Post 17 Legion Ball Starts Season

Sidney American Legion Post 17 Junior and Senior Baseball teams had their home openers on Tuesday, May 24, and had their outings ruined by the Gering teams that came into the contests looking in mid-season form.

The Juniors started the action against the B&C Steel team, and fell behind early as Sidney starting pitcher Ryder Bayne had trouble with control, walking two and giving up two singles and a double, allowing four B&C runs to score.

Bayne’s fastball and breaking ball were working well, recording two strikeouts, and a third that was turned into a base runner on a dropped third strike.

B&C starting pitcher Barron Williams took the mound in the bottom of the first and worked around two walks, inducing a fly out, line out and a ground out to keep the Sidney boys scoreless.

This was to be the narrative of the game, with Sidney pitching giving up walks and timely hits, and the B&C team capitalizing. The Gering boys scored three more runs in the second inning, while the Sidney batters struggled to get the bat on the ball. A six run fourth inning finished off the Sidney juniors, and the Gering B&C team notched a 15-to-0 win. Pitcher Barron Williams befuddled the Sidney batter the entire way, notching a no-hitter while scattering six walks in the contest. Sidney did not register an error in the contest.

The Senior boys were up next against the Gering Platte Valley Companies team, and Sidney starting pitcher Micah Schneider opened the game with three strikeouts in first frame for a fast start. Gering starter Dalton Wiese gave up a lead off walk, but recovered to get the next three outs.

Gering scored in the second inning, with Schneider giving up two singles and two walks, putting Gering ahead 3-to-0. Sidney went down in order, all by strikeout, in the second inning. The pitchers dominated for the next few innings, with Schneider locating his fastball and pitching into the fourth inning well while Wiese continued to keep the Sidney batters off balance. In the fifth inning, with Blaine Russell pitching, Gering capitalized on a walk and an error when Wiese drilled a triple to score two runs.

The dam broke and the Gering batters swung away, scoring eight runs in the inning, and taking the 11-to-0 shut out win. Sidney managed two hits and three walks, but no runs in the contest

Sidney had the opportunity to bounce back on Wednesday, as the teams traveled north to Bridgeport to take on the Bombers junior and senior squads. Kyle Jaggers started on the mound for the juniors, pitched well after the offense had given him a 1-to-0 lead at the end of the first inning.. But a dropped strikeout and an error in the outfield gave the Bombers a run to to tie the game at 1-to-1 going into the second inning.

But the Sidney boys responded, as doubles by Tristen Fischer and Kaine Hill plated two runs to give Sidney a 3-to-1 lead. The juniors then kept up the defense and pitching, and tacked on runs to end the contest in a 9-to-1 victory.

In the seniors game, Micah Schneider again pitched well and the Sidney boys were able to open an early 2-to-0 lead. But the Bombers were able to come back late and take a 3-to-2 lead going into the final frame.

Sidney threatened with base runners and no outs, but the Bridgeport squad was able to turn a triple play to end the threat, and hand the Sidney senors a 3-to-2 loss.