Staff report
Sidney Post 217 split a doubleheader with visiting Toledo Whitehouse on Memorial Day at Custenborder Field in American Legion baseball action.
The split gave Sidney a 2-1 record heading into Tuesday night’s alumni game against former Post 217 players.
Post 217 won the first game Monday, but needed eight innings to do it. The final was 5-4.
Whitehouse took a 3-0 lead in the top of the third on a walk, a wild pitch and three hits, two of them doubles.
Sidney came back with a run in the bottom of the third when Carter Mescher was hit by a pitch and Austin McLain reached on an error before both were sacrificed ahead by Dakota Bollinger. That put Mescher into position to score on a wild pitch.
Sidney added another run in the bottom of the fifth when Mescher singled and later scored on a sacrifice fly by Cam Clark.
Post 217 then tied the game up in the bottom of the sixth.
Daniel Berning singled and was sacrificed to second by Zach White. Berning moved up on a grounder, and scored on another wild pitch.
Whitehouse took a 4-3 lead in the top of the second on a single, a bunt and a double, but Sidney again came back to tie in the bottom of the seventh when Bollinger singled and scored on a double by Josh Nixon.
The game went to extra innings, and after Whitehouse came up empty in the eighth, Sidney continued to play small ball and won it when Berning reached on an error, White sacrificed him up and Isaiah Beaver singled him home for the 5-4 win.
Bryant McCarty was the winner, allowing nine hits while striking out two and walking two.
Nixon singled and doubled, and Berning and Beaver both had two singles.
In the nighcap, Whitehouse came away with a 6-2 victory.
Sidney took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the fourth without a hit. Nixon reached on an error and Kyle Noble walked. McCarty then reached on a fielder’s choice, and Nixon was able to score.
However, Whitehouse came back in the top of the sixth and plated all six of its runs, with six straight singles, a walk, a hit batsman and a ground out.
Sidney’s final run came in the fifth on an Austin McLain single, a walk to Bollinger, and two straight groundouts.
“We played good ball in both games,” said Legion coach Jim Koewler. “We just got outhit in the second game.”
Sidney had just four hits in the nightcap, two by McLain.
Upcoming games
Tonight — Springfield Armory, 6 p.m. at Custenborder.
Friday — at Pemberville, doubleheader, 5 p.m.
Saturday — at Fostoria, doubleheader, noon.
Sunday — Ashland, doubleheader at Custenborder, noon.
