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Timely triples power MNB Seniors past Norton; visit Gladiators tonight
NORTON, Kan. — The ball wasn’t jumpin’ and a late-season Sunday trip to Kansas could have inspired some McCook National Bank Seniors dozing through their Legion baseball contest.
“The baseball wasn’t flying great,” MNB coach Konor Rakes confirmed.
Yet Cole Davidson’s new curve ball was moving good during his four innings on the mound which kept MNB from ever losing control.
Plus the 24-8 Seniors found an even more exciting way than chicks digging the long ball: they unleashed two huge hustling triples to help secure this 6-2 road win.
The best arrived during MNB’s final at-bats.
Clinging to a 3-2 lead, the Seniors gained some breathing room on another humid evening when Kale Sattler reached on an infield single.
Sattler stole second, showing his baserunning skills can be just as fan as his pitching and hitting leadership have been all season.
Davidson’s grounder moved him to third base which set up a huge Bo Schlegel RBI-hit.
Yet another base hit from Cole Block set up McCook’s most memorable fun on this night.
Schlegel reached third base while Block held first to bring up always entertaining MNB speedster Jaime Samaniego.
On a 2-1 pitch, Jaime sent a line drive soaring past Norton right fielder Kale Keiswetter and it was off to the races.
Schlegel scored, Block touched home and Samaniego almost finished his own trek around that diamond.
“He wanted to go for an inside-park home run,” coach Rakes said.
The two-RBI triple was good enough for an excellent 6-2 MNB advantage.
An earlier three-base hit courtest of Bryson Gullion helped finish this latest strong victory.
The MNB Seniors have virtually clinched a No. 1 seed when their Class B Area tournament begins at Holdrege on July 24.
“We’re excited about that for sure,” the coach concluded.
Leadoff bat Asher Wilson added two hits and two RBI to Sunday’s win in the Sunflower state.
Gullion and Sattler also had two of nine MNB hits.
Sattler pitched three shutout innings besides Davidson allowing two unearned runs in four.
The MNB Seniors now get ready to play at nearby Cambridge tonight. This single has a 7 p.m. scheduled first pitch.