Baseball Recap: Winnetonka Wins Going Away Against Smithville

Griffins

Margin (Wins)

04/03/26 vs Ruskin	20
04/24/26 vs Harmon	19
03/20/26 vs Northeast	17
03/27/26 @ Doniphan	12
04/30/26 vs Smithville	10

After having lost a blowout in their previous game against Excelsior Springs, Winnetonka was happy to have turned things around on Thursday. They put the hurt on the Smithville Warriors with a sharp 11-1 victory. Considering the Griffins have won 11 matchups by more than five runs this season, Thursday's blowout was nothing new.

Dylan Kroll made a splash while hitting and pitching. He looked comfortable on the mound, striking out six batters over five innings while giving up just one earned run off five hits. That's the most strikeouts he has posted since April 4th. He was also big at the plate, going a perfect 3-for-3 with one home run, three runs, and two RBI. He is becoming a predictor of Winnetonka's success: when he posts at least two runs the team is undefeated (and 6-7 when he doesn't).

In other batting news, Mason Crockett was incredible, getting on base in all four of his plate appearances with three runs, one triple, and two RBI. That triple was his first of the season. Another player making a difference was Sam Reisenbichler, who went 1-for-4 with two runs, two RBI, and one double.

Winnetonka's win bumped their record up to 13-7. As for Smithville, they moved to 7-15 with that loss, which also ended their three-game winning streak.

Both squads will have to hit the road in their upcoming contests. Winnetonka will square off against Raytown South at 4:30 p.m. on Friday. The Cardinals have struggled to contain batters this season (they've allowed 8.75 runs per game on average), something the Griffins will no doubt try to take advantage of. As for Smithville, they will challenge Blue Springs at 4:00 p.m. on Tuesday.