Seth Burdick (Sabetha)

Joe Gruber (Sabetha)

Tucker Sherretts (Oskaloosa)

2017 NEKL Preseason Legion Baseball Tournament Champions - Sabetha

2017 Northeast Kansas League Legion Baseball Standings - click here

2017 KNZA McDonald's "Player of the Game" selections - click here

103.9 KNZA Legion Baseball Broadcast Schedule - click here

Listen back to 103.9 KNZA broadcasts - 
       Doniphan County vs. Oskaloosa (Semifinals) - click here to listen 
       Sabetha vs. Leavenworth (Semifinals) - click here to listen 
       Oskaloosa vs. Sabetha (Championship) - click here to listen 

The Northeast Kansas League legion baseball preseason tournament wrapped up on Sunday in Sabetha with the Semifinals and Championship contest. In the Semifinals Oskaloosa topped Doniphan County 8-2 and Sabetha earned the 10-7 win over Leavenworth moving each team into the Championship. 

In the Championship matchup Sabetha earned the NEKL preseason tournament title with the 8-1 win over Oskaloosa. 

Oskaloosa Takes Down Doniphan County Behind Pitching of Sherretts

After a first round win over Corning Doniphan County moved into the Semifinals of the NEKL tournament to take on Oskaloosa and it was the pitching of Tucker Sherretts that paced Oskaloosa to the 8-2 win. 

Leaving the bases loaded in the second Oskaloosa broke through on the scoreboard in the third sending nine to the plate using four walks and two hits to score three runs. The lead doubled for Oskaloosa in the fifth with three more runs making it 6-0. Doniphan County finally broke through on the scoreboard in the bottom of the sixth with a pair of runs but Oskaloosa answered with two in the top of the seventh and then finished the game with a 1-2-3 bottom of the seventh to secure the 8-2 win. 

Doniphan County in the loss was led by Zeb Speer who went 2-3 at the plate and tossed two and two-thirds as the starter giving up three runs on three hits, four walks, hit batter and a strikeout. Bryson Kirkland finished the game throwing the final four and one-third surrendering five runs on six hits with four strikeouts, while Doniphan County played with several junior legion guys some players were unavailable. The loss moved Doniphan County to 3-1 on the season. 

Oskaloosa in the win was led by KNZA McDonald's "Player of the Game" Sherretts who earned the win on the mound going seven innings giving up just two runs on four hits and one walk with 12 strikeouts half coming on called strike three's. Tate Swank, Cooper Thurston and Jared Miller led the offense each with two hits as Oskaloosa moved to 1-2 and into the Championship game. 

Sabetha Takes Advantage of Free Passes to Top Leavenworth

A total of 18 walks and 20 free passes were given in the contest between Sabetha and Leavenworth but it was Sabetha capitalizing on their free passes more efficiently to snag the 10-7 Semifinal win. 

Leavenworth took the early lead scoring a run after a leadoff walk in the bottom of the second and it remained 1-0 until the top of the fourth. In the top of the fourth Sabetha batted around and scored six runs without a hit using six walks, two errors, multiple stolen bases and passed balls to take the lead. Sabetha added a run on an RBI single by Mason Spellmeir in the fifth but Leavenworth started to get back into the contest scoring three runs in the bottom of the fifth on five walks and a single making it 7-4. In the sixth Sabetha tallied two more runs and another in the seventh to lead by six entering the bottom of the seventh. Leavenworth didn't go away quietly scoring three runs but came up short in their comeback as Sabetha won 10-7. 

The loss moved Leavenworth to 1-1 on the season as they were led by Tanner Morris and Preston Pfannennstiel who each had two hits. Tanner Morris started the game and retired the first eight Sabetha batters before struggling in the fourth inning, while Jaden Lee pitched the final three and two-thirds. 

Sabetha with the win moved into the Championship game and improved to 5-1 on the season with Seth Burdick leading the offense going 2-3 with two doubles, a walk and three runs scored earning him McDonald's "Player of the Game" honors on KNZA. Trevor Kramer started the game on the mound going four and a third giving up four runs on four hits, six walks and five strikeouts, while Kyle Grimm tossed the final two and two-thirds giving up three runs on one-hit, three walks and two strikeouts. 

Sabetha Earns NEKL Preseason Tournament Crown With Win Over Oskaloosa

In the Championship contest early offense gave Sabetha the lead and they settled in to stymie Oskaloosa's offense on the way to the 8-1 win to claim the NEKL preseason legion tournament title. 

Sabetha took the lead in the bottom of the first as Brandon Brownlee started the inning with a single and then scored on a triple from Blake Frey. Frey also came into score a fly ball out to left from Brett Stallbaumer and it was 2-0 Sabetha after just one inning. That lead doubled with two more runs in the second as Brownlee had an RBI single to highlight the frame. Oskaloosa got on the board using three singles in the fourth as an RBI single by Tucker Sherretts scored Dawson Gatzemeyer to make it 4-1. Sabetha answered with a run in the fifth and then scored three more in the sixth almost ending the game via run-rule, but Oskaloosa got one final crack at it in the top of the seventh but Joe Gruber and Sabetha's defense set them down 1-2-3 and captured the 8-1 win. 

Oskaloosa with the loss fell to 1-3 on the season and recorded six hits in the game with a double from Hunter Reed, while Seth Coltrane, Gatzemeyer, Jared Miller, Sherretts and Dante Nelson each had hits also. Nelson and Coltrane each tossed three innings in the loss. 

With the win Sabetha improved to 6-1 on the season and were led by Gruber on the mound who earned the win giving up one run on six hits, two walks, a hit batter and seven strikeouts in seven innings earning McDonald's "Player of the Game" honors on KNZA. Brownlee lead the offense going 2-3 with a walk and RBI.