Legion seniors get a break before season heats back up

After a busy start to the season, the Imperial Legion senior team got a chance to catch its breath over the weekend while the juniors traveled to Overton.
The team started the season with four games in four days, including a home matchup with Hershland June 1.
The seniors had one base runner in each of the first three innings but was unable to bring them around.
Bennett Bauerle started the game pitching for Imperial. Bauerle gave up four walks over the course of the first three innings, but never allowed a runner past second base.
Imperial had its work cut out for it in the fourth inning.
Hershland opened the inning with a single and followed it up with a walk. After a strikeout, Hershland loaded the bases with a walk.
Bauerle stepped up with a strike out before Hershland’s turn at bat ended with a fielder’s choice.
Trevor Peterson gave the seniors the lead with a home run to start off the bottom of the fourth. Imperial’s next three batters were able to make contact, but Mason Wallin was the only other base runner for the Horns.
Hershland made the game interesting, taking advantage of two walks to score two runs in the fifth.
The Horns picked up where Hershland left off. Five hits, including back-to-back doubles by Peterson and Dominic Sis, plus four bases on balls and two batters hit by pitches, plated nine runs for Imperial in the bottom of fifth.
Going into the inning trailing 1-2, the Horn’s nine runs ended the game by run rule.
The Horns outhit Hershland 10-2. Imperial only stranded three runners in the game while Hershland left runners on base.
Peterson said the break between games wasn’t a bad thing for his team.
With some players returning home from college in May and others recovering from injuries, the team needed a little time.
    “They are also a group with good leadership, been together a long time and they can practice productively on their own when the rest of the team is out of town,” Peterson said.
JVs split with Sidney
    The Imperial JV squad split a doubleheader with Sidney Monday.
    A four-run first inning helped Imperial to a 7-4 win in the opening game.
    After lead off batter Camron Lempke scored off Sidney errors, Thomas Reeves drove Gavin Wisnieski and Carson Terryberry home with a double. Reeves soon scored after a stolen base and wild pitch.
    Sidney went scoreless in the first inning, but plated three runs in the second. Sidney started off with a single then walked four times. Two runners advanced to third but didn’t score and one was caught trying to steal third.
    George Colton singled and came around to score for Imperial in the bottom of the inning to give the Horns a 5-2 lead.
    Three Sidney batters made contact in the third inning but Imperia’s defense kept them from scoring.
    Reeves and Westyn Mendenhall singled to lead off the Horns’ half of the inning. Both came around to score. Malachi Christensen and Colton also singled.
    The game’s final run was scored by Sidney’s leadoff batter in the fourth inning.
    Tristan Jablonski struck out four and walked eight.
    Imperial outhit Sidney 7-6 in the second game, but lost the contest 3-4.
    Four scoreless innings started the game. Both teams scored two runs in the fifth inning. Wisnieski and Terryberry scored for Imperial after hitting singles.
    Neither team scored in the sixth inning, leaving the scored tied at two going into the final inning.
    Imperial led off the inning with two ground outs before its offense found traction.
    Wisnieski singled and advanced to second on a Colton single. Both players moved forward on a passed ball before Cooper Dillan walked to load the bases for the Horns. Lempke singled to earn an RBI and give Imperial the lead. A fly out ended the Horns’ bases loaded threat.
    Sidney’s first two batters in the bottom of the seventh moved around the bases in a variety of ways, including an error, passed ball, wild pitch and stolen base. The score was tied at three with runners on second and third, when Dillan threw back-to-back strikeouts. A walk off single by Sidney ended the game.
    Wisnieski walked three and struck out one. Dillan struck out four and walked one.
Up next
The Horns will keep the roads hot this week.
Imperial traveled to Hershland for a rematch Tuesday, before heading to Gothenburg Friday and Holdrege Saturday.
The team will return home for a June 13 junior/senior doubleheader against Cozad. First pitch for the juniors game will be at noon.