Kansas City, Mo ? The Kansas University Jayhawks and Missouri Tigers aren’t the only teams with a Border War.
The most talented high school players in the Kansas City area from both states got together Wednesday night at 3&2 Baseball Complex in Kansas City, Mo. for the K.C. Border Battle.
But the Kansas All-Stars didn’t put up too much of a fight, getting creamed by the Missouri squad, 14-4.
“They had some big kids that could really hit the ball,” recent Lawrence High graduate Tommy Mangino said. “There’s not much more to say. You got the best of the best, though, so it was a good experience.”
Mangino was one of seven local players playing for the Kansas All-Stars. Aaron Madill (LHS), Spence Chaney (LHS), Matt Lane (Free State High), Matt Berner (Free State), Seth Johnson (Eudora High) and Andrew Pyle (Eudora) rounded out the area septet.
The game remained scoreless until the fifth inning when Kansas put up two runs off four hits.
Then the game got downright silly in the bottom of the fifth as Missouri scored six runs on only three hits. The Show-Me Staters added seven more runs off five hits in the seventh inning.
Johnson came in relief for Clint Rehmert in the fifth and got a strikeout to end the inning. He later had two more strikeouts in the sixth inning.
Lane also saw time on the mound, getting a strikeout in one inning of work.
Another local pitcher didn’t fare as well. Chaney was the one who gave up all seven runs in the sixth, including a home run from Missouri’s Ross Kelling.
Madill came in relief of his former LHS teammate — a call he never saw coming.
“They are all really good hitters,” Madill said. “I was coming out of the outfield and all I wanted was to get strikes. You expect that kind of thing coming into this, but it was still a good time.”
Madill wound up with three strikeouts but more importantly, he didn’t give up any more hits.
Despite the 10-run loss, Kansas still walked away with 10 hits. It was hard for any of the players to put up big numbers because each team had a 27-man roster and anybody that wasn’t a pitcher batted alphabetically.
Madill had one hit with a single in the seventh. Berner walked in the sixth and ended up scoring off a single. Mangino went 0-for-1 with a walk. Pyle went 0-for-2.
Numbers aside, though, everyone had a good time on the field.
“You got the best of the best,” Mangino said, “so it was a good experience.”
