Derrick Webb, Reporter 11:44 p.m. EDT July 18, 2016
CHILLICOTHE - As Chillicothe Post 757 lived to fight another day, barely, the team's hometown counterpart, Post 62, saw its season end with two losses Monday at VA Memorial Stadium in the American Legion Region V Tournament.
The Colts fell to Circleville Post 134 by a 13-3 final before edging by Portsmouth Post 23 in the nightcap, 10-9. The Riverbats fell 4-3 to Waverly Post 142 and saw their season come to a halt at the hands of Hillsboro Post 129, 12-4.
As far as Post 62's story goes, the team had a perfect chance to steal a win in its first contest.
The Riverbats (12-12) entered the top of the ninth inning facing a 4-2 deficit. But after scoring a run to cut Post 142's lead to 4-3, runners stood on second and third with two outs. That's when Waverly's pitching staff came up with the biggest whiff of the day to seal the envelope.
Post 142's Alex Powell picked up the win, throwing 8 1/3 innings. Powell allowed three runs on seven hits and struck out seven. The Riverbats' Jeremy Brooks took the loss in six innings of work. The southpaw surrendered three runs on eight hits and struck out four.
As Waverly advanced to Wednesday's action, Post 62 was forced to face Hillsboro 129 in the losers' bracket at noon.
The Riverbats gave up three runs in the first, one in the fourth, three in the fifth and one in the sixth to fall behind, 8-0.
Hillsboro then tacked on four more in the seventh to go ahead 12-0 before Post 62 finally graced the scoreboard. After cutting the deficit to 12-3, the Riverbats scored a run in the ninth to produce the final tally.
Jeff Webb took the loss, throwing five innings and allowing seven runs on eight hits.
Overall on the day, Russell Throckmorton led the Riverbats' offense, going 4-for-7 with two RBIs and two runs. Tanner Doles followed by finishing 3-for-7 with two runs. Owen Diehl also contributed, going 2-for-7 with a run and tossing three innings of scoreless relief.
Chillicothe 757's Anthony Sipple drives in JD Blevins in the bottom of the ninth inning to push the Colts past Portsmouth, 10-9. Derrick Webb/Gazette
The Colts (14-20) then met up with Circleville 134 and promptly fell by a 13-3 final as the Panthers scored three in the first, four in the fourth, one each in the fifth and sixth and four more in the eighth.
Post 757's JD Blevins took the loss on the hill, throwing four innings, allowing seven runs — four earned — and striking out six.
Dropping into the losers' bracket, Post 757 then met up with Portsmouth 23, which produced the best game of the entire day.
With Tommy Preston on the hill, Post 757 took a commanding 8-1 lead heading into the sixth inning. But the wheels seemed to fall off the wagon at that point.
Portsmouth scored five sixth-inning runs on three hits — two triples — two walks and a fielding error to climb back into things. With their lead cut to 8-6, the Colts then surrendered another run in the seventh to see their edge dwindle to 8-7.
In the bottom half of the seventh, Corey Righman scored to give Post 757 a 9-7 advantage. But in the top of the ninth, Post 23 plated two runs to force the first tie since the beginning of the game. After Jacob Chester came on in relief to get the Colts out of trouble, JD Blevins drew a walk before moving to second on a passed ball. That's when Anthony Sipple singled into right-center field to give the Colts a 10-9 victory.
"Anthony came up clutch for us," Post 757 coach Tom Barr said. "We've been here pretty much all day, and Anthony caught most of the first game before coming back and finishing behind the plate for us in the second contest. He struggled today more than he had been, but he came through when it mattered."
Chester picked up the win as he recorded just a single out, while Preston was given a no-decision after going 5 2/3, allowing five runs — one earned — on five hits and striking out four.
Overall on the day at the plate, Cody Hendershot led the Colts by going 4-for-7 with a double, three RBIs and two runs scored. Eli Kunkel was 3-for-6 with two RBIs and two runs, while Zack Stapleton finished 3-for-7 with two runs and an RBI.
The Colts will get back at it at noon Wednesday against Hillsboro 129, which they beat 12-1 Sunday morning. If they win, they will face the winner of Waverly 142 and Circleville 134 in the losers' bracket finals.
"It's a totally new situation than Sunday," Barr said. "It all comes down to pitching at this point. I know Hillsboro's deep when it comes to that area. We're going to have to have some guys step up for us, and I know they will."
dwebb@chillicothegazette.com
Twitter: @dw1509
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