Rally launches MNB Seniors into Area 6 District title game

The McCook National Bank Seniors worked themselves out of a hole Sunday night to defeat the Gothenburg Melons 7-6 to advance to the championship game of the Area 6 District Tournament.

Matt Beckenhauer started the game on the hill for MNB.

Beckenhauer threw for 4 1/3 while giving up six runs on nine hits and striking out two.

Derick Lorentz relieved Beckenhauer with one out in the fifth inning. Lorentz went on to shut down the Gothenburg batters en route to recording a victory with 2 2/3 innings pitched with no runs scored off of one hit and four strikeouts.

"You've got to give credit to Gothenburg, they are a great hitting baseball team. But when Derick came in, he was absolutely dominating," MNB coach Tye Hallowell said.

Gothenburg ran off to an early lead in the first inning when three of their batters crossed the plate to put them up 3-0. Gothenburg's Jeff Neujahr, fresh off playing in the Shrine Bowl Football Game in Lincoln Saturday, scored a fourth run for his team in the second inning to make the score 4-0.

MNB answered back with a single run in the bottom of the second inning. Eric Anderson drove in Al Shiers, who reached base with a booming double to right-centerfield, to bring MNB within 4-1.

Gothenburg extended its lead to 6-1.

Gothenburg's Blake Streeter's two-RBI double gave Gothenburg a five-run lead going into the bottom of the fifth.

MNB left Adam Kotschwar stranded on third base.

Lorentz pitched a solid sixth frame to keep MNB's rally hopes alive.

McCook's Spencer Walter beat out a ground ball to short with a face-first slide into first base. Ryan Ball also reached on an infield single, with another close call as the first baseman pulled his foot off the bag.

Jared Muehlenkamp singled into left field to bring home Walter and Lorentz singled in Ball to make the score 6-3.

Anderson recorded the first out of the inning with a fly ball to centerfield. Quinton Pohl shot an RBI double to right field to score Muehlenkamp and advanced Lorentz to third.

Kotschwar stroked a clutch two-RBI double to tie the score at 6-6.

Kotschwar advanced to third on a wild pitch and scored on Serbousek's grounder to second for a 7-6 lead.

Gothenburg's Luke Edson replaced Bullock on te mound and got the final out.

"Bullock really had us baffled on his curveball. We were really chasing his pitches and then when we made the adjustment to lay off his bad pitches we really began to hit him," Hallowell said.

Lorentz retired the side in the bottom of the seventh for a McCook win.

MNB's sixth-inning rally was aided by two close calls.

"It's a game of inches and a couple of things went our way. We believed we could come back and it really means a lot to the kids for us to come back from so much," Hallowell said.

"That was a big comeback. It takes a lot of heart to come back. A lot of teams could of packed up and quit.

"That's the biggest win so far, by far us. Not one person won that game, it took everybody," Holthus said.

With the victory MNB advanced to the championship game of the district tournament next Sunday at 7:30 p.m.

Gothenburg falls into the loser's bracket and will play the winner of Kearney County-Holdrege (tonight at 7:30 p.m.).

Gothenburg will play that game on Wednesday at 7:30 p.m.

The winner of that game will face MNB on Sunday and will have to beat MNB twice because the tournament is double-elimination.

If MNB loses Sunday, then the deciding game will be played at 7:30 p.m. July 28.

All games are being played at the Jaycees Sports Complex.

Gothenburg 310 020 0 -- 6 10 2

MNB 010 006 x -- 7 11 1

M -- Matt Beckenhauer, Derick Lorentz. G -- Trent Bullock, Luke Edson. W -- Lorentz. L -- Bullock. 1B -- Adam Kotschwar, Matt Serbousek, Jeff Holthus, Spencer Walter (2), Ryan Ball, Jared Muehlenkamp, Derick Lorentz, Quinton Pohl, M. Jeff Neujahr, BJ Strohmyer, Matt Hildebrand, Chase Halsted, Brian Moody, Blake Streeter (2), G. 2B -- Kotschwar, Al Shiers, Pohl, M. Strohmyer, Streeter, G.

McCook 4,

Lexington 0

Matt Serbousek nearly pitched a perfect game for the McCook National Bank Seniors Friday against the Lexington Seniors in the Area 6 District Tournament.

Serbousek struck out 14 of the 22 batters he faced and had no walks in MNB's 4-0 shutout victory to advance in the winner's bracket of the tourney.

"I threw pretty well, I was up in the hype of the district game and was pumped up and got it done," Serbousek said. "I was more focused for this game than I've been all year. I just held them down and we let our offense get the job done."

Serbousek was on fire right out of the gate. He struck out two Lexington batters in the top of the first inning.

Serbousek simply blew his pitches by Lexington hitters in his amazing performance.

Eleven of Serbousek's 14 strikeouts came with Lexington batters swinging.

"Serbousek came out and used his breaking ball effectively today and that seemed to be getting him out. He was also locating his fastball and that was a great strategy towards Lexington's hitters," Hallowell said.

After the fourth inning, Serbousek still had a perfect game. "You could tell everyone knew in the dugout. There were a lot of smirks," Hallowell said.

Serbousek took his perfect game into the seventh inning when the first batter, Jason Williams, came to the plate.

Williams hit a blooper into right field.

After Williams broke up Serbousek's perfect game, Serbousek fanned the next three batters to end the game and send MNB onto the next round of the winners bracket.

On the offensive side for MNB, Adam Kotschwar scored from the lead-off position in the first inning on Serbousek RBI's single.

In the fourth frame, Derick Lorentz hit an RBI single that brought in Spencer Walter.

Ryan Ball's single scored Jared Muehlenkamp to give MNB a 3-0 cushion over Lexington. He also scored MNB's final run on a passed ball.

Hallowell said he was pleased to see his team perform so well in district play against rival Lexington.

"This game is huge in a number of ways. It's McCook-Lex, big game. They just beat us last Tuesday, plus it's first round of districts. It's a big game."

Lexington's season ended with a 3-2 loss to Holdrege Saturday 3-2 in the loser's bracket.

Lexington 000 000 0 -- 0 0 5

MNB 100 201 x -- 4 7 0

M -- Matt Serbousek. L -- Andrew Biehl. W -- Serbousek. Loss -- Biehl. 1B -- Jeff Holthus, Spencer Walter, Al Shiers, Jared Muehlenkamp, Derick Lorentz, Ryan Ball, Quinton Pohl, M. Jason Williams, L.