EUREKA – The Knox baseball team split a doubleheader at Eureka on Tuesday, earning its first win of the season in the opener before falling in the second.
The Prairie Fire (1-6 overall) now begins prep for their spring trip to Florida next week.
Hot bats powered Knox in the opener, as the offense posted season highs of 14 runs and 13 hits.
Hayden Derlein delivered the game's biggest moment: a second-inning grand slam that put Knox ahead 6-0.
The Prairie Fire scored six runs in that second inning and two in the third, jumping out to an 8-0 advantage. Seven different Knox players recorded a hit, 10 scored at least a run, and five had at least one RBI.
Along with Derlein's four runs driven in, Owen Shannon also had a big day. Shannon had two hits, two runs scored, and four RBI. Andrew Garrett and Miles Hoops each had three hits, while Buckie Zamora joined Shannon with two hits.
Knox's Sammy Garcia earned the win, tossing four innings from the mound.
In the second game, Eureka led 3-0 after two innings, but in the third, the Prairie Fire bats came to life. Knox exploded for six runs, with a grand slam from Hoops highlighting the inning.
Eureka battled back, though, rallying with two runs in the sixth and one in the seventh for the victory.
Shannon tallied three hits for Knox, while Luke Matheiu and Hoops chipped in two apiece. In the loss, Hoops also contributed four RBI and scored twice.
