The Arlington Senior Legion baseball team won a road tournament over Memorial Day weekend, but fell at Battle Creek on Tuesday, 11-9.
The loss dropped the Eagles to 2-3 this season with every win and loss coming away from the Washington County Fairgrounds.
The Juniors team, meanwhile, lost to Battle Creek 13-10.
Eagles win Valley tourney
Braden Rump almost went the distance May 28 against Waterloo/Valley.
The Arlington Senior Legion pitcher threw 6 2/3 innings to open the Valley tourney with a 5-3 victory, but fell short of a complete game due to his pitch count. When coach Ed Menking visited the mound with an out to go, Rump jumped up and down in frustration before breaking out into a jog to his new spot in the outfield.
“You want that next guy, especially as a clean-up guy,” the left-hander said. “You want to attack and attack, and just finish out the game. It really sucks kind of having that 6.2 (innings pitched) on it when it could be seven, but I'll take the win, too.”
The victory was the Post 71 Eagles' first of the summer season, and the first of two during a 2-1 tourney effort which earned them a championship plaque. The road team jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the opener and held onto the win behind Rump's efforts.
Arlington scored its first run during the first inning with Josh Miller crossing home plate. He scored after a Waterloo/Valley infielder and outfielder collided going after the ball in shallow centerfield.
The Eagles added to its lead with three runs during the top of the third frame. Nick Smith hit a two-RBI single to right field before Trevor Denker score on a Valley balk.
Post 71's lead shrank to 4-3 as the game went on, but Smith's seventh-inning RBI double added some cushion as Rump trotted out for the seventh. The starter notched two outs before Miller stepped in to get the third, which he did by strikeout.
The win was Rump's first in an Arlington uniform since last summer. The 2020 AHS graduate is back home after his freshman season at Nebraska Wesleyan.
“Being a fifth year, it's going to be the most fun year,” the pitcher said. “It's turning out to be that right now.”
The Eagles followed up their Friday win with a 1-1 showing over the next two days. A team from Elmwood beat them 4-3 Saturday before a 9-1 Arlington win against Lincoln Lutheran on Sunday.
Elmwood scored three sixth-inning runs to come back and beat Post 71 despite two hits by Tanner Pittman. Cooper Hilgenkamp knocked in a run.
Then, against Lincoln Lutheran, Barrett Nielsen pitched all five innings, striking out three. Pittman — the tournament MVP — hit 2-for-3 with a double and triple, while Smith was 2-for-2.
