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The Missouri Ethics Commission requires candidate/committees to file reports eight days prior to a municipal election, detailing income and expenditures. In Grain Valley, committees for three school board candidates reported income and expenditures for their campaigns. Common Sense Coalition for Pollard Income: $5200 ($1239.30 additional in-kind) Income detail: $1000.00 Teresa McBride (Jan. 2023) $4000.00 Lance Pollard (Jan. 2023) $100.00 Lance Pollard (January in-kind) $1139.30 Lance Pollard (February in-kind) $200.00 Terry Pollard (March 2023) Expenditures: $4660.49 Expenditure detail: $3283.43 campaign signage $25.75 campaign checkbook $208.16 signage hardware $1100.00 Anthony Lonsdale/text services $43.15 lunch with volunteer Committee to elect Sarah Swartz Income: $1850 Income detail: $750 Sprinkler Fitters LU 314 $500 Jeffrey Wolff, Pink Hill Properties (March 2023) $600 in gifts from individuals totaling $100 or less Expenditures: $1,734.68 on signage and signage supplies Additionally, MO NEA-PAC reported $145.64 in expenditures in support of Swartz. Committee to elect Julie Taylor Income: $2100 Income detail: $250 Tara Patel/Patel Group (December 2022) $250 Sally Downey (March 2023) $400 Julie Taylor (March 2023) $500 Pink Hill Properties LLC (March 2023) $700 in gifts from individuals totaling $100 or less Expenditures: $2070.25 in sign printing Additionally, MO NEA-PAC reported $145.63 in expenditures in support of Taylor.  The Grain Valley High School Swim & Dive team is offering swim lessons for children 5 years of age and older. Available lesson times are 4:00-5:00pm Monday or Thursday, 7:00-8:00pm Monday or Friday, or Saturday mornings 9:00am - 11:00am. Semi-private lessons are $45 and may be reserved by completing a form at the following link: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfXWCjYm_aBvkSSZZsk8dY7WlA2VEdjO__E5APeUMAvi2aMBA/viewform?urp=gmail_link   Voters head to the polls Tuesday, April 4th. Polls are open from 6:00am - 7:00pm. For a sample ballot and polling place lookup, visit Jackson County Election Board ballot information and polling place lookup. Grain Valley voters will vote on Board of Aldermen candidates in each of the City's three wards, and select three candidates out of seven candidates running to serve on the Grain Valley School Board. A bond issue to fund a new high school gymnasium and fieldhouse addition, and a $.03 sales tax on recreational marijuana will also be decided by voters. Voters are required to provide photo ID in order to vote (see JCEB graphic below). If you do not have a photo ID, a provisional ballot may be completed. Visit our Voter Resources page for additional information. Prior reporting: Board of Aldermen candidate Q&A Board of Education candidate Q&A City, County both consider ballot measure to add sales tax on recreational marijuana On the Ballot: School bond issue to fund new high school gymnasium/fieldhouse addition Visit our News page and click on the "Elections" category in the sidebar or type a candidate name or issue in the search bar to view results. April 4, 2023 Municipal Election Jackson County Election Board sample ballot: Legal-Notice-of-Election-04.04.23-General-Municipal-Final.pdf (jcebmo.org) Ballot and polling place information: Jackson County Election Board ballot information and polling place lookup   Alderman Dale Arnold was formally censured for disclosing closed session business with the Jackson County Election Board and former mayor and current alderman candidate Chuck Johnston during a brief Board of Aldermen meeting on March 27th. Arnold was the only 'no' vote on the resolution (graphic of resolution provided below). As previously reported, Arnold faced the censure vote after an admitted call to the Jackson County Election Board (JCEB) in the days following the judge’s decision in a recent suit between the City and JCEB regarding revised ward boundaries, and for allegedly disclosing executive session information related to the suit to former mayor and current Board of Aldermen candidate Johnston. The Board also approved the second reading of an ordinance to amend the City’s Comprehensive Plan Future Land Use map, changing the zoning of 11.5 acres currently zoned for residential to light industrial to allow for two planned businesses to locate in the area near Creekside Village. In