Rebels Punch Ticket to State

GENEVA — The Shelby-Osceola-Stromsburg Post #91 #296 #132 Senior Legion baseball team is heading to State.

The top seeded Rebels punched their ticket to Wisner with a back-to-back wins over No. 2 Wood River, including Wednesday’s 8-0 win in the district championship game. The Rebels set up Wednesday’s game with an 8-0 win over Wood River in Tuesday’s elimination game. The second championship game was rained-out Tuesday night with the Rebels up 2-0.

On Wednesday night, Shayden Lundstrom tossed four shutout innings to complete a two-hit shutout as SOS (21-7) routed Wood River 8-0 for the second straight game to earn one of eight slots in the tourney. Wednesday’s result was initiated on Tuesday, as the Rebels had beaten the Eagles 8-0 and then got an inning in during the Class C Area 5 championship game before rain postponed things a day. Colin Wingard had tossed a shutout inning Tuesday and SOS had scored twice in the bottom of the first frame with help from a Lundstrom RBI single.

After Lundstrom tossed a scoreless second inning, SOS extended its lead in the bottom half as Wyatt Urban was hit by a pitch, went to third on Logan Lindsley’s single, and scored on a ground out by Mickey Hoatson. In the third, Lundstrom coaxed three ground outs around a Wood River walk and the Rebels used a Wingard double, a Kelby Neujahr single and a run-scoring grounder by Urban to move ahead 4-0 in the bottom of the frame.

Wood River’s best threat came in the fourth, the Eagles loading the bases before Lundstrom got a strikeout for the last out of the inning. SOS added a run in the bottom half, with Korbe Urkoski singling, stealing second, advancing to third on a throwing error, and scoring on Lundstrom’s sacrifice fly.

Lundstrom fanned two during a 1-2-3 top of the fifth frame and the Rebels ended the contest by the mercy rule with three runs, a run-scoring single by Lindsley plating one and Hoatson’s double bringing in the seventh and eighth runs of the game. Hoatson was 2-for-4 with three RBI, Wingard was 2-for-2 and Lindsley went 2-for-3 to highlight a nine-hit attack.

As for the pitching, Lundstrom’s four strikeouts in as many frames ended a stretch where he’s tossed 18 innings, allowing two earned runs and fanning 22 while recording three wins. Wingard was stellar during the tourney, throwing seven scoreless frames, including a three-inning outing Tuesday in which he gave up one hit and fanned six as his teammates ripped 10 hits in an 8-0 five-inning rout. For the season, he’s allowed just 30 hits and fanned 77 in 46 1/3 innings and is 7-1 with a 1.80 earned run average (per 7 innings).

In Tuesday’s win, SOS scored all the runs it would need during a three-run third frame, with Grady Belt ripping a two-run double and Pierce Branting adding a single to plate another run. In the fourth, the Rebels tallied five runs, with Hoatson singling in one, Lundstrom doubling in two, Belt’s infield hit driving in one, and Branting’s sacrifice fly plating the final run of the contest.

Korbe Urkoski went 2-for-3, Belt was 2-for-2 with three RBI, and Lundstrom and Branting drove in two each. After Wingard tossed 45 pitches, Brayden Santos finished up with two scoreless innings for the second consecutive night. After losing 8-5 to Wood River on Sunday, the Rebels won three games in three days (including a 10-1 win Monday over BDS), allowing just four hits in 16 innings while outscoring their opponents 26-1.

Urkoski’s .440 average leads all SOS hitters, as does his 25 runs batted in. However, five others have driven in 20 runs and five have at least 13 stolen bases, led by Lundstrom’s 25.

SOS will take on Pender Post #55 in the Class C State Tournament at noon Saturday at Wisner City Park in Wisner. The Pendragons will look to avenge a 10-3 loss to the Rebels earlier this month. Pender advanced to State with a 12-3 win over Tekamah Herman Post #15.