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RUSHVILLE — Hartington Post 4 Seniors took an early exit from the 2023 Nebraska Class C Senior American Legion Baseball Tournament with an 8-0 loss in six innings to Chick-fil-A (Lincoln Lutheran) in an elimination game Sunday afternoon at Modisett Park here.
Hartington managed a single hit in the elimination game with Lincoln Lutheran, but Post 4 skipper Don Whitmire took the high road in seeing some good things out of his young team.
“We threw some kids into the fire out here for the most part,” Whitmire said. “I was happy with the way they responded in getting some things done despite the outcome of the games.”
Hartington could only manage one hit against Chick-fil-A starting pitcher Ryan Bokelman who went the distance, six innings, allowing one hit, and no runs while sitting down 13 Hartington batters on strikeouts in the game shortened by the 8-run rule.
Breiton Whitmire got the only hit of the game for Post 4 with a two-out single in the top of the third inning, but one of the 13 strikeouts followed and Whitmire was left standing on first base.
Koby Detlefsen worked a couple of walks in the game and Carson Arens earned a free pass in the top of the fifth with two outs, but the Hartington bats never came to life as Post 4 was eliminated from the tourney.
“There’s a fine line between winning and losing when you get to the state level,” Whitmire said. “We needed a break here and there and some good luck to get us by, we got neither.”
The disappointment of the showing in Rushville was short-lived, Whitmire and company know the age of the team returning next season and like what they have coming back.
“Our Juniors are still hungry, they didn’t get to state, but a lot of them played out here and can’t wait for next year,” the coach said. “They liked the big stage and can’t wait to put in the work to get back next summer.”
In the first round at state, Hartington watched a lead slip away to end up in the elimination game which ultimately, got them eliminated.
“That was a kick in the gut,” Whitmire said. “We were cruising along and things went the wrong direction, that’s what happens at a state tournament, you need to keep on your best game no matter what.”
A six-run sixth inning by the Gordon-Rushville Security First Regulators spelled a 12-10 loss for the Hartington Post 4 Seniors in the opening round.
Post 4 was sailing along, grabbing a 2-1 lead after the first inning, pushing the advantage to 6-3 at the end of three, but the hosts proved inhospitable by posting six big runs in that sixth frame.
“That’s the part that keeps you awake at night, a play here, a strikeout there, we win that first game and it’s a completely different tournament for us,” Whitmire said. “I feel awful for our guys that won’t be back - they earned the right to play here, now it’s time to move on, I guess.”
After the Regulators went up in the top of the sixth frame, Post 4 stayed alive with runs in the bottom of the inning.
Hartington countered with three runs of its own in the bottom of the sixth on three walks and three singles to tie the score 10-10 going into the final inning.
Koby Detlefsen walked and after a strikeout, Brady Hochstein singled.
Jared Rutar walked to load the bases then Jaelen Lammers worked a base on balls to chase in Detlefsen.
A Breiton Whitmire single to right field scored Hochstein.
Another single, this one by Dylan Taylor up the middle, sent Rutar home but Lammers was thrown out at the plate to end the threat.
“I’m very proud of these guys, they really came on the last half of the season,” Whitmire said. “The true Seniors on this team really taught the younger guys how to win and how to be great people - they are going to be missed and we thank them for setting the bar so high - we all want to get back to this place - state.”
H 000 000 X - 0 1 0 LL 302 102 X - 8 13 0 WP: R. Bokelman LP: Dylan Taylor. 2B: Dawes, Tarzian, Bokelman, May, Oerman (LL). GR 102 016 2 - 12 10 0 H 213 013 0 - 10 10 2 WP: McDonald LP: Dan Puppe. 2B: Dan Puppe, Brady Hochstein (H); Stouffer (2), Freeseman, Walking (GR). 3B: Freeseman (GR).
