Malcolm comes to Felber Park on a hot streak
HARTINGTON - Although the home team is playing some great baseball heading into this weekend's Class C State Junior tournament here at Felber Park, Malcolm will be the team to beat as the tournament unfolds.
Take into account, Malcolm has won the past two Legion titles, Juniors and Seniors, and one would think, the team would come back for a third title this season.
Not so fast my friend.
Hartington Post 4 is primed to make a run at the championship with all of the talent Post 4 has to offer.
"I like our chances when we're on," Hartington skipper, Don Whitmire said. "When we're playing the way we are, we can compete with the Malcolm's and we can make our own way."
Whitmire likes the way his team is pitching and hitting the ball.
"We're prepared to keep doing what we do no matter who is in the other dugout," he said. "Our kids have played a lot of Seniors ball and I think we're poised to make a run at a title. We've never had the state tournament here so this is kind of new, but I think if we settle in and play our game we'll be just fine."
Joining Post 4 and Malcolm will be Ord, which defeated Valentine in two games in Area 7, Pender which rolled through Area 2, Tecumseh, which takes on Post 4 in the opening round at Felber Park, Pender Post 55 which won the Area 2 tournament in Dodge, St. Paul which won the C-5 Area in Sliver Creek and Loomis Post 338 which won the Area 6 Tournament in Boelus with a 9-0 win over Ravenna Post 332 to wind up in Hartington over the weekend.
Albion Cornerstone Bank Post will join Post 4 after grabbing a ticket as the runner-up in Area 1 after Hartington turned the Cardinals away, 9-1, in a game shortened by the 8-run rule in the fifth inning.
"We really need hit the ball to be successful," Cornerstone Bank coach, Jim Molt said. "When we hit the ball we could be 20-0 right now. I think we're around 10-10."
The Post 162 Juniors did hit the ball against Adams Post 221 in the Area Tournament but failed to get things going in the finals as Hartington won by the 9-1 score.
"We're kind of young but we have some good players," Molt said. "I really think next year may be our year, but we'll go up there and compete."
Ord may be the sleeper in the field. The Post 38 Juniors outlasted Valentine 6-7 and 6-3 to advance to Hartington with the Post 90 Badgers giving the Chanticleers all they wanted.
"We were right there in the end, but they had great pitching," Valentine coach Kent Lopez said. "I think we're a year away with our Juniors, but we had a great season."
Tecumseh Post 2, the Post 4 opponent in the opening round, used a 4-3 decision over Syracuse in Syracuse to grab a ticket to Hartington and anyone out of that Area is going to be hard to beat.
"We play pretty good baseball up here in northeast Nebraska," Whitmire said. "We'll just have to see how this all shakes out. I'm very happy we earned our way to state and didn't make it because we're hosting."
Malcolm used a 12-4 win over Sutton Post 61 to advance to this season's state tournament.
Post 354 will be one of the teams to beat at Felber Park, but don't count out the Hartington Post 4 Juniors.
"These kids have played a lot of baseball," Whitmire said. "I like where we're at and I think we have a lot of baseball left in us."