NORFOLK – Twice this season, Norfolk Elkorn Valley Bank and RVR Bank (Fremont) took the diamond legion baseball action, all three times in Norfolk.
In the first game of the seaosn June 11th, Norfolk used a five-run fifth inning to down Fremont 9-5 before falling in their second contest 6-2 this past Saturday.
Yesterday, in the season rubber match and a trip to the Class A Area Six District Championship on the line, it was Fremont who got the last laugh, erasing an early deficit as Norfolk fell 11-2 to end the season.
“It’sdefinitely a gut check for sure,” co-head coach Dylan Viergutz said. “I told the guys, ‘I’ve been playing baseball a long time, I’ve been around the game a long time and had a lot of gut checks. Had my baseball career ended last year, and this ending is one of the tougher ones that I’ve had to face, for sure.'”
Norfolk was able to put pressure on Fremont early, as with two outs in the bottom of the first, James Lanman ripped a ball to deep right-center field, resulting in a triple before scoring on a Carter Walnofer single the very next play.
That 1-0 lead, however, would be the only lead Norfolk would hold after Fremont tied the game in the second and took a 4-1 lead after the third.
That’s when the wheels started to go catawampus for Norfolk.
With a two outs and a runner on second in the third, a routine play and throw to first became a dropped ball by Maddox Magnussen, allowing Fremont to score a run before tacking on two more with Caleb Pribnow’s second triple of the day.
The wheels continued to fall of for Norfolk, surrendering a four spot in the fifth for a 7-1 deficit.
Norfolk would cut into the lead a bit in the sixth when Magnussen launched his second homer of the year over the left field wall, but that was the only (and last) run Norfolk would score in the game before Fremont tacked on three more in the seventh.
With the loss, Norfolk ends the season with a 19-21 record.
While the season came to an end quicker than they wanted it to, Viergutz says the team did so many good things throughout the season.
“We beat some really good teams and finished really well in tournament,” Viergutz said. “But its really the hard work these kids have put in…I told them that they’re great baseball players, but evey single one of them is an even better person. They’re just great kids off the field.”
However, there’s a lot to look forward too heading into next season, as the team was young and should have a strong core of returning players ready to make even more noise in 2026.
“I definitely hope to see every single one of these kids back out in the spring and in the summer,” Viergutz said. “I’m definitely excited to see what next summer brings. You’ve just got to keep this and use it as fuel.”