McCook Calves crush Wood Bat tourney tests

The McCook Calves 12-and-under baseball team earned four impressive wins and a championship at last weekend's Imperial Wood Bat Tournament. Champions appear from left. Front row: Caleb Sughroue, Ty Junker, Abel Wilson, Jackson Hartwell and Cole Davidson. Back row: coach Billy Davidson, Wyatt Benes, Kale Sattler, Ian Spearman, Lee Davidson, Asher Wilson and coach Drew Wilson. Scores and highlights will appear in Thursday's McCook Gazette.

Diane Stamm/Johnson Publications

IMPERIAL, Neb. — Wood bats worked just fine for the McCook Calves while they stampeded through four foes by a 46-7 total score en route to last weekend's Imperial Tournament championship.

The 12-and-under age team blanked Grant twice, 10-0 and 15-0, with one tight 7-5 victory over Imperial 2 sandwiched between those two shutouts.

McCook's boys met Imperial 2 again for the title which turned into a 14-2 triumph.

Billy Davidson and Drew Wilson coached the Calves. More details from each contest:

Lee Davidson only needed a measly single to hit for the “cycle” during McCook’s 10-0 opening win over Grant.

Davidson sent five Calves around the bases with his double, triple and home run which drove home five RBIs.

Jackson Hartwell and Kale Sattler made sawdust of Grant victory hopes with two hits apiece.

Calves pitchers only permitted two Grant hits all game as Asher Wilson struck out six in 3 2/3 innings.

The Calves (12-10 season record) got one good test from Imperial Horns Saturday evening.

In fact, Imperial led 5-2 until McCook’s boys blasted to a 7-5 comeback win.

The key moment arrived at 5-5 when Wilson walked, stole second and motored home on Hartwell’s two-out hit.

Abel Wilson added the clinching insurance run. He clubbed a single and eventually scored thanks to an errant Imperial pitch.

The Calves conquered a Sunday semifinal rematch against Grant, 15-0, with Hartwell throwing three no-hit innings.

All nine Calves delivered at least one hit led by Lee Davidson’s three and four RBIs.

Ty Junker jolted two hits, two runs and two more runs batted in.

Asher Wilson drilled a double and single.

The Sunday night final featured another second chance, but Imperial couldn’t do much during a 14-2 Calves final win.

Hartwell (three runs, three RBIs) and Davidson both went three-for-three to cap awesome weekends of swinging wood bats.

Asher Wilson tripled en route to scoring three more runs. Caleb Sughroue delivered two RBIs.

Wyatt Benes struck out five in his two innings of work on the hill.