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PITTSBURG —
Before Pittsburg Post 64 hitter Matt Standlee led off the bottom of the eighth inning Thursday night with the game against the Nebraska Sluggers tied at 5, Post 64 head coach Mike Watt gave the players some very simple words of encouragement between innings: LET’S GO WIN THIS THING.
Post 64 salvaged a split with the Sluggers on a walk-off walk by outfielder Bryce Burdette with two outs and the bases filled with Post 64 runners; Standlee came home after leading off the frame with a walk. Post 64 won the nightcap 6-5 after losing the opener 8-4.
“In the first game, we got down two and in this game, we got down and we kept battling back,” Watt said. “In the first game, we came up short and in the second game, we were able to pull it out there in the last inning so you’ve got to feel good about the way that we competed.”
Post 64 scored at least one run the last five innings of the eight-inning clash.
In the fourth, Dylan Gromer and Cody Grilz hit back-to-back singles and Christian Cedeno moved both runners over 90 feet on a 5-3 groundout. Standlee and Blake Vail hit consecutive RBI singles to score Gromer and Grilz, allowing Post 64 to gain a 2-1 lead.
Although that 2-1 advantage would not last very long, partly due to a two-run double by Sluggers pinch hitter Trevor Willenborg, Post 64 tied it back up at 4 with one in the fifth and one in the sixth.
Gromer smashed a RBI double to score Burdette in the fifth and Vail hit a RBI double to score Brett Macary in the sixth.
After Willenborg hit a RBI triple in the top of the seventh, Sam Gilbert came through in the clutch with a RBI single — plating Burdette — to force extra innings at Al Ortolani Field, home of the Pittsburg State Gorillas.
“You’ve got to give the Sluggers credit in that second game,” Watt said. “They made some good plays and they came up with big hits to keep getting the lead back from us. Like I said, I’m glad our kids kept competing. We had a lot of at-bats today and as the game progressed, we did get a little better at the plate, a little more confident. We’ve got a lot of kids going in and out of the lineup. Everybody has an opportunity to produce and some of them did.”
Before Pittsburg Post 64 hitter Matt Standlee led off the bottom of the eighth inning Thursday night with the game against the Nebraska Sluggers tied at 5, Post 64 head coach Mike Watt gave the players some very simple words of encouragement between innings: LET’S GO WIN THIS THING.
Post 64 salvaged a split with the Sluggers on a walk-off walk by outfielder Bryce Burdette with two outs and the bases filled with Post 64 runners; Standlee came home after leading off the frame with a walk. Post 64 won the nightcap 6-5 after losing the opener 8-4.
“In the first game, we got down two and in this game, we got down and we kept battling back,” Watt said. “In the first game, we came up short and in the second game, we were able to pull it out there in the last inning so you’ve got to feel good about the way that we competed.”
Post 64 scored at least one run the last five innings of the eight-inning clash.
In the fourth, Dylan Gromer and Cody Grilz hit back-to-back singles and Christian Cedeno moved both runners over 90 feet on a 5-3 groundout. Standlee and Blake Vail hit consecutive RBI singles to score Gromer and Grilz, allowing Post 64 to gain a 2-1 lead.
Although that 2-1 advantage would not last very long, partly due to a two-run double by Sluggers pinch hitter Trevor Willenborg, Post 64 tied it back up at 4 with one in the fifth and one in the sixth.
Gromer smashed a RBI double to score Burdette in the fifth and Vail hit a RBI double to score Brett Macary in the sixth.
After Willenborg hit a RBI triple in the top of the seventh, Sam Gilbert came through in the clutch with a RBI single — plating Burdette — to force extra innings at Al Ortolani Field, home of the Pittsburg State Gorillas.
“You’ve got to give the Sluggers credit in that second game,” Watt said. “They made some good plays and they came up with big hits to keep getting the lead back from us. Like I said, I’m glad our kids kept competing. We had a lot of at-bats today and as the game progressed, we did get a little better at the plate, a little more confident. We’ve got a lot of kids going in and out of the lineup. Everybody has an opportunity to produce and some of them did.”
Gromer went 3-for-3 with two singles and a RBI double; the Sluggers chose to intentionally walk Gromer in the seventh. Burdette went 1-3 with two runs scored, two walks, one RBI and two stolen bases. Vail hit 2-4 with two RBI.
In the opening game, the Sluggers lived up to their name with eight runs on 12 hits against four Post 64 pitchers.
“Pitching wise, you’ve got to get a little more confident and attack hitters,” Watt said. “I think we’re very good defensively and we need to trust our defense a little more. As a pitcher, your job is to throw strikes, not strike people out. Strikeouts are great but consistent strikes are even more important.”
