Senior Horns take two from Colby

    Their regular season is complete and now the Pinnacle Bank Senior Horns will take a back seat as the Juniors head into their state tournament.
    The Seniors ended their regular season July 5 with two wins and one loss to Colby, Kansas.
    After a storm moved in and pushed pause on their June 30 game in Colby, the Horns finished the last inning and a half of a no-hitter by Jaret Peterson.
    Each team went scoreless to finish out the 1-0 Imperial win.
    Peterson struck out 11 and walked two batters.
    In the first game of their scheduled double header, the Horns came out on the short end of the stick.
    Three first inning errors by the Horns led to two runs by Colby. Camron Lempke batted second and scored, but was Imperial’s only baserunner of the inning.
    After a quiet second inning, Imperial gave up two more runs in the third, but the Horns limited the damaging by ending the inning with three Colby runners on base.
    Imperial missed a chance to cut into Colby’s margin in the fourth inning when the Horns also ended the inning with the bases loaded.
    Another Horns’ error led to Colby’s fifth run of the game in the sixth inning.
    Peterson led off the bottom of the sixth with a walk which Gavin Wisnieski followed up by being hit by a pitch. A balk and pass ball helped each advance. Tristan Jablonski, running for Peterson, scored on the pass ball and Wisnieski scored on a two-out double by Cooper Dillan. The Horns’ offense stalled over the remainder of the game, a 3-5 loss.
    Dillan pitched six innings, allowing four hits, seven walks and three strikeouts before Carter Leibbrandt came on in relief.
    The tide turned back to Imperial’s favor in the second game.
    Behind Mason Wallin on the mound, Imperial built a 2-0 with one run in each of the second and third innings. Lempke led off the second inning with a double and scored on a Dillan single, then Peterson led off the third inning with a double and scored on a sac fly by Lempke.
    Defensively the Horns bent, but didn’t break in the first two innings, allowing five baserunners, but no runs.
    Knowing they were only playing five innings, Imperial saw its lead evaporate in the top of the fifth inning. Colby led off the inning with a walk that led to a run. With two-outs, Colby singled, had back-to-back walks and singled once more. Two runs came around to score and the Sluggers had runners on first and third when a ground out ended their at bat.
    Imperial made the most of its opportunity as the home team, starting off with a home run by Peterson to lead off the Horns’ at bat and tie the game. Wisnieski followed the run up by being hit by a pitch. Wisnieski stole two bases and scored on a pass ball for the walk off win.s
    Leadoff batter Thomas Reeves was 3-3 in the game with an RBI.
    Wallin pitched a complete game, allowing two hits and nine walks while striking out three.
    Tysen Lempke and Cooper Dillan play in the Mid-Nebraska League All-Star Thursday in Kearney.
    Senior districts will begin July 21 in Valentine.