other business, Alderman Ryan Skinner raised concerns regarding the level of School Resource Officer (SRO) staffing at Grain Valley Schools in light of the most recent school shooting in Nashville earlier in the day. "I think we are severely lacking in school resource officers in this city. I think that one of the biggest things the city has going for it is our schools," Skinner said. "The fact that we have eight schools and three SRO's, I think that is setting ourselves up for failure to be completely honest." Skinner asked Police Chief Ed Turner if he felt SRO staffing was adequate. "The day and age we live in, it would be optimum to have an officer in every school," Turner said. "We need to come up with a plan...to work towards a goal of having an officer (at every school) that is a deterrent. (When these shootings happen) I've never once saw someone from the school district talking. When stuff hits the fan, it's us (city) up here who have to deal with it. I think we need to take the first steps to get the ball rolling in the right direction," Skinner said. Reached for comment, Dr. Amanda Allen, Grain Valley Schools Assistant Superintendent, Student and Community Services, said the district believes it is currently appropriately staffed. "Three SROs serve our schools. Our middle schools and high school each have an SRO designated at their school. SROs also check in on our elementary schools and early childhood center. Collaboration with the City of Grain Valley is ongoing and staffing needs are addressed as needed. Through our partnership with GVPD, we are appropriately staffed with SROs at this time but we will continue to monitor the need for additional resources," Allen said. The next scheduled meeting of the Board of Aldermen will be held Monday, April 10th at 7:00pm at City Hall. Additional related reporting: Quick News - Grain Valley News    by Bill Graham, Missouri Department of Conservation They bloom in early spring with white or lavender flowers, and they provide food and shelter for songbirds and butterflies. Native trees such as service berry and redbud benefit wildlife and add color to home and business landscaping, said Taylor Neff, MDC community forester. Neff and other MDC foresters recommend early blooming native trees and urge homeowners and landscape services to avoid planting non-native trees such as the invasive Callery pear cultivars. Profusely blooming Callery pear varieties do provide a brief burst of spring color, but they also pose problems, including becoming an invasive enemy to native plants. “They spread across natural areas and crowd out beneficial native species, Neff said. Callery pear varieties are seen blooming during spring in yards and in front of businesses because they have long been planted as an ornamental for landscaping. But they have escaped into forests, woodlands, pastures, parks, and right of ways where they are not wanted. Fast growing, they shade out native plants that also offer beauty and provide more benefits for wildlife. Callery pear varieties host few of the insects that birds depend upon as food. Birds do eat their berries, but that spreads the seeds and furthers the invasion. Callery pear cultivars planted as ornamentals have hybridized and become very invasive. Cultivated varieties of this plant available for sale include Aristocrat, Autumn Blaze, Bradford, Capital, Chanticleer (also known as Cleveland Select), New Bradford, and Redspire, among others. All are invasive and should not be planted. Individual cultivars are considered self-sterile but different cultivars planted near each other can cross-pollinate and produce fruits and viable seed. Besides being invasive, the Callery pear varieties have drawbacks in landscaping use. “They commonly have a poor, multi-stemmed structure which leads them to break easily from wind, ice, and snow,” Neff said. “They can require a lot of maintenance.” Callery pear varieties are also fast growing, she said. This, paired with the poor structure, often means they are trimmed annually, rather than a more normal three-to-five-year pruning schedule you see with native species. Native trees that make good ornamentals are available, including spring blooming varieties. Missouri’s state tree, flowering dogwood, provides white blooms and is attractive in lawns if given shady locations. Serviceberry provides early white blooms but also red