Blue Valley moves to semifinals of Kansas Class 6A state baseball tournament

With the game tied at 1-1 and his team in desperate need of a jumpstart on offense, Gunner Halter knew what pitch to expect.

Halter, a Blue Valley senior, ripped an RBI double to left field, kickstarting a four-run sixth inning for the Tigers during a 5-1 win over Junction City on Thursday in a Kansas Class 6A quarterfinal at Hoglund Ballpark.

“We were just sitting on the fastball, and sooner or later we knew we’d get a hold of one,” Halter said. “I was trying to go opposite field because I’d been pulling the ball all day and hitting foul balls, but the pitch was inside. I just turned on it and did whatever I could for the team.”

Austin Crawford’s RBI single and Jared Demmel’s two-run double later in the inning helped the top-seeded Tigers pull away.

Blue Valley, 21-2, mustered only one hit during the first four innings and entered the fifth trailing 1-0. Demmel tied the game with an RBI single in the fifth, while the Tigers received a gem from Tanner Fox on the mound. Fox threw a complete game, striking out six and scattering three hits.

“I know if I can throw strikes my defense is going to back me up,” Fox said. “We have one of the best defenses in the state, so as long as I do my job and throw strikes I know they’re going to back me up.”

Demmel finished 2 for 3 with three RBIs.

“This is what we’ve been working for all season, so it feels pretty good to advance, but we have two more to go,” Halter said.

Lawrence Free State advances

Hunter Gudde threw a two-hitter and struck out eight as defending state champion Lawrence Free State opened its title defense with a 10-0 five-inning win over Derby.

Kyle Abrahamson drove in three runs, and Michael Corbett, Zion Bowlin and Jaden Moore all had RBI doubles for the Firebirds.

Schedule

Due to Thursday’s inclement weather, the final two quarterfinal games will be finished out Friday.

Olathe South and Washburn Rural will continue their game at 10 a.m. That game was scoreless at 0-0 in the bottom of the second.

Shawnee Mission East and Wichita West play the last quarterfinal at noon.

The semifinal between Blue Valley and Free State will start at 2:15 p.m., with the second semifinal to start around 4:30 p.m. The state championship game will be Saturday at 11 a.m.

This story was originally published May 26, 2016 at 9:24 PM with the headline "Blue Valley moves to semifinals of Kansas Class 6A state baseball tournament."