The Fort Calhoun Senior Legion baseball team won the battle for Washington County on Saturday.
The Zig Drywall Pioneers (15-13-1 overall) bested both Arlington and Blair during a 2-0 triangular day on their home diamond. Coach Jerry Wellwood's team won the 10 a.m. game with the Post 71 Eagles 7-2 and the afternoon capper against Post 154, 6-4.
“It was a blast,” Calhoun infielder Sam Halford said. “Had fun doing it.”
Coach James Bilslend's Bears, meanwhile, went 1-1 with a 8-0 victory against Arlington. The loss to Post 348 was just their fourth during a 27-4 season thus far.
“Going into districts, we're going to take care of business,” Blair's Lee Chavez-Lara said after the shortcoming. “Hopefully make it to state.”
Beginning Friday, Arlington — which went 0-for-2 Saturday — and Fort Calhoun will join the Bears at Elkhorn Mount Michael for the B3 Area Tournament.
Pioneers beat Post 71
The Zig Drywall Pioneers started off Saturday's triangular with a five-run home victory against the Post 71 Eagles (6-11).
“That inning we fought back after we gave up two runs played a big part in it,” said Levi Lasher, the winning pitcher.
Post 348 built a 3-0 lead through five innings, but saw Arlington score two runs in the top of the sixth frame. Blaine Vogt hit the ball deep into right field to score Kaden Pittman before Darren Olson pulled his Eagles within 3-2 with another swing.
“We knew that we didn't want them to think they were back in it,” Hallberg said of Fort Calhoun's mindset going into the bottom half. “So, that next inning, we went out and just did the business.”
Alex Christensen, Andrew Namuth and Declyn Otte loaded the bases to start. Otte reached with a bunt single down the third-base line, setting up Hallberg — an infielder who made a rare start in centerfield.
“I knew that (Vogt) was going to try to throw strikes,” Hallberg said. “He didn't want to walk someone in. So, basically, I was just looking for the fastball down the middle.”
When he found a pitch he liked, the Pioneer cleared the bases with a deep hit over Olson's head in left field. He reached third on the multi-base hit, pushing his home squad's lead to 6-2. Kenny Wellwood's bunt then pushed that lead to five — the final margin.
Arlington's Killian McIntosh reached base during the top of the seventh inning, but Lasher induced the final three outs for the win. He said the game's 10 a.m. start time posed a unique challenge.
“I definitely had to adjust,” Lasher said. “I was sleeping when I got here, basically. It took me awhile to wake up.”
About 20 pitches into his pregame bullpen session, though, the right-hander found what he needed to earn the win.
Eagles slugger Denker gave the Pioneer kudos.
“Give him credit,” he said. “He mixed timing well.”
Bears win by run-rule
In the second game of the triangular, the Blair Senior Legion baseball team played and won its first of the day in Fort Calhoun. The Post 154 Bears scored two first-inning runs against Arlington and never looked back, winning 8-0 in six innings.
Chavez-Lara approved of his team's approach.
“Scoring the first few innings, and just doing that and adding to it each inning,” he said.
Even in defeat, though, Denker credited his Eagles for a better showing.
“We played a lot better the second game,” he said, complimenting his team's effort against Blair starter Bo Nielsen. “The quality of our (at-bats) was better. I thought we had more lineouts.”
Blair's Greyson Kay struck first against Post 71 starter Tyler Ott, though, doubling into the outfield and scoring Brady Brown, who'd hit a first-pitch single and stolen second base. Kay scored on a passed ball later, too, giving the Bears a two-run advantage.
Coach Bilslend's team doubled its lead during the second inning when Nielsen and Brown added RBIs. Chavez-Lara then scored in the bottom of the fourth frame before plating a run in the fifth as Post 154 pushed its lead to 6-0.
Finally, during the sixth frame, Blair substitutes Jake Gaskill and Lucas Matejka pushed across the seventh and eighth runs to close out the game by run-rule.
Denker said his Arlington squad wasn't its best during the 0-2 day in Fort Calhoun, but that it'll be ready for Area Tournament play at Mount Michael.
“We'll get it going by Area,” he said.
