The Fort Calhoun Senior Legion baseball team played three tight games across just two days at Elkhorn Mount Michael during the start of the Mike Collins Memorial Tournament.
Coach Jerry Wellwood's Zig Drywall lineup went 1-2 in those Friday and Saturday matchups, advancing onto Sunday's play with a 12-11 overall record. It's final results from Mount Michael will appear in this Friday's Washington County Enterprise edition.
Notably, Post 348 started Mike Collins play Friday with a 1-1 split. After a one-run loss to Seward, Zig Drywall beat its host, ETC Knights Black, 2-0 in nine innings.
Pitcher Declyn Otte started a 10-strikeout performance with back-to-back Ks to begin the bottom of the first inning. He'd throw seven complete against the Knights, but did not earn a decision as the first tournament day's nightcap went into extra frames.
Finally, during the ninth inning, AJ Duros and Nathan Kramer joined Colin Bolay on base to load them for Sam Genoways. The infielder delivered an RBI single from there, breaking the 0-0 stalemate. JT Mlnarik walked in another run next for a 2-0 lead before he also closed the game out on the mound, though the Knights did load the bases.
While the Mount Michael team couldn't put together a comeback in the last game of the night, Fort Calhoun couldn't in the game before it. Trailing 3-1 after Seward's three-run top of the fourth, Coach Wellwood's team scored once in the sixth, but not again, falling 3-2.
Genoways hit an infield single to start the bottom of the sixth inning before Mlnarik reached base on an error. After a Seward pitching change, Alex Christensen tallied an RBI by sacrifice fly.
Now down just one run, though, Zig Drywall couldn't plate the tying run during the seventh frame. Charlie Boumstein drew a one-out walk and stole second base, but he was left stranded after a strikeout and a groundout.
The tournament continued Saturday with Fort Calhoun dropping a 5-4 game against Gretna East Gold. The Seniors rallied during the top of the sixth inning with four runs, evening the score before the Griffs plated the game-winner during the bottom half.
Christensen, Boumstein and Chase Premer all pushed across runs in defeat.
On June 25, the Zig Drywall Seniors beat Syracuse 9-8 when Mlnarik notched a two-out, two-RBI single during the top of the seventh inning. Genoways and Otte scored on the hit after reaching on an error and a two-out single, respectively.
Altogether, Premer led Calhoun with three hits and an RBI. Duros, Kramer, Bolay, Logan Schwab and Boumstein plated runs, too. Bolay, notably, homered.
Mlnarik notched the pitching win, too, striking out five batters across the last two innings.
Juniors host tourney
With the Seniors on the road for the weekend, the Fort Calhoun Juniors hosted their own tournament, starting it with a 2-0 record on Friday and Saturday.
Post 348 opened competition against JV War Dogs EAA, securing a 17-4 win. The home squad built its advantage with a 12-run fourth inning, using patience to draw bases-loaded walks to get it started.
Rocco Ruma then highlighted the 3-1 Saturday win against the Waterloo-Valley Wingnuts with a first-inning home run. He and Fort Calhoun were scheduled to play again Sunday with results to be published in this Friday's Enterprise.
Before the homestand, the Fort Calhoun Juniors lost at Syracuse on June 25, 10-7. Ruma led Post 348 in defeat, going 2-for-3 with a grand slam.
ZIG DRYWALL SENIOR LINE SCORES
Saturday
Gretna East Gold 5, Fort Calhoun 4, 6 inn.
FC (12-11) 0 0 0 0 0 4 — 4
GE 0 1 1 2 0 1 — 5
Friday
Fort Calhoun 2, ETC Knights Black 0, 9 inn.
FC (12-10) 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 — 2
ETCB 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 — 0
Seward 3, Fort Calhoun 2
SEW 0 0 0 3 0 0 0 — 3
FC (11-10) 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 — 2
June 25
Fort Calhoun 9, Syracuse 8
FC (11-9) 0 0 1 0 3 3 2 — 9
SYR 1 1 0 0 0 6 0 — 8
