By By SCOTT NOVAK / Niles Daily Star
NILES – The rain couldn't keep the Niles Senior Baseball All-Stars from going 2-0 in the Little League Central States Regional in Peru, Ill. over the weekend.
Niles got off to a great start at the Senior League tournament with a 12-0 victory over the Missouri state champions on Saturday.
Niles then backed that up with a 12-0 victory over the host team LaSalle National Little League on Sunday night.
In other games, Illinois defeated Nebraska 11-1, Iowa blanked Ohio 4-0, Wisconsin defeated host LaSalle National Little league 5-3 and Kentucky defeated Minnesota 17-5.
On Sunday, Illinois defeated Kentucky 2-0, while Ohio blanked Nebraska 7-0 to square its record at 1-1. Illinois is now 2-0 in the tournament, while Kentucky is 1-1.
In the other game, Wisconsin blasted Minnesota 11-1 to improve to 2-0, while Iowa ripped Missouri 17-0.
Niles…12
LaSalle…0
Taylor Ort, Tyler Knisely and Jesse McCombs combined on a one-hitter for Niles with 11 strike outs.
Niles scored three runs in the first, four runs in the second and five runs in the third inning.
The game was halted after five innings due to the mercy rule.
Niles finished the night with eight hits, led by Andrew Brawley, who was 2-for-2 with a home run and six RBIs. Dominique Pompey was 2-for-3 with three RBIs.
Niles also got hits from Anthony Gladden, Ort, Dan Reidenbach, and Tyler Jackson. Reidenbach drove in a pair of runs, while Ort was credited with an RBI.
Niles…12
Missouri…0
Reidenbach picked up the mound victory for Niles with relief help from Jackson and Knisely.
Ort and Brawley both doubled and singled twice for the All-Stars. Reidenbach and McCombs both singled twice, while Will Coar doubled.
Niles is scheduled to play Ohio at 3 p.m. today, while in other games Iowa will face Illinois, Wisconsin will face Missouri, Nebraska will face Kentucky and LaSalle will face Minnesota.
Pool play will continue on Tuesday with the semifinals and finals slated for Wednesday.
The fourth place team will take on the first place team in one semifinal, while the second and third place teams will meet in the other game.
The finals are scheduled for Wednesday at 8 p.m.
On Friday night, Niles' Pompey finished third in the hitting derby, which followed the opening ceremonies. He amassed 20 points in the final round.
Ian Powell of Mercer County, Ky. won the event with 36 points. Zack Wolf of host LaSalle was second with 27 points.