Fort Calhoun Senior Legion baseball catcher Chase Premer was looking forward to the weekend's home tournament.
“It'll be fun,” he said May 28 after the Zig Drywall team's opener.
Playing Friday through Sunday, Post 348 went 2-1 during the first two days of the invite. Calhoun beat Waterloo-Valley and the Elkhorn Black Sox before a two-run loss to Hickman.
Fort Calhoun started tournament play against Waterloo-Valley on Friday, claiming a 10-2 victory in just five innings. Nathan Kramer, Sam Genoways and JT Mlnarik took run-scoring contact swings for a 3-2 lead early before a seven-run fourth frame all but clinched it.
Zig Drywall's AJ Duros singled and scored on an error to start the breakaway inning before Genoways plated Declyn Otte.
A bases-loaded walk by JT Mlnarik made it 6-2 before Calhoun newcomer Logan Schwab hit a three-run double.
“After that first pitch I was way early on, I was just thinking, 'Just try to take it the other way,'” he said, detailing the successful strategy.
Though Schwab just joined Post 348, he said it's been an easy transition.
“This is a pretty good group of guys,” said the Millard South student-athlete. “Very fun. Very easy to get along with.”
After his multi-base hit, Jordan Back added an RBI single for the eight-run advantage. Levi Lasher had the pitching win three outs later, getting some help on the mound from both Schwab and Kramer during the final frame.
Fort Calhoun then played twice Saturday. It first beat the Black Sox 12-0, scoring runs in every inning but the fifth, which ended after the top half due to run-rule.
Post 348 was particularly successful at scoring runs against the Sox during the second inning. Ahead 2-0 already, coach Jerry Wellwood's team added six runs during a two-out rally to go ahead by eight.
Back reached base first before JT Mlnarik joined him ahead of Duros' RBI swing. Genoways and Alex Christensen plated runs from there, too.
Offense, however, was less prevalent during the 3-1 loss to Hickman that followed. While the visiting team scored its three runs across the first three innings, Fort Calhoun notched its only during the bottom of the fifth frame. Christensen reached from the leadoff spot before back-to-back groundouts advanced to third base.
Back hit next, sending the baseball into what was a run-scoring error.
Zig Drywall had two more innings to try and pull closer to Hickman, but fell short with a game yet to play during their home tourney. Sunday's results will appear in Friday's Washington County Enterprise edition.
Calhoun drops opener
The Zig Drywall Seniors couldn't quite rally May 28, dropping their summer season opener to Blair at home, 7-6.
Christensen hammered a Post 154 pitch to deep centerfield to plate Kramer during the seventh inning, but Calhoun couldn't drive him in from third base to tie the game. The game ended on a strikeout, a groundout and a strikeout.
“Throughout the whole game, we just weren't being completely sound everywhere,” said Premer, the home team's catcher. “If we eliminate two or three errors, that game is a lot different.”
Post 348 struggled with its fielding, but pitchers Kenny Wellwood, Genoways, Mlnarik, Otte and Colin Bolay combined for 14 strikeouts in defeat. Premer doubled and had an RBI, while both Genoways and Mlnarik also plated runs.
ZIG DRYWALL LINE SCORES
Saturday
Hickman 3, Fort Calhoun 1
HKM 2 0 1 0 0 0 0 — 3
FC (2-2) 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 — 1
Fort Calhoun 12, Elkhorn Black Sox 0,
EBS 0 0 0 0 0 — 0
FC (2-1) 2 6 2 2 X — 12
Friday
Fort Calhoun 10, Waterloo-Valley 2, 5 inn.
WV 0 0 2 0 0 — 2
FC (1-1) 1 0 2 7 X — 10
May 28
Blair 7, Fort Calhoun 6
BLAIR (1-0) 2 0 0 1 0 2 2 — 7
FC (0-1) 1 0 0 0 3 1 1 — 6
