The Blair Senior Legion baseball team played a doubleheader Saturday night at Vets Field.
It's opponent?
The Post 2 Jets from Fargo, N.D.
“I like the competition of it,” said the first game's starting pitcher, Owen Mann. “I like seeing new people.”
Post 154 swept the Jets in the end, outscoring their out-of-state visitors 9-4. The Seniors are 10-4 overall.
In Saturday's first game, Mann earned the win in a 3-2 pitcher's duel. Fargo never led, scoring once in the second inning and once more in the sixth.
It was a warm night to start, but Mann said it didn't have too much affect on him as he threw to catcher Andrew Smutny from the mound
“Just a lot of strikes,” the right-hander said of his goal for the game against an unfamiliar opponent. “Make them make contact.”
Blair made its own contact at the plate, too, scoring two runs during the bottom of the second inning and one more during the fifth for the win. Brevin Leggott doubled to lead off the bottom of the opening frame before Nelson Kosch walked and Smutny produced a 1-0 home lead with a sacrifice fly.
Lucas Matejka singled next, setting up Hans Sorensen, who pushed the Post 154 lead out to 2-0 with a single.
Kosch and Smutny reached base during the fifth inning, too, before Matejka hit another single for what turned out to be the decisive run.
Carter Saylor stepped onto the mound late in the game for Blair, closing it out before the teams played their nightcap — a game Post 154 won, 6-2. Fargo loaded the bases during the final inning, but Brock Hamm induced a game-ending popout for the victory.
Coach James Bilslend's team next faces Ashland on Tuesday. The road game tentatively begins at 7:30 p.m. at Jack Anderson Ball Park.
Blair plays Wingnuts, Scottsbluff
Post 154 played June 11 and Friday, too, splitting home games with Waterloo-Valley and Scottsbluff's Westco Zephyrs.
Blair bested Waterloo-Valley at home first, 3-1. All four of the game's runs were scored during the first two innings with Post 154 producing a three-run bottom of the second frame.
Colton Flynn was 3-for-3 for the game with two RBIs, while Leggott went 2-for-3 with an RBI, too. Nathan Murray and Smutny had Blair's other two hits.
Aiden McBreen claimed the Post 154 pitching win, striking out nine batters across 6 2/3 innings.
Against Scottsbluff, though, the home team's late rally came up short. Blair scored five runs across the last two innings, but still fell 7-6. Westco Zephyrs had jumped out to a 7-1 lead through four frames and held on late.
Matejka led Post 154 with two RBIs during the loss, while Sorensen, Max Rump, Mann and Saylor notched one apiece. McBreen and Rump matched Matejka's team-best two hits, too.
POST 154 SENIOR LEGION LINE SCORES
Saturday
Blair 6, Fargo 2
Line score unavailable. BLAIR (10-4).
Blair 3, Fargo 2
FARGO 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 — 2
BLAIR (9-4) 2 0 0 0 1 0 X — 3
Friday
Scottsbluff 7, Blair 6
SCOTT 2 0 1 4 0 0 0 — 7 5 0
BLAIR (8-4) 1 0 0 0 0 1 4 — 6 8 1
June 11
Blair 3, Waterloo-Valley 1
WV 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 — 1 7 1
BLAIR (8-3) 0 3 0 0 0 0 X — 3 7 1
