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Legion season ends against rival

By Shawn Linenberger - | Jul 17, 2002

Tonganoxie had two more cracks at what has become its biggest rival this Legion season.

Unfortunately for Tonganoxie, it came up just short both times.

Despite finishing the season at 23-13, Tonganoxie is looking to enter one more tournament.

A meeting Friday will decide if, when and where the tournament for Leavenworth league Legion teams will be played.

Tonganoxie is 2-6 in tournaments this year.

The team is also 21-7 in regular season games, primarily against league teams.

Lansing, which has won four out of five games against Tonganoxie this season, took the last two Sunday, 7-6 and 8-6.

Each game in the series has been decided by two runs or fewer.

In the teams’ previous meeting June 25, Tonganoxie split with the Huskies, handing the Lansing team its first loss of the season.

The second game ended with a controversial play at home plate and Tonganoxie won. The Huskies didn’t agree with the call, as their catcher threw the ball at the backstop in disgust.

Team members also opted not to shake hands with Tonganoxie players after that game.

The teams were scheduled for a rematch Saturday, but when players arrived in Lansing, another team was preparing to play the Huskies.

“Saturday, they ended up double booking it,” said assistant coach Mike Weyer.

Tonganoxie tried the meeting again, this time on Sunday, and the teams played their doubleheader.

“They were disappointed, but they played very well,” Weyer said about the doubleheader loss Sunday. “We committed too many errors in the second game.”

The team, though, seems to be encountering more errors off the field rather than on it.

Along with Saturday’s scheduling mishap, the team missed out on two doubleheaders two weeks ago because the opposing teams didn’t have enough players. And in Sunday’s second game in Lansing, the game was cut short at five innings because the Huskies didn’t have keys to the ball field lights that evening.

Despite the problems with playing full games, Tonganoxie finished the season with a strong record, ending at 23-13.

In Tonganoxie’s last home doubleheader, the Legion team defeated Leavenworth Geiger last Wednesday, 12-1 and 14-3. Both games ended in four innings because of the mercy rule.

Against the Huskies, Tonganoxie couldn’t muster quite as many runs, but did get some punch from Matt Weyer.

Trailing 6-1 in the first game, Tonganoxie cut it to 6-5 with a Weyer grand slam.

Although Tonganoxie was 2-6 in tournaments this year, the team had a 21-7 non-tournament record. Tonganoxie hopes to continue with a postseason tournament of Leavenworth league teams, but a decision on the tournament won’t be made until Friday, Weyer said.