Late burst helps Anderson Ford secure win

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BY RYLY JANE HAMBLETON / Lincoln Journal Star

Lanny Bolles said he was never really worried about his Anderson Ford team Thursday in the Area 5 American Legion senior baseball tournament.

But it did take the team made up of players from Lincoln North Star until the eighth inning to finally put its game with JC Brager (Southeast) out of reach.

Jake Benne doubled in two runs and Nate Wilder added a three-run home run to help Anderson Ford take an 11-5 victory and advance to Friday’s winner’s bracket final at 8 p.m. against Union Bank.

In earlier elimination games, Judds Brothers edged Dinsdale Auto 7-6 and U-Stop defeated Sampson Construction 9-4. Judds will play Pinnacle Bank at 2 p.m. and U-Stop will take on JC Brager at 5 p.m.

“It felt like we were in control, but when you let a team hang around, especially a good-hitting team like them, it can get you in trouble,” Bolles said.

Anderson jumped to a 4-0 lead after three innings. Benne singled in two runs and scored on a bases-loaded walk by Jacob Hiatt in the second, and then Benne singled in a run in the third.

Brager cut the lead in half in the fourth when Josh Scheffert doubled and scored on a single by Matt Harvey, who came home on a double by Jordan Kirk.

Anderson, which stranded 10 runners in the first four innings, added a run in the sixth when Jared Benne singled in Ricky Ideus, who singled to lead off the inning.

But it wasn’t until the eighth that Anderson was able to break the game open.

“We were loose, real relaxed. We didn’t get tense when the game was close,” said Jake Benne. “We were having fun and knew we’d get something going.”

Hiatt struck out eight and went 82/3 innings to pick up the win, but it wasn’t an easy task.

“That was not one of my best games. I just kept battling,” Hiatt said. “But I was going to stay in there not matter what. I didn’t care if my arm hurt or anything else happened.

“Last year, I threw 135 pitches in my no-hitter and I wasn’t as strong then, so I knew I would be able to do this and come back tomorrow and play.”

Hiatt said it took some adjustment during the game.

“The strike zone was about the size of a nickel, so you had to throw right around the plate,” he said. “But Benne can frame it like a superstar, and that really helps.”

Benne, who finished the game with three hits, drove in five runs and scored twice, said he has felt comfortable at the plate.

“It’s been like that all summer. I decided I would just swing at strikes but still be aggressive,” he said. “In the spring, I wasn’t as aggressive and not I’m getting the ball in play a lot more.”

In elimination games, Judds Brothers scored single runs in the seventh, eighth and ninth innings to defeate Dinsdale Auto. Zach Reinke hit a two-out single in the bottom of the ninth to drive in Curt Adams with the winning run.

U-Stop’s Adam Zillig was 3-for-5 with two runs scored in a 9-4 win over Sampson Construction. Alex Lux had a pair of doubles and also scored twice. Eric McVicker was 2-for-5 with a triple and scored a run for Sampson.

Ryly Jane Hambleton at 473-7314 or rhambleton@journalstar.com.