Horns’ seniors stay undefeated

Imperial’s Senior Legion baseball team improved to 7-0 with four victories last week.
The Horns held Hershland scoreless to start the week with a 15-0 win June 8
Imperial gave up three hits and only allowed four runners in the game.
Offensively, the Horns scored at least three runs in each of the first four innings.
A double by Trevor Peterson plated two RBIs in the first inning. Peterson also scored.
Walks and errors brought around Carter Leibbrandt, Bryder Hickey and Bennett Bauerle in the second inning.
Runs continued to pile up in the third inning. Keenan Cole scored after reaching base by being hit by a pitch, then advanced on two wild pitches and scored on a passed ball. Emmitt Zuege and Leibbrandt scored before Dominic Sis singled and scored on a Peterson double.
The Horns batted around in the fourth inning. Jaret Peterson, Leibbrandt and Hickey singled in the inning. Those hits plus three walks plated five runs.
Nolan Burrell struck out eight and gave up three hits for the win. T. Peterson closed out the game with three strikeouts.
T. Peterson and Leibbrandt went 3-3 at the plate.
The Horns’ offense continued to roll Friday at Gothenburg.
It was the hosts who started off hot, however. With three walks and two singles, the Melons scored five runs after holding Imperial scoreless in the top of the first.
Imperial slowly worked its way back into the game.
Burrell doubled to lead off the second and scored on a J. Peterson single. Two errors in the bottom of the inning helped Gothenburg match that run.

That would be the Melons’ final run for the game, but Imperial was far from done.
Another double by Burrell scored Tristan Hite and Trevor Peterson in the third inning to cut Gothenburg’s lead to 3-6.
Imperial took the lead for good in the fourth thanks to timely hitting. J. Peterson doubled and moved to third on a Hickey single. Hite doubled to score both before crossing home plate on a sac fly by Bauerle. Sis also earned an RBI with a single to score T. Peterson.
Though scoreless in the fifth, Imperial plated five runs in the sixth and seventh innings.
T. Peterson, Burrell, Zuege, Cole and Hickey scored in the sixth. Hite had a one-run double.
T. Peterson scored his fourth run of the game in the seventh. Zuege scored once more after being hit by a pitch for the second consecutive inning. Sis, Burrell and Hickey also scored to wrap up the 17-6 win.
Hite went 4-5 in the game with five RBIs.
Imperial out hit Gothenburg 15-5.
Bauerle started on the mound before handing off to Burrell, who struck out 10.
The runs kept rolling in the next night at Holdrege when Hite threw a one-hit gem for the Horns.
Defensively, the Horns held Holdrege scoreless for the first three innings when Hite struck out seven batters.
Imperial set the tone at the plate in the first inning with three singles and two walks to bring in two runs.
Held scoreless in the second, Burrell walked and scored for Imperial in the third inning.
The Horns’ bats heated up once more in the fourth with five singles. Imperial increased its lead to 9-0 before Holdrege took advantage of Hite’s only two walks in the game. Back-to-back errors let Holdrege score its only two runs.
Hite’s teammates redeemed themselves at the plate, batting around and scoring eight runs in the fifth.
Hite sat down the side with his 11th, 12th and 13th strikeouts to end the 17-2 contest.
Sis and J. Peterson each went 3-4 to lead the Horns.
Imperial picked up where it left off at home against Cozad Sunday.
Cozad’s only run in the game came in the third inning after two walks and two singles. Other than the third, T. Peterson only allowed six base runners in the game.
Imperial,  on the other hand, kept the base paths hot.
The Horns increased their run production every inning, starting off with two runs in the first, then scoring three in the second, five in the third and eight in the fourth, to end the game 18-1 without batting in the fifth inning.
Burrell and J. Peterson singled and had RBIs in the first inning.
Bauerle, Hite and T. Peterson singled in the second inning. J. Peterson, Hickey and Sis had third-inning hits, but walks to Zuege and Bauerle added to the damage on the scoreboard.
The Horns’ bats got extra hot in the fourth inning. Burrell started off the bottom of the inning with a single, followed by a double by J. Peterson. A single from Zuege scored Burrell and a double by Bauerle plated J. Peterson and Zuege. Hite went on to earn two RBIs with a double. Peterson and Zuege got their second hits of the inning before the third out.
T. Peterson pitched a complete game, striking out seven. J. Peterson went 4-4 at the plate.
Up next
The Horns have a full week of baseball ahead.
The JV squad has a Tuesday game at Sidney, then a Wednesday doubleheader with Ogallala in Imperial.
The seniors will take to the field Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
A junior/senior doubleheader is on the schedule at Lexington Friday.
Imperial will host junior/senior double headers with Gothenburg Saturday and Broken Bow Sunday.
After a day off, the Horns will travel to Ogallala for a junior/senior doubleheader Tuesday.