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Members of the Imperial Pee Wee 1 team, which finished runner-up in the league tournament last week, include, front from left, Garrett Hanna, Morgan Peterson, Camron Lempke, Juan Ruiz, Jaret Peterson, back from left, Coach Jeff Lempke, Keenan Cole, Morel Jurado, Wyatt Muths, Emmitt Zuege, Ryan Bernhardt and Tysen Lempke. (Courtesy photo)

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Tysen Lempke gave up just one earned run in the championship game en route to Imperial 1’s runner-up tournament finish. (Courtesy photo)

Pee Wee 1 brings home tourney runner-up title

    Imperial’s Pee Wee 1 baseball team finished the season with the league tournament runner-up trophy, and a 15-4 overall record.
    The Tri-County tournament was played July 5-8 in Sutherland, with the championship game held Saturday afternoon.
    Imperial met Ogallala 1 in the six-inning championship game. Both teams, along with Wallace, entered the tourney with 9-1 records. With a three-way tie for top seed, a coin flip determined seedings, and Imperial won the top spot, followed by Wallace at #2 and Ogallala 1 at #3.
    Imperial 1 put together a 3-0 lead after three innings in the championship game, but Ogallala was able to take advantage of Imperial’s fielding errors in the fifth to take over the lead, eventually winning, 6-3.
     Imperial scored early in the game, putting across a run in the first after Ryan Bernhardt walked and stole his way home on a throwing error.
    Ogallala’s top of the order went down on strikes in their half of the first, as Imperial pitcher Tysen Lempke tallied three strikeouts.
    Imperial put its second run across the plate in the second, when Keenan Cole singled, stole his way to third and scored on a sacrifice fly from Morgan Peterson.
    Lempke led off with a double in the third, and an Ogallala error allowed Emmitt Zuege to reach base and score Lempke. That put Imperial up 3-0.
    Ogallala responded with one run in the fourth, then took a 6-3 lead in the fifth after scoring five.
    Lempke singled in the fifth, while Jaret Peterson and Morgan Peterson both reached base safely on errors in the sixth, but all three were left stranded and the game ended 6-3.
    Lempke took the loss for Imperial after five innings of work, striking out four, walking three and giving up seven hits.
    Zuege closed out the game on the mound, allowing no runs, hits or walks.
    Imperial finished with three hits, two by Lempke and one by Cole. Zuege and Morgan Peterson each tallied an RBI.
    Coach Jeff Lempke said except for one bad inning, his team played great defense, holding Ogallala scoreless in four of the six innings.
    He credited his starting pitcher, who gave up just one earned run in the game.
Grant game
    Imperial 1 defeated Grant 7-0 Friday in the semi-finals as Garrett Hanna and Morel Jurado combined to throw a shutout.
    Imperial scored in four different innings, taking an early 1-0 lead in the first on an error that scored Zuege.
    Three more runs were tallied by Imperial in the third on a Zuege single and a Cole triple that put them up 4-0.
    Imperial took a 5-0 lead in the fourth, after Juan Ruiz reached base on a walk, then scored on a double from Lempke.

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