Hiawatha Post 66 Holds Off Late Seneca Rally for 8-7 Victory

Hiawatha Post 66 Legion Baseball held off a late comeback attempt by Seneca Post 21 to earn an 8-7 victory Wednesday night.

Neither team was able to break through offensively in the first two innings before Hiawatha erupted for six runs on six hits in the top of the third.

Micah Oldham highlighted the inning with a two-run single, while Leyton Moore added an RBI single and Lucas Lancaster drove in another run with a sacrifice fly to help build the early advantage.

Seneca answered with two runs in the bottom of the fourth to trim the deficit to 6-2. Isaac Heinen brought home a run with a sacrifice fly before Levi Thomas stole home later in the inning.

Hiawatha responded in the fifth, adding two more runs to extend its lead to 8-2. Moore collected his second RBI single of the game during the rally.

Seneca refused to go away, scoring four runs in the bottom of the fifth to pull within 8-6. All four runs came with two outs as Jackson Haverkamp, Vincent Deters, Levi Thomas, and Isaac Heinen delivered four consecutive singles to spark the comeback.

The score remained 8-6 entering the bottom of the seventh. Seneca added one more run on Caleb Strathman's RBI ground out to make it a one-run game.

With two outs and the tying run standing at third base, Hiawatha recorded the final out when Deryk Rosenberger grounded out to second, securing the 8-7 victory.

Hiawatha completed the doubleheader sweep later in the evening with a 10-7 win over Seneca.

Both teams will now turn their attention to the AA State Tournament, which will be hosted by Hiawatha July 16-19. The 12-team (two 6-team brackets) tournament will feature games in Hiawatha, Seneca, and Doniphan County, with a state champion to be crowned on July 19.

The MSC Radio Network will provide live play-by-play coverage throughout the tournament. Match ups and game times will be announced at a later date.