Baseball: Ogallala Juniors defeat Cambridge-Arapahoe on Wednesday, July 1st, 2026

(Photo credit: "Baseball Action Scene" Images in Media from Wix on Wix.com )

By: Evan Troxel

The Ogallala Adams Insurance Advisors Junior Legion Baseball team defeated the Cambridge/Aurora Gladiators Junior Legion Baseball team by a final score of 11 to 3 on Wednesday, July 1st, 2026, at the Ogallala American Legion Field in Ogallala, Nebraska.

Ogallala won with zero outs in the bottom of the fifth inning because of the eight-run mercy rule.

Cambridge only scored in one inning (the fourth inning) on Wednesday while Ogallala scored in every inning on Wednesday.

Cambridge had just three runs, three hits and two people left on-base offensively. Cambridge had four defensive errors.

Ogallala had eleven runs, seven hits and two people left on-base offensively. Ogallala had one defensive error.

Roy Hoelscher was one of the star players for Cambridge on Wednesday going 1 for 2 offensively and scoring a run.

He also pitched all four-plus innings giving up seven hits, 11 runs, four hit batters, five walks and three strikeouts.

Keegan Florom was one of the star players for Ogallala on Wednesday pitching four innings giving up just three hits, three runs, two hit batters, five walks and two strikeouts.

Florom got on-base all four times, scoring twice (and three runs total were scored in his spot in the batting order) and he also was the only Ogallala player to record two hits and he also had three RBI's.

Florom also got hit by the pitch and walked.

Evan Heilman scored one run of the three runs for Ogallala after Florom got on-base.

Daniel Dowdy pitched a 1-2-3 top of the fifth inning for Ogallala striking out the first and third batters of the inning. He also got Gage Rouch to line out to second baseman Jonah Saner.

Entering the bottom of the fifth inning, Ogallala led 10 to 3.

In the bottom of the fifth inning, Ogallala's Keegan Florom walked.

Luke Minster then hit the ball near third base and got on-base via a fielding error by Cambridge third baseman Conner Long who was frustrated by clapping his hand and his glove hand together as soon as he realized that he didn't make the play.

Florom and Minster then moved up to third base and second base respectively on the passed ball.

Then, Levi Nolt hit a bunt single on the third base side near the third base fair/foul line and the third baseman couldn't pick up the baseball and Ogallala won by a final score of 11 to 3.

I guess it is possible that the Cambridge third baseman deserved a fielding error on the play according to an official baseball scorer, but I personally felt like Levi Nolt deserved the single more than the third baseman deserved a fielding error on the play as the bunt to the third base side was honestly well executed by Ogallala and most people probably cannot get a much better bunt down than what Levi Nolt did on Wednesday if they were given 1,000 chances to get it correct.

Cambridge in Junior Legion play is (1-5) so far this season while Ogallala is (9-15) in all Junior Legion games they have played so far this season.

In the top of the first inning, Cambridge's Gage Rouch walked. Then, John McGowen hit into a 4-6-3 double play.

Roy Hoelscher then grounded out to third.

In the bottom of the first inning, Daniel Dowdy of Ogallala reached base on an uncaught third strike.

He then stole a couple of bases and scored on a Keegan Florom single to left field.

Florom then stole a couple of bases and scored on a passed ball and Ogallala led 2 to 0.

Luke Minster and Porter Tjaden then each walked for Ogallala, but Ogallala couldn't score for the remainder of the first inning.

Minster stole second base and then got caught stealing at third base on the tag from Cambridge's Connor Long for the second out of the bottom of the first inning.

In the top of the second inning, Dillon Cornwell singled on a pop up to the Ogallala first baseman Daniel Dowdy, which Dowdy probably would have caught with a few more seconds of time to get into the right spot on the field.

Will Nickerson then popped up to the Ogallala third baseman Porter Tjaden.

