Juniors outsmash Melons following league final loss

GOTHENBURG, Neb. — Their Sunday walk in the parksuddenly sprouted seeds of a wild Melon comeback for the First Central Bank Juniors Sunday afternoon.

McCook’s expected 12-2 mercy-rule win suddenly became 12-8, then even 12-9 thanks to a wild pitch.

Yet just when the vine to 12-12 seemed within Gothenburg’s reach, Reese Dellevoet brought his best work glove that smashed those Melon hopes.

Dellevoet smoothly caught the game’s final pop fly and finally secured a 12-9 FCB victory.

The Juniors (16-8 record) recovered from Thursday’s league championship game loss to Central City.

They recovered behind a three-hit, three-RBI effort from Joey Gonzales while the two Stevens both brought good medicine:

Ty Stevens drove in three runs and Colton Stevens scored three times.

Coady Armstrong also doubled, singled and touched home three times.

The Juniors built 8-0, 10-2 and 12-2 leads before that late Melon rally.

A combined 13 errors (Gothenburg 7, McCook 6) dragged this game longer through the warm Sunday afternoon than FCB probably wanted.

However, starting pitcher Matthew Van Pelt threw four solid innings as he allowed only two earned runs.

Ty Stevens worked the final three frames with not one of Gothenburg’s runs being earned.

The Juniors avoided any repeat of that league title game Thursday night, when an early 3-0 lead turned into Central City winning 8-3.

Konor Rakes doubled home two runs, but FCB’s attack delivered only one more hit: a Tanner Jacobs single.

Jacobs scored two of McCook’s three runs.

Rakes, Brandon Derauf and Colton Stevens pitched in the title game.