Rattlers Win Slugfest Wed Night

From the Capital Journal:

ROSSVILLE — The ball was jumping out of Joe Campbell Stadium on Wednesday night as a total of seven home runs were hit in Rossville’s 11-9 Mid-Plains League victory over the Topeka Golden Giants.

The Rattlers (4-3) got homers from Jonathan Valenzuela-Reece, Matt Nerz, Jeff Christen and Colton Kooser.

Both team went hitless in the first three innings, but saw their bats break loose in the middle innings. Topeka (5-6) struck first, scoring three runs in the fourth inning. Lance Barkley drove in Emporia State’s Jonny Hodges with a two-run home run. Barkley’s long ball was followed by a solo shot off the bat of Cam Huber. The three runs were scored off Rossville starter and Hayden product Jake Michalski.

Rossville quickly responded to the early deficit by scoring three runs in the fourth. Leadoff hitter Valenzuela-Reece broke up Jacob Tetuan’s clean slate with a solo home run for Rossville’s first hit.

The Rattlers kept the pressure on Topeka by scoring four runs in both the fifth and sixth innings. The big blow in the fifth was a three-run home run by Christen. Kooser followed that with his own three-run blast in the sixth.

“With the wind blowing out of the south like it did today, the ball just jumps out of here,” Rossville coach Tobi Cowdin said. “Some of those hits were earned and others were helped. Sometimes it’s a lot like playing arcade baseball out here.”

Every batter in the Rossville lineup had at least one hit in the team’s 13-hit attack, and all but one batter crossed home plate in the win.

“Our offense was much better than last night’s,” Cowdin said. “We struck out like 15 times. It was nice to see the guys put the ball in play and find some holes for hits.”

Much like Monday’s series-opening win by the Rattlers, they built a big lead only to have to hold late as the Golden Giants mounted a rally.

Huber hit his second home run of the game, a two-run shot in the eighth inning off reliever Taylor Mah to cut the Rattler lead to five. The Golden Giants then loaded the bases with no outs in the same frame. Hodges advanced all runners, driving in one with a single. Barkley followed that hit with a sacrifice fly to drive in his fourth run of the night, which was followed by a single off the bat of Riley Krane to cap the five-run inning.

Topeka had the game-tying runs on base in the ninth with two outs, but Derrick McGreevy worked around a single and a walk to earn the save. Jake Hosey earned the win in relief.

The Golden Giants left 11 men on base.

Rossville continues play Friday with a doubleheader on the road against the Baldwin City Blues. The Golden Giants travel to Junction City to open a series with the league-leading Brigade.

Golden Giants 000 310 050 —  9 10 1

Rattlers            000 344 00x — 11 13 1

Tetuan, Montgomery (6) and Fehr. Michalski, Johnson (4), Hosey (4), Mah (8) and Nerz. W — Hosey. L — Tetuan. S — McGreevy. 2B — Rattlers: McGreevy, Hodges. HR — Golden Giants: Huber 2, Barkley. Rattlers: Valenzuela-Reece, Nerz, Christen, Kooser.

Records — Golden Giants 5-6, Rattlers 4-3.

Rattlers Get Another Win

    The Rattlers took the rubber game of the three game home series with the Topeka Golden Giants on June 10.  The Giants mounted a five run rally at the top of the eighth,  but it wasn't quite enough to overcome the Rattles lead.
     Eight of the nine starters for the Rattlers got at least one hit, and five got two hits.    Jeff Christen was the most productive  getting three RBIs and  two runs off his two hits.

G Giants     0   1   0   3   1   0   0   5   0      9   11   1
Rattlers       0   0   0   3   4   4   0   0   x     11  13   1

The Rattlers next game will be at Baldwin City on Friday.

Rattlers Game On-Line

Follow tonight's Rattlers game as it happens.
http://data.iscorecentral.com/iscorecast/baseball/scorecast.html?c=515991a301

Grant Affecting Willard Bridge Slashed

http://cjonline.com/news/2015-06-10/us-house-passes-bill-slashing-tiger-grants-shawnee-countys-means-replacing-willard

Rattlers Lose To Giants Tue

From the Capital-Journal:

ROSSVILLE — It started out as a typical slugfest at the cozy confines of Joe Campbell Stadium with both the Topeka Golden Giants and Rossville Rattlers belting a solo home run in the second inning.

Strong pitching from both teams, however, took over and it took some small ball for the Golden Giants to pull out a 3-1 victory in a Mid-Plains League game Tuesday.

The Giants scored two runs in the top of the eighth inning, scoring a runner from third on a fielder’s choice grounder to first then squeezing in another run to knot the three-game series at 1-1 with the rubber game at 7 p.m. Wednesday.

“It was well pitched by both teams,” Giants coach John Tetuan said. “Each team had some good at-bats and got guys on but the pitchers threw well.”

Connor Crimmins put the Giants (4-5) on the board in the top of the second with a homer over the short right-field fence, then the Rattlers (3-3) pulled even in the bottom of the inning on Collin Scribner’s homer to center.

