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HARTINGTON — The Hartington Pony League 14 and under baseball team has come out of the gate fast, winning every game played in May and the first game of June, Hartington opened the season with a 7-4 win over Crofton on the road, defeated the West Point Dodgers 18-1 on the road, beat the Laurel Ponys 9-1 on the road then won the home opener, May 15 over Elgin 11-1.
A narrow 3-2 win over Creighton on May 22 in Hartington followed by a 24-11 win over Neligh at Neligh, a 12-0 shutout at Boyd County on May 29 then opened June with a 19-3 win over Verdigre on the road June 2.
Hartington needed just three innings to down Verdigre after scoring a pair in the first inning, seven in the second and 10 in the third.
Grant Klug and Rylan Fischer belted home runs in the game.
Fischer and Klug also finished with three hits each on the evening, Maddox Haberer, Reid Potts, Parker Leise and Oliver Hochstein each had a couple of hits.
Rex Lippert got the win on the mound. In the win over Boyd County, Hartington scored early then methodically built the lead throughout the six-inning contest until exploding for six runs in the sixth to put the game away.
Hudson Whitmire hit a home run in the game and Fischer clobbered a triple.
Fischer and Keiser scored three times and Whitmire and Fischer each drove in three runs.
Whitmire also excelled on the hill, throwing a no-hitter over his six innings of work and striking out 16 of the 18 batters he faced.
Hartington blew open a tight game with Neligh on the road, May 27 using a 9-run fourth to take a commanding lead.
Hartington scored- six runs in the first and two in the second but Neligh responded with three in the first and four in the second to send the teams to third with the Hartington Ponys clinging to an 8-7 lead.
The teams traded runs in the third before Hartington’s fourth-inning eruption turned the tide. Hartington added six in the sixth for some insurance.
The Hartington 14U hammered out 15 hits over the six innings.
Keiser, Fischer and Lippert each drove in three runs and Potts joined the oensive trio in scoring three runs in the contest.
Cade Kelinschmit rifled a triple while Fischer, Whitmire, Keiser, Lippert and Potts all had a double, Fischer did it twice.
Parker Leise came on in relief to shut down Neligh and post the win.
