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 Derrick Webb, Reporter11:02 p.m. EDT July 20, 2016

CHILLICOTHE - A mixed bag of results led to a summer baseball season ending Wednesday evening.

After beating Hillsboro Post 129 early in the day to advance in the 2016 Region V American Legion Tournament at VA Memorial Stadium, Chillicothe Post 757 fell 17-7 to Waverly Post 142 in the nightcap, effectively ending their 2016 campaign.

"This week is always a grind," Chillicothe Post 757 coach Tom Barr said. "Win, lose or draw, you have to tip your cap to both Jacob Chester and JD Blevins. Both of those guys manned up for us and threw well on short rest. They're both competitors. That's the kind of mentality they have."

As Barr eluded to, Chester carried the Colts (15-21) to a victory against Hillsboro earlier in the day. In a 4-3 win, Chester was handed a no-decision but threw 8 1/3 innings before getting the hook. His final line included 104 pitches, seven hits allowed, a single earned run and three strikeouts.

"We probably could have done a better job as a coaching staff of moving some guys around a little more but at this point in the season, you've got to go with who you think your best is and Jacob was that," Barr said.

With the game scoreless, 757 took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the fourth inning as Trenton Harris scored on an RBI triple off the bat of Blevins. Hillsboro answered in the fifth on an RBI groundout to make it 1-1.

In the bottom half of the inning, the Colts retook the lead thanks to RBI doubles from Anthony Sipple and Zack Stapleton. That 3-1 edge lasted until the top of the seventh when 129 cut the deficit to 3-2 on an RBI single. Hillsboro forced a 3-3 stalemate in the ninth before 757 came up with some late inning heroics.

Brian Smith drew a walk and immediately stole second base to put himself in scoring position. Stapleton laid down a bunt to move Smith to third and with Eli Kunkel standing at the plate, Smith scored on a passed ball to hand the Colts a 4-3 walk-off win.

"I thought our guys came out and fought hard to get that first win today," Barr said. "That's not an easy thing to do after playing in 90-degree heat most of the week. When (Smith) got to third, we knew we had a pretty good shot."

Blevins was credited with the win after pitching 2/3 of an inning of relief. The southpaw then started the next contest, nearly three hours later, and gave up just three earned runs to Waverly in five innings of work.

The Shockers (16-13) fell to Circleville Post 134 to begin the day by a 14-4 final. They were then pitted against 757 in the losers' bracket championship.

With Waverly leading 4-3 heading into the fifth inning, 757 strung together four runs on three hits, three walks and a passed ball to seize a 7-4 advantage. 142 answered with three runs in the sixth to force a 7-7 tie. The Shockers pounded out 10 runs in the next two innings to win by the run-rule.

"We did what we had to do to get to the championship," Waverly coach Johnathan Teeters said. "Give our team credit for bouncing back after that first game and coming out ready to play. We really started to hit the ball. Hopefully, that will carry over until tomorrow. Our guys will be ready to go."

On the day, Waverly's Logan Shoupe was 4-for-7 with an RBI and five runs scored. Jared Alley followed by finishing 3-for-7 with a double, four runs and a pair of RBIs. Logan Kottenbrook was also productive with a 3-for-8 day including two runs, two doubles and an RBI.

For 757, Sipple led the offense by going 5-for-8 with three RBIs, two doubles and two runs. Hayden Henness helped out by finishing 3-for-7 with an RBI and a run as Stapleton was 2-for-7 with an RBI, a double and a run.

As the Colts look towards 2017, Waverly will meet with Circleville 134 in the Region V district championship at 4 p.m. Thursday, back at VA Memorial Stadium.

"The guys who are wanting to come back are going to have to tryout just like everyone else," Barr said. "We're going to take the guys who are willing to come in and do what they need to do, what we expect them to do. We have guys in our program who donate hundreds of hours and they deserve the best product we can put on the field. That's the goal."

dwebb@chillicothegazette.com

Twitter: @dw1509

 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.

http://bcdownload.gannett.edgesuite.net/nnco-mobile/201607/2164/42755499001_5041134616001_5041078977001.mp4

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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The Gazette will have live coverage Wednesday 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.

