By Tyler F. Thompson (For OzarksSportsZone.com)
Glendale southpaw Drew Wedgeworth did not have his best stuff on Thursday night, but the Falcon offense picked him up on the way to a 6-4 win over rival Kickapoo.
The offense plated three runs in the bottom of the fifth and another two in the sixth as the Falcons kept their hot start to the 2024 season intact, as they move to 4-2 on the season and 4-1 in their previous five games.
Cam Stratton’s go-ahead RBI in the sixth inning gave Glendale their first lead since the second inning.
“It is nice to have that behind you,” said Wedgeworth. “If we don’t get it done defensively or pitching-wise, you have to beat us offensively. And I don’t think, head -for-head, there aren’t a lot of schools who can beat us solely on offense. We will score runs. If our pitchers don’t have their best stuff, like I didn’t have today, it is nice to get six runs.”
Kickapoo worked the count in the opening frame and throughout the game, a bullet point that illuminated the game plan.
“After my first inning, I had 26 pitches. Like the Nixa game where I had to come out early, it was a worry,” said Wedgeworth, who allowed four runs on eight hits and four strikeouts in seven innings. “But I had a couple of really quick innings (3rd, 4th).
The fifth was a different narrative.
Nine Chiefs dug into the box in the fifth, as a squeeze by Garrett Stanley and a 3-run double by Brooks Eaton gave Kickapoo the 4-1 lead and it appeared it was not the Falcons’ day.
That inning is the most runs Wedgeworth has allowed in two years.
“All of my stuff just kind of went away,” said Wedgeworth. “Everything that was looking good, didn’t. Curveballs were breaking too early. Fastballs weren’t looking good in the count. I couldn’t place a changeup to save my life.”
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But the offense saved him in the fifth as Sebastian Norman connected for an RBI single before stealing second.
Wedgeworth drew a walk and Alex Rankin drove in a pair, knotting up the game at four apiece.
After another quick inning in the sixth, Glendale knew it was theirs for the taking.
Chiefs skipper Jason Howser pulled his starter, the uber-talented lefty, Colin Muldoon, who allowed four runs, for sophomore Jaymin Meador.
The Falcons senior-laden offense stepped up.
“They saved me,” said Wedgeworth. “That is what it is all about. It is a new feeling to have your offense score that many runs in that little time against that good of pitching. Whenever they scored, we had to bounce back and that is what we did.”
In the sixth, freshman Brady Yates singled.
After working the 3-2 count, Stratton drilled the RBI triple, giving the Falcons the 5-4 lead.
Stratton went to the dish looking dead red, and he got his wish.
“When Brady got on base, I knew it was my job to knock him in,” said Stratton. “I knew it was going to be a fastball. I took the outside pitch and drove it the other way.”
After two intentional walks to load the bases, Rankin was hit by a pitch as Glendale plated the final run to secure an important conference and district win.
The Glendale baseball program is rich with tradition and success, and it’s to get every team’s best each and every game, Wedgeworth said.
The Falcons are embracing the figurative bullseye in ’24.
“We know that we cannot take off a game. We are going to get their best stuff,” said Wedgeworth. “Can’t take a day off, and I think everyone enjoys that.”
Wedgeworth went the distance in the win.
Kickapoo’s Meador took the loss.
Up next for the Falcons is the Red and Blue Tournament this weekend as they face Liberty North, Liberty, Lee’s Summit West and Oak Park.
The Falcons then return home to face Hillcrest, Parkview and Webb City.
