Steve Spongberg wanted his Kearney team to get an early jump in the Cornhusker League championship game.
RYLY JANE HAMBLETON / Lincoln Journal Star | Posted: Tuesday, July 7, 2009 12:00 am
Steve Spongberg wanted his Kearney team to get an early jump in the Cornhusker League championship game.
"They had a big weekend and played so well and played so many games," Spongberg said of Pinnacle Bank, which won the Mike Peterson baseball tournament. "We hoped to get out on top and slow their aggressiveness on the bases."
Kearney did that on Monday, but what proved to be the difference was having the patience to wait for the chance to have a big inning. Kearney sent 12 batters to the plate and scored seven runs in the fifth inning to rally for a 10-5 victory over Pinnacle Bank.
Pinnacle took a 5-3 lead in the fourth inning on a two-run double by Adam Lavelle.
But then the team made up of players from Lincoln Southwest seemed to run out of gas. Two errors and a hit batsman loaded the bases for Mannie Reinsch, who drove in a run with a sacrifice fly. Tyler Shields and Brandon Pacheco each had RBI singles and Zach Follmer had a run-scoring triple. Vinny Molina and Chandler Klute each singled in a run before Pinnacle could right itself.
"We have some foot speed, and you have to field it cleanly to get us," said Spongberg. "And tonight, after a couple of errors, we got some key hits. We certainly benefitted from the number of games they had to play in the tournament."
Pinnacle coach Doug Kaltenberger said he thought his team might be weary after the emotional and physical drain of the tournament.
"I thought we'd be tired, but I thought we played well. We had one bad inning when every error compounded it," he said, "and in any game, when a team puts up a big inning, it takes it out of you."
Pinnacle scored in the second when Taylor Anderson doubled in Tanner Lubach, who led off with a double.
In the third inning, Vince Flynn singled and Lavelle walked. Lubach hit a sacrifice fly and Anderson followed with another RBI double. In the fourth, Dain Sudik singled and Flynn walked before Lavelle's second double of the game.
Reach Ryly Jane Hambleton at 473-7314 or rhambleton@journalstar.com