berries that are edible for people and songbirds. Other blooming choices include red buckeye, yellowwood, redbud, blackhaw viburnum, hophornbeam and chokecherry. A mix of tree species will provide a variety of blooms and benefits. Native trees host valuable insects that are important food sources birds, and they host the caterpillars for butterflies and moths. For more information about problems from Callery pear trees and how to remove or control them, visit https://short.mdc.mo.gov/4MJ. A good source of information about native plants and trees for landscaping is available at http://www.grownative.org. To learn about an upcoming Callery pear buyback program in the Kansas City area sponsored by Deep Roots KC, visit https://short.mdc.mo.gov/4M3.  Serviceberry with white spring blooms and redbud with lavender blooms are natives that add color to landscaping. Photo credit: MDC  City staff, elected officials, and representatives from McCownGordon Construction and Hoefer Walker gathered March 23rd for a groundbreaking at the site of the new police station, located near the City's Butterfly Trail. Construction on the new police station is slated to take approximately one year to complete. Voters approved a $14,000,000 bond issue in April 2022 to fund the project.  Photo credit: City of Grain Valley  Jackson County Executive Frank White, Jr. will throw out the ceremonial first pitch at the Kansas City Royals Opening Day at Kauffman Stadium on Thursday, March 30th. Fifty years after making his major league debut with the Kansas City Royals, White will now take the mound as Jackson County Executive. Executive White’s history with the K actually started even earlier when he took a job on the construction crew that was building the stadium. Executive White played 18 seasons for the Royals, was named an All-Star five times, won eight Gold Glove Awards and was elected to the Royals Hall of Fame. “As a kid growing up on the city’s eastside, I would walk by Municipal Stadium and hear the crack of a bat and roar of the fans, dreaming that one day I’d get a chance to play for my hometown team. I am forever grateful to Mr. Kauffman for giving me an opportunity to make that dream come true,” White said. “It’s an honor to be part of the long-standing tradition of throwing out the ceremonial first pitch on Opening Day; I only wish my parents were here to see it. Thankfully, I have my wife Teresa, family, fans and friends to share in this special occasion with me. I am blessed beyond measure and as the Royals recognize the 1973 team, I am honored to stand with my teammates, wearing powder blue, with the number 20 on my back. See you at the K and Go Royals!” The Kansas City Royals will take on the Minnesota Twins at 3:10pm at Kauffman Stadium.  by Marcia Napier, Grain Valley Historical Society In my musings a couple of weeks ago you saw a photograph looking north on Main Street in Grain Valley. It was published in a book called “Results of County Planning.” The book contained photographs taken throughout Jackson County, where the roads were built at a cost of $10,000,000. Looking through the book, as I have done many times, prompted me to recall a couple of newspaper articles my mother had saved about the Celebration of Roads which occurred at Sni-A-Bar Farms in Grain Valley.  The photograph above shows one of the articles published in The Kansas City Star on October 9, 1932. As you can see, my mother and later I did not preserve the page very well so the nearly 91-year-old paper is not in good shape. The photos, clockwise from the top, included an unidentified road with a great view, Sni-A-Bar, the location for the Celebration, the Blue River Road as it winds north of Red Bridge Road, the Prenatal Home for Girls on Noland Road ½ mile north of Independence, the Blue Springs Road between U. S. 24 and Spring Branch (Truman) Road, and Lake Tarsney. Photo credit: Grain Valley Historical Society  A close-up reveals the 166 miles of concrete roads and 52 miles of secondary roads ranked second to only one other county in the nation. Nowhere have I found what county in which state had better roads! For a look at the entire photo collection in the book visit the Historical Society Museum any Wednesday from 10 AM to 3 PM. Photo credit: Grain Valley Historical Society  Community Health Survey Will Help Determine New Programs, Priorities For Health Department3/30/2023
