Class B State Legion Baseball Day Two Recap in Wathena

The American Legion Baseball Class B State Tournament - Day Two Recap in Wathena 

GM 1 - Elimination Game: Seneca 8, Clifton-Clyde 4

Seneca opened play Friday morning with a come-from-behind 8-4 victory over Clifton-Clyde.

Trailing 3-2 entering the bottom of the sixth inning, Seneca took the lead when Levi Thomas blasted a go-ahead two-run home run to make it 4-3. Clifton-Clyde answered with a run in the bottom half of the inning to even the score at 4-4, but Seneca responded with four runs in the seventh to pull away for the win.

Seneca collected 13 hits in the victory while stranding 11 runners on base.

Thomas led the offense with two extra-base hits, including the go-ahead home run, and drove in three runs. Caleb Strathman reached base in all four of his plate appearances, going 3-for-3 with two singles, a double and two runs scored. Vince Deters also had a strong day at the plate, reaching base in four of his five plate appearances with three singles, an RBI and a run scored.

GM 2 - Elimination Game: Corning 11, Smith Center 9

Like Seneca, Corning opened the day with a come-from-behind victory, rallying past Smith Center to keep its season alive.

Corning erased an 8-4 deficit by outscoring Smith Center 7-1 over the final innings to complete the comeback.

Hayden Schultejans reached base three times, collecting two singles and driving in two runs. Aiden Talley reached base in all four of his plate appearances, finishing with a double, a single, two RBIs and three runs scored. Max Walters, Tyren Talley and Isaac Wegner also reached base at least three times in the win.

GM 3 - Elimination Game: Seneca 8, Corning 2 

Seneca eliminated Corning in another win-or-go-home matchup, using a dominant pitching performance from Charlie Rottinghaus and capitalizing on Corning's defensive miscues in a 8-2 victory.

After throwing 27 pitches in Seneca's opening game, Rottinghaus returned to the mound and delivered five strong innings, allowing just two runs on two hits while striking out four.

Corning committed four errors that led to multiple Seneca runs, while Seneca played a clean game defensively without committing an error.

At the plate, Rottinghaus helped his own cause with a two-run single during a three-run fourth inning. Dason Hill added an RBI in the fifth, and Levi Thomas broke the game open with a two-run double in a four-run sixth. Kamden Schmitz also drove in a run with a sacrifice fly.

Corning scored its only two runs in the sixth inning on an RBI double by Aidan Talley and an RBI groundout from Ethan Garcia. The loss ended Corning's American Legion season with a 9-8 record.

GM 4 - Winners Bracket: Marysville 15, Doniphan County 7

Marysville erased an early two-run deficit and pulled away for a convincing victory over Doniphan County in the late game to advance to the semifinals.

Doniphan County came out swinging, opening the game with five consecutive hits in the first inning to score three runs. Luke Benitz drove in a run with a double, while Hayden Paulino and Keagan Hughes each added RBI singles to give DC an early advantage.

Trailing 4-2 entering the third inning, Marysville's offense came alive. It scored four runs in the third, four more in the fourth, added two in the fifth, two in the sixth and another in the seventh to turn the game into a rout.

Grant Haefele and Gavyn LeDuc each drove in three runs to lead the Marysville offense. LeDuc finished 4-for-5 and was a home run shy of the cycle, collecting a two-run double, an RBI triple and two singles.

Doniphan County's four defensive errors proved costly throughout the game. Beckam Griffin reached base in all four of his plate appearances, recording a double, two singles and two RBIs. Hughes added two singles and two RBIs in the loss.

Final six teams in Hiawatha on Saturday - Games live on 103.9 KNZA! 

10 AM - Hiawatha vs. Garnett (Elimination Game) 
12:30 PM - Doniphan County vs. Seneca (Elimination Game) 
3:00 PM - Concordia vs. Garnett/Hiawatha (Will not broadcast if this game is Concordia v Garnett) 
5:30 PM - Marysville vs. Doniphan County/Seneca