Over the past few years, two teams have stood above the rest in Class C American Legion baseball.
Last year, Malcolm kept Dannebrog-Cairo-Boelus from winning its third consecutive senior state title. Their midseason matchup in the June 25 semifinals of the Silver Creek Tournament might have been a preview of a state title showdown about a month from now.
DCB had the upper hand this time around. Taking advantage of three early errors, the squad from central Nebraska jumped out to a 6-0 lead and held on for a 6-4 win over Malcolm.
“I made the biggest error of the game and it cost us two early runs,” Malcolm coach Tanner Soderberg said. “I wanted to run a pick play, but it wasn’t relayed. They stole a base that pitch and we threw the ball around the park. I’m glad it happened in June and not in late July.”
Kellen Fries kept the usually prolific Malcolm lineup off balance through the first four innings, allowing just two hits and no runs.
“Their team is comprised of a lot of second year seniors and legion babies,” Soderberg said. “They have some really quality arms and we faced two of them. They have been playing really good baseball all summer.”
Malcolm did all its scoring in the bottom of the fifth when Cody Sykes led off with an infield single before a walk and an error loaded the bases for Hayden Frank. A sacrifice fly from Frank scored Sykes. Carson Frank hit a double to left field to bring in two more before Derek Erickson brought Frank home on a line drive to right field.
Erickson took the loss for Malcolm. The Coe College commit allowed just three earned runs in three-and-a-third innings before Luke Schmidt came on in relief, allowing no runs and three hits in three-and-two-thirds.
“Derek would be the first to admit he didn’t have his best stuff,” Soderberg said. “Our defense didn’t do him any favors but he will locate better the next time out.
“Luke keeps coming up as a reliable arm. He gave us a chance to make a comeback. He’s been tremendous for us on the mound this summer.”
Malcolm earned a spot in the semifinals with a pair of pool-play wins. The first was a 6-0 shutout over the host team, Twin River. Cody Sykes picked up his fourth win of the summer with a five strikeout performance while Hayden Frank went 2-for-3 at the plate and drove in two runs.
Solid pitching and defense continued for Malcolm in its second game of the tournament with a 4-0 win over Shelby-Osceola-Stromsburg. Carson Frank fanned four Rebels’ batters in two-and-two-thirds before handing things over to Brixon Meyer who earned his second seniors’ win this season.
“Our younger guys – Chase Smith, Brixon Meyer, Owin Little – all chipped in,” Soderberg said. “I wanted to get them time on the mound with the seniors team now so their first time on a seniors mound isn’t in late July.”
Malcolm earned a quality win on June 20 as a three-hit performance by Mason Wisnieski set the stage for a 12-3 victory over Wahoo at Sam Crawford Field. Wisnieski went 3-for-4 with a double and two RBIs while Maddox Meyer fanned five, allowing one hit and no earned runs in four innings of work.
“Our hitters had really good approaches at the plate,” Soderberg said. “Maddox got into a groove on the mound after he figured out the strike zone.”
The Malcolm juniors welcomed the Lincoln Hotel Group juniors for a June 22 doubleheader. Malcolm swept the future Lincoln Standing Bear players, 8-1 and 7-6.
“Standing Bear is a well-coached group,” Soderberg said. “The coaches over there are starting to build their culture and solidify their expectations. The second game was a bit more entertaining than it needed to be.”
The Malcolm seniors (14-4) will host Syracuse (13-11) on June 27 before traveling to Yutan (1-9-1) Wednesday, June 28. The juniors (13-1) play Lincoln East (15-8) June 26 before Tuesday and Wednesday matchups with Syracuse (10-8) and Yutan (4-8-1).
Both the juniors and seniors will play in tournaments in Wakefield this weekend.
“A big week for our baseball program,” Soderberg said. “East earned the top seed in their upcoming area tournament. It’ll be a great game for our guys, and the opportunity to play at Den Hartog field will be nice for our younger guys.
“In Wakefield, we are going to have an opportunity to see Northeast Nebraska competition. We need to gain some traction and get our swagger back as we head north.”
