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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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Gazette Staff 8:43 p.m. EDT July 1, 2016

PORTSMOUTH - After getting off the schneid with a 6-5 win over Hillsboro Thursday, Chillicothe Post 757 found itself back in the L column Friday night.

On the road at Branch Rickey Park in Portsmouth, the Colts (8-14) fell to Post 23 by a 7-1 final, carving out just six hits in the process.

Left-hander JD Blevins (2-4) took the loss on the mound, throwing five innings of six-hits baseball. Blevins allowed seven runs, four earned, and struck out eight hitters while walking two.

Leading the Colts’ offense was Zack Stapleton, who went 2-for-2, while Skylar McDonald, Eli Kunkel, Bo Dratwa, and Trenton Harris all finished with one hit each. Dratwa scored 757’s lone run.

Chillicothe will get back to business Tuesday night at VA Memorial Stadium, taking on Waverly Post 142 at 4 p.m.

 Derrick Webb, Reporter10:31 p.m. EDT June 29, 2016

 

CHILLICOTHE - In its first two meetings with Chillicothe Post 757 this summer, Chillicothe Post 62 was outscored 12-3 in two losses.

But the third meeting was a charm for the Riverbats (10-7) as they beat the Colts on Wednesday night by a 6-1 final at Ross County Park.

The victory came on the heels of a superb pitching performance from starter Josh George, who tossed all seven innings without allowing an earned run. The right-handed knuckleballer struck out four, walked two and allowed nine hits.

"Josh wanted this game bad," Post 62 coach Bo Popp said. "He played for Post 757 last year so he told me: 'I'm going all seven innings.' I just told him to do what he does. But he pitched well tonight and carried us."

While the Colts (7-13) were kept off balance thanks to George, Post 62's offense tagged the ball well throughout the game. Facing Colts' starter Jacob Chester, the Riverbats came up with timely hitting and took advantage of each Post 757 fielding miscue.

"Right now, we're in the swing of things and we're hitting the baseball like we should right at the right times," Popp said. "These boys are playing their hearts out. I'm extremely proud of them."

In the bottom of the first, Post 62 took an early 1-0 edge when Russell Throckmorton pranced home on an RBI single off the bat of Gage Jones. That lead would stay the same until the bottom of the fourth.

Hunter Hopkins started the fourth with a single into left field, followed by a double from Tanner Doles to put runners on second and third with none gone. After Chester struck the next batter out, Throckmorton singled into right field, scoring Hopkins and moving Doles to third. With the score 2-0, Jeremy Brooks grounded out to second, plating Doles and making it 3-0.

Carson Stauffer then stepped to the plate with two outs and singled home Throckmorton, allowing the lead to swell to 4-0.

Post 757 finally got on the board in the top of the fifth. Hayden Henness led the inning off with a single before moving to second on a sacrifice bunt. Henness then scored on an RBI single from Zack Stapleton, cutting the deficit to 4-1.

But that was the only run the Colts would muster.

In the bottom of the sixth, Post 62 added two more insurance runs on RBI singles from Owen Diehl and Tanner Popp to seal the deal.

"We're playing really good baseball right now, and we feel like we're hitting our stride at the right time," Bo Popp said. "We beat Athens in the 12th inning in our last game and we won like we did tonight. We've got to use that momentum now to get the ball rolling even more."

The Riverbats pounded out a team total of 15 hits; six players had two each. Both teams left nine on the base paths.

For Post 62, Throckmorton was 2-for-4 with two runs and an RBI; Stauffer was 2-for-4 with a run, two stolen bases, and an RBI; Jones was 2-for-3 with a run and an RBI; Diehl was 2-for-4 with an RBI; Popp was 2-for-4 with an RBI; and Doles was 2-for-3 with a run.

Chester took the loss for the Colts, throwing six innings and allowing six runs — five earned — on 15 hits. The southpaw struck out three and walked one.

At the plate, Henness finished 2-for-3 with a run and Stapleton was 2-for-3 with an RBI. Eli Kunkel and Bo Dratwa both chipped in as well, going 2-for-4 and 2-for-2, respectively.

Post 757 will be back in action Thursday night against Hillsboro Post 129 at Hoffman Field in Chillicothe's Mary Lou Patton Park. Post 62 also will play again Thursday, traveling to Branch Rickey Park to take on Portsmouth Post 23.

dwebb@chillicothegazette.com

Twitter: @dw1509