Martin supplies pair of RBI hits as Heritage pitchers deal

HIGH SCHOOL BASEBALL

ROGERS HERITAGE 5, OLATHE (KAN.) SOUTH 0

ROGERS — Rogers Heritage senior Ethan Martin came up with a pair of twoout, run-scoring hits and his pitchers took care of the rest in the War Eagles’ 5-0 win over Olathe (Kan.) South on Friday evening.

Martin slapped an RBI single in the second and delivered a two-run single in the third to give Heritage (6-0) a 3-0 lead. Spencer Mounce added a tworun double in the sixth to give the War Eagles some breathing room.

Heritage starter Luke Askew (3-0) allowed no runs on just two hits over six innings. He struck out nine and didn’t walk a batter. Braxton Graber finished off the shutout in the seventh. He started the inning with back-to-back walks and the two runners moved to second and third with nobody out on a wild pitch.

However, Graber bounced back to retire the next three hitters, two on strikeouts, to end the game.

Heritage Coach Brian Walker said Askew got ahead of hitters with his fastball throughout the day.

“He throws a sinker and he’s just gotten really good at pounding the zone with his fastball, which is why he’s successful,” Walker said. “He gives us a chance to win every time he takes the mound.”

Walker also praised Martin for two huge hits.

“It changes the game,” Walker said. “He’s a senior. He’s played since he was a freshman. He understands what’s expected of him. He made some nice plays defensively. He’s just a good player and he’s one of the reasons why we have a chance to be successful.”

Olathe South Coach Josh Perkins credited Askew’s work on the mound, too.

“His two-seam had some good sink, and he was able to throw his slider for a strike,” said Perkins, whose team was playing its regular-season opener. “He was in the zone. Obviously tip your cap to him. He pounded the zone. He made us work. But I thought our kids had good pitch selection. I thought we swung at strikes. For game one, we just weren’t ready to see that type of guy.”

ROGERS 3, BLUE SPRINGS SO. 1

Brooks Burleson tossed five no-hit innings and Ty Anderson slammed the door for the save on Friday.

The Mounties (7-1) scored single tallies in the third, four and sixth innings. Blue Springs South finally broke through with a run in the sixth, but managed just two hits in the game.

Bryson McIntosh and Hudson Henagan each drove in a run for Rogers. Burleson tossed five no-hit innings, struck out five and walked two. Anderson finished it off, allowing a run on two hits over the final two innings. He struck out two and walked one.