CHILLICOTHE - Both Chillicothe Post 757's Jacob Chester and Chillicothe Post 62's Tanner Popp dealt gems Sunday morning in the first round of the American Legion Region V Tournament at VA Memorial Stadium.
And, thanks to their offenses, both picked up wins on the mound to help their teams advance further into the winners' bracket.
Behind Chester, the Colts (13-19) topped Hillsboro 129 by a 12-1 final in seven innings as the Riverbats (12-10), behind Popp, beat Portsmouth 23 by a 7-1 count.
In the early contest, 757 put up a run in the bottom of the first inning after Chester struck out the side. That set the tone for the rest of the day's action.
"Jacob was solid all day and he worked ahead all day," 757 coach Tom Barr said. "He had a couple of games where he got roughed up pretty good, especially on our Carolina trip. But he's been a solid starter for us for three years now. He knows how to get better and he's gotten better every outing. Not many teams are going to hit the ball against him when he works like he did today. He was zoned in and that's what we expect."
Brian Smith came around to score the game's first run on a Hillsboro fielding error, making it 1-0. In the second, Trenton Harris tripled and scored on a passed ball before Smith reached third, after walking, and stole home to give the Colts a 3-0 edge.
Hillsboro (13-25) went 1-2-3 in the top of the third, making way for 757 to tack on four more, making it 7-0 thanks to a passed ball, a two-run double from Harris and an RBI triple from Hayden Henness.
In the fifth, the Colts scored two more on a two-run single from Eli Kunkel before scoring three in the sixth on a bases-loaded walk, a sacrifice fly and an RBI fielder's choice. Post 129 scored its only run — unearned — in the top of the inning.
"We had 12 hits and 12 runs today. What it really came down to was timely hitting," Barr said. "We want to go out and string some things together. That's what we were able to do. It's a game changer and we saw that today."
Chester threw all seven frames, allowing three hits and striking out nine in 93 pitches. Harris led the Colts' offense, finishing 3-for-4 with a double, triple, three runs and two RBIs. Smith followed by going 1-for-2 with three runs and an RBI while Kunkel finished 2-for-4 with a pair of runs batted in.
After 757 exited its dugout, the Riverbats took to theirs and quickly found out Popp was taking no prisoners.
The right-hander out of Southeastern High School continued to mow down Portsmouth's lineup, allowing his team to figure out how to put runs on the board. Trailing 1-0 in the bottom of the fourth, 62's offense finally broke through.
Gage Jones started the party with a one-out double before scoring on a fielder's choice to force a tie. After right fielder Jeremy Brooks nailed a runner trying to score at home plate to end the top of the fifth, 62 took a lead and kept it.
Russell Throckmorton doubled with one out, making way for Brooks to single up the gut. With runners on the corners and one out, Jones tripled to deep center field, giving the Riverbats a 3-1 advantage. Jones then scored on an RBI single from Owen Diehl, stretching the lead to 4-1.
In the seventh, Jones drove in Popp to make it 5-1 before both Josh McCorkle and Izak Diehl crossed home plate in the eighth to produce the game's final tally.
Popp got the victory in six innings of work. He allowed five hits and did not surrender an earned run. Josh George threw three innings of relief, allowing two hits.
At the dish, Jones was 2-for-5 with a double, triple, two runs and three RBIs. Popp finished 2-for-4 with a run and an RBI while Throckmorton was 1-for-4 with a double and a run.
The Riverbats will now face Waverly 142 at 9 a.m. Monday as the Colts take on top-seeded Circleville 134 at 3 p.m. Both games will be played at VA Memorial Stadium in the championship quarterfinals portion of the winners' bracket.
dwebb@chillicothegazette.com
Twitter: @dw1509
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The Gazette will have live coverage, Monday, of the American Legion Region V Tournament at VA Memorial Stadium. Follow @dw1509 on Twitter for updates throughout the event and visit chillicothegazette.com for full details.
