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Diane Stamm | The Imperial Republican
Keenan Cole locks in on a grounder to second base in the Horns’ seven-inning win over Gothenburg.

Seniors riding six-game win streak into July

    The Imperial Pinnacle Bank Senior Legion team has evened its record and then some as the month of June has worn down.
    Since June 17 the Horns have won six-straight games and will look to add two more before the regular season ends.
    The Horns held off a Curtis/Maywood comeback at home Wednesday.
    Imperial’s defense was clicking in the first five innings of the win. The Horns only gave up one run to Frontier County while allowing only three hits.
    Offensively, Imperial scored in fits and starts. The Horns scored two runs in the first inning thanks to a walk and two Outlaw errors. A two-run third inning followed a scoreless second. Nolan Burrell’s two-run homer gave the Horns a 4-1 lead.
    Two singles led to two early runs in the fifth inning for Imperial and the Horns were able to tack on another with two outs.
    Frontier County made the game interesting with four runs in the sixth inning, including a three-run homer to center.
    Hanging on to a 7-5 lead, Imperial added two insurance runs in the bottom of the sixth before holding the Outlaws scoreless in the seventh inning.
    The Horns were out hit 5-6 by Frontier County, but Imperial had seven walks to only two given up by Imperial’s Colin O’Neil. O’Neil went the distance for Imperial and struck out six.
    The first and seventh innings weren’t pretty Saturday when the Horns hosted Gothenburg, but Imperial put together a winning effort in the 6-5 victory.
    The Melons rallied with two out in the first to score two runs. The Horns halved the lead behind two singles.
    Burrell hit his stride from the mound in the second inning and retired 11-straight batters.
    The Horns put bats to balls over the middle innings. Over the course of the game Imperial had 12 hits while giving up only four.
    Three singles in the second inning brought home two runs and, after two scoreless innings, added three runs in the fifth inning. Jaret Peterson doubled to help the Horns’ cause in the fifth inning.
    Imperial led 6-2 heading into the final inning, but soon found itself battling for a win.
    Gothenburg’s first three batters scored to cut the Horns’ lead to one, 6-5, with no outs. The Melons’ tying run was on third when Burrell fanned Gothenburg’s final batter.
    Burrell walked three and struck out seven.
    Imperial laid the wood to McCook Monday on the Bison’s home field.
    The Horns grabbed a two-run lead to start the game and never looked back. Morel Jurado hit an RBI double in the first.
    McCook’s leadoff batter scored in the bottom of the first inning, but Imperial had the answer.
     The Horns’ first three batters reached base and scored in the second inning before a two-run homer by Peterson. McCook tried to keep pace and brought three runners across home plate in the bottom of the second.
    The bottom of Imperial’s order scored three more runs in the third inning before the floodgates opened in the fourth inning.
    The Horns batted around and then some in the fourth. Imperial scored six runs before its first out and scored 16 runs once the smoke had cleared. Imperial had seven hits, including a double by Tysen Lempke, and earned seven walks.
    McCook scored one run in the bottom of the inning, but the Horns more than made up for it with three runs, once more the bottom of Imperial’s order, in the top of the fifth.
    One run by McCook rounded out the 29-6 win.
    The Horns out hit McCook 14-8 and only had two errors to nine by McCook.
    O’Neil pitched a complete game, walking two and striking out eight.
Up next
    Now 10-5, the Horns regular season will end this week.
    Tuesday Imperial hosted Hershland for a junior-senior doubleheader. Imperial has a junior-senior rematch with Frontier County Wednesday.
    The Senior All-Star Game will be July 14 in Kearney. Districts will be July 22-27 at Gordon-Rushville. Other Area 7 teams are Bridgeport, Hershland and Valentine.
Mid-Nebraska League West
Team    Win    Loss
Ogallala    10    1
Holdrege    5    4
Imperial    7    5
Gotheburg    6    6
Broken Bow    4    4
Lexington    5    6
McCook    0    11

 

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