The Jackson County Health Department (JACOHD) is enlisting the help of thousands of people living in Eastern Jackson County to take part in an anonymous Community Health Survey. The responses will be used to direct public health funding and plan programming throughout Eastern Jackson County to help meet community members’ identified health needs. Every five years, community members get a chance to weigh in on issues that matter most to them. Questions include topics such as mental health, healthcare access, quality housing, and neighborhood safety. According to JACOHD, the responses will allow the health department and community partners to better understand the needs of the area and strengthen the community through directed programming. “This survey is being conducted as part of our ongoing efforts to improve health for everyone in our community.” Bridgette Shaffer, Health Director at JACOHD said. “The previous survey’s responses helped shape health department initiatives addressing the opioid crisis, mental health, and safer infrastructure for community walkability. We rely on community members’ input to determine public health priorities for the future.” This month, the health department mailed out 22,000 postcards to households across Eastern Jackson County. The postcards included a unique website code for the survey, similar to the method used by the U.S. Census Bureau. Both English and Spanish versions of the survey are available. A physical copy will be mailed to those unable to take the survey online in the following weeks. The survey takes just 10-15 minutes to complete and answers are kept confidential. The first 1,000 responses will receive a $10 gift card. As an additional incentive, everyone who completes the survey can also enter to win a $50 gift card. The survey closes on April 10th. Data collected from the survey will be reported in the Jackson County Community Health Assessment, which will be published in Summer 2023. To take the survey or to learn more about the Community Health Survey, please visit www.jacohd.org/survey. 
Easter brings baskets full of jelly beans, marshmallow chicks, life-size chocolate bunnies and peanut butter eggs. But ponder this sugar shocking fact: Your child’s Easter basket likely contains over a month’s worth of sugar. Whoa! However, you don’t need to cut out candy completely. Decide on one or two candy favorites, but avoid buying candy to use as “filler” – that is what the colorful grass is for!
Enjoying sweets in moderation is possible, but keep in mind there are plenty of simple and fun ways to reduce sugar in your basket. What are you waiting for? Hop to it! This year try adding in some new treats and toys for egg-stra health benefits and fun. No matter your age, consider these dietitian-approved favorites to help you get creative and start thinking outside the Easter basket: -Good Measure snack bars. These bars contain 5 or fewer grams of net carbs. Foods within this range are scientifically proven to have little impact on blood sugar. -Catalina Crunch cereal. Made with the same delicious taste and crunch of your favorite cinnamon toast cereal you grew up with without the sugar. This cereal contains -Non-food treats. Help balance between celebrating and overindulging. Pick items that can be enjoyed well after Easter like a new coloring book, card game, bubbles or stuffed animal. Added bonus: No sore bellies after too many chocolate Easter eggs and candy! Coins and small bills make for exciting treasure as well. These two Easter baskets are filled with better-for-you goodies that every-BUNNY will love. For more tips to keep you and your family healthy, follow us on Facebook or Instagram @HyVeeDietitians. Dietitian-Inspired Easter Basket (Kid-friendly) All you need: Enjoy Life dark chocolate bar Annie’s organic white cheddar bunnies Fresh fruits (clementines, kiwi, apples) Made Good chocolate drizzled granola bar OR Made Good strawberry crispy squares Zevia Kidz fizzy apple Fun extras: Easter Bunny stuffed animal Hot Wheels toy car Bubbles Coloring book Dietitian-Inspired Easter Basket (Teen/adult-friendly) Zoet dark chocolate with sea salt 100-calorie bars Boom Chicka Pop light kettle corn Fresh fruits (clementines, kiwi, apples) Cold brew coffee with RxSugar packets Good Measure snack bar Catalina Crunch cinnamon toast cereal Fun extras: Bath bombs Scrunchies/hair ties