The Salina Stockade headed north to take on the Sioux Falls Canaries Friday night, and they were in a dog fight through the first six innings of this ballgame. However, a 12-run seventh gave the Canaries a commanding lead on their way to the 15-1 victory. Blake Schmit drove in five and Ty Morrison homered twice and drove in four, while Grady Wood tossed six outstanding innings for the victory.

Troy Mannebach started for Salina, and this was a great game for much of the night. The two starters kept their opponent off the scoreboard through the first three innings, but in the fourth Sioux Falls would finally get on the board.

Ty Morrison led off the inning with his sixth home run of the season to stake his team to a lead. Michael Falsetti followed with a double, and he scored when Louis Mele hit his first home run of the season, a two-run shot to make the lead three.

Wood was pitching brilliantly through the first five innings. Salina had just two hits and two walks through the first half of the game, and only one runner had reached as far as second base. However, in the sixth the Stockade would finally get on the board. With one down, Kewby Meyer, returning to the lineup after an injury kept him sidelined for a couple of games, hit his second home run of the season to cut the deficit to two.

The game had been a tight affair but, in the bottom of the seventh, the Sioux Falls Canaries would send 15 batters to the plate, scoring 12 runs to blow this game wide open. The inning started off on the wrong foot for Salina when Jabari Henry struck out, but the third strike got away, allowing him to reach first. Burt Reynolds followed with a double that moved Henry to third, and both runners scored on a base hit by Schmit. Schmit advanced to second on the throw to the plate and then stole third before Chris Jacobs walked. Morrison followed by lining a double into center field, scoring both runners and extending the lead to six. A walk to Falsetti put two runners on and there was still no one out.

Skylar Hunter cane out of the game and Tyler Herr came on to pitch for Salina, but had no answers on how to shut this Canaries offense down. After striking out Mele to record the first out of the inning, Dan Motl singled to load the bases, and Brett Marr followed with a base hit that scored Morrison. Henry, the 10th batter of the inning, followed with a base hit that plated both Falsetti and Motl to make it 10-1. Reynolds then drew a walk to load the bases, bringing Schmit back to the plate. A wild pitch would bring home Marr and Schmit followed by turning on a 2-2 pitch, drilling it over the left field fence for his first home run of the season.

The Stockade would once again turn to their bullpen, bringing on TJ Looney, who would finally end the inning. However, that did not occur before Morrison hit his second home run of the game and seventh of the season to make it 15-1. That would be the final.

Ty Morrison was 3-5 with 3-runs scored and 4-RBI. Blake Schmit was 2-4 with 2-runs and 5-RBI. Grady Wood (3-1) earned his third straight victory, allowing 4-hits and a run in 6-innings of work. Salina was led by Kewby Meyer, who was 1-2 with a run, RBI, and a walk.

Boxscore

By Robert Pannier