A complete, one hit shutout by Alliance’s Carver Nemnich helped the Spartan Junior team advance to Tuesday’s championship contest in the Area 7 district tournament. The Peltz Co downed Chadron 8 to 0 to extend their winning streak to 5 games. Nemnich went five innings, gave up just one hit, and struck out 5 Chadron hitters. With the win, Alliance moves into the driver’s seat in the race to go to state next weekend. The Spartans will need just one win on Tuesday to advance to the State Class B tournament in Valley/Waterloo. Jaxson Martinez led the Peltz Co offense with 2 of the Alliance’s 7 hits.
The contest, which was played in McCook, saw the Platte Valley Bank go 1-2-3 in the top of the first. In the Spartan’s first attempt, Alliance failed to score as well. A strikeout by Nemnich was the highlight of the top of the second as Post 12 was denied any scores. The Peltz Co broke through with 6 big runs in the bottom of inning 2. Spartan Creighton Fritzler began the rally, reaching base on a Chadron error. Fritzler advanced into scoring position following a Platte Valley wild pitch. From there, Alliance’s Mikey Johnson singled scoring the game’s first tally. Martinez was next and his single put 2 runners on base. The Peltz Co then added to their lead with an RBI hits by Nemnich, Braeden Clarke, and Tony Escamilla. The inning came to a close with a Chadron passed ball and an RBI out by Nason Thompson. After two innings of action, Alliance led 6 to 0.
An Alliance double play in the top of the third kept the Chadron deficit at 6. Martinez would record another Spartan hit in the bottom of inning #3 but he was left on the bases. In the fourth, the PV Bank went 1-2-3. The Peltz Co increased their advantage in the bottom of the fourth. A walk by Clarke started the scoring and he took third after another Chadron wild pitch. Clarke would then score Alliance’s seventh run as the Spartans were safe at home on an RBI fielder’s choice grounder by Thompson. The contest’s final run came later in the inning on an RBI hit by Fritzler. Chadron went quietly in their final at bat as Alliance went on for the 8 to 0 win.
PVB 0 0 0 0 0 0
ALL 0 6 0 2 x 8
7 hits for the Spartans: 2 Martinez, one each Nemnich, Johnson, Fritzler, Escamilla, Clarke.