Thursday, August 9, 2007 11:03 PM CDT
Rock Island snaps St. Charles win streak
AMERICAN LEGION STATE TOURNAMENT
By Mike Monahan Staff Writer
mmonahan@jg-tc.com
MATTOON – Rock Island American Legion Post 200 scored the final five runs of a game featuring two teams that won Wednesday on the first day of the American Legion state baseball tournament.
Rock Island remained undefeated in the tournament, just as it did 10 years ago. Thursday Post 200 downed St. Charles Post 342 6-3 snapping a 10-game winning streak by St. Charles, a team that was 13-16 at one time.
Noah Wethington, the starting shortstop for Rock Island, was 1-for-3 with a double and three runs batted in and made two spectacular defensive plays as Post 200 improved to 32-9. Rock Island is to play at 3:30 p.m. today.
“He is the leader on the team,” said Rock Island coach Tom Teager. “He stepped up and showed it again today.”
With the game deadlocked at three after three innings at Grimes Field at Peterson Park Rock Island took a lead it would not relinquish with a run in the fifth when with one out Caleb Rangel, who is headed to Central College in Iowa, doubled to the gap in left-center. Tyler Allison followed with a single to center and advanced to second on the throw home, which held Rangel at third. Wethington, who is headed to Iowa Western Community College (a team that made the JUCO World Series last year, finishing 42-18), hit the first pitch to the center fielder, scoring Rangel on a sacrifice fly.
Rock Island added one run each in the sixth and eighth innings.
“We played good fundamental baseball,” said Teager whose team scored two runs on sacrifices, including one in the eighth off the bat of Ryan Allison, scoring Josh Gibbs, who tripled to right-center to start the inning. “Getting the run in the eighth was huge.”
Post 200’s run in the sixth occurred on a two-out full-count single on a ball that was nearly caught by a leaping second baseman, Tony Martino. The hit by Tyler Radosevich scored Jake Hemmen, who reached on a one-out infield single, stole second and advanced to third on a passed ball.
Rock Island pitcher Tanner Holgate retired nine straight between the end of the second and fifth innings before left-handed Jordan Ask ended the run with a single to left. Ask’s single occurred just after Wethington made a catch of a foul ball on the third base side.
“I actually got a bad read on it off the bat,” said Wethington. “I don’t call people off the ball and it had to be caught by somebody. I tripped, dove and fell-whatever you want to call it and made the catch. I have so much respect for the pitchers in this heat and if I can put my body on the line I will.”
Wethington also made a catch of a ball that appeared to be headed to left field in the third inning when he jumped to his right, making the catch of the line drive.
Holgate became the second pitcher for Rock Island to throw a complete game, joining Gibbs.
“He threw between 105-110 pitches,” said Teager. “He had one bad inning. He was in control of the game. We were hoping for six to seven innings from him. Holding them scoreless in the third was huge (after they had scored three). Maybe having a pitcher warm-up in the bullpen (which they did once) scares the heck out of them. We were prepared to bring in a pitcher if we had to. I couldn’t ask for more from my starters.”
St. Charles scored all of its runs in the second inning as Mike Corrigan drew a base on balls on four straight pitches. Vince Frede, who is headed to Augustana, wasted no time in remaining perfect in the tournament hitting the first pitch to left field for a single. Frede was 3-for-3 Wednesday. Corrigan advanced to third on an error. With one out Mike Sentman singled to left-center, scoring Corrigan. Frede scored on an error as the pitcher’s throw to first (to prevent the runner from going to second) was wild. The designated hitter Hayes Cooper, who was 2-for-4 reached on an infield single as the ball caromed off the pitcher’s glove. The second baseman, Tyler Allison, got the ball and made a valiant effort to get the runner, but the throw was too late. DeMartino singled to center on an 0-2 pitch, driving in Sentman. The inning ended on the first of two double plays turned by Rock Island, turning a 6-4-3 double play just after a visit to the mound by Teager.
St. Charles, 23-17, is to play at noon today.
“Our errors hurt us,” said St. Charles coach Dale Wilderspin. “We have had a heck of a run, winning 10 straight. You have to play perfect against Rock Island to beat them. Our pitcher, Adam Shiltz pitched a heck of a game. We didn’t quit and kept battling. We will come back tomorrow (today) and play hard. That is all you can do.”
Post 342 didn’t go quietly in the ninth having the tying run at the plate for the final two outs. Frede singled to center with one out and Andy Grunewald followed with a single to center on a full-count pitch. Holgate got the next batter to fly out and the game ended with the catcher, Radosevich, catching a foul ball.
ST. CHARLES AB R H BI
DeMartino, 2b 4 0 1 1
Ask, cf 4 0 1 0
Beckman, rf 4 0 1 0
Deutscher, c 4 0 0 0
Corrigan, lf 3 1 0 0
Frede, ss 4 1 2 0
Grunewald, 1b 2 0 0 0
Roberts, 1b 2 0 1 0
Sentman, 3b 3 1 1 1
Burgess, ph 1 0 0 0
Cooper, dh 4 0 2 0
Totals 34 3 9 2
ROCK ISLAND AB R H BI
Rangel, cf 3 3 2 0
T. Allison, 2b 3 1 2 0
Wethington, ss 3 0 1 3
Gibbs, dh 4 1 2 1
R. Allison, 3b 3 0 0 1
Hemmen, 1b 4 1 1 0
Paustian, rf 4 0 0 0
Radosevich, c 3 0 1 1
Mack, lf 3 0 0 0
Totals 30 6 9 6
2B-Rangel, Wethington; 3B-Gibbs; S-T. Allison; SF-Wethington, R. Allison; SB-Hemmen
St. Charles 030 000 000 —3-9-3
Rock Island 102 011 01x —6-9-3
Pitching IP H R ER BB SO
St. Charles
Shiltz (0-1) 8 9 6 6 1 0
Rock Island
Holgate (1-0) 9 9 3 2 1 3
Contact Mike Monahan at mmonahan@jg-tc.com or 238-6854.
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