End of an era for the Seniors [Columbus Telegram, Neb.]

July 24--COLUMBUS -- Not only did the Seniors' loss mark the abrupt end to the season, it also marked the end of an era.

The fourth-seeded Columbus Cornerstone Insurance Group Seniors American Legion baseball team fell to top-seeded South Sioux City 6-5 in the semifinal round of the A-6 Area Tournament Tuesday at Pawnee Park Field.

The loss left Columbus one win short of earning a spot in the A-6 championship game and a guaranteed spot at the state tournament. It also cut head coach Nick Handley's time short as the coach of the Columbus Seniors.

After four years as the head coach of the Seniors, Handley is moving on to Omaha to host a sports talk show on ESPN Radio.

"It's hard to leave. This is the thing about Columbus that I'll miss the most is being out at the ballpark," Handley said after the loss. "Our support staff and our board have been great and very accommodating to me to help me do everything I can to try to build a program. It's unfortunate that you also have to look out for your career too, and that's the thing I hope our kids, our fans and our parents understand. Most of all, I have to thank the parents the last four years -- they've been nothing but supportive. You ask them to do something and they do it. Heck, half the time you don't even have to ask them -- they're always quick to volunteer and organize things.

"This is just a community of amazing people that just want to help any way they can to make this thing go the right way"

It was an emotional end for Handley, who was quick to thank everyone who helped him build up the program.

"I can't thank everybody enough from my first group to the guys that we finished with, I couldn't have asked for a better group to finish it with. It hurts so much because there's no question this is a state tournament team, and it doesn't always work out that way," Handley said. "I've just had tremendous coaches. The succcess we've had in this program in four years is a tribute to those guys. They stuck with me, and they don't make a lot of money -- some of them don't make money. They just love doing this to teach kids because they all played baseball at a high level. They want to pass that knowledge down to them to watch these kids become the best players they can."

The lone senior for Columbus was Nate Ek, a player who embodied what it means to be a leader, according to Handley.

"I can't say enough about our senior Nate Ek. I wanted this for him because he's the one senior -- I've never been around a group that had just one senior," he said. "His ability speaks for itself, but how much he's grown as a person and as a leader, I just can't thank him enough for sticking with us and really being a role model to those younger guys. I've heard him give hitting tips to guys in the cage, and that says a lot about him."

South Sioux City struck first, plating a run in the bottom of the second inning on a Columbus error to build a one-run lead, but Columbus retaliated in a big way.

After a scoreless third, Columbus plated five runs in the top of the fourth inning. After an inning-opening out, Columbus' next four batters reached base safely. Blake Bubak drove in Columbus' first run with a single before Cole Fullner drove in Tucker Ramaekers by beating out a fielder's choice. Nathan Sliva then drove in Cole Alexander with a single before South Sioux City brought in a new pitcher in Brian Kahler.

Kahler hit Ek, the first batter he faced, to drive in Bubak before Tyler Morton hit a single to bring in Fullner for Columbus' final run of the game. Columbus held a 5-1 lead after the fourth inning.

After a shaky fourth inning, Kahler settled in to shut down Columbus for the final five innings, ending the game with five no-hit innings while striking out seven.

"He threw well. He threw his curve ball for strikes and he was unpredictable," Handley said. "He wasn't easy to get a true read on, so he came in and put our offense to a halt. He challenged us, and he was able to beat us."

Nick McElhose got the start for Columbus and went 6 2/3 innings, but after not pitching in nearly two months, McElhose wore down toward the end of his outing.

"I felt that Nick was really settled in on the mound. He hasn't had a start in awhile because he was coming back from a shoulder injury," Handley said. "He's been solid, and he just throws strikes. We really felt that if we threw strikes against South Sioux, they didn't seem to hit the ball very well, but credit to them because they came up when they had to and got some big sticks, but I still felt like he was getting a lot of outs.

"I probably should have taken him out a little earlier than I did, and I'm going to be second-guessing myself about that all the time."

Offensively, Columbus was led once again by Sliva, who went 3-for-5 with an RBI. Throughout the tournament, Sliva went a combined 12-for-19 (.632) with a triple, three doubles, eight RBIs and six runs scored in four games.

"There is a lot of that junior-to-be class that are going to be really good ball players, and with Nathan Sliva, you talk about ending the season on a high note and really having some high expectations next year," Handley said. "He's a great catcher and may even be a better outfielder. The thing I love about Sliv is he's always even keel -- nothing seems to rattle him. His work ethic is tremendous, and he's never too high and never too low. He never really lets the moment get to him. His baseball IQ is tremendous.

"He has a bright future. That kid can definitely play college ball at a high level. He's going to be a great player."

Austin Ewers had Columbus' other multi-hit game, as he finished 2-for-4 with a run scored. Bubak went 1-for-4 with an RBI and a run scored, Ek finished 1-for-4, Morton went 1-for-5 with an RBI, and Alexander went 1-for-3 with a run scored.

With the team only losing one senior from this year's squad, Handley is confident they'll only get better next year.

"I feel pretty darn confident as I leave that this program is heading in the right direction," he said. "We have a very talented group coming back, and I can't wait to see what these guys do. When I have some off time, I'll be watching them."

A-6 Seniors Tournament

Tuesday at Pawnee Park Field

Columbus (19-17) 000 500 000 -- 5 8 1

S. Sioux City 010 002 30X -- 6 10 2

--Pitching: WP -- Brian Kahler; LP -- Nick McElhose.

--Leading Columbus Hitters: Blake Bubak 1-4, RBI, run; Cole Fullner 0-3, RBI, run; Nathan Sliva 3-5, RBI; Nate Ek 1-4; Tyler Morton 1-5, RBI; Austin Ewers 2-4, run; Tucker Ramaekers 0-3, run; Cole Alexander 1-3, run.

--Leading South Sioux City Hitters: Scott Manley 1-4, run; Austin Stark 2-4, 2 runs; Alex Mogensen 1-3, 2B; Deric Hoch 1-3, 2 RBI, 2 runs; Lane Bernstraugh 2-3, RBI, run; Karter Keefer 2-3, 2 RBI; Sean Harral 1-4;

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