Limited to three hits while allowing five unearned runs, the Chanute Blue Comets fell to the Fort Scott Tigers, 8-0, on Monday in SEK League baseball play.
“We just beat ourselves,” Chanute head coach Ryan Ortiz said. “Their guy threw strikes and made us put it in play. We were in a lot of good counts — 2-0, 3-1, and we rolled over. We didn’t have control of our at-bats and you can’t do that against a good team. Offensively, that was our biggest struggle.”
Blue Comets pitcher Kris Harding recorded his 100th career strikeout in the loss.
Harding tossed five frames, allowing six hits and striking out four in the losing decision.
“He got his 100th career strikeout and not a lot of kids from Chanute have done that,” Ortiz said. “And he’s only midway through his junior year. He’s a guy that you don’t have to get on a lot. We have to make plays behind him and we’re out of some innings. When you have somebody like Kris that gives you that effort, you expect to make plays behind him.”
Outfielder Alijah Christy accounted for two hits for the Blue Comets while Jacob Thompson notched one.
Chanute committed four errors in the loss.
“Somebody’s got to step up — they all have to step up and want to make the play,” Ortiz said. “We can take a million ground balls. But until you get into a game and want to be the guy making plays, it’s going to be a struggle. We’re sitting on our heels. They’re getting stuck in between on ground balls. You’ve just got to want to make the play.”
Tyler Anderson tossed a complete game for Fort Scott on the hill, striking out five while allowing three hits. Lennox Vann had two hits and as many runs offensively for the Tigers while Chayden Clayton had two hits and three RBIs.
Monday’s loss dropped Chanute’s record to 2-8 overall and 1-1 in SEK League play.
Up next
Chanute faces a logjam in the next few days. The Blue Comets traveled to Altamont to face Labette County on Thursday. Chanute then hosts a tournament on Saturday before hosting the Grizzlies on Monday.
“We have to have our approach at the plate and know what we’re looking for,” Ortiz said. “We can’t miss our opportunities. They’ve got to put the ball over the plate. So we’ve got to know what we’re looking for. Right now, we’ve got just a couple of guys knowing what they want to hit. Defensively, errors equal losses. There’s not a team on our schedule where you can make errors and expect to win. It’s impossible. We’ve just got to show up and keep working. And they’ve got to want it.”
