Six-Pack: Broncos sweep home stand with win over Twins

Steve Trevino has spent a lot of time studying and playing against the Derby Twins the last couple of years as a member of the El Dorado Broncos’ pitching staff.

Trevino showed he studied well as he shut down the Twins’ offense for six of the seven innings he faced them as the Broncos beat Derby 12-3 Wednesday night in Jayhawk League action at McDonald Stadium.

Trevino (Newman) said the early run support by his teammates helped him relax on the mound as he faced the Twins. El Dorado scored seven runs in the first three innings.

“It always feels good when you get run support,” Trevino said. “It is always good to help give your team a chance to win. I knew about them from last year and I’ve seen all the games this year. I learned to just put the ball in play and have the defense take care of it. I just tried to keep the ball low and that’s all you’ve got to do.”

It was the second win for Trevino during the six-game homestand — he won the opener over the Joplin Outlaws — and it was the fourth victory in five games for the Broncos (21-7, 15-7) over the Twins (15-10, 11-8) and gave El Dorado a 2 1/2-game lead over Derby in the league standings before a five-game road series in Dodge City this weekend.

Travis Whipple (Louisiana-Lafayette) and Wes Cunningham (Murray State) continue to tear up opposing pitching at the plate.

Whipple had two hits — including a grand slam in the third inning — to improve his current hitting streak to 11 games. Cunningham went 3-for-4 — including a solo home run in the first inning — with three runs scored and two runs batted in and is in the midst of a seven-game streak of his own.

“I was just looking to get something up in the air,” Whipple said of his home run. “We had guys on base and I was just wanting to get the ball in play. I just figured I’d get something. I thought it was a sac fly, and I would have been happy with that, but the wind was blowing out to left field and the ball just took off.

“We did a good job at the plate tonight. We scored in the first four innings and they didn’t score until the fourth. That’s how you win ballgames.”

Whipple helped the Broncos make the score 2-0 in the second inning when he doubled to open the inning, went to third on a sacrifice bunt by Matt Giller (Kansas State) and scored on a wild pitch from Brian Borski (Texas State).

El Dorado made the score 7-0 after loading the bases against Borski. Kirk Walker (Oklahoma City) drew a bases-loaded walk for one run before Whipple hit his grand slam, his sixth of the season.

Derby got all of their runs in the fourth inning on RBI doubles by Cole Waddell (Western Illinois) and Brett Douglas (Northern Iowa) and a RBI single by Dan Camou (California-Santa Barbara).

El Dorado answered with two runs in the bottom of the fourth on RBI singles by Walker and Dorain Williams (Butler CC-Saint Louis). The Broncos’ final runs came in the sixth on a RBI single by Cunningham and two more on an error by shortstop Jeremy Klein (Nebraska-Omaha).

EL DORADO 12, DERBY 3

Derby         000 300 000 —  3   9  2

El Dorado   115 012 00x — 12 14  1

Borski, Dyson (4), Kelly (7) and Camou; Trevino, Simmons (8) and Allbritton. WP — Trevino. LP — Borski. HR — El Dorado, Cunningham (first inning, none on, two outs), Whipple (third, three on, two outs). Multiple hits — Derby, Bascue 2, Waddell 2; El Dorado, Tiernan 3, Cunningham 3, Whipple 2, Frey 2. Multiple RBIs — El Dorado, Cunningham 2, Walker 2, Whipple 4. Records — Derby 15-10 (11-9), El Dorado 21-7 (15-7).

El Dorado to play in NBC regional

The Broncos are one of 12 teams that will play in the National Baseball Congress Midwest regional that starts July 17 at Wichita’s Lawrence-Dumont Stadium. El Dorado’s first game will be at 7 p.m. July 17 against the Hutchinson Monarchs. A win would put the Broncos up against the Newton Rebels in a second round game at 1 p.m. the next day.