Hartington Ponies take third in League tourney

NELIGH - Hartington exited the Quad County League Tournament after claiming the regular season title in the league, winding up third.

The Laurel Ponies shocked Hartington with a 16-3 win in the game to decide which team was going to stay alive to take on Creighton in the finals.

Hartington had just defeated Laurel 17-5 the day before to send Laurel into the consolation bracket.

The teams were tied 0-0 after the first inning, but Laurel got things going in the second with six big runs then added five in the third to go up 11-0.

The Hartington Ponies responded with three in the bottom of the third frame, but Laurel plated five more in the fourth then held Hartington scoreless to end the game at the end of the fourth by the 10-run rule.

Hudson Whitmire and Keaton Keiser each had a good day at the plate. Whitmire was 2-for-3 with a double and scored once, Keiser was 2-for-2 and scored once while driving in a run.

Blake Bensen scored the other run after a single. Parker Leise took the loss on the mound. Hartington, the top seed in the tournament, was sent to the consolation bracket by the No. 2 seed, Creighton, who took a 6-1 contest earlier in the day.

Creighton would get all of the runs it needed in the first inning after scoring four while Creighton pitching limited the Hartington Ponies to just two singles, both of them by Whitmire, who scored the lone run.

Rylan Fischer took the loss on the mound. In Hartington’s win over Laurel in the second round, Fischer and Leise carried the Hartington offense with a 4-for-4 performances at the plate. Fischer belted two home runs, scored three times and accounted for seven RBI’s. Leise scored twice.

Grant Klug and Keiser were both 2-for-4, scored twice and drove in a couple of runs and Rex Lippert was 2-for-3.

In the opening round win over Elgin, Hartington led 3-1 after the first frame and 7-4 after the third.

A five run fourth and a couple of insurance runs in the fifth halted the game by the 10-run rule.

Whitmire, Klug, Keiser, Fischer and Potts each scored twice in the game. Leise, Kleinschmit and Bensen crossed the plate once.

The Hartington 14U Ponies ended the summer with a 21-5 record.

Laurel Ponies defeated Hartington 14U 16-3. LAU 0 6 5 5 X X - 16 15 0 HAR0030XX-371 WP: Bryson Urwiler LP: Parker Leise. 1B: Keaton Keiser (2), Hudson Whitmire, Blake Bensen, Cade Kleinschmit, Rex Lippert (H). 2B: Hudson Whitmire (H). Creighton defeated Hartington 14U 6-1. CRE410001-640 HAR000100-123 WP: Horstman LP: Rylan Fischer. 1B: Hudson Whitmire (2) (H). Hartington 14U defeated Laurel Ponies 17-5. LAU20201X-570 HAR 3 5 0 0 9 X - 17 20 0 WP: Hudson Whitmire LP: Kai Hartung. 1B: Parker Leise (2), Keaton Keiser, Oliver Hochstein, Rex Potts, Grant Klug (2), Rex Lippert (2), Rylan Fischer (2), Blake Bensen, Hudson Whitmire (H). 2B: Keaton Keiser, Oliver Hochstein, Parker Leise, Reid Potts (H). HR: Rylan Fischer (2) (H). Hartington 14U defeated Elgin 14-4. ELG12100X-442 HAR 3 1 2 5 2 X - 14 13 3 WP: Grant Klug LP: Cael Bottorf. 1B: Hudson Whitmire (2), Reid Potts(2), Grant Klug (2) (H). 2B: Cade Kleinschmit (2), Parker Leise, Rylan Fischer, Reid Potts (H). HR: Hudson Whitmire, Keaton Keiser.