Scribner was the only Rattler to get a good swing off Giants starter Ben Ramberg, who allowed only two hits with nine strikeouts and three walks in five innings.

“We talk to our pitchers about setting the tone of the game and Ben did a good job of that,” Tetuan said.

Rossville starter Drew Scrimsher also went five innings, allowing three hits with one walk and one strikeout.

Rossville had a threat in the seventh, loading the bases with two outs with a single, error and walk. Topeka reliever and winner Ty Geary escaped with a groundout, then the Giants took the lead in the eighth off Rossville reliever Derrick McGreevy.

Casey Sedbrook led off with a double and was sacrificed to third by JB Eary. Blake Nystrom hit a grounder to first base and Sedbrook beat the throw home by Garrett Weber for the go-ahead run. Nystrom scored from third on a squeeze bunt by Riley Krane.

Ryan Ihle pitched the ninth for Topeka to earn a save, stranding Rattlers at first and second with a game-ending strikeout.

“Riley laid a nice squeeze bunt down and the situation worked out good,” Tetuan said. “I told them we had to put ourselves in a situation to come out on top. We had good approaches at the plate, we pitched well and made the most of our opportunities.”

Topeka 010 000 020 — 3 6 1

Rossville 010 000 000 — 1 5 0

Ramberg, Geary (6), Ihle (9) and Tapia. Scrimsher, McGreevy (6), Hosey (8) and Nerz, Valenzuela-Reece. W — Geary. L — McGreevy. Sv — Ihle. 2B — Topeka: Ihle, Sedbrook. HR — Topeka: Crimmins. Rossville: Scribner.

Rattlers Lose Close One

      Solo HR’s by Connor Crimmins (Golden Giants) and Collin Scribner (Rattlers) kept the Tuesday evening game between the Rattlers and Golden Giants tied until the eighth inning in which the Giants picked up two more runs to seal the victory. 

      The three game series is even at 1-1. The rubber match is Wednesday night at 7:00 p.m. in Rossville.

      You can watch a nice video of the game  at:  http://ksnt.com/2015/06/09/golden-giants-score-twice-in-8th-beat-rattlers/

Rattlers Top Girants 10-9

From the Capital Journal:

 Catcher Michael Higgins led the Rossville Rattlers hit parade in a 10-9 Mid Plains League win over the Topeka Golden Giants on Monday.

Higgins, a redshirt freshman from Oklahoma State University, drove in five runs and hit his second home run for Rossville.

“Some real big hits from Higgins tonight,” Rattlers coach Toby Cowdin said. “It was real good to see the ‘Big Boy’ getting going behind the dish. He is kind of our power guy and he showed some of that tonight.”

Rossville (3-2) trailed 2-0 in the game as the Golden Giants posted two runs in the first inning against Rattlers starter Jacob Head. 

Riley Krane and Reid Fehr hit back-to-back run-scoring singles in Topeka’s opening frame.

The Rattlers quickly answered by scoring two runs in their half of the first. Higgins hit a sacrifice fly to drive in Jonathan Valenzuela-Reece who led off the inning with a walk. Hayden product Tanner Triggs drove in the second run with an RBI groundout.

Higgins’ home run, a three-run shot, came in a five-run second inning for the Rattlers. Rossville tallied four hits in the five-run inning, including a double from Derrick McGreevy. McGreevy  had two doubles and scored two runs.

Jacob Head earned the win for Rossville. The former Hayden Wildcat threw six innings of four-run ball, striking out five batters in a 94-pitch outing. The Rossville infield turned two double plays behind Head, helping him earn the victory.

Giants 201 001 140 — 9 8 1

Rattlers 250 120 000 — 10 13 1

Roberts, Heath (4), Dalke (6), and Fehr. J. Head, Kooser (7), Mah (8), and Higgins. W — J. Head. L — Roberts. S – Mah. 2B – Rattlers: McGreevy 2, Schaarman. HR – Rattlers: Higgins.

Rossville Still Cleaning Up

TOPEKA, Kan. (WIBW)-- Rossville residents are cleaning up the mud, muck and smell left behind following Friday's flooding.

Shawnee county commissioners heard a report from Interim Emergency Management Director Dusty Nichols Monday.

Nichols noted that for the first time his office sent out a code red alert, or a reserve 911 call for residents near cross creek.

He says that his team is now in recovery phase and are collecting information as to how much damage was caused to city infrastructure.

Nichols and commissioner Shelly Buhler, who lives in Rossville, said it is important for people to be prepared and to have an emergency kit ready for when disasters strike.

Rattlers and A's Split Sat. Nite

    The Rattlers and Midwest Athletics split their double header on Sat. Night.  The As won the first game 8-3 but the Rattlers came back in the nite-cap with a big 14-4 victory.
     The Rattlers are now 2-2 and in third place in the Mid Plains League.

