Diamond Dogs hang on for 12-8 win over Aviators
Cheney, Kan. -- The league-leading Cheney Diamond Dogs jumped out to a big lead and then had to hold off the Haysville Aviators for a 12-8 win last night (July 21) in the regular season finale at the Cheney Sports Complex.
After the Aviators plated a run in the top of the first, the Diamond Dogs immediately gained command with a six-run bottom of the first.
Cole Miears led off the inning with a double and scored the Diamond Dogs' first run on a single by Lenny Ashby. Ryan Scott then tripled home Ashby before scoring on a single from Conor Myles. Myles would then cross the plate on a triple by George Specht and Alex Epp capped the big inning with an RBI double.
The Aviators got back into it with a two-run homer from Isaac Davila in the third and then clawed within one run when Max Valdez hit a bases-clearing double in the fifth.
Haysville then managed to tie the score with a run in the seventh, but Specht led off the bottom of the frame with a double to score the go-ahead run in what turned out to be a crucial two-run inning for the Diamond Dogs.
The Aviators refused to go quietly and again made it a one-run game when Trent Mallonee singled home a run in the eighth, but the Diamond Dogs finally pulled away for good as an RBI double from Myles along with another run-scoring triple from Specht powered a three-run eighth inning for Cheney.
Noah Brewer then retired the Aviators in order in the ninth to preserve the win for the Diamond Dogs.
Jake Burcham allowed one unearned run in 1.1 innings of relief and fanned three batters to earn the win for Cheney.
Specht was the star of the game for the Diamond Dogs, going a perfect 5-of-5 at the plate with a pair of triples, three RBIs and three runs scored. Scott also scored three runs and had two triples, with Brewer also contributing at the plate with three runs driven in.
Myles finished with three hits and a pair of RBIs for the Diamond Dogs, with Epp and Andrew Brautman each recording two hits.
Mallonee paced the Aviators with a perfect 4-of-4 outing at the plate with an RBI and a pair of runs scored.
Haysville (20-17-1) will now face Derby tomorrow (July 23) in the Sunflower League Tournament, with Cheney (36-6) receiving a first-round bye. A win by the Aviators would result in a rematch with the Diamond Dogs later that night.
