Staff report
Sidney Post 217’s American Legion baseball team won two out of three games Friday and Saturday to go to 4-3 on the season heading into a doubleheader Sunday at Bluffton University against Galion.
On Friday night, Sidney beat Union City, Ind., 9-4 in action at Custenborder Field.
Sidney scored twice in the first inning. Josh Koppin singled and Jace Barga reached on an error. Dan Borchers and Drew Wehrman followed with singles to plate two runs.
In the third, Sidney added two more. Dakota Bollinger got hit by a pitch and Borchers singled again. A passed ball, a stolen base and a wild pitch figured into the scoring as well.
In the fourth, Austin McLain singled and scored when Bollinger triple. Barga and Cole Proffitt also singled in the inning.
After Union City scored twice in the seventh, Sidney answered in the bottom of the inning with a run on Proffitt’s single, a wild pitch, a sacrifice fly and a ground out.
Owen Leugers, Isaac Ruhenkamp and Tyler Sanford all pitched for Sidney and combined on a six-hitter, with eight strikeouts and just one walk.
• On Saturday, Sidney split with Fostoria, winning the first game 4-3 in eight innings, and losing the second 3-0.
In the first game, Sidney got a run in the second on a single by Hunter McMurray, a balk, and a single by Austin McLain.
After Fostoria scored twice in the fifth, Sidney tied it in the sixth on a single by Barga, a walk and an error.
Fostoria took the lead on three singles in the seventh, but Sidney tied it in the bottom of the seventh on a walk, a balk and a single by Barga.
Then in the bottom of the eighth, Cam Jenkins led off with a double to left and moved to third on a sacrifice fly. The game ended on a suicide squeeze bunt by Borchers.
Braden Goodwin and Bryant McCarty combined on a seven-hitter, striking out nine and walking two.
In the nightcap, Sidney managed just three hits and struck out 10 times.
“We seemed to have a mental lapse at a critical point, which hurt us,” said coach Jim Koewler. “Our pitchers — starters and relievers — pitched great all weekend. We’re coming together as a team with a lot of ball ahead of us.”
Sidney travels to Springfield Armory for a doubleheader Tuesday and returns home Thursday for a nine-inning game with Napoleon.
