Everything came together for the North Platte FNBO Seniors against their arch-rival Kearney on Tuesday.

The Nationals got their bats going to support a sterling performance from their ace pitcher Jack Polk for a 9-1 victory at Bill Wood Field.

“We swung the bat well, we ran the bases well and Jack pounded the zone,” Seniors Head Coach Ricky Holm said. “It’s a lot easier for your offense when your pitcher is having quick innings. Give Jack all the credit, on Senior Night he won the Leadership Award and the (Larry Kuhlmann) scholarship. He had to do all that before the game and it would’ve been easy for him to come out slow. But he had a great first inning and he got on a roll. The offense fed off it and I’m really happy with our performance.”

North Platte (17-15) got started in the first inning when Easton Jones hit a two-run double to center field off pitcher Derrick Nonhof. Logan Hayes followed with a double to left to score Jones and make it 3-0.

The Nationals kept the pressure on in the second. With two outs, Landan Greeno singled up the middle to score another run. In his second trip to the plate, Jones matched the output on his first with a triple to right, scoring two more runs.

Kearney came out strong in the top of the third. Kole Throckmorton led off with a double and Tysen Cabela hit one of his own to right to score him. But Polk quickly recovered to limit the damage.

North Platte chased Nonhof from the game in the bottom of the third. They continued to build on the lead against the new pitcher, Jake Hanson, with Caden Joneson hitting a two-run single to center.

Hanson held the Nationals scoreless in the fourth and fifth innings to keep Kearney alive. But North Platte got the run they needed to end the game early due to the run rule when Charlie Loofe came in for the sixth.

In the previous game between the two teams in Kearney on May 22, the left-handed Nonhof shut down the Nationals in a complete game 5-1 victory. But North Platte was ready and they turned the tables on him in game two.

“Having seen him already and knowing what he’s going to do, we knew if he didn’t start, we’d still see him today,” Holm said. “We had Ty Robinson and Landan Greeno throw balls at batting practice to see balls from the left side. But I think more than anything, it’s the last week we had (at the Omaha College World Series Legion tournament) and having the heartbreakers we had. That put a bad taste in our mouth and we don’t want to taste that again. They know if we put our game together the way we should, we’ve got a good chance.”

Next, the Seniors will play at the Cheyenne Firecracker tournament starting on Thursday.

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