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Post #17 seniors split DH with Laramie

Wakefield's RBI-single in 7th gives Sidney 2-1 win

By the time Keaton Wakefield stepped to the plate in the bottom of the seventh inning of a tie game in the second game of a doubleheader at Legion Field on Sunday, it had already been a long afternoon for the Sidney American Legion seniors.

After one ugly inning cost Sidney the opener against the Laramie Rangers, 9-3, Wakefield capped off a late-inning rally by ripping a double to bring home Brett Jaggers with the gam- winning run for the 2-1 win in the nightcap.

With the doubleheader split, the seniors record stands now 7-9 on the year that includes wins in six of their last 10. Ben Goble, who came on the sixth inning and threw two shutout innings, picked up the win.

"I don't throw as fast as the other pitchers on the team, but I was hitting my spots," Goble said. "They're used to faster pitching and it looked like they were swinging way early on a lot of pitches."

Jason Hagerman started the game and went five strong innings in which he yielded one run on four hits with a pair of walks. Though Goble surrendered three consecutive one-out singles in the sixth, he wriggled out of trouble by inducing a flyout to left and an unassisted putout to third baseman Jake Heeren.

"You know when you put Haggerman and Goble on the mound, they're going to give 100 percent and they're going to throw strikes and put it on the defense. And that's where it should be," said Sidney head coach Ray Witt.

In the opener, Sidney battled the Rangers for five innings before two errors to open the sixth foiled any chances it had of victory. Despite already being undone by two unearned runs in the fifth, the locals had battled Laramie in a tight contest for much of the way.

Bradey Holtz took the loss though just one of his three runs against was earned over his 4 2/3 innings. Holtz was removed in favor of Lane Harvey, who was victimized by six unearned runs over his 1 1/3 innings of relief. Goble pitched a scoreless seventh.

Sidney was boosted in its doubleheader split with the addition of Harvey to the lineup. He proved to be the hitting star in the opener when he slammed a two-run homer over the left-field fence to forge a short-lived 3-3 tie in the fifth inning of game one.

"I knew I pieced it out pretty well," said Harvey of his long ball. "I didn't know when I hit it that is was going to be enough with the wind blowing in a little. When I rounded second, I saw it go. He left it up and in where I like it and I just turned on it."

Harvey's blow was the second time Sidney had come from behind to tie the game. After the Rangers tallied a run in the first, Sidney mounted a two-out rally in its half of the inning. Harvey, Jake Heeren and Kyle Burton walked in three consecutive at bats. Harvey was then sent home on a sharp single to left by Connor Langrell.

In game two, Hagerman and Kasey Bernanski battled each other on the mound all game. The Rangers plated a single run in the fourth and Sidney matched them with one in the bottom of the sixth. With Cameron Campbell on for Laramie in the sixth, Sidney scored its run with some small ball. Wakefield led off with a walk and Holtz followed with a bunt single before Harvey drove in Wakefield on a force.

In the decisive seventh, Jaggers reached first after drawing four straight balls with one out. Witt then went with pinch hitter Garrett Langrell for a key assignment.

Langrell was brought in to lay down a sacrifice but, which he executed perfectly. He pushed the second pitch he saw down the first-base line to send Jaggers to second. Wakefield did the rest with a hard shot to center as the next batter.

"I just wanted to hit the ball," Wakefield said. "I was looking for one down the middle and it worked out perfectly."

Sidney is back in action on Monday with a junior-senior doubleheader at McCook. The juniors will start the action at 4 p.m. CDT.

SENIOR BOXES

Laramie (Wyo.) 9, Sidney 3

Laramie 100 026 0 – 9 10 0

Sidney 100 020 0 – 3 2 3

Laramie: Joe Legerski, Marshall Stuart (3), Cameron Campbell (6) and Kasey Bernanski. Sidney: Bradey Holtz, Lane Harvey (5), Ben Goble (7) and Arik Doty.

2B: Harrison Yates (L), Kasey Bernanski (L).

Sidney 2, Laramie (Wyo.) 1

Laramie 000 100 0 – 1 7 1

Sidney 000 001 1 – 2 5 0

Laramie: Kasey Bernanski and Marshall Stuart (3), Cameron Campbell (6) and Albert Steiner. Sidney: Jason Hagerman, Ben Goble (6) and Arik Doty.

2B: Wakefield (S), Joe Legerski (L), Albert Steiner (L).

 

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