Serving proudly since 1873 as the beautiful Nebraska Panhandle's first newspaper
Serving proudly since 1873 as the beautiful Nebraska Panhandle's first newspaper
Sidney heads into district play on Friday as the No. 5 seed against Chadron
Sidney Post 17's Jason Hagerman moves in to field a ball hit to him in right field during Tuesday's doubleheader against Buckley in Chappell.
Bret Jaggers of Sidney Post 17 takes a cut on Tuesday night.
CHAPPELL – Despite being 12 days removed from its last competitive game, the Sidney American Legion senior team quickly shook off the rust Monday night en route to splitting a doubleheader with a strong Buckley team.
As a final tuneup for the Class B, Area 7 District tournament, which will gets underway Friday afternoon at Legion Park, Sidney was edged by the Bombers 5-4 in the opener but came back strong in the nightcap to record a 9-4 win.
Sidney coach Ray Witt decided before the game to use his pitchers in short stints as a sharpener for districts. Lane Harvey took the hill to start the first game and went three innings. Keaton Wakefield then came on for a two-inning workout, and Jake Heeren finished the game.
Kyle Burton hurled the first three innings of the nightcap and was followed by Jason Hagerman for an inning and Zack Means, who finished the contest.
Despite winning the second game, Post #17 lost the services of infielder Arik Doty following his sixth-inning ejection. After having been called out on strikes, Doty drew a line in the dirt with his bat as if to indicate where he thought the proper strike zone was.
According to Nebraska American Legion rules, Doty will be ineligible for the Sidney's next game. The seniors' next scheduled contest is the district opener on Friday against Chadron.
Doty, a sure glove and reliable bat, collected a hit in each game of the twinbill and had a pair of RBIs and a walk in game two.
"We don't know for sure (whether Doty will be back)," said seniors' assistant coach Jaden Sears. "There may be discretion since (Buckley) is not a Legion program. (The umpire) will write a report and then we'll find out."
Added Witt, "I'll get an email probably in the next day or two which will tell me for sure."
Following Doty's ejection, Sidney was forced to play the final 1 1/3 innings with just eight players. Shortstop Lane Harvey covered both shortstop and third base and made two assists while effectively covering the left side of the infield.
"It was pretty fun despite the situation, but we all came together," Harvey said of playing two positions simultaneously. "I don't think I've had to do that before except maybe in whiffle ball."
Despite having just eight fielders behind him for about half of his three innings of work, Means allowed just one run on one hit while surrendering a pair of walks. Means was also the hitting star of game two as he had three of Sidney's eight hits including a long double. The others to get a hit in the nightcap were Connor Langrell, Wakefield and Heeren.
In the opener, Sidney took a short-lived 4-1 lead after collecting three runs in the second and another in the third. The Bombers came right back in their half of the third and plated four runs (three earned) to take the lead for good.
A well-struck single to right by Burton opened up Sidney's second inning, which was followed by a Means double. Burton scored Post #17's first run on a groundout by Langrell for a 1-0 lead.
Later in the frame, Mitch Rolls hit a shot to second that couldn't be handled that scored Means. Hagerman plated another run after he walked and stole second. Hagerman trotted home when a hard-hit ball by Bradey Holtz went through the legs of the Buckley shortstop.
Harvey scored the lone run in the second on an error.
"We're going to go into districts with high spirits," said Hagerman, who is playing out his final year of eligibility in the Sidney baseball program. "This is the first time we've beaten Buckley all year and they're a quality team. It's a nice way for us to go into districts."
Sidney's district opener against second-seeded Chadron is scheduled for 7 p.m. on Friday at Legion Park. Post #17 has been installed as the No. 5 seed in the six-team district. Top-seeded Ogallala will open the tournament on Friday against No. 6 Alliance at 1 p.m., while No. 3 Gering will battle No. 4 Hershland at 4 p.m.
MONDAY'S BOXES
Buckley 5, Sidney 4
Sidney 031 000 0 – 4 7 3
Buckley 014 000 x – 5 6 3
Sidney: Lane Harvey, Keaton Wakefield (4), Jake Heeren (6) and Bradey Holtz. Buckley: Caleb Andersen, Gunnar Kroeger (5) and Rece Coffin.
2B: Zack Means (S).
Sidney 9, Buckley 4
Sidney 104 400 0 – 9 8 3
Buckley 010 200 1 – 4 4 6
Sidney: Kyle Burton, Jason Hagerman (4), Zack Means (5) and Bradey Holtz, Arik Doty (4), Bradey Holtz (6). Buckley: Wyatt Workmann, Chance Dunker (4) and Gunnar Kroeger.
2B: Jake Garnas (B). 3B: Cole McKinley (B).
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