Seniors go 2-1 behind strong pitching

Columbus Telegram (NE)

June 05--COLUMBUS -- Consistent hitting and a pair of gems on the mound from Dylan Benne and Jerod Augustine led the Columbus Cornerstone Insurance Group Seniors to a 2-1 record last weekend during a tournament at Pawnee Park Field.

Columbus opened the tournament Saturday by dropping a slugfest 15-11 to Norfolk in a game that featured 19 hits and seven errors.

Then Benne turned things around against Holdrege.

The Briar Cliff University pitcher recorded 13 strikeouts and allowed just one hit in a complete-game victory as the Seniors won 6-1.

"Dylan was a stud and he showed why he's my ace. I coached him last year and he was my ace last year. It's kind of nice when he comes back from college and is able to play with us," Seniors head coach Cody Schilling said.

The Columbus defense sharpened its focus against Holdrege, committing only two errors, both of which came in the first inning, compared to four against Norfolk.

"We need to make sure that we're cleaner than everybody we play. If we come and take care of business, our pitching is good enough to where we can hang with anybody," Schilling said.

Columbus trailed 1-0 early after the errors and Holdrege's only hit of the game.

The Seniors' bats came alive in the fifth and sixth innings as Columbus scored three runs in each frame.

Jared Nitz and Logan Mueller both recorded a single and double while reaching base four times each.

Augustine got the victory for Columbus on Sunday, tossing a complete game while allowing four hits and striking out one as the Seniors beat Holdrege for the second time in two days.

"He did a good job of throwing strikes and making them put the ball in play," Schilling said. "We played good defense, we didn't have many errors, so it comes down to playing good defense and pitching, and we did that."

Columbus tallied nine hits in the 9-2 win, with Mueller and Nitz collecting two knocks each.

The Seniors pushed across five runs in the bottom of the first inning on six hits and a Holdrege error and added another run in the second.

Holdrege scored in the third inning and both teams put up a run in the fourth before Columbus ended the scoring with two runs in the sixth.

On Saturday against Norfolk, Columbus led 8-3 after two innings but couldn't hold on to the advantage.

Norfolk scored seven runs in the seventh inning on six of the team's 12 hits and three walks.

Andrew Altstadt blasted a two-run homer for Columbus early and Augustine had a solo shot in the sixth inning. Alex Uhlig, who had two singles, reached based in all five plate appearances for the Seniors.

Mueller and Augustine also recorded multiple hits.

After a quick start, Columbus scored three runs over the final five innings.

The Seniors (5-5) are scheduled to play 8 p.m. Tuesday at Kearney.

Junior Blues 10,

Omaha Gross 1

OMAHA -- Eric Mustard kept Omaha Gross in check for all nine innings Saturday to lead the United Federal Credit Union Junior Blues to a 10-1 victory.

The sophomore-to-be got stronger as the game went on, not allowing a runner to reach scoring position after the fifth inning. Mustard needed only one strikeout in his performance while relying on the defense behind him to make plays.

He also helped his cause at the plate, recording a pair of hits, including a double, and scoring two runs.

The Blues scored twice in the second inning to take an early lead. Gross cut the deficit to 2-1 an inning later on an unearned run, but that was all Mustard surrendered. He escaped bases-loaded jams in both the second and fourth innings.

As Gross failed to capitalize, the Blues began to pull away. Columbus added a run in the fourth inning and three more in the fifth to take a 6-1 lead.

Connor Dush reached on a lead-off walk in the sixth and came around to score another run for the Blues. A pair of two-out walks and an RBI single from Sam Nelson in the seventh plated Columbus' eighth run of the game.

Columbus finished its attack with two more runs in the eighth inning, highlighted by Mustard's double.

The Blues, who move to 8-1 this summer, travel to Kearney on Tuesday. Columbus topped Kearney 9-1 in five innings on May 24.

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