Eagles Can't Capitalize on Chapman's Gem in Home Opener

by John Unrein

Junior Southpaw Max Chapman struck out eight batters while only issuing three walks and one unearned run across six innings for the Eagles Baseball team on Monday, March 25th . The Eagles would go on to drop their home opener by a score of 5-2 against the visiting Lee’s Summit North Broncos who rallied in the top of the seventh inning to put the game out of reach.

Chapman demonstrated good downward tilt on his pitches. He was effective in working both sides of the plate as well as up and down in the strike zone with his fastball.

“Chapman deserved a win. He threw the ball exceptionally well. He exceeded everything that I would’ve hoped from him. I am excited for Max and what the season holds,” Head Baseball Coach Brian Driskell said.

Leading the Eagles offense with valuable contributions were Juniors Seth Dankenbring and Mason Rogers. Dankenbring’s RBI in the bottom of the first inning came off a sharply hit grounder to the left side of the infield scoring Junior Trent Flake from second base. Rogers’ RBI single in the seventh with the bases loaded and one out got the Eagles within three runs of the Broncos. Rogers’ offensive versatility was also on display in the bottom of the first inning when he led off with a bunt single followed by a steal of second base to get himself in scoring position.

“Obviously, we put the ball in play on Seth’s single and it put pressure on their defense that led to our first run and gave us the lead early. In the seventh inning I asked the guys when they came in before they went up to bat that I don’t know how the game will turn out, but I am looking for the way you will respond,” Driskell said.

“Their body language was really good and I’m pleased with how they responded. It was nice to see Mason get a hit in the bottom of the seventh to produce a run. He’s going to do a lot for us at the top of the lineup this season.”

Ultimately, three fielding errors by the Eagles in the game and the Broncos offensive output in the top of the seventh inning thwarted Grain Valley’s efforts. Driskell called on Sophomore pitcher Parker Bosserman and Senior pitcher Jesse Scholtz to close out the game.

Bosserman and Junior Catcher Caden Matlon showed good hustle on a passed ball in the final frame. Matlon sprinted to the backstop and fired a dart to Bosserman, who had positioned himself perfectly to catch and apply the tag on the Bronco runner advancing to home. Walks issued in the inning by Bosserman and timely hitting by the Broncos yielded a 4-run top of the seventh prior to Scholtz coming in and securing the final two outs of the inning on a strikeout and ground ball.

The Eagles attempted a rally in the bottom of the seventh inning that yielded one run. However, the home team could not capitalize leaving runners on base to close out the game.

Grain Valley will travel to Grandview High School on Friday, March 29th . They will also host Kearney in a conference matchup on Monday, April 1st .

Junior Pitcher Max Chapman delivers a pitch. Photo credit: Valley News staff