Right fielder Tanner Thibodeau (Elkhorn South High School), center fielder Easton Edmonds (Lincoln Southeast), left fielder Kaleb Zimmer (Omaha Central) and designated hitter Matt Jones (Gretna) accounted for six extra-base hits. Thibodeau and Zimmer hit individual doubles, Edmonds a double and a triple and Jones a triple and a home run blasted off the scoreboard in left.
Post 64 did build a 4-1 advantage early on with four runs in the second and third innings. A throwing error helped Post 64 score three in the second and the speed of Joe Wimmer and a RBI single by Gilbert brought across the fourth run. Nebraska Sluggers pitcher Greg Gaudsen buckled down the last four innings and only allowed one more hit to Post 64.
The Sluggers featured shortstop Tanner Kirk, an All-State player in Nebraska committed to Wichita State, and Jones, who plans to walk-on in baseball at the University of Nebraska.
“We want to play the best competition we can find and we’re going to go to Oklahoma City and play some of the better teams,” Watt said. “Our first game at Oklahoma City is with the Outlaws and they won the Legion World Series a couple years ago. We’re trying to find the best competition so we can get as game-ready as we can.”
Post 64 (10-2) plays the 9 a.m. early game today against the Tulsa Oilers and the 8:15 p.m. late game Saturday against Lawrence Free State — both games part of a jam-packed baseball schedule this weekend at JayCee Ballpark.
Pittsburg Legion/Fort Scott Community College Classic
Thursday at Al Ortolani Field
Game One
Nebraska Sluggers 8, Pittsburg Post 64 4
NEB 200 220 2 — 8 12 1
PITT 031 000 0 — 4 6 2
Greg Gaudsen and Lance Hansen, Eddie Ruskamp (7). Christian Cedeno, Blake Vail (4), Joe Wimmer (6), Bryce Burdette (7) and Dylan Gromer. WP: Gaudsen. LP: Vail. 2B: Kaleb Zimmer, Tanner Thibodeau, Easton Edmonds. 3B: Edmonds, Matt Jones. HR: Jones. SB: Tanner Kirk 2, Gabe Wurth, Zimmer; Wimmer. CS: Kirk, Wurth; Sam Gilbert. PO: Wurth. SF: Rob Thurman. LOB: NEB 6, PITT 3.
Game Two
Pittsburg 6, Nebraska Sluggers 5 (8 innings)
NEB 000 130 10 — 5 12 2
PITT 000 211 11 — 6 12 1
Boyer, Jocobbie Mengel (5), Luke Marston (6) and Joe Genoway. Cody Grilz, Brett Macary (5), V.J. Piccini (6) and Bryan Wade, Dylan Gromer (8). WP: Piccini. LP: Marston. 2B: Genoway, Chris Thompson, Trevor Willenborg; Blake Vail, Gromer. 3B: Willenborg. SB: Genoway 2; Bryce Burdette 2, Wade, Gromer, Piccini, Matt Standlee. SH: Garret Foster. HBP: Mengel. A: Willenborg; Burdette. LOB: NEB 11, PITT 9.
Pittsburg Legion/Fort Scott Community College Classic schedule
Today
Post 64 vs. Tulsa Oilers, 9 a.m.
Johnson County Hornets vs. Tulsa Tide, 11:15 a.m.
Butler County Cubs vs. Tulsa Oilers, 1:30 p.m.
Lawrence Free State vs. Nebraska Sluggers (2), 3:45 p.m.
Kansas Crash vs. Tulsa Tide, 6 p.m.
Lawrence Lions vs. Nebraska Sluggers (1), 8:15 p.m.
Saturday
Johnson County vs. Nebraska Sluggers (2), 9 a.m.
Butler County vs. Tulsa Tide, 11:15 a.m.
Lawrence Lions vs. Kansas Crush, 1:30 p.m.
Tulsa Oilers vs. Nebraska Sluggers (1), 3:45 p.m.
Butler County vs. Nebraska Sluggers (1), 6 p.m.
Lawrence Free State vs. Post 64, 8:15 p.m.
Sunday
Butler County vs. Nebraska Sluggers (2), 9 a.m.
Lawrence Lions vs. Tulsa Oilers, 11:15 a.m.
Lawrence Free State vs. Tulsa Tide, 1:30 p.m.
Johnson County vs. Lawrence Lions, 3:45 p.m.
Kansas Crush vs. Lawrence Free State, 6 p.m.
Johnson County vs. Kansas Crush, 8:15 p.m.
— All games played at JayCee Ballpark
