MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – After that scary-looking storm that slid through Morgantown last night and caused an hour-long rain delay at Mylan Park finally rolled through town, the Post 2 American Legion baseball team finally took the field against area rival Bridgeport Post 68. And while Post 2 fought back after an early deficit to take the lead midway through the game, they couldn’t hold it, falling by a 6-4 margin.
After a scoreless first inning, Bridgeport (2-1) burst out with three runs in the second, the first on a booming tater to dead center by catcher Phil Reed. A single, two straight misplayed bunts, and a sacrifice fly plated the next two. Post 2 (7-3) responded with a single run in the bottom half of the inning on Jake Shearen’s two-out RBI single.
Morgantown took their first lead in the fourth. Aaron Forbes led off with a ringing double to the left-center gap, then scored on Tony Marsh’s RBI single. Two more singles loaded the bases, and two more runs eventually scored on two wild pitches to make it 4-3 after four.
Bridgeport see-sawed back on top in the fifth on Anthony Dixon’s long 2-run home run to left, then added an unearned run in the seventh to make it 6-4. Post 2 had the winning run at the plate with one out in the bottom of seventh, but Bridgeport lefty Ben McDougal capped his complete-game victory with a strikeout and a final pop up that he calmly gloved in front of the mound for the final out.
After the game, Post 2 manager Andy Altemus was nevertheless none too pleased with the way his team played, and he let his team know it.
“Bridgeport is a quality program, and you simply can’t give them outs on the basepaths and extra outs in the field,” he said. “We pitched very well, but our situational hitting was not good, and the mental mistakes we committed throughout the game just can’t happen.
“This was a league game, and we have to do a better job of staying focused and on top of our game right from the beginning. If you have to get yourself pumped to rally late, then you weren’t staying even-keeled and taking care of your business from the first pitch. You cannot give teams like Bridgeport opportunities, because they will take advantage.”
In the end, he summed up his main message to his team.
“I’m furious,” he said, “and I told them they need to be furious, too – and then do something about it, because we’re too good a team to play like this and give away games. I know we can respond, and pick each other up, and I hope we will.”
Post 2 returns to Mylan Park Friday for a 7:00 p.m. game against travel baseball squad, the Appalachian Aces.
Bridgeport Post 68 030 020 1 – 6
Morgantown Post 2 010 300 0 – 4
BRIDGEPORT POST 68 (2-1)
Michael Oliverio ss 4 1 1 0 Conner Buffington rf 3 0 0 0 Anthony Dixon 1b 4 1 2 2 Phil Reed c 2 2 2 1 Grant Lowther 2b 4 1 1 0 Ben McDougal p 4 1 3 0 Conner Blake 3b 1 0 0 0 Zach Nichelson lf 2 0 0 1 Braden Boston cf 3 0 0 0 Totals 27 6 9 4.
MORGANTOWN POST 2 (7-3)
Jacob Kennell lf 3 0 0 0 Avante Neal cf 4 0 1 0 Zach Owens dh 4 0 2 0 Brent Robinson pr 0 0 0 0 Aaron Forbes 3b 3 1 1 0 Ty Galusky c 2 1 1 0 Tony Marsh 1b 3 1 1 1 Ethan Smith rf 3 1 1 0 Domenic Colasante 2b 0 0 0 0 Cody Thomas ss 3 0 0 0 Zach Harman p 0 0 0 0 Jake Spearen ph-2b 3 0 2 1 Zach Brennan p 0 0 0 0 Brent Robinson pr Totals 28 4 9 2.
E – Bridgeport 1, Morgantown 2. DP – Bridgeport 1, Morgantown 2. LOB – Bridgeport 6, Morgantown 7. 2B – Bridgeport 1 (Reed), Morgantown 1 (Forbes). HR – Bridgeport 2 (Reed, Dixon). SH – Bridgeport 2 (Blake, Buffington), Morgantown 1 (Galusky). SF – Bridgeport 1 (Nichelson). HBP – Morgantown 2 (Galusky, Kennell by McDougal).
Bridgeport – McDougal (W) 7 ip 4 r 4 er 9 h 1 bb 6 so.
Morgantown – Harman (L) 6 ip 5 r 5 er 9 h 2 bb 2 so, Brennan 1 ip 1 r 0 er 0 h 1 bb 0 so.
