Staff report
Sidney kept up its winning ways in American Legion baseball action, whipping league foe Piqua 7-0 in a game played at Custenborder Field Tuesday night.
The win put Post 217 at 21-12 going into a game Wednesday night at Troy, also in league action.
Brett McEldowney and Austin McLain were overpowering on the mound. McEldowney went the first seven innings and McLain the final two, and they combined for 15 strikeouts. They limited Piqua to just four hits while walking four.
Sidney scored seven times in the game on just four hits, and all four were singles.
“Our pitching and defense carried us since we only had four hits,” said Sidney coach Jim Koewler. “We capitalized on their walks and errors, and Brett pitched a whale of a game for us. This was another good win since we’re playing for a high seed in the district tournament. Our hitting wasn’t as bad is it sounds. We hit a lot of balls hard but right at them.”
Sidney got two in the bottom of the first without a hit. McLain, Drew Wehrman and Kyle Subler all walked and Jackson Hobbs had a sacrifice fly. Mixed in were two wild pitches and a passed ball.
Sidney got two more in the third, and again without a hit. Wehrman reached on an error and Josh Nixon was then hit by a pitcyh. After a passed ball, Hobbs plated another run on a sacrifice fly. The second run of the inning came home on a fielder’s choice off the bat of Cam Clark.
Sidney added a run in the fifth without a hit when Nixon walked and stole second, went to third on an error and scored on a Clark sac-fly.
In the seventh, Sidney got two more runs on two of its four hits. Hobbs walked, then Clark and McEldowney both singled to plate one run. A wild pitch scored the other.
Post 217 took advantage of eight walks and two hit batsmen.
Piqua’s only threat came in the fourth when they loaded the bases with one out. But Sidney turned a 5-2-3 double play to end the inning.
Sidney goes next to the Best of Ohio Tournament starting today with two games at 1:30 and 6 in New Carlisle. Friday they play at Tipp City Middle School at 1:30, then enter bracket play.
The linescore:
Piqua`000 000 000`0`4`2
Sidney`202 010 20x`7`4`1
UPCOMING GAMES
Today
Best of Ohio Tournament
At New Carlisle Gastineau Field
1:30 — vs. Blue Grass Stars
6:00 — vs. Cincinnati Royals
Friday
Best of Ohio
1:30 — vs. Miami Valley Prospects at Tipp City Middle School
