The Post 22 Hardhats 2025 wrapped up a busy and successful tournament on Monday at Joe Schleper Baseball Stadium, finishing the weekend 5 to 1 after a dominant win over Pinnacle Bank and a tough 5 to 2 loss to Carpet Land Rugs 18U.
Game 1:
The Hardhats came out swinging in the first game of the day, exploding for 12 runs in the first inning en route to a 17 to 0 win over Pinnacle Bank. It was a total team effort. Wyatt and Jackson Reeder, Carter Johnson, Josh Elder, Dawson Inhofer, and Aiden Roberts all knocked in runs during the huge opening frame.
Josh Elder cleared the bases with a three-run double, and Johnson followed later with a three-run double of his own. In the second inning, Roberts drove in another, Lars Kieffer crushed a two-run double, and Wyatt Reeder capped it all off with a two-run homer to right field.
On the mound, McCoy Rippentrop and Brixton Steen combined for a three-inning shutout, striking out six and allowing just one hit. Post 22 totaled 15 hits in the game, with Johnson leading in RBIs with four and Reeder going 3 for 3 at the plate.
Game 2:
In the second game, Post 22 collected 10 hits, three of them from Reeder, but fell 5 to 2 to a talented Carpet Land Rugs 18U team. The Hardhats struck first when Reeder drove in a run in the opening inning. But in the bottom half, Carpet Land capitalized on a two-run double, an error, and a sacrifice fly to grab a 4 to 1 lead.
Rowan Fredrickson started on the mound and kept things close, striking out four over five innings while giving up just three earned runs. Post 22 added another run in the third but couldn’t catch up as Carpet Land locked things down the rest of the way.
Even with the loss, the Hardhats walked away from the tournament with plenty to be proud of.
Head Coach Kelvin Tore praised his team’s play throughout the weekend.
“Lincoln East is one of the best teams in the Upper Midwest. When you play against them, you must be on top of your game,” he said. “We played well, but made a couple mistakes. We had a great tournament, 5 and 1, losing to a team who very well might have won it all.”
Now the team turns its attention to the playoffs, carrying this momentum into the most important stretch of the season.