Gazette Staff 8:48 p.m. EDT July 5, 2016

CHILLICOTHE - In their first two contests this summer, Waverly Post 142 outscored Chillicothe Post 757 by a total of 18-6.

Tuesday night, however, the Colts (9-14) turned the tables on the Shockers (9-10), beating Waverly 11-5.

Chillicothe’s Jacob Chester picked up the win on the hill, throwing four innings, allowing three runs on seven hits, and striking out four.

Behind Chester was a powerful offensive surge that included 16 hits.

The Colts scored seven in the bottom of the first and three more in the second to take a quick 10-0 lead, chasing Waverly starter Hayden Baker from the mound without recording an out.

Chillicothe’s offense was led by Cody Hendershot and Anthony Sipple, who combined to go 6-for-8 with six RBIs, three doubles, and four runs. Brian Smith was 3-for-4 with a run and an RBI, Tommy Preston was 2-for-3 with an RBI, and Bo Dratwa finished 1-for-3 with two RBIs and a run.

At the plate for Waverly, Derek Burke went 2-for-4 with an RBI while Jared Alley finished 3-for-4 with a double and a pair of RBIs.

Waverly will be back in action Wednesday night, traveling to Portstmouth, while Chillicothe travels to Jackson Thursday night.

 Derrick Webb, Reporter 10:54 p.m. EDT June 16, 2016

CHILLICOTHE - Trailing 1-0 in the bottom of the fifth inning, Chillicothe Post 757's Brian Smith came through with a two-out, two-run single to give the Colts a 2-1 lead.

They never looked back.

Post 757 (6-5) opened this weekend's fifth annual Jim Jadwin Memorial Tournament with a 6-2 win over rival Chillicothe Post 62 on Thursday night at VA Memorial Stadium.

"Tonight was a little different than our normal thing," Post 757 coach Tom Barr said. "We're in pool play (of the Jadwin Memorial Tournament) right now so it's nice to start the weekend off with a win. The top four are the only ones that get to advance to Sunday. That's only a third of the teams competing. So it's good to start off on the right foot."

Post 757's JD Blevins (2-1) was knocked around a bit in the first inning. After dodging a couple bullets, the southpaw calmed down and threw gas the rest of the way. Blevins picked up the win in 6 1/3 innings of work, allowing just two hits and fanning 13.

"JD was a stud tonight," Barr said. "He started slow, but part of that was because of being out of rhythm a bit. But he stepped up after. I talked to him, and JD is his biggest critic. The first thing he commented about was his six walks. So he knows we can't have that. But he continued to battle and got the win."

The Riverbats (3-5) took a 1-0 lead in the first when Carson Stauffer stole home after reaching on a catcher's interference call.

That slight edge would last until the fifth, when Smith knocked in Corey Righman and Trenton Harris with a single up the middle, giving the Colts a 2-1 lead. Smith later scored on a Riverbats fielding error to extend the advantage to 3-1.

In the sixth, 757 got a leadoff hit from Anthony Sipple, who proceeded to swipe second base with no outs. Blevins followed with a single of his own to plate Sipple and make it a 4-1 ballgame. With Blevins standing on second after a stolen base, Bo Dratwa drew a two-out walk to set the stage for Harris.

On the first pitch he saw, Harris lined a ball into the left-center field gap for a bases-clearing triple, making it 6-1.

"Trenton is doing really well, and he's doing a really nice job at shortstop as well," Barr said. "He's just getting better and better and better. I've had him lower in the lineup, kind of treating him as a second leadoff guy. That's a nice thing to have."

Post 62 scored its second and final run in the top of the seventh after Blevins exited the ballgame. Stauffer crossed home plate on an RBI single off the bat of Gage Jones to round out the 6-2 final.

Jones finished 2-for-3 with an RBI, while Stauffer was 0-for-2 with two runs. Jeff Webb took the loss on the mound, throwing five innings, giving up five runs — just two earned — on eight hits and striking out one.

For 757, Harris led the offense with a 3-for-3 outing, including a triple, a run and a pair of RBIs. Cody Hendershot was 2-for-3; Smith was 1-for-4 with a run and two RBIs; and Blevins was 1-for-3 with a run, two stolen bags and an RBI.