HASTINGS — After Grand Island Home Federal clinched an appearance at state on Sunday night’s win, coach Kirby Wells’ message postgame was clear: making state is great but a district title means something.

Tuesday night’s win showed his players bought into their coach.

Home Federal won 7-2 over Hastings Five Points at Duncan Field, claiming the Class A, Area 7 senior tournament title in their first year of being in the new district.

“We played a really good ballgame all around, and it paid off. We’re going to state,” Home Federal’s Jaden Jurgensmeier said.

Tuesday’s game started similarly to Monday’s game with Home Federal building up a small lead before Hastings made it tight around after a couple of innings. Instead of letting Hastings take control like on Monday, Home Federal took momentum back and held them off.

People are also reading…

Home Federal coach Kirby Wells said the difference was a double play that got them out of trouble.

“In that third inning, we got a perfectly executed 1-2-3 double play and that was really huge for us with the bases loaded,” Wells said. “Really proud of our guys and we competed all week.”

Home Federal had a 3-2 lead after the bottom of the second inning. The game then turned into a pitchers’ duel for a stretch, with Hasting’s Joseph Peshek throwing back-to-back 1-2-3 innings and Jurgensmeier throwing back-to-back four up, three down innings.

Riley Plummer drew a walk and Tyler Douglass hit a single to put some pressure on Hastings’ Peshek to start the top of the fifth. Zenon Sack then hit a sacrifice bunt, moving Plummer and Douglass a base each and into scoring position.

Cohen Evans came through with an RBI groundout to second base to break the scoreless streak and put Home Federal up 4-2.

Home Federal went up 7-2 with three more runs in the top of the sixth on a Cohen Nelson RBI sac fly, a Douglass RBI hit by pitch and a Sack RBI single to right field.

Jurgensemier pitched a three up, three down sixth inning and a four up, three down seventh inning, and that was the ballgame.

“Really proud of our guys and a great collective effort by everybody,” Wells said. “Jaden was outstanding on the mound, going seven innings for a complete game. I thought we put together really good at-bats, especially early in the game. We got plenty for Jaden, and that’s all we needed to do.”

Jurgensemeier finished the game with four strikeouts and four walks. He threw 59 strikes in 101 pitches.

Home Federal (23-11) had five batters each record one hit, and they drew four walks.

The state tournament begins this weekend, and Class A is unique with two different locations, one at Bellevue East and the other at Lincoln Northeast. Home Federal will be heading to Bellevue as the Area 7 champions, and Jurgensemier said the key to succeeding over the tournament is to approach it the same way.

“Same mentality as here,” Jurgensmier said. “Don’t care who the opponent is, just go out there and play.”

RELATED ARTICLESMORE FROM AUTHOR