
Kennard, James team to upset Rockets in opener
Lakers take down Rockets 107-98 in playoff opener with Kennard's 27 points.

Hatley defeated East Union 4-2 in Game 1 of the Class 2A baseball playoffs, putting East Union on the brink of elimination. Koltan Brown excelled on the mound for Hatley, allowing only two runs in six innings.
BLUE SPRINGS – The defending champions are on the ropes.
Hatley put East Union on the brink of elimination after a 4-2 win Friday night in the first round of the Class 2A baseball playoffs. Koltan Brown allowed two runs in six innings of work on the mound for the Tigers.
“We beat a really good baseball team today,” Hatley coach Seth Lee said. “Koltan Brown did an awesome job on the mound tonight. Probably the best he’s had all season, so we’re very proud of him tonight.”
Both teams were held scoreless until Hatley (10-15) drew first blood in the third inning. Carson Armstrong doubled to lead off the inning, and Cooper Crenshaw followed it up with a single. Hatley scored three runs in the inning after a sacrifice fly and RBI singles from Brody Sloan and Bryson Wilson.
“It took a little bit to get the bats hot,” Lee said. “We got people on base, but just couldn’t get them through. Had a couple of good innings, got their pitch count up, got their guy off the mound and thought we had a pretty good night there.”
Hatley added another run in the fifth on another Wilson RBI single to take a 4-0 lead. Meanwhile, Brown kept East Union (13-12) scoreless through the first five innings. Brown only had a couple of strikeouts, but he found a way to get outs.
“Just let them hit it,” Brown said. “Just wanted them to put it in play and get an out.”
East Union had a late rally where the Urchins scored twice in the sixth and had the tying run at the plate in the seventh, but their comeback bid came up short.
“(Brown) kept us off-balance,” East Union head coach Zane Treadaway said. “We didn’t strike out a whole lot, but we were just really having trouble just squaring the guy up. As far as them on offense, they got some big hits for them. And each opportunity that we had to get a big hit early in the game, we just didn’t come through when we should have.”
Extra Bases
Big Inning: Hatley took an early 3-0 lead after plating three in the third.
Big Stat: Four Hatley batters had multiple hits.
Coach Speak: (Brown) had some really good stuff tonight. We really didn’t anticipate him going this long tonight, but his stuff was so good and he kept getting quick outs and his pitch count was low, so we just left him in there. And now, we’ve got more pitchers to work with for the rest of the series.” – Lee, on Brown
Game 2, Saturday: East Union 7, Hatley 5
The Urchins outhit Hatley 13-7 and only made one error to the Tigers’ three in the 7-5 win for East Union.
Bryson Wilson went 2 for 4 with two RBIs, while Evan George hit a double for Hatley.
Hatley won Game 1 against East Union with a score of 4-2.
Koltan Brown was the standout player for Hatley, allowing only two runs in six innings.
Hatley scored three runs in the third inning, with key contributions from Carson Armstrong, Brody Sloan, and Bryson Wilson.

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