It was a successful week for the Spartans, bringing their overall record to 17-15. The Spartans hosted the 2022 Clair Conley Baseball Tourney, where they took on Broken Bow, Torrington, Sidney, York and Ogallala. The Spartans went undefeated in the tournament with a record of 5-0. The Spartans won the whole tournament. They faced off against Ogallala in a nail-biter for the championship.
The Spartans’ first tournament game was on June 22, where they played against Torrington. Alliance defeated the Tigers with a final score of 8-4. Jakob Callan was the winning pitcher. He allowed three hits and three runs over four innings, struck out three and walked one Tiger. Caeson Clarke had a home run in the fourth inning and Caeson Clarke, Ashton Ross, Landen Crowe, Brantz Halouska, Tyzen Brown and Mario Garza all had one hit to lead the Spartans in hits.
The Spartans’ second game was on June 23, where they played against Sidney. The Spartans won. They had six runs in the first inning with a final score of 11-3. The Spartans’ offense in the first inning came from a single by Espen Lanik, a home run from Ashton Ross and a fielder by Brantz Halouska. The Spartans collected 14 hits, whereas Mario Garza, Espen Lanik, Caeson Clarke, Jakob Callan and Tyzen Brown collected multiple hits. Tyzen Brown was the winning pitcher who lasted three innings, allowing one hit and zero runs while striking out four and walking one. Jakob Callan, Caeson Clarke, Espen Lanik, Tyzen Brown and Mario Garza all had two hits to lead Alliance.
The Spartans’ third game was on June 24, where they played York. The Spartans won another close match over York with a final score of 9-8. Alliance won even after allowing York to score five runs in the fourth inning. Brantz Halouska was the winning pitcher for Alliance, where he surrendered zero runs on one hit over two-thirds of an inning—striking out one and walking zero. He was relieved by Ashton Ross for two innings out of the bullpen. The Spartans tallied 12 hits on the day, where Mario Garza, Brantz Halouska, Tyzen Brown, Caeson Clarke and Ashton Ross each had multiple hits for Alliance. Mario Garza led the Spartans with three hits in four at bats.
The Spartans’ fourth game was on June 25, where they played against Broken Bow. The Spartans claimed the victory over Broken Bow with a final score of 11-9. The match’s score had been tied at nine with the Spartans batting in the bottom of the fifth when Jakob Callan singled on a 0-1 count, scoring one run and taking the lead. Landen Crowe started the game for Alliance. He allowed ten hits and nine runs over four and two-thirds inning and struck out one. Brantz Halouska was the winning pitcher, where he surrendered zero runs on zero hits over a third of an inning, striking out one and walking zero. The Spartans had nine hits, where Mario Garza and Caeson Clarke each had multiple hits with two each to lead Alliance.
The Spartans’ final game was on June 26, when the Spartans took on Ogallala for the championship. The Spartans had trailed most of the game, but still ended up with the victory. Alliance had been down 10-7 in the top of the seventh. Caeson Clarke hit a grand slam giving the Spartans an 11-10 lead and a victory over Ogallala.
“That’s like every kid’s dream. It felt pretty good,” said Clarke.
Ashton Ross was the winning pitcher who lasted three and two-thirds innings, allowing four hits and five runs over one inning, striking out one and walking one.
“I feel my stuff wasn’t there, but I think I had a great team. The dug-out energy was great. Found a way to get some good outs and the team helped me out on defense. At the end of the day, it wasn’t the best stuff, but it was enough to get the job done and that’s what matters,” said Ross.
Alliance had 11 hits in the game, where Caeson Clarke, Ashton Ross and Mario Garza each had multiple hits for Alliance. Caeson Clarke led Alliance with three hits in five at bats.
The championship game was a close one that kept the crowd on the edge of their seats. Alliance pulled through with an inspirational win, where they never gave up and battled back until the end.
“It just seems like these games we have had recently, the last couple innings have been heroic finishes. One thing I’m preaching is to be relentless, stay in the moment, control what you can, and tip your cap off to Ogallala. They’re a solid program and will be a dog fight until the end. I’m proud of how the boys competed until the end and never gave up,” said Coach Carlos Palomo.