Big time rivals Alliance and Scottsbluff met in baseball action on Tuesday. The battle was played in the valley with the home town Express getting a 4 to 3 win. Alliance trailed from the beginning but rallied to pull within one. A WESTCO score in the fifth made it a 4 to 2 contest but the Spartans made it close thanks to a home run by Jaxson Esparza. The Peltz Co failed to score in the last at bat as the Zephyrs held on for the win. Three Spartans ended the game with two hits each. They were: Esparza, Cody Galles, and Tony Escamilla. Pitching for Alliance were starter Kobe Strom and reliever Espen Lanik. With the loss the Spartans now have a record of 16 and 7.
WESTCO was the aggressor in the top of the first. The Express shut out Alliance while scoring three runs in the bottom of the inning. Using three walks and a two run single, the Zephyrs surged ahead 3 to 0. The Peltz Co came back with one run in the top of the second. Esparza started the scoring with a double and scored the Spartans first run after hit by Galles. Later in the inning, Alliance got a hit by Escamilla, but no more runs. Scottsbluff went scoreless in the second and the game went to the third with the host out in front three to one.
Inning # 3 had both squads failing to score. In the fourth, the Peltz Co closed their gap to 1 at 3 to 2 thanks to a triple by Galles and an RBI hit by Escamilla. Lanik had a clean inning for the seniors in the bottom of the frame. Heading to the fifth, the Spartans trailed 3 to 2. Westco won frame 5. The Zephyrs held Alliance scoreless while a triple and single by the hosts made it a 4 to 2 contest.
Things got very interesting in the top of the sixth. A home run to left field by Esparza slice Alliance deficit to 4 to 3. Meanwhile on the mound, Lanik set down the Express 1-2-3. The Spartans would load the bases in their at bat thanks to a Westco error and 2 walks but a line drive to the outfield was caught by the Express ending the game. Final Westco 4. Peltz Co 3
Spartans 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 3
Express 3 0 0 0 1 0 X 4
Six hits for the seniors two each Esparza, Galles, Escamilla.