Before a 2-2 weekend spent in Yankton, S.D., for the 19th Annual Lewis & Clark Classic, the Blair Senior Legion baseball team hosted the Millard Sox Gold at Vets Field.
The Bears rallied with two runs during the bottom of the seventh inning, but the visitors pulled out the 5-4 win. The Sox scored three runs across innings four and five, but notched two of their own during the top half of the seventh frame to leave Blair victorious.
Nolan Osterhaus led Post 154 at the plate with two hits, including a triple, while both Matt Burns and Kaden Fletcher knocked in runs.
Coach James Bilslend conserved his pitching staff for South Dakota, throwing starter Tyler Andersen for just 3 1/3 innings. The right-hander allowed just three hits and struck out one. TJ Swaney added three more strikeouts in a losing effort, while Osterhaus stuck out one.
Andersen pitched again Friday, starting out the Bears' 2-2 start in Yankton with a 12-7 win against the Norfolk Seniors. The right-hander struck out four batters before Morgan Rump stepped in and struck out three in the seventh.
Osterhaus led Post 154 with three RBIs in the Lewis & Clark opener, while Kaden Fletcher went 4-for-4. Fletcher and Rump had two RBIs apiece, too.
Later Friday evening, the Bears suffered a 6-5 walk-off loss to Omaha South. The Packers evened the score at 5 with four runs in the fifth inning before winning the game in the eighth with a double.
Osterhaus led Blair in defeat with three hits, including two doubles, while Bo Nielsen notched three RBIs. Swaney and Canton Lippincott combined for eight strikeouts on the hill.
The next day, Saturday, the Bears opened with a 10-3 win against their host — Yankton. Conner O'Neil, Fletcher and Swaney earned two RBIs apiece, while Osterhaus picked up the complete-game pitching win with five strikeouts.
Post 154 then closed out its second day in Yankton with an 11-2 loss to Norfolk — the same team it faced in the opener. The Bears fell behind early and played just five innings in the run-rule loss. Lippincott had two hits and Osterhaus knocked in a run.
Juniors beat Sox Gold
Like the Seniors, the Blair Juniors hosted a Millard Sox Gold team Wednesday, picking up a 7-5 victory. Catcher Joe Rodriguez tallied the go-ahead hit with a 3-2 count during the sixth inning. His single pushed across two runs and gave Post 154 the lead for good.
Nathan Wachter added two RBIs against the Sox, while Kaden Sears led the way with three hits. He also threw five innings with three strikeouts before Blaine Rosenbaum stepped in and picked up the pitching win.
The Bears are 7-1.
