Post 348 Junior Legion baserunner Jordan Back slid across home plate, got back to his feet and reared back for a painful-looking low-five with teammate Carter Christensen.
The Fort Calhoun baseball players' celebration befit the the 13-5 Tuesday night home win against Yutan, though. The Junior Pioneers scored nine first-inning runs and ended the game by run rule when Owen Newbold scored on a fifth-inning wild pitch.
The Fort Calhoun Senior Legion baseball team, meanwhile, exited its dugout in disappointment after the 3-2 loss that followed. Pitchers Jake Seina, Ty Hallberg and Tylan Conner combined for 15 strikeouts, but they couldn't prevent the Pioneers' first loss in seven games. Coach Brandon Wynn's team is 6-3 through nine this season.
Yutan started Tuesday's nightcap with three runs as it sprinkled during the first inning. Seina struck out three during the top half, but he also walked four batters with the first run scoring on an error behind him.
From there, though, he and his fellow pitchers kept their visitors in check. Post 348's offense just couldn't do enough to pick up win No. 7.
The Pioneers scored their lone runs on a single swing. With one out during the fourth frame, Conner hit an RBI triple, plating Seina who'd reached base to lead off the inning. As the batter slid into third base, Yutan's throw from the outfield to the bag bounced and left the field of play, allowing the second Fort Calhoun run to score.
From there, Dillon Dierks notched a fifth inning hit, and Justin Myer — who was replaced on the basepath by Avery Quinlan — Conner and Tristan Fuhrman loaded the bases in the sixth. A Yutan double play ended that threat, however.
Finally, during the bottom of the seventh inning, Yutan secured its one-run victory with a 1-2-3 frame. The Pioneers popped out, grounded out and popped out again to close out the game — their first loss since May 20.
The Post 348 Seniors next play Saturday during a one-day, four-team tourney on its home field. Play begins at 10:30 a.m. with the Pioneers set to start at 1 p.m.
