UPCOMING EVENTS
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07 2012
American Legion District 11 Championship Post 175 vs TBD at Powhatan 7:00 p.m.
30-04 American Legion
07-08 2012
State Tournament at Fredericksburg TBD
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Post 175 one win away from district title
By Dave Lawrence For The Mechanicsville Local In each of its first two American Legion District 11 tournament games, Post 175 gave up six runs in a single inning, yet the Mechanicsville team held on for wins. It was a different story in the winner’s bracket finale on Sunday at Powhatan High School. Taking on West End Post 361, top-seeded Mechanicsville found itself defending basesloaded situations in three separate innings – the second, seventh, and eighth – yet in all but one of those innings, Post 175 gave up no runs. The combination of gutcheck pitching and clutch defense required to keep second seed West End at bay, gave Mechanicsville a 10-2 victory and clinched Post 175 an appearance in the District 11 championship game Thursday at Powhatan at 7 p.m.
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Should Post 175, undefeated with a 21-0 record, lose its first game then, it will get another chance to win its first District 11 title Friday at Powhatan in the double-elimination tournament. “It puts us in the driver’s seat,” said Post 175 coach Eddie Gates. “Now we have to sit back and wait, get some rest. Get the pitchers some rest. Be ready for whoever comes at us.” Post 175 starter Chris Childress is one of those who could use some rest. He got in a bases-loaded jam in the second inning, giving up back-to-back singles and walking a third batter with one out. “My fast ball just wasn’t in the strike zone. They were sitting on my curve ball – they were ripping it,” Childress said. “I had to make some adjustments. A couple of good plays in the field helped me out.” Actually, a spectacular play
The Mechanicsville Local July 25, 2012
Photos by Dave Lawrence/For The Local
Above left: Post 175 pitcher Chris Childress shows the determination that earned him the victory. Above: Post 175 outfielder Bryan Johansen (5) leaves Post 361 catcher Riley Stout in the dust after successfully sliding home for a score in the seventh inning. Stout left the game after the collision.
helped him out. Center fielder Bryan Johansen turned a double play, charging Will Hodges fly ball and firing a rocket to home plate where catcher Mitch Keeler tagged Will Black to end the sacrifice threat as well as Post 361’s turn at bat. “It was huge,” Childress said of Johansen’s play. “I try not to let my emotions show too much, but inside I was going crazy. It was a big play. He’s a great outfielder.”
Childress pitched four solid innings after that, but his pitch count – a bit more than 100 – caught up with him in the seventh inning, giving up two runs and leaving two runners on base with one out when Allan Ellis relieved him. Ellis walked his first batter to load the bases, but struck out the next and got the third to pop up to end the inning. “There’s no one else I really want behind me,” Childress said of Ellis. “I’ve got all the con-
fidence in the world in a kid like that. He threw strikes and helped us get the win.” But not without his own struggles in the eighth inning. Ellis walked the first two Post 361 batters and gave up a single to the third before getting himself out of the inning with two strikeouts and a fly to center field. After getting a chance to bat in the bottom of the eighth, Ellis came back and retired all three West End batters in the final inning.
“That’s a battle there. He was throwing his pitches a little wild and then I think he lost a little bit of his … focus,” Gates said. “He hadn’t batted a whole bunch, and I think getting him to bat a little bit took his mind off his pitching. He battled back.” Post 361 stranded 15 batters throughout the game. Coach Doug Toombs discussed the marooned runners with his players after the game. see LEGION, pg. 39 `