Legion Tournament - Sidney splits first day games

Friday - Burton fans 9, overpowers Gordon in opener

Sidney pounded out 10 runs in their home tournament opener against Gordon. Starting pitcher Kyle Burton needed just one, as he blanked the visitors over four innings.

Sometimes betrayed by wildness, Burton on this afternoon was laser sharp. He struck out two in the first, two more in the third and fourth. In the second he fanned the side, catching Lane Andrews looking. Along the way, Burton allowed just two hits. He did not issue a base on balls.

“I felt really good,” Burton said. “I’m not that consistent, usually. I was just throwing strikes.”

The only run Sidney’s newfound ace needed to claim the win was scored by Colton Onstott, thanks to a first inning golf shot by Scott Phillips.

The swing on a 3-0 count almost got the hard-hitting right fielder in hot water with Post 17’s coaching staff.

“That first hit I had should have been a walk,” Phillips admitted. “I had a take sign, but I just liked the pitch.”

Seven different Sidney players scored runs. Skyler Arent’s single in the bottom of the fourth drove the final two home, securing a 10-run rule victory.

Uneven performance proves costly for Sidney

There was nothing characteristic about Sidney’s 11-10 loss to Torrington on Friday night.

For starters, a coin toss cast Post 17 in the visitor’s role at Legion Park. Perhaps because of that anomaly, the officiating crew allowed the game to continue beyond its two-hour time limit. More damaging to Sidney’s cause, their tight defense committed three errors—two coming in Torrington’s six-run fifth inning.

To cap off an unusual evening, Sidney moved the potential tying run—in the form of Scott Phillips—into scoring position with one down in the sixth, but failed to push him across. And always reliable hurler Travis Garska struggled, allowing nine runs, four of them earned, walking three and fanning just one.

“They say in baseball everyone has a bad day,” Garska mused afterward. “I guess that was mine.”

Sidney showed flashes of their normal composure. Kyle Burton made a deft backhand stop of Bruce Hill’s hot grounder in the third. In the top of that inning, the offense pushed across five runs on hits by Skyler Arent, Keaton Wakefield, Austin Pile and Phillips, as well as a long sacrifice fly by Colton Onstott. The Post 17 backstop collected four RBI on the night.

Otherwise, it was a frustrating affair.

“I don’t know,” Onstott said, trying to explain the proceedings. “I think maybe we took it for granted.”

Linescore

Gordon 0 0 0  0 – 0

Sidney 2 2 2  3 – 10

WP - Burton

LP - Walker

AB R H

Holtz 3b 3 0 1

Pile cf 3 1 2

Onstott c 3 2 1

Phillips rf 3 2 2

Garska ss 1 2 0

Sears 2b 3 1 1

Wakefield lf 1 0 0

Arent 1b 3 1 1

Burton p 1 1 0

2B

Onstott

RBI

Phillips (2), Arent (2), Pile, Onstott, Sears

IP H BB K ER

Burton 4 2 0 9 0

Linescore

Sidney 0 0 5  2 0 3  0 – 10

Torrington 2 0 2  1 6 0  x – 11

WP - Hill

LP - Garska

AB R H

Holtz ss 3 3 0

Pile cf 4 2 2

Onstott c,p 3 1 3

Phillips rf 4 1 2

Garska p, ss 4 0 0

Sears 2b 4 0 2

Burton 3b,c 3 0 0

Doty ph 1 0 0

Arent 1b 4 1 2

Wakefield lf 4 2 2

RBI

Onstott (4), Phillips (2), Pile

IP H BB K ER

Garska 4 5 3 1 4

Onstott 2 1 2 5 1

Sidney Seniors Tournament

Standings

1. Gering

2. Torrington

3. Sidney

4. Buckley

5. Gordon

6. Hershland

Scores

Friday

Sidney 10

Gordon 0

Buckley 8

Hershland 2

Gering 6

Buckley 4

Torrington 11

Sidney 10

Saturday

Gering 17

Hershland 1

Torrington 14

Gordon 6

Sidney 7

Hershland 2

Gering 12

Gordon 1

Torrington 6

Buckley 4

Sunday

Gordon 10

Hershland 8

Sidney 10

Buckley 7

Gering 16

Torrington 6