Juniors post a 2-1 record on the week
HARTINGTON — After getting a forfeit from Arlington, the Hartington Post 4 Junior American Legion baseball team traveled to Plainview for the Plainview roundrobin wooden bat baseball tournament.
Post 4 split two games in Plainview, defeating Columbus Post 84 Owens Wealth Advisors 8-0 then dropped a pitcher’s duel to Plainview Post 148, 2-1.
In the game with Plainview, pitching was dominant by both sides in the low scoring affair.
Easton Hochstein took the tough-luck loss on the mound for Post 4 despite working four quality innings where he struck out eight, allowed just two hits and two runs and walked just one batter.
Unfortunately, Kohen Lingenfelter was on the hill for Plainview and hurled seven innings and allowed just three hits and kept the Hartington bats relatively quiet the entire game.
“They threw strikes and made the plays,” Hartington manager, Don Whitmire said. “We hit the ball right at them the whole game and couldn’t get that big inning, they had a timely two out hit and a passed ball and that was enough.”
In fact, Post 4’s lone run came in the sixth inning after Breiton Whitmire doubled to right field to open the Hartington half of the inning then stole third and scored on an error by the third baseman.
The only other hits for Hartington in the game belonged to Easton Hochstein and Gavin Klug.
“We play this game called baseball and some nights the ball doesn’t go where you want it and you lose tough ones like this,” Whitmire said.
Earlier on June 22, Post 4 got all the runs Whitmire would need on the mound in the first inning as he threw a complete game, four-hit shutout where he issued only one walk and struck out seven in their win over Columbus Post 84 Owens Wealth Advisor by the 8-0 score.
Whitmire set his own table with a single to open the game then advanced to second on an error by the right fielder on the play.
During the following strikeout, he stole third and was sent home on a ground out by Koby Detlefsen to second base to send Whitmire home.
In the third inning, Whitmire ate at his own table, rapping a single with one out past the shortstop and he advanced to second on another error on the play.
He stole third and was sent home by a Bodie Hochstein single.
The score remained 2-0 until Hartington exploded for six runs in the top of the sixth and what ended up the last inning.
Grady Haberer got the Post inning started with a single past the shortstop then Easton Hochstein tripled on a line drive to right field.
Tate Fischer hit a sacrifice fly to right to get Hochstein home before Keyton Arens smacked a double to center field. Maverick Heine hit a single past the third baseman and Whitmire was back at the plate.
Whitmire rifled a shot up the middle to score Arens and get Heine to third.
Bodie Hochstein hit a line drive into left field to score Heine and Whitmire then Hunter Bensen doubled to left to score Hochstein to get to the 8-0 final score.
The Hartington Post 4 Juniors will finish its regular season with league dates with Hooper-Scribner at Felber Park on June 26 and a trip to Columbus Lakeview on June 27.
Hartington is the No. 2-seed in the upcoming Ralph Bishop League Tournament which gets underway Monday, July 1.
Post 4 is set to take on Crofton. “As long as we keep playing like we have, coming together as a team,” Whitmire said. “I like where we’re headed for the end of the year.”
Plainview Post 148 Juniors defeat Hartington Post 4 Juniors 2-1. H0000010-131 P000200X-241 WP: Kohen Lingenfelter LP: Easton Hochstein. 2B: Breiton Whitmire (H); Z. Frahm (P). Hartington Post 4 Juniors defeat Post 84 Owens Wealth Advisor 17U 8-0. H1010006X-8142 O000000X-042 WP: Breiton Whitmire LP: J. Nelson. 2B: Hunter Bensen, Keyton Arens (H). 3B: Easton Hochstein (H).