Leading into what could be the final week of the season, the Fort Calhoun Senior Legion baseball team hosted Tekamah and Plattsmouth back-to-back.
The Zig Drywall Pioneers won July 13, but lost Thursday to fall to 7-12 overall. Harrison Schmitt, a 2021 Fort Calhoun High School playing his final season of Legion ball, said his team needs to focus as the number of games left diminishes.
“I think everyone needs to show up at practice and have their head on straight,” the outfielder said. “Have a want to be there and have a want to win.”
Post 348 beat Tekamah first, 7-6, scoring two runs during the bottom of the sixth inning at home to do it.
After a lead-off groundout, Ty Hallberg and Tristan Fuhrman hit back-to-back singles. They each stole bases to wind up at third and second, and scored when Kenny Wellwood put the ball in play off of Tekamah pitching.
The inning ended in Fort Calhoun's favor, and pitcher Levi Lasher made sure the one-run advantage held during the top of the seventh frame for the Pioneers' seventh win of the summer season.
The next night, though, Fort Calhoun fell 12-3 to Plattsmouth in six innings. The visitors jumped out to a 5-0 lead, coach Brandon Wynn's Pioneers battled back within two and Plattsmouth put the game away with a seven-run sixth frame.
Post 348 posted its only runs during the fifth inning. Zach Faucher hit the ball through the infield to start before Wellwood was hit by a pitch.
Faucher later scored on an error before Schmitt plated both Wellwood and Carter Christensen with an RBI knock into the outfield.
“I think our whole team has a lot of capable hitters,” Schmitt said. “But there's a lot of on and off, and I think there's a lot of people that get in their heads too much. Especially me.”
The Pioneer sees a lot of talent in the lineup, but there's still work to do.
“I've never seen a group of freshman and sophomores that are that good,” he said. “But, everyone just needs to, kind of, get out of their own head.”
Fort Calhoun closes its regular season tonight against the Kelly Ryan Pride of Omaha Roncalli after Monday's game with West Point. It then starts Class B Area 3 Tournament play 8 p.m. Friday against the host team, the Post 154 Blair Bears.
POST 348 SENIOR LEGION LINE SCORES
Thursday
Plattsmouth 12, Fort Calhoun 3, 6 inn.
PMOUTH 0 3 0 1 1 7 — 12
FC (7-12) 0 0 0 0 3 0 — 3
July 13
Fort Calhoun 7, Tekamah 6
TEK 2 2 2 0 0 0 0 — 6
FC (7-11) 3 2 0 0 0 2 X — 7
Blair Seniors earn comeback win
The Blair Senior Legion baseball team fell behind Thursday at Vets Field, but the Post 154 Bears weren't out of their game with Ashland.
Trailing 4-0, coach James Bilslend's squad notched a five-run fifth inning for the 5-4, comeback win. Nate Wachter's two-RBI double produced the go-ahead run.
Blair's Conner O'Neil earned the pitching win despite a rough start. Ashland scored its first run during the first inning after the pitcher allowed a base runner to move from first base to third with a pair of pitches in the dirt.
O'Neil bounced back, though, striking out three batters before Lee Chavez-Lara stepped in to throw the last two frames.
Offensively, Post 154's Eli Morgan, Morgan Rump and Kaden Fletcher knocked in runs before Wachter's game-winning swing. Rump was 2-for-3 overall with a triple.
The Bears were scheduled to play their regular season finale Monday against Arlington and will start Class B Area 3 Tournament play 8 p.m. Friday against Fort Calhoun. Post 154 is hosting the five-day, postseason tournament at Vets Field.
POST 154 SENIOR LEGION LINE SCORE
Thursday
Blair 5, Ashland 4
ASHLAND 1 2 0 1 0 0 0 — 4 8 0
BLAIR (14-15) 0 0 0 0 5 0 X — 5 9 1
Arlington drops Waterloo-Valley game
Nick Smith hit a sixth-inning grand slam, but the Arlington Senior Legion baseball team lost Saturday at Waterloo-Valley, 8-6. The loss dropped the Post 71 Eagles to 8-14 overall.
Trailing 6-1, Smith's homer pulled the road team within one run during the top half of the sixth frame. Coach Ed Menking's squad couldn't stay within 6-5, though, surrendering two runs during the bottom half.
The Eagles then scored its sixth run in the seventh, but they fell short as Waterloo-Valley ended the game on top despite a 5-3 disadvantage in hits, according to the home team's statistics.
Zach Vanek threw three innings for Post 71, notching four strikeouts in his team's defeat.
Arlington was to play Blair on Monday before traveling to the Post 154 Bears' home field for the Class B Area 3 Tournament this Friday. The Eagles open tourney play at 2 p.m. against Springfield.
POST 71 SENIOR LEGION LINE SCORE
Saturday
Waterloo-Valley 8, Arlington 6
ARL (8-14) 0 0 0 1 0 4 1 — 6 5 3
WV 0 3 0 2 1 2 X — 8 3 2
