Legion baseball squad grinds out sweep of Lyons
BY RYAN RICHTER
Sports writer
So much for thinking that any hard feelings left over from what the Trojans did to Lyons at the regional baseball semifinals would help Lyons against the Hillsboro American Legion Post 366 Tuesday night at Hillsboro.
With at least five players on the Lyons' Legion region that played in spring, it still wasn't enough as 366 swept a pair from Lyons, 9-1 in the opener and 4-3 in the nightcap.
Coach Lyman Adams was out of town, and Andy Brubacher was absent, leaving assistants Kane Adams and Tim Hein in charge.
The 366 assistants didn't allow the team to miss a step as both games saw 366 having to claw its way through adversity to move to 6-1 on the season.
Of the four runs that Lyons managed for the night, only one was earned.
Lyons jumped out to an 1-0 early lead against 366 starting pitcher Steve Chisholm in the top of the first, scoring on a passed ball in the infield.
But Chisholm and the sturdy defense slammed the door on any more scoring from Lyons.
A pair of RBI singles from Curtis Gutsch and Shawn Hughbanks, and a wild pitch in 366's half of the first, and Lyons' long first game began with them in trouble, 3-1.
Post 366's offensive production sputtered after the bottom of the first, going three-up and three-down until the bottom half of the fifth.
Chisholm was spent after four innings, giving up a pair of hits and fanning four batters, giving way to Jerod Metcalf in the fifth.
Lyons' deficit increased to 4-1 with Todd Stahlecker blasting a triple deep to center field.
Gutsch struck again in the fifth, driving in Stahlecker from third with an RBI.
Hillsboro ended the game in the bottom of the sixth, scoring the needed four runs to polish off Lyons with the eight-run mercy rule after five innings.
Graham Ratzlaff and Dustin Jost scored two runs with a pair of RBI singles, getting the bases loaded up for Gutsch with no outs.
Lyons needed no more from Gutsch, who drove in two-runs on a single to end the night 3 for 4 with a game-high four RBIs.
The 10 hits for 366 in the first game proved to be the better offensive production for the evening.
Post 366 was never out of the woods in the late game until Robert Verbic struck out the final batter in the top of the seventh.
Verbic went the distance for 366, throwing the complete game to pick up the win.
Trailing 1-0 after an RBI single in the top of the second, 366 got into the driver's seat in the bottom of the third.
Kris Jones led off the bottom of the third with a stand-up double to deep centerfield.
Two batters later, Hughbanks made it a 2-1 game with a two-out two-run triple and 366 never looked back.
Already disgusted from being called for two balks, Lyons' ace and Class 3A All-State selection Zach Dobbins made it a 3-1 game, delivering a wild pitch to home plate.
The two hits that 366 mustered in the third were all it could manage the rest of the way though.
Lyons came right back in the top of the fourth, taking advantage of a pair of 366 blunders to pull to 3-2.
Riled up from the third inning, Dobbins was gone after three innings.
Still, reliever Anthony Martinez spotted 366 its final run in the bottom of the fifth with another wild pitch.
Verbic was flirting with having the game tied after an RBI made it a 4-3 game in the top of the seventh.
With the potential tying run at the plate twice, Verbic and 366 escaped.
Post 366 will be in action again tonight as they host Buhler for a 6 p.m. meeting before hosting Council Grove on June 25.
Augusta
It was a bad day all around for 366 June 11 at Augusta.
With ominous skies and high winds lingering about, 366 was handed its first setback of the season as Augusta came from behind in the first game for a 10-7 win.
Post 366 squandered a 4-1 lead in the bottom of the fourth with Augusta taking a 5-4 lead from a four-run fourth.
Hillsboro tied the game at 5-5 in the fifth with Ratzlaff driving in Ben Walker with an RBI single.
Post 366 regained the lead again in the top of the seventh, 7-5, before losing it again with Augusta putting up five runs in the bottom of the seventh.
Gutsch again was 3 for 4, driving in two runs while Stahlecker doubled twice.
The teams got an inning and a half through the second game before it was called after word was received of the high winds east in El Dorado.
Augusta was in front 4-1.
