After four decades, Legion baseball returns to Verdigre

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In front of a packed baseball crowd, Tuesday, June 27 in Verdigre, Tri-County lost a close game to Valentine Post #90 juniors by a score of 2-4.

"It was another pitcher's duel, this time pitting the Titan's Ryan Rifer against. Valentine's Isaac Cronin," said Titan coach Jeff Shabram.

Valentine got on the board first with one run in the first inning but then were held scoreless into the fifth inning.

Tri-County did not score until the third inning when Jake Schroeder and Kaiden Bauer found home plate on RBIs by Connor Thomson and A.J. Hobbs.

That would prove to be the only runs the Titans could muster all night while Valentine would plate two more runs in the fifth and one in the seventh inning.

Wyatt Shabram would come in the seventh inning, striking out the final batters to relieve Rifer after his pitch count was maxed.

"It was the second straight game where the Titan bats would put the ball in play, but right at the defense. And, when we did get runners on base, we just couldn't knock them home," Shabram said. "Isaac Cronin is a very good pitcher and we had a tough time hitting his pitches with solid contact.

It was an exciting game and a historic contest, as this was the first legion baseball game in Verdigre in 41 years.

Shabram said, "Thank you to the Titan families and fans, game and field workers, concession workers, Coach Lopez and his Valentine juniors and the entire community of Verdigre. It was a fun night and we will have to do it again sometime."