Card game Plastic eggs filled with quarters/$1-5 bills Ready to fill your shopping cart with dietitian-approved items? Check out our NEW Personalized Nutrition Shopping Assistance program. During this 1-hour shopping experience, your Hy-Vee dietitian will guide you through the grocery aisles to provide product recommendations tailored to your lifestyle and nutrition goals. Whether you are looking for assistance with heart health, diabetes, weight management, or are seeking better-for-you ingredients, our Hy-Vee dietitians can help you find both delicious and nutritious solutions. Service does not include medical nutrition therapy services. ONLY $25, waived with a $100 grocery purchase. See participating locations on https://www.hy-vee.com/health/hy-vee-dietitians/default.aspx. Missouri Department of Transportation (MODOT) crews with the bridge replacement work along Interstate 70 at Route AA/BB in Grain Valley will close the left lane of eastbound Interstate 70 and shift lanes of traffic near mile marker 25 near Grain Valley beginning at 8 p.m. on Thursday, March 30, until approximately 6 a.m. the following morning. This traffic change is for pavement repairs and may cause delays in the area. All work is weather permitting. This project will be constructed over the course of three phases in the next year. Phase 1 includes bridge work and work within the median, and is scheduled to be completed by early summer 2023. Phase 2 will address the westbound side of the project and Phase 3 will address the eastbound side. The project is anticipated to be complete by winter 2023.  In its 46th year, Jacomo Summer Camp is inviting campers 6-11 to "take the plunge" and discover the fun of summer camp. The camp is located at the Kemper Outdoor Education Center, a 40-acre site nestled in the Fleming Park Nature Preserve on the east side of Lake Jacomo. Campers ages 6-11 may attend one or all 10 one-week sessions of camp, offered June 5 through August 11, 9:00 a.m. to 3:45 p.m., Monday through Friday. Extended hours are also available. Weekly activities include swimming, kayaking, fishing, archery, hiking, nature study, arts and crafts, a visit to one of Jackson County’s beautiful beaches, and weekly themed field trips. The cost for regular hours is $185/week; extended hours are $220/week. Online registration begins at 12:00am on April 3rd. To register, visit www.makeyourdayhere.com/daycamp  The following information is derived from Grain Valley Police Department daily calls service log for the week of March 22-28, 2023. March 22, 2023 I-70/ Main St Area check 500 Blk Centurion Ct Disturbance PHQ Citizen contact 700 Blk Squire Ct Commercial alarm 1200 Blk NW Long Citizen contact PHQ Citizen contact BB/Sni-A-Bar Area check March 23, 2023 600 Blk SW Nelson Dr Residence check 1200 Blk NW Phelps Suspicious vehicle 200 Blk NE Cypress St Suspicious vehicle Sonic Drive-in Disturbance QT Citizen contact 1300 Blk Eagles Citizen contact 700 Blk NW Par Residence check PHQ Warrant service 700 Blk NW Albatross Citizen contact 100 Blk Main St Citizen contact 300 Blk W Front Agency assist 1000 Blk W Ryan Rd Extra patrol March 24, 2023 PHQ Citizen contact 1000 Blk N Buckner-Tarsney Citizen contact 500 Blk W Ryan Rd Ex-Parte violation 1100 Blk N Buckner-Tarsney Welfare check 600 Blk NW Yennie Ave Agency assist 40/N Main St Motor vehicle accident 1100 Blk N Buckner-Tarsney Armed disturbance 300 Blk SW Creek Ridge Dr Missing juvenile RD Mize Rd/City limits Agency assist 1000 Blk Stoney Point Abandoned auto 800 Blk SW Country Hill Dr Suspicious vehicle 1000 Blk SW Sandy Ln Parking complaint 200 Blk Main St Motor vehicle accident 3000 Blk SW Eagles Pkwy Agency assist 40/700 Blk Main Motor vehicle accident McDonald's Motor vehicle accident March 25, 2023 WB 70 Area check 800 Blk NE San Karr Verbal disturbance 700 Blk SW Cross Creek Residence check 600 Blk SW Gateway Ct Suspicious vehicle 2300 Blk NW Lindenwood Ct Welfare check 600 Blk Broadway St Animal call 400 Blk SW Rock Creek Dr Disturbance March 26, 2023 200 Blk W Front St Missing person 400 Blk NE Wolf Creek Rd Stealing 200 Blk NW Parker Dr Trespassing 1000 Blk SW Sandy Disturbance 900 Blk SW Stone Brook Property damage 300 Blk W Front St Agency assist 700 Blk Main St Disturbance 1300 Blk NW Sycamore Runnaway juvenile PHQ Citizen contact March 27, 2023 Buckner-Tarsney / E Duncan Rd Motor vehicle accident PHQ Citizen contact 900 Blk NE Deer Creek Rd Stealing NE Mary Ct & NE Greystone Blvd Animal control 1300 Blk NW High View Dr Harassment March 28, 2023 1000 Blk SW Sandy Trespassing 1400 Blk Eagle Ridge Suspicious person 3 NW Valley Cir Agency assist 200 Blk W Front St Welfare check 1000 Blk SW Christie Ln Residence check 700 Blk NW Albatross Dr Residence check PHQ Public service PHQ Citizen contact PHQ Citizen contact 1000 SW Sandy Ln Citizen contact Additional calls for service: Suicidal Subject: 2 Order of Protection: 1 CIT/Mental Health Welfare Check: 2  by Michael Smith After Monday’s game against Lee’s Summit, Grain Valley head coach Brett Lewis had a message for his team. “We need to have the memory of a goldfish,” he said. What he meant by that was his Eagles need to have a short memory as his team ran into some bad luck and misfortune against the Tigers in a 6-0 loss on the road. Lee’s Summit had a pair of goals that deflected off the hands of goalkeeper Alayna Maybell and went into the net. A Grain Valley freshman Taylor Nicholson also got a red card with 3 minutes, 48 seconds left in the first half, which left the Eagles (2-2) short one player for the remainder of the game. “We were down a person and still found a way to create opportunities,” Lewis said. “We never really quit. Our girls responded really, really well.” Despite that the Eagles were still able to muster seven shot attempts. Two of those from freshman Radleigh Childers bounced off a goal post and ricocheted away from the goal. Junior Emma Thiessen also had a header that bounced off the crossbar and away from the goal. “Radleigh is going to get one here soon,” Lewis said. “She hit three or four posts in the Staley Tournament. She hit two posts tonight. She has hit it a ton. She is due.” Lee’s Summit (2-0) controlled the game from start to finish and led 3-0 at halftime. Junior Adriana Benassi scored on a breakaway in which she traveled about 45 yards before dribbling the ball inside the Grain Valley penalty box and punching one in from the left side. Junior Tatum Bresette made it 2-0 in the 19th minute with a direct free kick from 35 yards out that went over the outstretched hands of a leaping Maybelll; and senior Chloe Wilmes knocked in a penalty kick inside the left post in the 36th minute. Bresette completed the hat trick with two goals in the second half, while Grain Valley was down one player and Benassi also notched another goal as eh outran the entire Eagles back line and scored on an open run deep in the 18-yard box. “She was strong and very physical,” Lewis said of Benassi. “She’s a great finisher. She got around our outside backs a couple of times. We need to have two girls on her instead of having our backs isolated on her 1 v. 1. She was a special player for them. She is very unique.” The Eagles will play against Park Hill South today at 6:30 p.m. at home.  Grain Valley junior Annabelle Totta, left, tries to settle the ball to her feet. Photo credit: Michael Smith  Grain Valley head coach Brett Lewis, right, talks to his team after a 6-0 loss to Lee's Summit. Photo credit: Michael Smith  by Michael Smith The Grain Valley baseball team had two opportunities to close the game out. After falling to Liberty 8-3 in Game 1 of Saturday’s doubleheader, the Eagles had a 4-3 lead in the bottom of the seventh inning and a 6-4 lead in the bottom of the tenth in the nightcap. They surrendered both leads due to miscues and errors, allowing the Blue Jays to come back to tie the score in both frames. However, they did not allow the winning run to cross in either inning and eventually ended a the marathon of a contest with a four-run 13th inning to close out a 10-7 victory at Liberty High School to split the double header. “We kept the energy up the whole game,” Grain Valley junior catcher Brody Baker said. “When we were down, we were making stupid errors. That ball in center field, Shane catches that ball 99 times out of 100. We were making simple mistakes but we kept fighting and kept the energy up.” Head coach Brian Driskell echoed similar sentiments. “It’s an outstanding job by our guys,” Driskell said. “It’s weird to say that after giving up seven runs. We learned a lot about our team tonight and I am excited to share that with them.” “We got a split against a good team. We’ll take it. It was a team win.” Liberty lead Grain Valley 3-0 going into the top of the