bases on a bunt and scored on a Kyle Boulet sacrifice fly. A walk, bunt and bloop single in the top of the second led to a Pratt run.

A walk and two singles in the bottom of the third gave Newton two runs. Newton added three runs in the fifth aided by two errors. Three hits and a hit batter in the top of the sixth led to three Pratt runs.

Newton got the three runs back in the bottom of the sixth but left the run-rule runs on base.

Opland went 5 1-3 innings for the win, allowing four runs on three hits with two walks and three strikeouts. Evan Thomas closed the game.

Jordy Bonczyk went two for two hitting with two RBIs. Thomas was two for three. Matt Moreland scored three runs.

Joe Dohrmann took the loss for Pratt.

Newton is 12-6 and plays at 6 p.m. Tuesday at home against the Andover Trojans.

“It should be a good doubleheader for us,” George said. “It should be a chance for us to get better. Tonight and yesterday, we came out with the right attitude in the second game and the wrong attitude in the first game. We need to come out Tuesday mentally prepared. We’ll practice on Monday and work on some things.”

First game

Pratt ab r h bi

Nicholson ss 2 3 1 1

Matheiu rf 4 1 1 1

Thies cf 3 1 1 3

Angood p 4 0 1 1

Richardsn 3b 4 0 0 0

Strecker 2b 3 0 0 0

Siroky c 3 0 0 0

Gillig lf 3 1 2 0

Dohrmann 1b 1 2 1 0

TOTALS 27 8 7 6

Newton ab r h bi

Moreland cf 3 1 1 0

Gilbert lf 4 0 2 1

Boulet rf 3 0 0 1

Thomas ss 4 0 0 0

Ronen 1b 2 0 0 0

Glassco 2b 3 1 1 0

Bonczyk c 3 1 1 0

Opland 3b 3 1 1 0

Kelly dh 4 0 1 0

TOTALS 29 4 7 2

Pratt 101 042 0 —8

Newton 110 000 2 —4

E — Ronen, Thomas, Strecker, Gillig, Bonczyk, Siroky 2. LOB — Pr. 4, New. 11. 2B — Gilbert, Dohrmann. 3B — Thies. SB — Thies, Moreland, Bonczyk, Ronen. CS — Thies. Sac. Bunt — Dohrmann. Sac. Fly — Boulet, Nicholson.

Pratt

ip h r er bb k

Richardsn, W 4.1 5 2 2 3 2

Angood, S 2.2 2 2 0 4 3

Newton

ip h r er bb k

Preston, L 4 2 4 2 3 6

Schmidt 3 5 3 3 0 0

Preston faced 3 batters in the fifth inning.

WP — Preston, Angood. PB — Bonczyk. HBP — Thies (Preston). Time — 2:10.

Second game

Pratt ab r h bi

Nicholson 2b 3 1 0 0

Matheiu 3b 2 1 1 1

Thies c 3 0 1 2

Angood ss 3 0 0 0

Richardson lf 2 1 0 0

Strecker dh 2 0 0 0

Gillig cf x x x x

Siroky rf 3 0 1 0

Richert p 3 1 1 0

Dohrmann 1b 3 0 1 0

TOTALS 24 4 5 3

Newton ab r h bi

Moreland cf 2 3 1 0

Jerde c 3 2 2 1

Boulet lf 3 0 1 2

Thomas p 3 2 2 1

Bonczyk 1b 2 1 2 2

Briar rf 4 0 1 1

Schmidt 2b 4 0 1 0

Buchanan 3b 4 0 0 0

Opland p 2 0 0 0

Palmer p 0 0 0 0

Preston ss 0 1 0 0

TOTALS 27 9 10 7

Pratt 010 003 0 —4

Newton 102 033 x —9

E — Opland, Nicholson, Angood, Schmidt. DP — Newton. LOB — Pr. 3, New. 8. 2B — Briar, Thies, Boulet. SB — Moreland. CS — Schmidt. Sac. Bunt — Jerde, Strecker. Sac. Fly — Boulet.

Pratt

ip h r er bb k

Dohrmann, L 5 8 7 4 3 3

Richert 0 2 2 2 0 0

Nicholson 1 0 0 0 2 3

Newton

ip h r er bb k

Opland, W 5.1 3 4 4 2 3

Palmer .2 1 0 0 0 0

Thomas 1 1 0 0 0 1

Dohrmann faced 1 batter in the sixth inning. Richert faced 3 batters in the sixth inning.

WP — Opland. Balk — Dohrmann, Thomas. HBP — Nicholson (Opland). Time — 2:05.