ShawneeDispatch.com

With a convincing 9-3 win over Between the Lines Baseball Club on Sunday, the Johnson County Hornets came out of the Baker University Wildcat Wood Bat Tournament with four wins and one loss. The Hornets also emerged from their first weekend of play with success at the plate and a better feel for the wood bat game.

"I think they learned a lot from it," said Hornets coach Bob Jones after Sunday's win at Sauder Field in Baldwin. "We've got some learning to do. It's more of a baseball game - more of a defensive game - with the wood bats than with the aluminum bats. I do think they grew in the tournament in getting used to hitting with wood, which I think will benefit them when they switch back to aluminum."

The Hornets came into Sunday's afternoon game on the heels of their first defeat of the season the previous day - a 2-1 heartbreaker to the KC Bullets. With Jones watching to see how his team would react to its first defeat of the season, the Hornets took on BTL in extremely windy conditions.

Between the Lines jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the second inning when a two-out fielding error by the Hornets allowed a run to score.

The Hornets then snatched the lead with a two-out rally in the fourth. With infielder Luke Lombardi on at first, outfielder Dustin Deal of Shawnee Mission Northwest was hit by a pitch and outfielder Dominic Fazio walked to load the bases.

A BTL throwing error off an Alex Funkhouser ground ball allowed Lombardi to even the score at 1-1. Second baseman Cody Carbajo, another SMNW player, lined a single to center off a 1-2 count to score Deal and Fazio and give the Hornets a 3-1 lead.

Between the Lines tied the game in the top of the fifth and appeared to have retaken the momentum. However, a quick 1-2-3 top half of the sixth by Hornets pitcher Zach McRillis, a SMNW player, gave new life to Johnson County.

Deal started off the bottom of the inning with a walk. Pinch hitter Cody Lillich then delivered on a bunt single to move Deal over. A walk to Funkhouser loaded the bases before BTL ordered a pitching change. The new pitcher walked Carbajo and gave the Hornets a 4-3 lead.

Catcher Seth Wheeler then dropped a single into center that scored both Lillich and Funkhouser to double the Hornets' opponents. Chris Mansker, a Northwest product, followed with another two-run single before Ryan Bontrager brought in the final run with his lined single to center. Bontrager then came to the mound in the top half of the seventh to strike out two of the final four batters and seal the Hornets' win.

After the game, Carbajo - who led the team on the day with three RBI - talked about his two-run single.

"I shortened up and got back in the box," he said of his approach after falling behind 1-2 to an unfamiliar pitcher. "Then he threw me a curve ball and I stayed down and drove it."

Earlier in the week, the Hornets had a contest with a little local flavor when they took on Mill Valley Baseball Academy on Wednesday at Johnson County 3&2. Using strong pitching from Northwest players Shane Jennison, Jake Thompson and Donnie Beal in addition to Bontrager - as well as steady defense - Johnson County held Mill Valley to three hits while striking out seven.

Bontrager also contributed offensively with two run-scoring singles while Deal added another. Mill Valley right-hander John Theis threw two scoreless innings as a starter.

The Hornets now are 9-1 heading into this week's competition. After Tuesday's doubleheader with Bonner Springs, Johnson County will take on Shawnee Mission East at 8:30 p.m. today at 3&2 Field No. 20. On Thursday, the Hornets will head to Springfield, Mo., for the Mid-America Showcase Tournament. Results from Tuesday's doubleheader with Bonner Springs were unavailable at press time.