fourth, but an RBI groundout from senior Blake Prewitt and a two-run single on a ground ball up the middle from sophomore Max Snyder, allowed the Eagles to tie the game at 3-all. Three innings later, Grain Valley took the lead when junior Brek Sloan hit a ground ball to shortstop Kayden Cook. Grain Valley senior Michael Montgomery got such a good jump from first base, that he beat Cook’s toss to second base and was called safe. Sloan was thrown out at first, but junior Shane Barnett, who was on second base to start the play, was hustling the whole time and beat first baseman Jackson Tankesley’s throw home to score and make it 4-3. Up until that point, starting pitcher Dennis Leonard, a sophomore, tossed a gem. He went six innings and allowed three earned runs on five hits, walked one and struck out 10. “Once Dennis gets rolling, he gets in a mood,” Baker said. “He doesn’t talk when he’s in the dugout.” He was in line to get the win as junior lefty Ian Kamstra came in to close the game. He struck out the first two batters he faced, but walked Addison Smith on a 3-2 count to give the Blue Jays a little bit of life. Third baseman Nathan Spengler then followed with a pop fly to shallow right field. Montgomery called off all the other fielders to let them know he had the catch, but he appeared to lose the ball in the lights and it dropped for an RBI triple to allow Liberty to tie it. Kamstra struck out Dane Moberly to send the same into extra innings. After leaving the bases loaded in the eighth and going down 1-2-3 in the ninth, the Eagles had runners at second and third base with two outs against relief pitcher Tanner Warner. Barnett hit a soft ground ball to second baseman Christian Kutcha. His throw to first was low and was dropped by Tankesley, that allowed both Kamstra and Snyder to score to put the Eagles ahead 6-4. But just as Grain Valley appeared to have the same in hand, an error caused the same to extend. With Kamstra still pitching, Tankesley hit a sacrifice fly to score Chase Litrell from third base to narrow the gap to 6-5. Litrell reached earlier in the inning on a dropped fly ball to center field. With two outs Cook singled and scored all the way from first base after Jack Questschenbach hit a flare that dropped into shallow left field for a single. A throw from the outfield to third baseman Brek Sloan went side as a Liberty pinch runner broke for home. The junior got the throw to Baker on time, but the ball popped out of his glove, allowing the tying run to score, making it 6-all. With the winning run at third base, Kamstra struck out Warner to end the threat. Kamstra helped Grain Valley keep the game close as he tossed five innings and allowed two runs (one unearned) on two hits, walked four and struck out 10. “I was excited to come out to pitch and help the team win,” Kamstra said. “The energy we brought in the second game was way better than the first.” The Eagles (4-2) left the bases loaded in the 12th inning but finally broke the game open in the 13th as Baker drilled a RBI single to left field with no outs. “We probably should have sac bunted but Avery (Garmon), asked Coach to let me swing away,” Baker said. “That was my first hit of the day and it happened at a great time.” Kamstra got a ground ball to the right side to go through for a run-scoring single on the next at bat; Snyder brought home another run with a double to deep left field that got over the head of Moberly; and Barnett floated a single to shallow right field to cap a four-run inning for his team. “I felt good swinging the bat,” said Snyder, who also contributed with two sacrifice bunts and three RBIs. “It felt really nice to hit the ball.” Montgomery finally closed the game for the Eagles on the mound as he tossed two innings and just allowed one run in the bottom of the 13th.  Grain Valley right fielder Trent Melton goes for a ball on a line drive. Photo credit: Michael Smith  Grain Valley sophomore Max Snyder hands his batting gloves to assistant coach Austin Graham after hitting a 2-run single. Photo credit: Michael Smith  Grain Valley starting pitcher Dennis Leonard tossed six innings and had 10 strikeouts during a 10-7, 13-inning win over Liberty in Game 2 in a doubleheader. Photo credit: Michael Smith  Grain Valley senior Michael Montgomery squares to bunt. Photo credit: Michael Smith |
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