The North Platte First Nationals traveled to Grand Island for a Cornhusker League doubleheader and got swept 9-1 and 3-2 Tuesday.

Grand Island scored consistently throughout the first game with seven hits in the 9-1 win. GI took advantage of 10 walks and two North Platte errors to earn the win.

Darian Allberry led the way for North Platte (24-14) in the loss by going 2-4 with a run scored. Jayden Kruse started on the mound and took the loss after giving up eight runs, seven earned, on six hits. He also walked eight batters and struck out four in five innings of work. Devan Hovden pitched the final two innings and gave up one earned run on one hit and walked two batters.

Game two was a pitcher’s duel between North Platte’s Jace Barker and Grand Island’s Calvin Hehnke. Grand Island earned the win 3-2. The First Nationals took a 2-0 lead in the top of the third inning. Grand Island responded by tying the game in the bottom of the third with two runs of their own. Grand Island scored the game-winning run in the fifth inning on an RBI single by Riley Baasch.

Barker gave up three earned runs on five hits while striking out four batters and walking two in six innings of work for North Platte. The First Nationals only got one hit off Hehnke and it was an RBI single by Drew Callaghan. Callaghan finished the game 1-2.

The First Nationals next play in Densmore on our nation’s Independence Day. North Platte plays Blue Springs, Mo. at 2:30 pm followed by a game with Pinnacle from Lincoln Southwest at 5:00 pm Friday.