Union Bank withstands Sampson Construction rally

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BY RYLY JANE HAMBLETON / Lincoln Journal Star

Sampson Construction took advantage when Alex Jones had a brief lapse, but the Union Bank pitcher knew just what he had to do.

“I was locating well in the eighth and then I got two quick outs in the ninth. Then I made two mistakes,” Jones said. “After that, I trusted my coaches and my catcher and threw to spots and let it work out.”

Union Bank (Lincoln Pius X) withstood Sampson’s uprising to earn a 6-5 victory Wednesday at Sherman Field in the first round of the Class A Area 5 American Legion Senior Baseball Tournament.

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Sampson Construction players celebrate after Jeremy Philippi scored a run against Union Bank on Wednesday night. (Cody Duty)

Union Bank will face the winner of Wednesday’s Pinnacle Bank-U-Stop game Thursday at 8 p.m. In the other winners’ bracket game, Anderson Ford will take on JC Brager at 5 p.m. Anderson Ford outlasted Dinsdale Auto 7-6 in 13 innings and JC. Brager earned a 3-2 win against Judds Brothers. Elimination games are set for 11 a.m. and 2 p.m.

After Jones got two outs, Jeremy Philippi singled and scored on Mike Matzen’s second double of the game for Sampson (Lincoln High). But Jones settled down and got a strikeout to get the save.

“When they got their four-run inning, we knew to just trust in what we did all season,” Jones said. “We finally got our hits, got the lead and were able to shut them down.”

Union Bank broke on top in the third when starting pitcher Ben Raun walked, advanced on a hit by Aaron Molinaro and scored on a groundout by Eric Schleppenbach.

Sampson got four runs in the fifth inning on five hits to take the lead. Philippi singled in a pair of  runs and Matzen doubled in two more.

Union Bank cut the deficit with a single run in the sixth when Schleppenbach doubled, advanced on a fly ball and scored on a balk.

Raun, Molinaro and Schleppenbach each drove in runs and Molinaro stole home in a four-run seventh inning to lift Union Bank into the lead.

“Games like this are to be expected in the Lincoln district,” said Union Bank coach Troy Charf. “There’s no good draw, because you know every team is going to just keep battling. You have to tip your hat to Sampson because they didn’t quit.”

Sampson coach Joe Fagler credited Union Bank’s aggressiveness in their big inning.

“They got a baserunners on and then executed. We didn’t get the out on the bunt and they executed and turned it into a big inning,” Fagler said. “In our four-run inning, we got some big two-out hits. But we had three straight innings where we got our leadoff hitter on and bunted him over and then don’t get a hit. That hurts.”

Top-seeded Anderson Ford (North Star) needed 13 innings to topple Dinsdale Auto (Southeast). Joe Hartley scored the winning run on a sacrifice fly by Ricky Ideus, who struck out 13 in 10 innings of pitching. Ideus surrendered six runs on seven hits in the first two innings, then cruised, allowing just one hit and walking two in the next eight innings.

Nate Wilder came on in relief in the 11th and picked up the victory. Jacob Hiatt drove in three runs for Anderson Ford.

JC Brager (Southeast) survived a ninth-inning rally by Judds Brothers (Northeast) to advance. Judds threatened by loading the bases and scoring a pair of runs on an error before Josh Scheffert, who went the distance and struck out nine, got a groundout to end the game.

Brager scored what proved to be the winning run in the eighth inning when Travis Miller singled, then advanced and scored on a pair of errors.

Ryly Jane Hambleton at 473-7314 or rhambleton@journalstar.com.