Contributed by Abilene Baseball Club

The Abilene Rebels baseball team had a big baseball weekend that included a game against former players and a double-header against Clay Center. The Abilene Rebels hosted the 2nd Annual Abilene Baseball Club Alumni game on Saturday, with the Alumni winning the game 11-1 and then hosted the Clay Center American Legion team on Sunday, winning Game One 10-5 and Game Two 9-2.
On Saturday, the game got going a little later than hoped due to the early morning rain but Alumni team members and Abilene Baseball Club members worked hard in the morning to get the field ready for the game. The Alumni scored a run in the second inning, three runs in the fourth inning, and seven runs in the fifth inning to the Rebels lone run in the first inning for the 11-1 final. Alumni team members that participated in the game included: Dalton Belzer, Nolan Berry, Tony Breeden, Vic Clark, Alex Friederich, Colten Kohman, Matt McClanahan, Kerry McDonnell, Dalton Millican, Lance Sherbert, and Slade Volkman. The game got to see a couple of brother versus brother matchups with former players getting to pitch against current players including Nolan Berry and Tate Berry and Lance Sherbert and Carson Sherbert.
“It’s nice to see former players come back and give back to a program that they hopefully had fun participating in and being a part of “, Abilene Rebels Head Coach Billy Hansen said. “The game is basically a practice or scrimmage for the current team members but the Alumni take it pretty seriously”, Hansen continued. The game was a fundraiser for the Abilene Baseball Club.
On Sunday, the Rebels hosted Clay Center for a non-league double-header and came away with a sweep. In the opener, Clay Center got on the scoreboard in their first at-bat on three walks, a couple of stolen bases, and a sacrifice. Abilene tied the game their half of the first inning after Jordan McCord led off by getting hit-by-a-pitch, stealing second, and then Hunter Combes singled to drive in McCord. The Rebels then took the lead in their half of the second inning as Chad Beetch led off with a walk, stole second, and later scored on a passed ball. In the third inning, Weston Riffel was hit-by-a-pitch, stole second, and later scored on a wild pitch for the 3-1 lead.
Clay Center would take the lead in the fourth inning by scoring four runs on four walks, a hit-batter, a single, and an error. The Rebels went down in order in their half of the inning. Abilene would get the lead back in the fifth inning as Timmy Mateer walked and later scored, Riffel was hit-by-a-pitch a pitch and later scored, McCord was hit-by-a-pitch and later scored, Combes hit into a fielder’s choice to drive in a run, and three walks followed to load the bases but they would be stranded. The rest of the game’s scoring was by Abilene and came in the sixth inning as Wyatt Youtsey reached on an error and later scored, Riffel singled and later scored, and McCord reached on an error and later scored for the 10-5 final.
“It wasn’t as easy as the final score may indicate but this was a nice win, especially pitching a couple of guys that haven’t seen much mound time recently”, Hansen said. “We didn’t get many hits but found a way to get on base other ways”, Hansen continued.
On the mound for Abilene, Combes started and went one inning striking out none, walked three, allowed no hits, and one earned run. Andy Tope went two and a third innings striking out two, walked five, allowed three hits, and two earned runs. Chad Beetch got the win going two and two-thirds innings striking out one walked two, hit a batter, allowed one hit, and no earned runs. Offensively for the Rebels, Riffel was 1-1 with three runs scored, a stolen base, and was hit-by-a-pitch twice, Combes went 2-3 with two RBI, and McCord had four runs scored, was hit-by-a-pitch twice, two stolen bases, and a RBI.
In Game Two, Clay Center again got the early lead by scoring two runs in the second inning on a walk, fielder’s choice, and three singles. But the Rebels would take the lead in their half of the inning as Sherbert reached on an error and later scored, Colton Mills doubled and later scored on an error, Tope singled to drive in a run, and Riffel scored after entering the game as a pinch-runner for the 3-2 lead after two innings.
The rest of the game’s scoring would be by Abilene starting in the third inning as Youtsey doubled to deep-centerfield, McCord reached on an error and later scored, Combes singled to drive in a runner and he later scored, Berry hit into a fielder’s choice to drive in a run, and Sherbert sacrificed to drive in a run. The Rebels would extend their lead in the fifth inning as Combes singled and later scored, Berry singled to drive in a run, Sherbert tripled driving in one, and Mills reached on a dropped third strike that Sherbert scored on for the 9-2 final.
“I’m guessing that we faced one of their better pitchers in this game and we did fairly well and only had two defensive errors”, Hansen said. “We also got a nice pitching performance out of Tate, which we needed especially being short-handed at that position”, Hansen continued.
Offensively for Abilene, Combes went 2-3 with two runs scored and a RBI, Sherbert was 1-2 with two runs scored, a sacrifice, and a RBI, Mills went 1-2 with a run scored, a stolen base, a walk, and a RBI, Berry was 1-3 with a run scored and two RBI, Youtsey went 1-2 with a run scored and was hit-by-a-pitch, and Tope was 1-3 with a run scored and a RBI. On the mound for the Rebels, Berry went the distance striking out seven, walked three, allowed six hits, and two earned runs.
Abilene, now 6-1, will be at Salina tonight for a double-header beginning at 6 o’clock.