Sidney shoots down Bombers, 8-6

Once the Buckley Bombers scored four runs in the bottom of the first inning to take a 4-2 lead, Sidney had them right where they wanted.

For the third straight game and fourth time in its last five victories, Post 17 was forced to come from behind. At Chappell's Buckley Field Wednesday night, Post 17 again emerged from an early funk to register an 8-6 win.

Though shaky in the first, Austin Crane recovered to hurl six solid innings and secure the win to advance his record to 3-1. He later added a go-ahead two-run homer to put Sidney ahead to stay.

"After we fought back I settled down and started to throw strikes," Crane said.

Lane Harvey earned the save when he came on with two on and no outs in the seventh to quell a late Buckley rebellion. He recorded three strikeouts mixed around two walks.

Harvey was a big factor offensively as well.

Post 17's record is now 19-9, with just five more games left before the Class B district tournament opens up at Ogallala on July 19. The Sidney senior team will play four games at Legion Field in its Fourth of July Tournament this weekend. The seniors will finish their regular season at Sterling on Wednesday.

Though Colton Onstott got Sidney off on the right foot in the opening frame with his third home run, Buckley quickly erased the visitors advantage with a four spot in the bottom of the inning.

Crane's rough first didn't begin fray until after he retired the first two batters - both of whom grounded out to third baseman Tyson Herrera. But then seven consecutive Buckley hitters reached base, including three via a walk. There were also three singles and a Jesus Hermasillo double.

When the inning was over, Sidney was in a familiar place - a 4-2 deficit.

"The positive side of (falling behind) is that this team is building character," said Coach Mark Onstott who ran the team in Tim Herrera's absence. "They never lose confidence and they believe in eachother."

Sidney recovered one run in the third, when Ty Ottoson reached the keystone sack on an error by the left fielder. He went to third on a wild pitch. Harvey brought him home with a sacrifice fly to the warning track in left.

It was Post 17's fourth inning that put the seniors ahead to stay.

Scott Phillips opened the scoring when drove Austin Pile home on a sacrifice fly to tie the game. Pile had reached first on a walk and then advanced to third when Barrett Browne's drive handcuffed the center fielder.

Crane broke the tie with his two-run home run over the left-feild fence.

"It looked like a beach ball up there," Crane said. "They were yelling and yelling at me from the dugout because I was watching it but I knew it was gone."

Sidney picked up two more runs in the sixth inning on RBI singles from Harvey and Onstott - the same pair that accounted for Sidney's two first-inning runs.

Harvey led off the first with a single before Onstott hit his home run to right-center field.

As for Onstott, he may have begun a trend for Post 17. Up until last Friday no Sidney player had hit a circuit clout in its first 22 games. Put another way, that's homerless in more than 580 at bats. Since then Post 17 has hit five home runs.

In addition to Onstott's two last week, Kane McLaughlin hit a grand slam on Sunday while Crane and Onstott added their two at Chappell. They all came in less than 175 at bats.

"I think we're all starting to figure it out," Onstott said of the team's recent tear.

The juniors gave up seven runs in the first three innings on their way to a 7-2 loss to Buckley in the opener. Though Sidney did not give up a run in the final four innings, it couldn't climb out of its early hole.

Despite losing a lot of at bats due to time at football and basketball camps early in the season, Jake Heeren has emerged as a strong offensive force. Against Buckley Heeren went two-for-four with an RBI and two stolen bases.

Heeren is now hitting .459 on the season with four doubles and nine RBI.

Blake Bayne (walk, run scored and stolen base), Kyle Burton (run scored and two stolen bases) and Jason Hagerman (RBI, walk) picked up singles for Sidney. Skyler Arent, who recently returned from injury, slammed a double.

Keaton Wakefield struck out two in an inning of scoreless refief.

The juniors will not see action again until it hosts the district tournament at Legion Field beginning July 12.

Hershland and Alliance will open the seniors Fourth of July Tournament at Legion Field tonight at 5 p.m. Sidney will play the nightcap against Alliance at 7:30. Hershland will be the opponent Saturday morning and Gordon Sunday morning.

Both weekend starts are 10 a.m. for Sidney. Another game on Sunday afternoon will be determined by seeding.

Before the Sunday game Post 17 will honor its "seniors" - or those players who are in their final year of eligibility. The seniors will be joined on the field by their parents in a ceremony before the Gordon game.