Kolt Morse then hit into a ground ball double play, shortstop Levi Nolt picked up the baseball, tagged second base and threw to Ogallala first baseman Daniel Dowdy to end the top of the second inning.

In the bottom of the second inning, Joey Kupper then reached on a fielding error by the Cambridge shortstop. He then advanced to second and third base on wild pitches and scored on a Lou Menotti RBI groundout to Will Nickerson the Cambridge first baseman.

Daniel Dowdy and Keegan Florom then each got hit by a pitch for Ogallala (Dowdy also stole second base), and the Adams Insurance Advisors Juniors of Ogallala couldn't score any more in the inning and Ogallala led 3 to 0 after two innings.

In the top of the third inning, Ogallala had good things on their side.

Jessie Mowry walked and stole two bases for Cambridge.

Then, Connor Long got hit by the pitch and got thrown out at second base as he was caught stealing by Ogallala catcher Luke Minster and shortstop Levi Nolt applied the tag.

Zack Einspahr then walked and he also got thrown out at second base as he was caught stealing by Ogallala again!

Gage Rouch then struck out swinging to end the inning.

In the bottom of the third inning, Ogallala had ten people bat.

Levi Nolt walked and advanced to third on a throwing error by Roy Hoelscher the Cambridge pitcher.

Porter Tjaden struck out swinging.

Then, Jonah Saner singled on a ground ball on the third base side to left field and Nolt scored and Ogallala led 4 to 0.

Jonah Saner then stole second base. Joey Kupper then reached on a throwing error by the shortstop Dillon Cornwell and Saner moved to third base on the play.

Kupper then stole second base. Saner then scored on a wild pitch and Kupper moved to third base and Ogallala led five to zero.

Kupper then scored on a passed ball and Ogallala led 6 to 0.

Lou Menotti then walked and stole second base for Ogallala. He advanced to third base on a Richard Handy groundout to Dillon Cornwell the Cambridge shortstop.

With two outs, Daniel Dowdy got hit by a pitch and stole second base.

Keegan Florom then singled and Dowdy and Menotti scored on the play and Ogallala led 8 to 0 while Florom advanced to second base.

Evan Heilman courtesy ran for Florom and advanced to third on a wild pitch and scored on a single to left field on a line drive by Luke Minster.

Ogallala led 9 to 0 at that point and scored nine in the bottom of the third inning.

Levi Nolt then grounded out to shortstop and Ogallala led 9 to 0 after three innings.

In the top of the fourth inning, Cambridge battled back.

John McGowen walked and Makaden Dunn courtesy ran for him.

Roy Hoelscher singled on a ground ball to center field and Dunn made it to third base.

Then, Dillon Cornwell got hit by a pitch to load the bases.

After a wild pitch which scored Makaden Dunn and advanced Hoelscher to third and Cornwell to second base (which made the score Cambridge one and Ogallala nine), Will Nickerson singled and Roy Hoelscher scored.

Dillon Cornwell also scored on the Nickerson single to right field, but the baseball went under the Ogallala right fielder Lou Menotti's glove and Cornwell likely wouldn't have scored without the error by the Ogallala outfielder.

I credited Nickerson with only one RBI on the play.

Cambridge 3, Ogallala 9.

Kolt Morse then grounded out back to the pitcher Keegan Florom and Nickerson advanced to second base.

Then, Jessie Mowry struck out looking.

Two outs.

Connor Long then walked. Zach Einspahr then saw six pitches and a full count but Nickerson got picked off on a 4-5-6 play which was second baseman Jonah Saner to third baseman Porter Tjaden to shorstop Levi Nolt. I honestly don't remember if the Ogallala pitcher picked off the runner or it actually was the Ogallala catcher who started the pickoff.

To start the bottom of the fourth inning, Porter Tjaden popped up to the shortstop on a play in which Tjaden probably should have been out 99 percent of the time, but the ball landed a few feet away from the shortstop as the shortstop and I think it was the left fielder (or the third baseman) actually collided.

