Walk-off double sends Juniors to consolation bracket
HARTINGTON - For the first time ever, the Hartington Legion baseball program had a home State tournament game.
But even the friendly confines of Felber Park and a huge home crowd couldn’t ease the pain of a seventhinning walk-off double by Tecumseh Post 2 to give the visitors a 3-2 win here in the opening round of the Nebraska Class C Junior American Legion Tournament Saturday afternoon.
Hartington wasted a good performance on the mound by Koby Detlefsen as the Tecumseh pitching silenced the Post 4 bats, allowing just two runs on four hits while striking out 14 Hartington batters.
Hartington got on the board first in the top of the first inning when Breiton Whitmire rifled a single back up the middle.
During back-to-back strikeouts, Whitmire stole second then advanced to third on a wild pitch as Detlefsen worked a walk off of Post 2 starting pitcher, Camden Dalinghaus.
Hudson Whitmire came in to run for Detlefsen and while he made a move to second base, his brother stole home as Post 4 manufactured a run to take a 1-0 lead.
The Hartington lead lasted until the third when Tecumseh tied it up on a single after a Hartington error with two outs put a runner on base.
The score remained deadlocked until AJ Rautenbach launched a home run over the wall in left field to put Post 2 up 2-1 in the bottom of the fourth.
Post 4 wasted little time responding.
Maverick Heine singled to open the Hartington fifth then Breiton Whitmre stepped to the plate and smacked a double into center field to score Heine and even the score 2-2.
A couple of pop flies and a strikeout ended the threat and left Whitmire stranded at second.
The game was tied until Tecumseh came up in the bottom of the seventh.
Breiton Whitmire, who took the hard-luck loss on the mound got a strikeout and a ground out to open the Post 2 seventh.
Jack Waring singled to right field then Dalinghaus doubled to right to score a run and end the game.
Tecumseh Post 2 Junior Legion defeats Hartington Post 4 Junior Legion 3-2.
H10000100-242 T0011001-371 WP: Camden Dalinghaus LP: Breiton Whitmire.