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The Northeast Kansas League preseason tournament got under way in Sabetha on Saturday with a pair of first round games. Both Doniphan County and Leavenworth earned wins to moves into action on Sunday for the Semifinals. Doniphan County took down Corning 9-1 in five innings, while Leavenworth earned the 7-4 win over Seneca. 

That sets up the Semifinals on Sunday with Doniphan County taking on Oskaloosa at 2:00pm and Leavenworth facing Sabetha at 4:00pm with both games broadcasted on 103.9 KNZA. The winners will then play at approximately 6:15pm in the tournament Championship. 

Doniphan County Tops Corning In First Round

Strong pitching and scoring throughout guided Doniphan County to the 9-1 five inning win over Corning on Saturday. Corning struck first in the game getting a pair of runners on via error to start the game and an infield single by Josh Hasenkamp brought in a run making it 1-0 Corning. Doniphan County answered in the bottom of the first turning a leadoff walk into a run and tying the game at 1-1. The rest of the scoring would be all Doniphan County as they plated three in the second, two in the third including a solo home run by Wil Smith and three more in the fourth off a three-run homer by Smith. Greaser was strong on the mound giving up on six base runners and only three after the first inning stymieing the Corning offense. 

Greaser picked up the win on the mound giving up an unearned run on two hits in five innings with one walk and five strikeouts, while going 1-2 with two RBI's at the plate. Smith led the offense going 3-3 with four RBI's and two home runs earning McDonald's "Player of the Game" honors on KNZA. Bryson Kirkland added a 3-3 game with two runs scored, while Tyler Franken was 2-3. In the loss Hasenkamp recorded both Corning hits, while Dalton Boeckman and Josh Tynon each tossed two innings. 

The win moved Doniphan County to 3-0 on the season and into the Semifinals against Oskaloosa on Sunday, while Coring fell to 0-3 to start the season with the loss. 

Leavenworth Uses Late Insurance Runs to Top Seneca

It marked the first game of the season for both Leavenworth and Seneca and it was Leavenworth leading the whole game on their way to secure the win with some late insurance runs. 

Leavenworth scored first in the bottom of the first with three consecutive singles including a two RBI single by Preston Pfannenstiel to help Leavenworth take a 2-0. That lead doubled with two runs in the third inning for Leavenworth and they led 4-0 until Seneca stratched a run across in the top of the fifth. In the fifth Paul Enneking was hit by a pitch then stolen second with one-out and on a passed ball took two bases to score. Leading 4-1 Leavenworth added some insurance runs with three runs in the sixth with a two RBI double by Dylan Schuler highlighting the inning and making it a 7-1 lead. Down to their final three outs Seneca started the top of the seventh with a single and pair of walks and scored a pair of runs on passed balls and then another on an RBI single by Trevor Holthaus, but a lineout to third lead to a game ending double play and the Leavenworth 7-4 win. 

Adam Jeske and Pfannennstiel combined to pitch Leavenworth to the win as Jeske started the contest throwing four innings giving up just one-hit, walk, hit batter and strikeout, while Pfannennstiel threw the final three innings giving up four runs on three hits, three walks and hit batter. Schuler and Aubrey Wright led the Leavenworth offense each going 2-3; Schuler added two RBI's with a double to his day earning McDonald's "Player of the Game" honors on KNZA. In the loss Dalton Hiltbrand, Trenton Henry and Holthaus each registered a hit for Seneca, while Derek Uphaus and Enneking each tossed three innings. 

Leavenworth with the win starts the season 1-0 and moves into the Semifinals of the tournament versus Sabetha on Sunday, while Seneca opens the season 0-1.