Lennox Senior Legion competes at Dakota Classic Tournament

The Lennox Senior Legion Post 174 baseball team competed in the 15th Annual Dakota Classic Legion Baseball Tournament, held June 12-15.

Lennox opened tournament play Friday, June 12 with an 11-1 loss to Bellevue West’s Cornhusker Express Seniors. The Nebraska squad jumped out to an early 3-0 lead on a first-inning three-run home run and never looked back.

Post 174 answered in the bottom of the first when Cole Spieler singled and later scored on a double by Mason Reischl to cut the deficit to 3-1. However, Cornhusker Express added two more runs in the third inning and broke the game open with a six-run fourth inning that included a grand slam.

Lennox collected three hits in the contest. Spieler finished 1-for-2 at bat with a run scored, while Reischl doubled and drove in the team’s lone run. Justin Butler added a single in the fourth inning. Reischl pitched all five innings for Post 174, recording six strikeouts. 

Lennox suffered another loss later on Friday, dropping a 10-1 decision to Excelsior Fire 17U.

Post 174 struck first in the opening inning when Talen Eich doubled and scored on a Cole Spieler RBI double. Lennox put runners on base throughout the game, collecting seven hits, but could not keep pace after Excelsior erupted for six runs in the second inning and added four more over the next two frames.

Spieler led the offense, going 1-for-2 with a double and an RBI. Eich added a double and a run scored, while Justin Butler had a pair of hits. Butler also doubled in the fifth inning. Cole Spieler started on the mound and worked four innings, recording six strike-outs. Logan VonHaden came in in relief. 

Lennox bounced back Saturday with a 7-5 victory over Oak Grove, Missouri.

After falling behind 3-2 in the third inning, Post 174 responded with two runs in the fourth to regain the lead. Talen Eich delivered an RBI single, and Jackson Anacker added a sacrifice fly to put Lennox ahead 4-3.

Nate Haar’s lead-off triple in the sixth inning helped produce an insurance run, and Lennox added two more in the seventh. Cole Spieler doubled and later scored on a Mason Reischl RBI single before another run crossed on an Oak Grove error.

Oak Grove tied the game at 5-5 with two runs in the bottom of the sixth, but Lennox answered with the decisive two-run seventh inning.

Spieler paced the offense with two doubles and one RBI. Reischl added an RBI single, while Eich finished with a hit, RBI, and two runs scored. Haar contributed a triple and scored a run. Eich started and pitched into the seventh inning, recording seven strikeouts before Haar recorded the final outs to secure the victory.

On Sunday, Lennox suffered a 17-4 loss to Post 15 East Legion.

Post 15 East erupted for eight runs in the first inning and added six more in the second to build a commanding lead. Lennox answered with a run in the first and three more in the second.

Eich and Spieler both doubled and scored in the opening inning, with Spieler driving in Lennox’s first run. In the second, Jackson Anacker delivered a two-run double and Spieler added an RBI single to highlight a three-run frame.

Eich finished 3-for-3 with two doubles and two runs scored. Spieler went 2-for-3 with a double and two RBIs, while Anacker added a double and two RBIs. Nate Haar collected two hits for Post 174.

Pitching for Lennox were Gabe Veurink, Nate Haar and Justin Butler. 

Lennox was scheduled to return to action Friday, June 19, at Harrisburg before hosting Irene and Garretson in a doubleheader on Sunday, June 27.