Ryan Murken

Your Prep Sports

SOLON – Half an inning into the opening game of Monday’s doubleheader with third-ranked Marion Vince Steinbrech and his Solon teammates found themselves in a three-run hole.

It took one swing for Steinbrech to dig the Spartans out of the early deficit.

Steinbrech gave Solon an early 4-3 lead with a first-inning grand slam and picked up the win on the mound as Class 3A sixth-ranked Solon rallied for an 11-10 win over Marion in the opener of a WAMAC East Division doubleheader at the Solon Nature and Recreation Area.

Marion (13-1) won the nightcap 15-0 to earn a doubleheader split.

“I wasn’t that concerned down 3-0 because I knew we could get runs it was just if we could do it quick enough,” Steinbrech said. “Obviously we got them right away.”

Marion scored three runs off Steinbrech in the top of the first inning of the opener.

Solon (10-3) answered immediately as the first three runner reached base before Steinbrech lined a pitch over the left field fence to give Solon a 4-3 lead it would never give up.

“He usually doesn’t lift it like that, that’s his first home run I think,” White said. “When he hit it I thought, ‘he might have actually got it’ that really sparked us forward.”

The early grand slam was the first career home run for Steinbrech and was the spark for nine unanswered runs for the Spartans after the three-run first for Marion.

“In those situations coach just always says to get a ball in play,” Steinbrech said. “I hit one out so it went out.”

The home run was part of a huge game for Steinbrech at the plate as the senior went 3-for-3 with six RBI and two runs scored.

“His bat as well as others covered up some of our defensive miscues tonight,” Solon coach Keith McSweeney said. “The first inning two of those three runs were unearned and later on we just had some plays we don’t see very often.”

Marion cut a 9-3 Solon lead to 9-6 with three runs in the fifth and got as close as 11-10 with four runs in the sixth.

The Wolves had runners on first and second with one out in the top of the seventh but Tyson Wheeler got a ground ball to third and struck out Isaiah Scott looking to end the game.

Steinbrech earned the win allowing 10 runs, eight earned, on nine hits while striking out four and walking three in 5 2/3 innings.

Wheeler worked a scoreless 1 1/3 allowing just one hit to earn the save.

“Vince really competed,” McSweeney said. “He got tired a little bit and probably left him out there a batter too long but Tyson Wheeler came in and settled in and had a nails pitch there at the end.”

White and Nolan Seagren each had two hits in the opener as Solon finished with 13 hits.

White was 3-for-4 with a double, a home runs and four runs scored while Seagren was 3-for-3 with an RBI and three runs scored.

The home run by White leading off the fourth inning was the fourth of the season for the Baylor recruit and gave Solon a 6-3.

“The pitch I hit off the wall the previous at bat was a curve ball and I didn’t think he was going to throw me another one but he shook to a curveball,” White said. “I kind of missed it but it got up into the wind and got out. I put a good swing on it and I was kind of feeling myself today.”

Marion hit two first-inning home runs, scored in every inning and got a two-hit shutout from Scott in winning the nightcap 15-0 in five innings.

Marion junior Grayson Kirsch hit two home runs in the nightcap and finished the night with three home runs including a grand slam.

Kirsch was 2-for-2 with home runs and eight RBI in the night cap.

Game 1

Marion           300  034  0  –  10  10  1

Solon              410  420  x  –  11  13  2

W – Vince Steinbrech            L – Coda Johnson

2B – MAR: Trey Franck. SOL: Brett White, Garret Stebral, Maddox Kelley, Vince Steinbrech

HR – MAR: Grayson Kirsch. SOL: Brett White, Vince Steinbrech

Game 2

Marion           341  16  –  15  14  1

Solon              000  00  –   0    2   2

W – Isaiah Scott                                 L – Kaden Hanson

2B – MAR: Trey Franck

HR – MAR: Grayson Kirsch (2), Jake Miller

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