McCook FCB Juniors hold off Horns, 5-4

Nobody can say McCook First Central Bank Junior Kooper Rakes isn’t one of the team’s many hustlers and fails to make for good action photos. Rakes rumbles around third with the “green light” from coach Konor Rakes (above, right) but Imperial catcher Thomas Reeves is ready to take the throw (above) then puts that tag below) just in time for Rakes’ head-first slide. All that happening still did not stop the FCB Juniors from scoring a 5-4 victory.

R.B. Headley/McCook Gazette

MCCOOK, Neb. — Aiden Lauer struck out four Horns late and started First Central Bank’s decisive rally in a 5-4 victory over Imperial Tuesday evening.

The Juniors (9-4 record) trailed 302 until Lauer singled to lead off FCB’s fifth.

Cruz McCarty ran for Lauer and reached third on Trey Junker’s huge double just over the Imperial center fielder.

R.B. Headley/McCook Gazette

Tripp Raile wasn’t about to stumble on this stage, ripping a game-tying single into right as McCarty touched home.

Now tied 3-3, Kooper Rakes took one for the team and that hit by pitch put Raile loaded those home bases for FCB.

All they needed was another off-target pitch skipping to the backstop,

Junker motored home for a 4-3 MNB lead.

However, it was Kale Sattler’s deep drive into the outfield which really provided McCook with a home win.

The sacrifice fly sent Raile racing home to make it 5-3.

Not surprisingly, the Imperial Horns (7-8 record) answered and nearly rallied to steal a victory — even closer than Tuesday’s Seniors contest described above.

Tristan Jablonski singled, advanced to second and scored on Kaden Vogt’s second hit.

The Horns were within 5-4, but Lauer needed just one more out.

He didn’t get his fifth Roger Clemens-like ‘K’.

Instead, Lauer got Imperial’s Noah Rau to hit a high pop fly — and FCB right fielder Jaime Saminego made one super game-ending running catch.

Coach Konor Rakes’ Juniors celebrated their first victory since beating Ogallala 15-0 on June 4 —though they’d only played at Broken Bow during this past week.

Brody Anthony pitched the first 3 1/3 innings to earn this victory. He allowed four hits, struck out four and allowed only one earned run.

Cole Block worked two innings of relief before Lauer threw those final 1 2/3 innings for the save.

Raile scored two runs with Anthony adding a sixth FCB hit.

Vogt joined Thomas Reeves in delivering two hits each for Imperial. Rau, Jablonski and and Conner Stromberger added one hit apiece. Vogt pitched 5 2/3.