Calhoun prevails against Blair
In earning its 15th win of the summer, Fort Calhoun also handed Blair just its fourth loss.
“I think we just played really good team baseball,” Halford said. “We all started hitting there. Got a few bunts down.”
It did the trick.
“That's how you win games, I guess,” Halford said.
The Zig Drywall Pioneers earned their early, 5-0 lead with two runs during the first inning and three more in the second. First, Hallberg and Wellwood reached base against Blair starting pitcher Tanner Jacobson.
Hallberg later scored on a passed ball, sliding in safe, before Wellwood did the same on a squeeze-bunt play executed with Sam Halford doing the bat work.
“I would rather hit, but it was fine,” Halford said.
In the second inning, Chase Premer and Alex Christensen reached before Hallberg's two-out, two-RBI double to deep left field. Wellwood added his own RBI single afterward for the five-run lead.
Nate Wachter and Jacobson reached base for Blair to start the fourth before the Bears pulled within four runs on Chavez-Lara's groundout.
Post 154 then made its biggest offensive push of the game during the top of the sixth inning. Jacobson walked and Elijah Morgan beat a throw to first base, setting up another Chavez-Lara RBI swing. His single plated two more runs.
“After I hit that — scored those two runs — I'm like, 'Here we come,'” the infielder said. “'Here comes the comeback.'”
Now within 5-3, the Bears' Connor O'Neil singled again in the sixth. Fort Calhoun thwarted the threat, however, securing a double play ball to end the inning.
The Pioneers responded offensively, too, with Premer reaching base and Alex Christensen knocking him in with a single just over Chavez-Lara's glove at second base. The tally extended the home team's lead back out to three runs, 6-3.
Wachter knocked in Kay to again pull Post 154 within two runs during the seventh inning, but — a mound visit by coach Wellwood and a pop out later — Otte claimed the complete game pitching win.
“Not really anything special,” the pitcher said when asked about Fort Calhoun's strategy against the Bears. “Just throw it in the zone. Let them hit and let our defense work, and it worked pretty well.”
The plan paid off in a 2-0 Saturday.
Fort Calhoun, Arlington play games
Leading up to the county triangular, Fort Calhoun and Arlington both played games.
Zig Drywall face Omaha Gross and Louisville-Weeping Water, beating Gross 8-7 on July 12 before a 16-7 victory at Louisville on Thursday.
Halford had three RBIs during the one-run home win, while Wellwood plated two more more teammates. Hallberg claimed the pitching win even with Gross rallying with five runs during the top of the seventh inning.
On the road at Louisville, Hallberg, Sam Genoways, Carter Christensen and Premer combined for nine hits and nine RBIs.
Arlington, meanwhile, lost a 14-13 game at Waterloo-Valley on Thursday. The Eagles — fresh off of a long break in-between games — trailed 6-0 early, cut their disadvantage to one run and took a 13-6 lead with an eight-run top of the seventh inning.
Post 71, however, couldn't hold onto the lead as the Wingnuts produced their own eight-run frame during the bottom half.
SENIOR LEGION LINE SCORES
Saturday
Fort Calhoun 6, Blair 4
BLAIR (27-4) 0 0 0 1 0 2 1 — 4
FC (15-13-1) 2 3 0 0 0 1 X — 6
Blair 8, Arlington 0, 6 inn.
ARLO (6-11) 0 0 0 0 0 0 — 0
BLAIR (27-3) 2 2 0 1 1 2 — 8
Fort Calhoun 7, Arlington 2
ARLO (6-10) 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 — 2
FC (14-13-1) 1 1 0 0 1 4 X — 7
Thursday
Fort Calhoun 16, Louisville-Weeping Water 7
FC (13-13-1) 1 2 0 0 5 6 2 — 16
LWW 2 0 2 1 0 2 0 — 7
Waterloo-Valley 14, Arlington 13
ARLO (6-9) 0 0 1 2 2 0 8 — 13
WV 3 3 0 0 0 0 8 — 14
July 12
Fort Calhoun 8, Omaha Gross 7
OG 0 0 0 1 0 1 5 — 7
FC (12-13-1) 0 0 1 3 2 2 X — 8