So Porter Tjaden got credited with an odd single which barely got into the outfield grass, so a Texas Leaguer type of hit.

Tjaden stole second base.

Jonah Saner popped up to the pitcher for the first out.

Then, Joey Kupper popped out on an extremely low pop out to the second baseman Gage Rouch.

Lou Menotti then got hit by a pitch and Richard Handy singled to load the bases for Ogallala.

Tjaden then scored on a passed ball and Menotti moved up to third base and Handy moved up to second base.

Daniel Dowdy then struck out swinging and Ogallala led 10 to 3 after four innings.

And then the fifth inning happened and Ogallala won by a final score of 11 to 3 as I explained above.

For Cambridge, Dillon Cornwell went 1 for 1 and scored one run. He singled and got hit by a pitch.

Will Nickerson went 1 for 2 and he had an RBI single.

Connor Long reached base twice on a hit by pitch and a walk. He had zero official at bats.

John McGowen went 0 for 2 and walked once. He grounded into a double play only once. Makaden Dunn scored a run for McGowen.

Gage Rouch went 0 for 2 and walked once.

Jessie Mowry and Zach Einspahr each went 0 for 1 and walked once.

Kolt Morse went 0 for 2 and grounded into a double play only once.

On the offensive side, Levi Nolt went 1 for 3 and scored one run and had one RBI. He also walked once.

Jonah Saner went 1 for 3 and scored one run and had one RBI.

Lou Menotti went 0 for 1, but he reached base twice, scored one run, had one RBI, and he walked and he also got hit by a pitch.

Daniel Dowdy scored two runs for Ogallala, he reached base three times and he also got hit by the pitch twice and he went 0 for 2 officially.

Joey Kupper also scored two runs and reached base twice via the error for Ogallala and he went 0 for 3 officially.

Luke Minster went 1 for 3 and got on-base three times. He also drove in one RBI and walked once.

Porter Tjaden went 1 for 2 with one run scored and he walked once.

Richard Handy went 1 for 3 with a single.

Cambridge defeated Ogallala by a final score of 15 to 7 in the "Prep" game (the competitive level below Junior Legion) on Wednesday afternoon before the Junior Legion game was played.

According to Ogallala it was a "Prep" game and according to Cambridge it was a "Junior Legion" game.

Ogallala was tied with Cambridge at three after one inning.

Ogallala led 7 to 5 in that game after two innings, but they couldn't overcome an eight-run top of the fourth inning and a two-run top of the fifth inning by Cambridge.

In the bottom of the second inning, Ogallala's Mason Howell was on third base and the Cambridge shortstop made a throwing error and Ogallala's Carter Van Winkle made it all the way to third base and then the Cambridge first baseman made a throwing error and Van Winkle took a trip around the bases and Ogallala led at that point 7 to 5.

Van Winkle had a similar trip around the bases in a home game earlier this season when he hit a triple and scored all in one play on a throwing error for a Little League inside-the-park home run!

Carter Van Winkle also had a single and a double on Wednesday for Ogallala.

Jax Martinez got on-base twice because of a walk and he scored both times that he walked! No other Ogallala player scored more than once!

For Cambridge, on the pitching side of things, Dillon Cornwell pitched in relief 3 2/3 innings giving up just two hits, two runs, walking just one and striking out nine batters.

Eight of the last nine outs, was a Cornwell strikeout.

On the offensive side of things, Dillon Cornwell went 2 for 3 with two runs and three RBI's. He had one single and one double.

Gage Rouch went 2 for 4 with two singles, a team-high four runs scored and he also had two RBI's.

Boede Soncksen went 1 for 4 with a two-run triple, he had two runs scored and two RBI's.

Roy Hoelscher went 1 for 2 with two runs and two RBI's.

Ogallala will host North Platte on Monday, July 6th, in Junior and Senior Legion Baseball.

Ogallala will also host Sidney in Senior Legion Baseball for a doubleheader on Friday, July 17th.