On Saturday, July 27, the Alliance Spartan Senior team played Johnson Auburn in day 2 of the district 7 baseball tourney. The Peltz Co rallied with 5 runs in the top of the seventh to down the First National Bank 15 to 10. Things didn’t go the Spartans’ way early in the affair as Alliance was down 10 to 5 after three innings of play. Three big scores by the Spartans in the fifth and 5 more in the seventh moved Alliance along in the winner’s bracket. The contest which was played in Gering saw the Peltz Co gather 14 hits with Nason Thompson and Cody Galles leading the way with 3 each. Four Spartans pitched in the contest with Carver Nemnich getting the win.
It was all Auburn in the opening inning. Alliance went scoreless in the top of the first while First National Bank tallied 4 runs. With 2 outs, Johnson Auburn used 2 walks, a single, and a double to surge ahead 4 to 0. The Spartans responded with a run in the top of the second. Thompson singled and scored on an RBI hit by Galles, making it 4 to 1. Auburn came back with a single run of their own in the bottom of inning 2. FNB used a double and a single to move ahead 5 to 1.
The Alliance bats came to life in the top of the third. Braeden Clarke began the rally with a walk. Hits then ensued by Tony Escamilla, Kaden Ferguson, and Kobe Strom as the Peltz Co scored run #2. A fielder’s choice RBI grounder by Jaxson Martinez pulled Alliance to within 2. The scoring came to a close with RBI hits by Galles and EJ Garcia. Heading to the bottom of the third, the game was knotted at 5 all. The momentum then went to the side of Auburn. The first National Bank tallied 5 runs of their own to take a 10 to 5 margin. A big 3 run double by Auburn finished the inning with Alliance trailing 10 to 5.
In the fourth, the Spartans got another tally in the score column thanks to a hit by Clarke and an RBI double by Thompson. Down 10 to 6, Nemnich shut down Auburn in the bottom of the inning. Three more Peltz Co runs in the top of inning 5 closed the Alliance deficit. A walk to Martinez began the rally and it was followed by a double by Galles, putting the score at 10 to 7. Mikey Johnson added a single while Lanik continued the hit parade with an RBI double. The scoring came to a close with a sac fly by Escamilla. Auburn failed to score in their attempt in the fifth and the game went to the sixth with the score board reading Auburn 10 Alliance 9.
The Peltz Co comeback continued in the top of the sixth. Thompson started the scoring with a single and moved to second on a sac bunt by Strom. A wild pitch got Thompson to third, and he would score Alliance’s tenth run on a sacrifice fly by Martinez. Another scoreless inning pitched by Nemnich kept the game tied at 10 heading to the seventh. Four straight Spartan walks began the action in the top of the seventh as Alliance surged ahead 11 to 10. Strom was hit by an Auburn pitch that plated run #12. An Auburn wild pitch followed, putting the Peltz Co up by 3. Martinez capped off the inning with a big 2 run double, making the score 15 to 10. Nemnich would allow 2 hits by Auburn in the bottom of the seventh but no runs. Final Alliance 15 Auburn 10
ALL 0 1 4 1 3 1 5 15
AUB 4 1 5 0 0 0 0 10
14 hits for Alliance 3 apiece Thompson, Gallas one each Clarke, Escamilla, Ferguson, Strom, Martinez, Lanik, Garcia, Johnson.