Colby Gamecocks Finish Third at State After Narrow Loss to Marysville

The Colby Gamecocks American Legion baseball team’s postseason run came to a close on Sunday afternoon with a hard-fought 4-3 loss to Marysville Post 163 in the third-place game of the Kansas American Legion State Tournament.

Colby, the No. 6 seed entering the tournament, put together a remarkable string of performances, upsetting higher-ranked teams and proving their place among the state's best. But in a game that saw four lead changes, it was Marysville who edged out the Gamecocks with a go-ahead single in the top of the ninth inning from Ty Hager.

Despite out-hitting Marysville nine to eight, the Gamecocks couldn't convert key opportunities into a win. Talon Wark led the Colby offense with two hits, while Cobin Curry and Talon Andreasen each collected an RBI. Andreasen’s clutch single in the bottom of the eighth tied the game at 3-3, giving the Gamecocks one final surge of momentum.

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Curry got Colby on the board in the second with an RBI single that scored courtesy runner Ryan. Marysville responded with runs in the fourth and fifth to take a 2-1 lead. In the bottom of the sixth, Brayden Foss scored on a wild pitch to tie the game again at 2-2.

Marysville regained the lead in the eighth via a bases-loaded walk drawn by Gavyn LeDuc, but Colby answered once more when Andreasen delivered his RBI single to even the score again.

In the top of the ninth, Marysville capitalized on a scoring opportunity when Hager delivered a go-ahead RBI single that ultimately proved to be the difference. Colby was unable to mount a rally in the bottom of the ninth, ending their tournament campaign in third place.

Conner Surmeier started on the mound for Colby and pitched effectively, allowing two runs (one earned) on six hits over 6.2 innings with four strikeouts and three walks. Andreasen took over in relief and worked through several tense innings.

Colby’s defense remained steady throughout, turning one double play and playing clean baseball with no errors. Marysville’s Ty Smith pitched 7.2 innings and limited Colby’s scoring despite giving up eight hits.

Colby finishes the tournament with a 2-2 record, including an opening-round upset over Seneca and a strong win against Iola. Their performance earned them a third-place finish in the state—an impressive result for the underdog squad.

Though their season ends just short of a title, the Gamecocks leave Hiawatha with heads held high, having proven they could compete with the best teams Kansas has to offer.