Columbus Seniors earn trip to state, area championship

July 21--GRAND ISLAND -- The Columbus Cornerstone Insurance Group Seniors American Legion baseball team needed one more win to get in the American Legion State Baseball Tournament, and they got it Monday in Grand Island.

The Seniors defeated Gretna 9-2 behind a strong pitching outing from Tucker Ramaekers and hits from eight different players.

Columbus took a tough 1-0 loss to Grand Island Sunday, but the win over Gretna sets up a rematch with Grand Island today for the area championship. Both teams have qualified for the state tourney, with Columbus needing two wins over Grand Island for the area championship. Grand Island needs just one win for the crown.

"I feel really good about our effort tonight," Seniors head coach Tom Keiser said. "It would have been easy to feel a little bit let down after last night, but when you're a competitor, those losses should hurt. We did nice job of getting ready to go today. We controlled the game from the first pitch to the last pitch, and that includes from the mound, defensively and offensively. We played a complete ball game."

Ramaekers gave up two runs over 7 1/3 innings and went 2 for 5 with a double to help lead the Seniors.

"I thought he did a good job of getting hitters off-balance," Keiser said of Ramaekers. "He didn't see many comfortable swings and he did a good job of letting our defense help him out. You need your starter to go deep and give you a chance to win and he did that and more tonight."

Dylan Benne relieved Ramaekers, tossing 1 2/3 shutout innings to close things out.

"Dylan came in in the eighth and did a nice job of attacking with the fastball," Keiser said. "Both (Benne and Ramaekers) were ready to go mentally and physically. You can't ask much more from pitchers when a state-tourney bid is on the line."

Tyler Morton went 3 for 5 with a double and a triple and Nathan Sliva added two hits.

It's the second straight year Columbus has earned a trip to the state tournament, but Keiser said this year was less of a surprise.

"This has a different feel because you can tell our kids have expected this from day one," Keiser said. "We have kids that have won for a long time and competed at a high level, but being able to make it last year with a shorthanded group and everybody having to pull the rope, helped them grow.

"They seem like they enjoy and appreciate each other and we should all be so lucky to be with a group that operates that way. They do a good job of holding each other accountable. They know that it's going to take a collective effort and they have done a phenomenal job throughout the entire summer."

If the Seniors were to win two games over Grand Island, they would play their state tournament games at Omaha Westside starting Saturday. A loss means a trip to Hastings for the other side of the tournament bracket.

Grand Island defeated Columbus last year in the area tournament championship game 17-7. In 2012, Grand Island also defeated Columbus in 2013, and twice to end their season at the area tournament in 2012.

Monday at Grand Island

Seniors 102 300 102 -- 9 12 1

Gretna 000 002 000 -- 2 7 2

-- Pitching: WP -- Tucker Ramaekers ; LP -- Thamm

-- Leading Hitters: Blake Bubak 1-4, Tyler Morton 3-5 2B 3B, Nathan Sliva 2-4, Miles Putnam 1-3, Tucker Ramaekers 2-5 2B, Zach McDuffee 1-4, Cade Hansen 1-4, Brandon Konz 1-4

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