Imperial drops 1-0 Mid-Nebraska title game

SHELTON, Neb. — Imperial’s first chance was really its best throughout a 1-0 Mid-Nebraska League finals loss to Shelton-Gibbon Wednesday night.

Tysen Lempke took a healthy walk leading off that first inning.

His Junior Legion teammates soon put Lempke in faster motion as a pair of ground-ball outs moved him into third base.

However, top ’Horns hitter Nolan Burrell hit a grounder to shortstop and was thrown out.

Imperial only put one more runner in scoring position all game while Shelton-Gibbon produced one second-inning run on Braxton Smith’s base hit.

Imperial pitcher Jaret Peterson recovered and hurled four more scoreless frames.

Peterson permitted three hits, walked one and struck out eight in his complete game.

Yet once again, East Division champion Shelton-Gibbon delivered just enough heroics.

The hosts held Imperial to two hits from Triston Hite and Morel Jurado.

Hite stole second base before being stranded in scoring position.

Shelton-Gibbon captured the league title to cap this abbreviated 2020 season.

Both the Legion area and state tournaments were canceled earlier this year because of COVID-19 concerns.

Imperial finished 14-4 for the season with an offense averaging better than 10 runs per game until Wednesday’s finale.

The ’Horns beat Holdrege, 5-2, and then beat Broken Bow, 11-6, in Sunday’s West title game to avenge a recent defeat.