Legion Seniors Win Home Opener 11-3

Sidney's American Legion Post 17 Senior baseball team opened its home schedule on Wednesday night at Legion Field by defeating the Bridgeport Post 29 Bombers 11-to-3. This marks Sidney's third win over the Bombers, a team that they will face many more times before the season ends.

The Junior teams played prior to the senior contest, with Sindey's Luke Kasten taking the mound and making quick work of the top of the Bombers lineup, retiring the side in order on two groundouts and a fly out. Sidney's offense jumped on starter KJ Bush, with Kasten leading off with a single, followed by two walks and passed balls mixed in, Sidney was quickly up 1-to-0. Bridgeport made an early pitching change, swapping Bush for Kolton Kriha, who entered into a situation with runners on first and third with no outs. Dietrich Lecher dropped a single into shallow right field to give Sidney a 2-to-0 advantage. With runners on first and third, Ben Hashman hit a grounder to shortstop for an out on second, but Hashman was also called out for runner's interference by Lecher for blocking the attempt at a double play. The runner from third did score on the play making the score 3-to-0, followed by a Micah Schneider groundout to end the inning.

Kasten continued his dominance in the top of the second inning, changing speeds and locations and keeping the Bombers off-balance and off the scoreboard for another inning. Sidney's offense continued to put runners on base, using a bloop hit and a string of walks to score another run to take a 4-to-0 lead.

Bridgeport then brought in left handed pitcher Alex Barnette who was able to strike out Lecher to end the inning without further damage. Kasten went out in the top of the third and notched two more strikeouts, gave up a base hit, followed by another strikeout to again stop the Bombers. Bridgeport's Barnette followed suit in the bottom of the frame, as Sidney went down in order unable to figure out the lefty's pitches. Kasten again made quick work of the Bombers, setting down the visitors in order and clearly in command of his pitches.

Both pitchers traded impressive innings, giving up no runs and allowing very few baserunners until the bottom of the fifth when walks and poor defense opened the floodgates, resulting in four more Sidney runs and a mercy rule stoppage of the game. Jacob Dowse led off with a walk, then took second base on a passed ball. After Nolan Hofrock beat out a grounder for an infield single, on ball four to Lecher, the pitch got past the catcher and scored a run from third base, and after a bad throw trying to get Lecher out at second, another runner passed home plate make the score 6-to-0. Bridgeport then brought in Levi Wyerts to relieve Barnette, only to have Hashman walk to put runners on first and second with no outs. Schneider then hit a high fly to center field and Bridgeport's Drew Henke misplayed the ball, letting it drop in to score another Sidney run. Sawyer Dickman drew a walk to again load the bases, and Jaeden Dillehay followed with another walk, bringing in the eighth run to end the game in the bottom of the fifth 8-to-0.

The Seniors then went to work against a Bridgeport team they had already beaten 12-to-0 and 14-to-4, and Grant Campbell took the mound to start the game. The temperature went from cool to chilly as the game started, and temperatures continued to drop as the sun went down. Bridgeport's Dawson Kriha started the inning with a hard-hit single, and after Kort Dye hit a ground ball comebacker to the pitcher, Campbell uncorked a bad throw to second base resulting in runners on first and second with no outs to start the game. After a flyout to right field moved the runner from second to third, Sidney catcher Isaak Glanz tried to pick off Kriha at third and third basman Jackson Witte was unable to handle the throw, scoring Kriha to make the score 1-to-0 for the visitors. Brandon Neiger then flied out to end the inning.

Neiger then went out at the bottom of the first to take on the starting pitching duties for the Bombers, and gave up a lead off base hit to Zach Holtz. Holtz stole second base, and was able to score on an Isaak Glanz single to centerfield to tie the score 1-to-1. Again the Bombers defense failed when after a strikeout, Tommy Ellwanger hit a long fly ball that was dropped by the centerfielder, turning the third out into another run. Bridgeport started the second inning down 2-to-1, but Josh Kruse was hit by a Campbell pitch to start the inning with a baserunner. But a strikeout on a called third strike, a fielder's choice that eliminated the lead runner, and another strikeout kept the visitors scoreless.

Again the top of the inning started badly for Bridgeport, with another walk and a hit batter giving Sidney runners on first and second with no outs. Campbell sacrificed the runners over to second and third, followed by a Zach Holtz groundout that scored the runner form third to make the score 3-to-1. The runner advanced from second to third on Holtz's groundout, so when Neiger uncorked a wild pitch when facing Lenzen, another run scored giving Sidney a 4-to-1 lead. Lenzen then drove a deep fly that was caught as the left fielder was falling down to end the inning. A walk and a base hit got Campbell into trouble in the top of the third, and after issuing a walk to load the bases, Campbell gave up a base hit on a liner that went over third baseman Jackson Witte's head, scoring two runs to trim the Sidney lead to 4-to-3. Kolton Krinah then popped out in foul territory to end the inning. The bottom of the third started with Glanz getting hit by a pitch, then pinch runner Junior Lucero entered the game to run for Glanz. Witte then blasted a long drive to left center field that was tracked down and caught, but Lucero misread the ball and was between second and third when the catch was made. Lucero was then doubled up trying to get back to first base for the second out. Ellwanger then struck out to end the inning.

Bridgeport then returned the favor with a baserunning blunder of their own in the fourth inning. With Barnette on first base and one out Dawson Kriha hit a liner into the gap between right and centerfield, but Barnette stopped at second base after starting towards third, leaving Kriha trapped between first and second, and he was thrown out trying to get back to first base for the second out. Campbell had then hit his pitch limit, and he was replaced by Kyler Lenzen with two outs and a man on second. Lenzen walked the first batter he faced, then a dribbler towards third base turned into an infield single for Bridgeport's Jake Wallesen and loaded the bases. But Lenzen settled down and found his command, striking out Brandon Collins on a called third strike to end the inning and strand three runners. Sidney was able to score another run in the bottom of the inning on a Zach Holtz RBI single after Bridgeport brought in Jake Wallesen to pitch in relief of Neiger.

As the sun dropped and the temperature dipped into the 30's, Lenzen heated up and after giving up a leadoff walk, retired the next three batters in order, racking up another two strikeouts. Sidney added on two more runs in the bottom of the fifth with Jackson Witte and Sam Hashman picking up an RBI each to make the score 7-to-3 for Sidney. Lenzen faced four batters in the sixth inning, giving up a harmless walk to Kort Dye, to again make quick work of the visitors. Sidney then put the Bombers away in the bottom of the sixth, starting with Dylan Nielson getting hit by a pitch to start the inning. Nielson then stole second, followed by a Holtz infield single and a bad throw that scored Nielson and advanced Holtz to second. Holtz then stole third, and an error on the catcher's throw allowed Holtz to score easily, bring the score to 9-to-3. With no outs, Sidney was in position to deliver a knockout punch, and after Lenzen scored on a Witte double, Sam Hashman delivered the game winning hit to centerfield, scoring Witte from second base to give Sidney an eight run lead, ending the game 11-to-3 via run-rule.

Sidney scored 11 runs on 13 hits and left six runners on base while committing two errors. Bridgeport scored three runs on six hits and left nine runners on base while committing five errors. Zach Holtz went 3-for-3 and Sam Hashman went 3-for-4 with two RBI's for Sidney. Grant Campbell got the win for Sidney with 3.2 innings pitched and four strikeouts. Kyle Lenzen pitched 2.1 innings and also had four strikeouts on the night. Sidney was next scheduled to face Ogallala at Legion Field on Thursday at 5 pm.