An up and down season for the Chadron Platte Valley Bank American Legion Post 12 seniors comes down to the B-6 Area Tournament this weekend. A season that has been filled with struggles started trending up the second week of June.
Chadron started the season with a five game losing streak and all but one was not particularly close. Allowing an average of 10 runs per game, while scoring three per game during the first five games.
It took until the wood bat tournament they hosted the first two days of June for them to get their first wins. An 8-0 feel good win over Martin, South Dakota before learning who they are with a 10-9 win over Valentine. They still got tested and went on a three game losing streak which started with the very same Valentine team they beat the day before. Then the very next day, which included the 4th and 5th games in a three day stretch. They fell to North Platte twice, by one run each that saw late game heroics by Chadron just to give them a chance to win.
Chadron had 11 days off after that then they started winning, and winning a lot by huge margins. During the College World Series trip they went on they bounced back, taking down North Platte then had a very impressive win over Elkhorn South.
A couple minor setbacks vs district opponents Sidney and Alliance led to a beatdown of Bridgeport on a very hot and steamy Sunday, combining to win 28-2 in a doubleheader. What followed will go down as arguably the most disappointing loss of the season, losing to a Scottsbluff team filled with turmoil. But the Kyle Sanders coached team didn’t wear that on their sleeves. Finishing out the regular season on a six game winning streak to finish 12-11.
Five seniors are only two losses away from seeing their time wearing Chadron red end. #3 Broc Berry, #16 Atreyu Thorson, #18 Kobe Bissonette, #24 Logan Slama and #34 Edwin Fillspipe.
This season Fillspipe leads that group with a .387 batting average, he has 12 hits, including a double and two home runs. He has also driven in nine runs. Berry is second on that list in batting average, he carries a .373 with three doubles and two triples. He has driven in 14 runs which puts him in a tie for third on the team overall. Kobe Bissonette is third out of the five seniors in hitting. He has a .329 batting average, he is second on the team in both hits and runs batted in. Next is Slama, he has a .302 batting average, has two home runs and has driven in 12 runs. Thorsen has a .235 batting average with four singles in 19 plate appearances.
The pitching mound is where Thorson has made a difference, carrying a 1.23 ERA in 17 innings pitched. He is credited with a 3-0 record. Bissonette has a 4.84 ERA in 19 innings pitched. He has 25 strikeouts and a 2-2 record. Slama follows with a 5.79 ERA in 9.2 innings pitched. Berry wraps up the senior pitchers with a 8.47 ERA, but leads the team in strikeouts.
As a team Chadron has a .314 batting average, with 37 doubles, 12 triples and seven home runs. They also have driven in 125 of the 151 runs scored and have walked 77 times. Pitching they have a 3.62 ERA as a team, have struck out 155 batters, walked 101 of them and have given up 147 runs.
The outright team ladder is Caden Buskirk, he leads the team with a .500 batting average, has ten more hits then the guy behind him with 33, has driven in 24 runs and has gone yard three times. On the mound he’s been solid with a 1.61 ERA, has struck out 26 batters, allowed two walks in over 30 innings pitched.
The B-7 Area tournament hosted by Gering will look like this.Gering will be the one seed and is 26-6 on the season, they will go up against six seeded Sidney who carry a 9-11 record. Ogallala is the two seed and holds an 11-10 record, they will take on fifth seeded Auburn, yes Auburn, Nebraska who carries a 15-17 record into the district tournament six hours and 45 minutes away from home. Chadron is the three seed at 12-11 and has 19-21 four seed Alliance in the first round.
Chadron and Alliance will open up the tournament on Friday at 1, Ogallala and Auburn will then follow Gering and Sidney in the final game. If Chadron wins then they will play the winner of Ogallala and Auburn at four Saturday afternoon. If they lose then they will play the winner of Gering vs Sidney at 7 Saturday night.