The ball falls in no-man's land between Tyler Mann (1), Reid Karel (6) and Joel Ketner.
Team members are, from left: (front row) Jared Phillips, Ian Hendrickson, Jacob Bierbaum, Jacob Hain, Austin Luebbe, Tyler Mann and Ben Cochran; and (back row) Coaches J.B. Ketner and Dustin Matlock, Reid Karel, Ben Klenke, Joel Ketner, Jacob Newburn, Thomas Kayton and Coach Hank Newburn.
That Seward was going to state was not in doubt. The question to be decided was blue or yellow.
At the end of the night, it was the Seward American Legion blue team pulling out an 8-6 victory over the Seward American Legion yellow team in the championship game of the Area B4 tournament.
The win gave the Seward blues a berth in the state tournament field. The tournament begins Saturday, July 21, in Chadron.
“When we play (each other), they get excited,” Coach Dustin Matlock said of his blue team. “We didn’t let the pressure get to us, and we made the plays.”
Yellows Coach Joel Brase said his team gave up too many extra outs but still fought to the end.
“That’s what we have done,” he said. “They played better baseball than we did.”
The blue team got on the board first, scoring three runs in the bottom of the first. Jake Hain reached on an error by third baseman Seth Majerus and came around to score on a single to left by Reid Karel. Karel and Ben Klenke, who singled in his at-bat, scored on a double by Jake Newburn for a 3-0 blue lead.
The yellows responded with two in the top of the third. Quade Brees singled, and Chance Stevenson reached on an error by second baseman Ben Cochran, and both moved up a base on a wild pitch by Hain. They both scored on a double by Jesse Rood.
But the blues got the runs back in the bottom of the inning. Klenke walked and later scored on a ground out by Austin Luebbe. Karel singled and scored on a wild pitch before Newburn’s second double.
In the top of the fourth, the yellow team tied the score at 5-5. Cale Wagner singled, followed by a Brees walk and Stevenson reaching on an error to load the bases with one out. Rood walked to drive in a run, and Reimers reached on an error by Karel that scored Brees and Stevenson. Reimers was thrown out trying to advance to second by catcher Klenke.
“We get on base and put pressure on people,” Brase said. “Most don’t make that throw.”
The blues took the lead in the bottom of the fourth. Hain reached on an error and scored on a double by Tyler Mann.
The blues scored another run in the bottom of the fifth when Ketner singled to short, Hain walked and Mann doubled to drive in a run and make the score 7-5.
The yellows responded with a run in the top of the sixth. Brees walked, stole second and advanced to third on a ground out by Stevenson. He scored on a passed ball to make the score 7-6.
The blues put up another run in the bottom of the sixth. Luebbe walked and stole second. Newburn singled, moving Luebbe to third. Bierbaum walked to load the bases, and Luebbe scored when Thomas Kayton grounded to shortstop Adam Caler and beat the throw to first.
The yellows had runners on first and second wtih two outs, and Holtorf flied out to Mann in centerfield to end the game.
“Adam finally gets ahold of one, but it was not quite far enough,” Brase said.
Hain got the win, with Bierbaum pitching the final 3 1/3 innings for the save. Reimers took the loss.
“We made him work too hard,” Brase said.
Reimers struck out six in six innings. Hain finished with four strikeouts, and Bierbaum struck out two.
“Jake (Hain) pitched well and kept us in the game,” Matlock said. “You can always count on Bierbaum to come in and do damage.”
He said the blues were able to get some timely hits and executed everything the coaches asked.
Newburn was 3-4 with two RBIs to lead the blues. Mann, Klenke and Karel had two hits each. No one on the yellow team had more than one hit, although Rood and Caler each doubled. Mann and Newburn each doubled twice for the blues.
Brase, while disappointed with the loss, was pleased with his team’s play this season.
“We had a great season, especially with all freshmen,” he said. “I’m proud of the guys, and good luck to the blues.”
The championship game was the second of the day for the blues, who beat Valparaiso 13-11 in the early game to advance to the final.
A seven-run third inning helped propel Seward to the win, but Matlock said the game was a back-and-forth one.
“We would score, and Valparaiso would come back,” he said. “We kept battling, and everyone picked each other up.”
Karel pitched five innings to get the win. Mann and Klenke pitched in relief, with Klenke getting the save. Luebbe was 4-4 with two RBIs and three runs scored and stole five bases in the game. Hain and Karel had two hits each.
