Post 64 sweeps Carthage

CARTHAGE, Mo. — Pittsburg Post 64 won games against Carthage in contrasting fashions Tuesday, a come-from-behind 7-5 win in the first game and a commanding 12-1 run-rule win in the second game of a doubleheader.

“That was a real good ballgame,” Post 64 head coach Mike Watt said of the 7-5 contest. “It was a team effort. We’re down 4-0 going into the fifth.”

Post 64 designated player Blake Vail provided a spark offensively in the fifth when he tripled home Dylan Gromer for the first Post 64 run of the game. Nate Grimaldi hit a fly ball deep enough to score the speedy Vail on a sacrifice fly. Joe Wimmer and Sam Gilbert reached on walks and respectively scored on singles by Brett Macary and Cody Grilz. Post 64 went from being down four runs to a tie score with three timely hits and one fundamental play — Macary and Grilz delivered their hits with two outs.

Carthage went back ahead 5-4 in the bottom of the fifth and Post 64 saved its dramatic best for last in both halves of the seventh inning.

Fleet of foot leadoff man Grimaldi singled and moved into scoring position on a fielding error by the Carthage right fielder. Grimaldi took full advantage of his speed when a Joe Wimmer single plated Grimaldi for a tie score and then Wimmer used his own speed to move into scoring position himself with a stolen base.

That’s when Post 64 middle infielder Sam Gilbert came through in the clutch with a hit kids of every age dream of hitting during idle baseball daydreams. Gilbert blasted a two-run home run to right field, giving Post 64 a two-run advantage headed into the bottom half of the frame. Keep in mind that Gilbert went homerless during the recently completed high school season, although Gilbert has been swinging the bat well during the early portion of the Legion schedule, including a triple to deep center on Sunday.

In the bottom of the seventh, Vail came in and shut the door 1-2-3 on Carthage just as he did Sunday against Neosho in the championship game of the Pittsburg American Legion Wood Bat Tournament. Vail induced a pair of groundouts and a flyout for his second consecutive save.

Post 64 whooped up on Carthage in the nightcap with its batting sticks, especially during an eight-run first inning.

Macary plated the seemingly perpetually on-base Grimaldi and Wimmer on a double and Macary then scored on a Grilz single. Grilz scored on a Cedeno single and Cedeno later scored on an error. Matt Standlee, Nick Vacca and Bryan Wade loaded the bases for Wimmer.

Wimmer, a mixture of tremendous speed (remember his 99-yard fumble return for touchdown in the opening football game against Coffeyville at Hutchinson Field) and pop in his bat, showed both traits with a bases-clearing three-run triple. This was another key two-out hit for Post 64.

Post 64 tacked on three in the second and one in the third, cutting short an originally-scheduled five-inning game by two innings. Vacca and Gromer produced doubles and Grilz hit a triple.

Post 64 hosts a five-team showcase event Saturday and Sunday — the Butler County Cubs, the Tulsa Tide, Mount Vernon and Neosho join Post 64 for two days and 10 games of baseball.

Game One
Pittsburg Post 64 7, Carthage 5
PITT    000 040 3 — 7 11 0
CART    004 010 X — 5  7  2
Nick George, Joe Wimmer (5), Blake Vail (7) and Dylan Gromer. Goade and Giett. WP: Wimmer. LP: Goade. SV: Vail. 3B: Blake Vail. HR: Sam Gilbert.

Game Two
Pittsburg 12, Carthage 1
Cody Grilz, Brett Macary (3) and Bryan Wade. WP: Grilz. 2B: Macary, Nick Vacca, Dylan Gromer. 3B: Joe Wimmer, Grilz.

Pitt/FSCC Showcase schedule
Saturday
Pittsburg vs. Butler County Cubs, 10 a.m.
Mount Vernon vs. Butler County Cubs, 12:30 p.m.
Pittsburg vs. Tulsa Tide, 3 p.m.
Mount Vernon vs. Neosho, 5:30 p.m.
Tulsa Tide vs. Neosho, 8 p.m.
Sunday
Pittsburg vs. Neosho, 9 a.m.
Butler County Cubs vs. Neosho, 11:15 a.m.
Pittsburg vs. Mount Vernon, 1:30 p.m.
Butler County Cubs vs. Tulsa Tide, 3:45 p.m.
Mount Vernon vs. Tulsa Tide, 6 p.m.