The Blair High School baseball team celebrated its seniors Monday, but it couldn't quite eek out a regular season-ending win at Vets Field.
Lincoln Northwest secured the 4-2 victory, holding off the Bears after taking a 4-1 lead during the fifth inning. The loss was BHS' 20th of the season as it dropped to 7-20 before the start of district competition.
Coach John Roan's team was scheduled to start Class B District 1 Tournament play Thursday, needing two wins to reach today's district final. The Bears' first opponent was Platte Valley.
Against Northwest, though, senior Thomas Chikos was 2-for-3 at the plate. The BHS first baseman was recognized alongside his fellow 12th-graders — Colton Flynn, Jakob Gaskill, Brock Hamm, Josh Keough, Nelson Kosch, Jackson Livingston, Lucas Matejka and Carter Saylor — during Senior Night festivities.
Notably, Matejka, Saylor, Gaskill and Flynn notched hits against the Falcons in defeat, too. Saylor logged the Bears' lone RBI, while both Matejka and freshman Brevin Leggott scored runs.
Flynn struck out seven batters on the mound, while underclassman Andrew Korth pitched 3 1/3 innings and struck out three more.
BHS BASEBALL LINE SCORE
Monday
Lincoln Northwest 4, Blair 2
LNW (9-14) 1 0 0 1 2 0 0 — 4 7 1
BHS (7-20) 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 — 2 6 1
