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Believe it! MNB dominates league title game
IBBON, Neb. — Even their own skeptics now have to believe in McCook National Bank’s Mid-Nebraska League baseball champions.
“We are really young, and just staying above .500 was our goal coming into the season,” coach Scott Smalley admitted Thursday night. “I’m not sure I ever believed we would be 22-6.”
Believe it, and also believe that with pressure rising on a near 100-degree evening — MNB brought the perfect cool breezes to Gibbon’s Davis Field during their 6-0 title-clinching victory.
Whoosh! Sit down and take a nice rest because Kaden Sitzman just “fanned” you again.
Sitman would strike out nine Shelton-Gibbon batters during this league title game.
Whoosh! Oh, that’s just another Spencer Krsyl clutch hit sizzling past a right fielder.
Krysl’s two-trouble sent Drew Harvie breezing home with all the runs McCook would actually need: one.
Whoosh! would be the sound again as two huge throwing errors skipped past defenders while allowing MNB to add two sixth-inning insurance runs.
Derek Greenlee – who filled the Gibbon air with three team-high hits — and Trae Koetter both dashed home on errors to double McCook’s lead (now 4-0).
“We knew it was going to be a low-scoring game until someone made some mistakes,” Smalley observed. “We did run ourselves out of a couple innings. I don’t know if it was the heat or what.”
McCook American Legion Seniors continued breezing around the basepaths during their final at-bat.
Clayton Stevens and Sitzman both smoked sharp singles past the home team much like Sitzman sizzled strikes all night.
Sitzman’s hit made it 5-0, and McCook made one more big breeze when Kaleb Taylor launched a double past the Shelton-Gibbon center fielder.
Sitzman motored home to make it 6-0 for MNB.
McCook’s breezy performance featured one final heroic throw-out from center field of a Shelton-Gibbon runner at second base.
Game over along with the home team’s hot streak featuring 10 wins in 11 previous games.
Meanwhile, McCook’s Mid-Nebraska League title streak reached four straight years.
“Our league was a little light on the west side,” Smalley observed as MNB’s 11-0 division record featured only one game decided by less than seven runs. “It was good to see what we could do against a top team from the east.”
McCook conquered the two-town power without two top players: first baseman DJ Gross was gone on a family vacation after pitching McCook’s Wild West Fest finals win over Longmont, Colo., on Sunday.
Center fielder Cameryn Berry went to Gibbon but didn’t play because of an ankle injury suffered at Hays.
MNB coaches hope Berry will be ready for the home stretch featuring five home games next week.
North Platte arrives on Sunday as McCook tries to avenge a 12-1 defeat on June 9.
Koetter and the Greenlee twins handled outfield duties against Shelton-Gibbon. Von Fritsche filled in at first base for Gross.
Defense helped McCook avoid falling into an early 1-0 hole.
Shelton-Gibbon’s first two batters reached safely on a walk and solid base hit.
Even though Sitzman struck out the next two, those runners pulled off a double-steal to reach scoring position.
Catcher Taylor quickly redeemed himself for not throwing out the lead runner at third.
Sitzman’s pitch bounced past Taylor, but he quickly recovered and tagged that lead runner out at home plate.
Shelton-Gibbon would never get that close to scoring again in six ensuing innings.
Sitzman pitched into the seventh before Stevens recorded two outs which finished this four-hit shutout.
Shelton-Gibbon’s previous low run total was one during a 1-0 win over York on June 21.
McCook officially outhit the East champs, 12-4, as Sitzman matched Derek Greenlee’s three hits. Koetter singled twice.
Sitzman drove home two while Fritsche and Taylor added one RBI apiece.
“We just want to keep the train rolling,” Smalley concluded in his post-game radio chat.