The Hartford/Humboldt Legion baseball team fell just short of a state tournament trip finishing second at the Region 5B tournament Monday, July 19th through Wednesday, July 21st in Canova.
In their opening game on Monday, Hartford/Humboldt scored two times in the top of the seventh and then held Canova scoreless in the bottom of the inning to get a 4-3 win. Jack Linneman had an RBI double in the top of the second inning to give Hartford/Humboldt an early 1-0 lead. Canova took the lead with two runs in the bottom of the third. Landry Knight had an RBI single in the top of the fifth to tie the game 2-2. Canova regained the lead with a run in the bottom of the sixth. Hartford/Humboldt then got a two-out, two-run single by Logan Maras to get the victory.
L. Maras had two hits and two RBIs. Gavin Koch and Cooper Maras both had two hits, with both having one double. Ryan Healy and Bennett Sebert both had two hits each. Linneman had a double and an RBI, and Knight had a hit and an RBI. Healy pitched 5 1/3 innings allowing three runs, two earned, on five hits with six walks and four strikeouts. Knight pitched 1 2/3 innings allowing just one hit and one walk with one strikeout.
Hartford/Humboldt then faced Lake Norden/Badger in a semifinal game on Tuesday. Hartford/Humboldt was held to just two hits the entire game as Lake Norden/Badger cruised to a 9-0 win. Healy had a double in the game, and Knight also had a hit. Braden Herr pitched 3 1/3 innings allowing six runs, five earned, on seven hits with two walks and two strikeouts. Brodie Herr allowed two earned runs on two walks. L. Maras pitched 2/3 of an inning giving up an earned run on two hits with a walk. Adam Parsons pitched two innings giving up a hit and had two strikeouts.
The loss meant Hartford/Humboldt had to play an elimination game also on Tuesday, and they met Canova again. Hartford/Humboldt scored two times in the top of the first, but Canova responded with four in the bottom of the inning for a 4-2 lead. The lead was short-lived as Hartford/Humboldt plated five runs in the top of the second. The score remained 7-4 until the top of the sixth inning. Both teams scored four times in the inning making the score 11-8 heading into the seventh. Hartford/Humboldt added two more runs, while holding Canova to just one, to take the 13-9 win and advance to the championship game against Lake Norden/Badger.
C. Maras had three hits, one double, and three RBIs. Knight finished with two doubles and three RBIs. Healy also had two doubles and an RBI. Bennett Sebert had two hits, one double, and an RBI. L. Maras had two hits and an RBI. Linneman had a single and two RBIs. Braden Herr also had a hit, and Gavin Koch had an RBI. C. Maras pitched 1/3 of an inning allowing four earned runs on two hits and two walks. Parsons pitched 4 1/3 innings allowing just four hits and three walks with four strikeouts. Koch pitched 2 1/3 innings allowing five runs, four earned, on seven hits with a walk and four strikeouts.
Hartford/Humboldt got another chance at Lake Norden/Badger in the championship game on Wednesday. Lake Norden/Badger was once again too strong for Hartford/Humboldt. Lake Norden/Badger got out to a 3-1 lead after two innings and scored three more times for the 6-1 win to advance to the state tournament.
Healy, Braden Herr, and Linneman had three hits in the game. Knight pitched four innings allowing six runs, three earned, on five hits and three walks. Linneman pitched three innings allowing two hits and a walk with three strikeouts.
