PUEBLO, Colo. – The Rapid City Post 22 Hardhats delivered a stellar performance at the 45th Annual Tony Andenucio Memorial Baseball Tournament this past weekend, battling their way through a competitive field to reach the championship game. While their run ultimately ended in a 9-1 loss to Pueblo Azteca Blue on Sunday, their journey to the final was marked by impressive victories and resilient play.
Hardhats Dominate Saturday to Earn Championship Play
After a mixed bag of results on Friday, the Post 22 Hardhats hit their stride on Saturday, June 14th, with two commanding performances that secured their spot in the tournament finale. In their first game of the day, the Hardhats showcased their offensive prowess, dispatching Pueblo Azteca Red with a decisive 11-3 victory.
They followed that up with a masterful pitching and defensive display against the Victus Recruits, shutting them out 3-0. “Ryan Neugebauer was the the whole story” said Post 22 Head Coach Kelvin Tore, “with Ryan throwing the way he did, he gave our hitters a chance just to relax.”
Championship Game: Azteca Blue Claims Title Over Hardhats
The tournament culminated in a championship showdown on Sunday, June 15th, at Runyon Field Sports Complex, where the Hardhats faced Pueblo Azteca Blue. Despite their strong play throughout the weekend, Post 22 struggled to generate offense and contain Pueblo Azteca Blue’s bats, falling 9-1.
Tore commented, “There are days in athletics where the other team is just better than you. That doesn’t necessarily mean they’re a better team, but they are that day.”
Pueblo Azteca Blue took an early lead in the second inning when Trey Schumaker doubled, bringing home two runs and setting the tone for their dominant performance. Jaivan Baca was the star on the mound for Azteca Blue, earning the win by allowing just one run on six hits over six innings, striking out five and walking only one.
For the Hardhats, Luke Hanzlik took the loss, surrendering four runs on five hits over four and one-third innings, with one strikeout and three walks.
Offensively, Kain McLeod was the sole Hardhat to record an RBI, going 1-for-3 on the day. Wyatt Reeder, Josh Elder, Dexter Steen, Aiden Roberts, Jace Morgan, and McLeod each collected one hit, but the team couldn’t string together enough offense to challenge Azteca Blue’s lead.
Pueblo Azteca Blue’s offense was potent, with Trey Schumaker leading the charge, driving in four runs with a 2-for-4 performance. Baca and Max Irwin also contributed with two hits each. Azteca Blue displayed excellent plate discipline, drawing six walks throughout the game.
This the first time in 40 years that Pueblo has won the tournament.
While the championship game didn’t go their way, the Rapid City Post 22 Hardhats head coach was happy with the their overall performance:
“Basically the entire tournament, I was really happy with how we played.” Said Tore, “We played a lot of good teams. We played some stressful games, and we acquitted ourselves really well. There was only one game that I thought that we did not do the little things well, and even though we and we won that game and so overall, it was an excellent tournament for us, I believe we’re a better team coming home than we were going down. And now it’s we’re home for 19 hours and then we’re on the bus to Omaha. So we’re ready to go down and compete in Omaha.”
