Junior Horns headed back to state tourney

    2018. 2019. 2021. And now 2022.
    The Imperial Pinnacle Bank Junior Legion team is headed back to the state tournament after an undefeated Area 7 tournament that wrapped up Tuesday night in Imperial.
    Games kicked off Friday and the Horns were consistent in the first four innings of their tournament opening 9-0 win over Mitchell
    Imperial set the first 12 Mayhem down in order, including nine batters straight struck outs by pitcher Jet Peterson, while scoring two runs in each of the first three innings and three in the fourth inning.
    The Horns played a clean defensive game without an error. Mitchell finished the evening with four errors.
Jet Peterson allowed only one hit in the win while striking out 11 and walking two.
    Mitchell’s pitcher helped Imperial out by hitting four batters.
    The Horns had seven hits in the game, including a double by Jaret Peterson and triple by Thomas Reeves.
Scoreless streak continues
    The Horns’ defense didn’t let any Bridgeport runners past third base Saturday in a 19-0 win.
    As the away team, Imperial started the game with five-straight hits leading to a 6-0 lead.
    The Horns were able to put their bats on Bridgeport pitches throughout the evening. Imperial only struck out three times in the games and had 15 hits, including two doubles by Jaret Peterson. Reeves, Cooper Dillan and Tyler O’Neil were each hit by pitches twice.
    Mason Wallin, Reeves and Tristan Jablonski combined to throw a two-hitter. They struck out six and walked eight batters.
At the plate, Reeves went 3-3 and Jaret Peterson was 4-4.
Rain delays win
Imperial’s win over Gordon-Rushville needed an extra afternoon to complete after a storm rolled through in the seventh inning of Sunday evening’s game.
Both teams went down in order in the first inning, but Imperial was quick to get on the board in the top of the second inning. Two Horns’ hits and two Renegade errors led to four runs for Imperial.
Both teams were scoreless across the middle innings. Despite allowing Gordon-Rushville to load the bases in the third inning, Imperial hung on to its 4-0 lead.
Errors caught up to the Horns in the sixth inning and the Renegades cut Imperial’s lead to 4-2.
Imperial responded in the top of the seventh inning. Reeves was hit by a pitch to lead off the inning and Camron Lempke walked, setting up both to score on a single by Jaret Peterson. Back-to-back ground-outs moved Peterson around the bases to score and the game was paused due to lightning with runners on second and third.
When the game picked up the following afternoon, the Horns’ final batter was retired with Imperial leading 7-2. As the home team, Gordon-Rushville loaded the bases with one out and their backs to the wall. A line drive to Lempke at second base resulted in a double play to end the game.
Five Horns’ errors kept the Renegades in the contest.
Jaret Peterson completed six innings with eight strikeouts, three bases on balls and two hits and Dillan kept Gordon-Rushville scoreless in the seventh.
Championship game rematch
The Renegades set up a Tuesday rematch with the Horns with a 23-11 win over Hershland Monday.
Gordon-Rushville picked up where it left off Monday and loaded the bases in the first inning, but were unable to score. Although, Lempke and Dillan were both hit by pitches in the first inning, Lempke was the only Horns’ batter to cross home plate.
A Renegade lead-off homer in the second inning tied the game and the teams headed into the third inning with the score 1-1.
Gordon-Rushville took advantage of an Imperial error in the top of the third to take a lead, but Dillan tied the game up once more with a homer in the bottom of the inning.
After Gordon-Rushville stranded runners on first and second in the fourth inning, the Horns took the lead for good. Jablonski reached base on a single and scored on a RBI single by Reeves. Imperial missed its chance to add more runs, leaving the bases loaded.
The Horns defensive held Gordon-Rushville scoreless in the fifth inning, but base running errors kept Imperial off the scoreboard as well after Dillan led off the inning with a deep bomb that ricocheted off the left field foul pole.
Imperial sat the Renegades down in order in the sixth inning then took advantage of Gorden-Rushville mistakes to lock down its lead. Tyler O’Neil led off the inning being hit by a pitch before Westyn Mendenhall reached base on an error. Both would score and give Imperial a 5-2 lead on a single by Reeves.
Gordon-Rushville kept fans on the edges of their seats with an early home run in the top of the seventh to cut Imperial’s lead to 5-3, but Lempke threw two strike outs in the inning to end the game.
Dillan pitched four innings and Lempke three in the win. They gave up eight hits and four walks, and combined to strike out 12.
District tournament results:
Friday, July 8—Imperial 9, Mitchell 0; Hershland 10, Cambridge/Arapahoe 9; Gordon-Rushville 23, Bridgeport 15.
Saturday, July 9—Imperial 19, Bridgeport 0; Gordon-Rushville 11, Hershland 3; Cambridge/Arapahoe 13, Mitchell 11.
Sunday, July 10—Hershland 18, Cambridge 13; Imperial 7, Gordon-Rusville 2 (completed Monday).
Monday, July 11—Gordon-Rushville 23, Hershland 11.
Tuesday, July 12—Imperial 5, Gordon-Rushville 3.
State tourney begins Saturday
    With the win, Imperial (23-3) moves on to the double-elimination state tournament July 16-20 in Creighton.
    The Horns will take on the Area 4 winner, either Tri-County or Wilber, at 2 p.m. CT Saturday, then will play at either 11 a.m. CT or 5 p.m. CT Sunday.