merican Legion baseball state tournament offered a northeast Nebraska showdown on Monday.
Teams returned to Eaton Field in Wakefield with two already eliminated and two more about to be knocked out.
It was a rematch of the Area 2 Tournament between Wakefield Post 81 and Pender Post 55.
Both teams put big numbers on the board but it was Wakefield holding onto the 7-6 win to improve to 22-18 overall. Pender fell to 20-9.
Pender won the Area 2 Tournament over Wakefield with wins of 11-4 on July 28 and 9-4 (finals) on July 30 while also winning 4-0 over Wakefield during the Wood Bat Tournament on June 7.
Pender opened the game with a run in the top of the first followed by Wakefield scoring a run in the home half of the second and five runs in the third to lead 6-1. Following a scoreless fourth, both teams scored a run in the fifth. Down 7-2, Pender posted a four-run top of the sixth as final favored Wakefield winning 7-6 and winning the hit department, 9-6. Pender finished with five errors as Wakefield had two errors.
For Wakefield, Adrian Flores singled twice, doubled, drove in two runs and scored; Mason Lamprecht doubled twice and drove in two runs; Tanner Thompson singled twice as Cade Johnson doubled and scored.
Jacob Birkley singled and scored as Cael Johnson and Timothy Kaufman both scored twice.
Thompson (95 pitches) picked up the win in five and a third innings allowing six runs (five earned) off six hits while striking out and walking four batters each and hitting one. Mason Lamprecht walked and hit a batter in five pitches. Cael Johnson (19) earned the save in the final inning and two-thirds striking out and walking one batter each.
Pender was led by Nick Buchholz who singled three times, drove in two runs and scored twice while Braylon Wegner doubled and scored.
Aiden Beckman singled, drove in two runs and scored; Michael Cooney singled and scored; Ross Tremayne and Owen Kneifl both added a RBI as Alex Roth scored.
Tyler Olson (101 pitches) suffered the loss in six innings allowing seven runs (two earned) off nine hits while striking out four batters and walking one.
Earlier in the afternoon, Tecumseh Post 2 (22-4) won 9-3 over Albion Cornerstone Bank Post 162 (23-8).
The final game of Monday favored Malcolm Post 354 (25-5) winning 4-3 over Palmer-Wolbach-Greeley Post 120/236/186 (21-8).
