By Robb Hemmelgarn
ST. HENRY -- Last night at the Wally Post Athletic Complex, two of the area's top American Legion teams squared off, as St. Henry Post 648 and St. Marys Post 323 faced each other in a defensive battle in which St. Henry came out on top, 4-1.
The victory pushed Post 648 to 8-3 on the season, while St. Marys slides to 16-4-1 overall.
"This was a nice win tonight against a very good team, so I'm pleased to come away with a victory," remarked Post 648 head coach Todd Franck. "Winning a game like this shows us how we are able to match up with the other teams in the league, so this is a good sign."
St. Henry took the early lead in the bottom of the first inning, when Dusty Ahrens (Coldwater graduate) walloped a 0-1 pitch from Nick Pfeffenberger (St. Marys) over the leftfield fence for the opening score of the contest.
Post 648 maintained its one-run advantage through the bottom of the fifth inning, as starting pitcher Cory Luebke (Marion Local graduate) kept the St. Marys offense at bay all evening. Despite 12 strikeouts at the plate by Post 323, it did manage to get runners in scoring position each of the first five innings, however was unable to cash in, as St. Henry came to the plate in the bottom of the fifth inning with a 1-0 lead.
"We knew that one run wouldn't be enough to stand up against a good team like St. Marys," said Franck. "They are at 20 wins on the season and just won a tournament down in Cincinnati. One run against this team wasn't going to hold against the lineup we were facing tonight."
Chad Geier (Coldwater) reached base on a one-out walk and advanced to scoring position when Brady Schmitz (St. Henry) singled to leftfield. Danny Koesters (St. Henry) rocketed a single to leftfield, plating Geier and giving Post 648 a 2-0 lead.
"We got production from the bottom of our lineup tonight and that was huge," said Franck. "That's not something you always expect, so when it happens, it really helps things a lot."
Luebke continued his dazzling mound work through the seventh inning, striking out three more giving him 15 strikeouts on the evening.
"We didn't have timely hitting today," explained Post 323 coach Andy Dennings. "We had several opportunities through the game, we just couldn't plate anyone and that is what it came down to."
Pfeffenberger was also strong on the hill for St. Marys closing the bottom of the seventh inning with three straight strikeouts, as both teams made pitching adjustments in the eighth inning with the home team still in command, 2-0.
Scott Boley (Celina graduate) singled with one out in the top of the eighth inning and moved to second base on a balk by Zizelman. Two batters later, Josh Varno (Wapakoneta) singled, scoring Boley and cutting Post 648's lead in half.
"We did manage to cut their lead, but we left guys stranded all night and our timing was off. Against a solid team like St. Henry, you can't let that happen," commented Dennings.
Leading 2-1 going into what they hoped was their last at-bat, St. Henry looked to add a few insurance runs, and they did exactly that as Lenny Koesters (Ohio Northern) led off with a single. Evan Bertke (St. Henry) reached base on a throwing error and Ahrens hit into a fielder's choice giving St. Henry runners at first and second base with one out. Luebke struck out, but Brent Schwieterman (Coldwater) drew a walk to load the bases for Tyler Schwieterman (Coldwater).
Tyler Schwieterman made contact and the ball was fielded by Andy Langsdon, but his throw to first base was off target, and two St. Henry runs scored, pushing their advantage to three runs at 4-1.
Zizelman then retired the first three batters he faced in the top of the ninth to preserve the 4-1 victory for St. Henry.
Post 648 will be back in action tomorrow night against Sidney, while St. Marys is scheduled to host St. Henry on Friday evening at K.C. Geiger Park. |
