The Zig Drywall Post 348 Juniors earned a one-run home victory Tuesday night.
The Pioneers beat the Bennington Reserves 2-1 to push their season record to 9-5-1.
Fort Calhoun scored its first run during the third inning when Kenny Wellwood knocked in Eric Koterba. The 1-0 lead only lasted until the next half inning when the Badgers scored on a balk.
Locked at 1-1, Post 348's Levi Lasher stopped Bennington from scoring the go-ahead run. First, the centerfielder nabbed a flyout and threw it all the way in to catcher Chase Bierman for a second out at the plate.
Lasher then gloved another flyout to end the top of the fourth inning, securing the tie.
Bierman delivered a go-ahead hit shortly thereafter in the bottom of the fourth. His single scored Chase Premer with two outs, giving the home team a 2-1 advantage.
“I kind of choked up (on the bat) and made sure I hit it to a gap instead of to somebody,” Bierman said.
Fort Calhoun held the one-run lead through the end of the top of the seventh frame when Sam Genoways fielded a grounder at third base and threw to Chase Premer at first for the final out.
Travis Skelton ended the game on the mound for the Pioneers, who started Alex Christensen — the winning pitcher. The latter hurler credited his success to his throwing technique.
“It's hard to read,” he said. “So, it just ends up popping up a lot of times.”
Seniors close out SD trip
The Zig Drywall Seniors, meanwhile, closed out an 0-4 Dakota Classic run Sunday in Sioux Falls, S.D.
The Pioneers, who've lost five straight and are 5-8 overall, fell to Norfolk, 4-3. They lost their four Classic games by eight combined runs.
Post 348 coach Jerry Wellwood had three pitchers still available against Norfolk and started Lasher, who helped Fort Calhoun to a 3-2 lead through four innings.
The Pioneers scored twice during the first inning with Sam Halford driving in both runs. Then, in the second, Tristan Fuhrman broke a 2-2 tie, plating AJ Duros with an RBI single.
Post 348's lead didn't last, though, as Norfolk scored the game-winning run during the fifth frame.
POST 348 SENIOR LINE SCORE
Sunday
Norfolk 4, Fort Calhoun 3
FC (5-8) 2 1 0 0 0 0 0 — 3
NORFOLK 2 0 0 0 2 0 X — 4