Rossville Survives Flood

    There is video of the flood and some of the clean-up at:
http://ksnt.com/2015/06/05/local-rivers-expected-to-rise-above-flood-stage/

Photos Needed

If you have photos taken during the flood that can be posted on this web site,  please send to frank.ruff@juno.com.

Also looking for photos of the high school graduation.

Flood Waters Recede

From the Capital-Journal:
ROSSVILLE — Debris covered streets and yards in north Rossville Saturday morning as flood waters receded and residents cleaned up.
George Sullivan, 90, sat comfortably in the shade just a few yards from where the overflowing Cross Creek washed up rotting corn stock and other refuse. When waters started surrounding his home Friday he said he wasn’t worried. This is the 17th flood since he and his wife. Marie, moved to their home on East Pottawatomie Street in 1957.
“Water don’t bother us,” he said.
The basement flooded, but Sullivan said that happens every time, so he stopped storing things down there. Several members of his family, including his daughter Janice Craven, raked debris in his back yard. Her parents shouldn’t have to worry about cleaning up at their age, Craven said, so she and her husband drove up in the morning from the Edgerton area.
“This isn’t the worst we’ve had,” she said leaning on a pitch fork.
A blanket of corn stock floated on the few inches of standing water between Sullivan’s house and his neighbor’s. Over there, Todd and Kelly Brown, along with about a dozen friends and neighbors cleaned a much bigger mess.
“I think we took the brunt of it for the rest of the town,” Kelly said hosing off her back patio,
A few feet away, a crew worked pushing several inches of water out their detached garage as a pump ran nearby. The yard and driveway looked like a small lake. Todd and others slushed back and forth trying to push the swamp into the ditch.
With arrival of second pump, it was time to dry out the basement.
“I haven’t looked in their yet, not sure I want to,” Todd said to his wife.
Inside, a freezer and some shelves floated in several feet of murky water. This year’s flood isn’t as bad as 2005’s, Todd said, but that doesn’t matter. The clean up will be about the same.
The family watched Friday afternoon as floodwater from Cross Creek flowed south along Pearl Street toward their home. They hurried to pack up as much from the garage and basement as they could, but didn’t use sand bags. In 2005 when their basement flooded the sand bags made it worse, Kelly said.
“We knew it was coming, but there wasn’t much we could do,” she said. “I’m shocked it receded so fast.”
Earlier in the morning, Alex Bird, a recent Rossville Junior-Senior High graduate, and some friends dumped out sandbags at a sand volleyball court near the school. The day before, he and some other students drove around town delivering sandbags to people who waved their truck down. By noon Saturday, he was over at the Brown’s house helping clean up. Bird said he was glad to see the town come together to help each other.
“It’s a pretty cool thing, you know, small town love,” he said.
Some parts of Shawnee County saw a reprieve from rain Friday into Saturday morning after heavy rain earlier in the week caused the Rossville flooding.
As of 8:45 a.m. gauges at Philip Billard Municipal Airport had only a trace of rain as most of the overnight rain stayed in the northeast part of the county, National Weather Service meteorologist Emily Heller said.
Rossville, where flooding affected at least 40 homes Friday evening, received just one-quarter of an inch based on radar estimates, she said. At 7:30 Saturday morning Cross Creek was at 20.9 feet. That is down from 21.36 feet the National Weather Service reported at 5:30 p.m. Friday. Cross Creek is at flood stage at 25 feet.
“We had a period to dry out yesterday, but we are still very wet and the rivers are very full so any additional rain could be a concern.” she said.
Morning thunderstorms should move out of the area before noon, but Shawnee County will remain under a flash flood watch until 4 p.m. Around 3 p.m. storms may form in the area the could bring local heavy rain, Hiller said. In the evening and overnight Saturday, storms in Nebraska could move into northern Kansas.
Severe weather is likely Sunday afternoon and evening as another round of thunderstorms moves into the area, Heller said.
The Kansas River at Topeka was at 20.9 feet as of 7:30 a.m. Flood stage is 26 feet.
With more rain forecasted for Saturday night and Sunday, Todd said he was concerned, not for his own house, but for the rest of town.
“It seems like everyone got really lucky,” he said. “If it rains more it might get worse and I don’t want it to get worse.”

Class of '80 To Have Reunion

      The Class of 1980 will be having their reunion this summer during the Tall Corn Festival. Contact Janice Taylor ,  Suzie Oliver, or Ann Leppke  if you need some info. The are ooking for some people that haven't been seen in a few years. Spread the word among classmates that you know.

Derik Kesler Trial Date Set

TOPEKA, Kan. (WIBW)- The jury trial is set to begin for the man accused of hitting a bicyclist on K-177 in June 2014.

Derik Kesler, 33, of Rossville is set to appear in Riley County Court Sept. 22.

Kesler faces a one misdemeanor charge of vehicular homicide in the death of 49-year-old Mark Jilka. Jilka was riding his bike along K-177 south of Manhattan.

The Manhattan Mercury reports that Kesler was looking at the GPS on his phone the accident happened.