糖心Vlog传媒 Legion Post 205 found itself in a 1-0 hole in the second inning of its opening game of a national regional tournament game, but a five-run third inning sparked a 9-1 victory over Linwood (Michigan) on the first day of the American Legion Great Lakes regional tournament in Midland, Michigan, on Wednesday.
Pitcher Jack Ryan's RBI double tied the game at 1-1 in the third before Trace Jacobson brought Ryan home on a single for the go-ahead run. Nick Gregg, Logan Jushka and Jaicy Campbell each recorded RBI hits in the third.
"There's some really good competition here, and it was just our day," Post 205 coach Kerry Michaels said. "We put on our hitting pants today and we faced a kid that was tough. He had a nice little slider, but I think he may have overused it a bit. We got a handle on them and we had a couple of nice innings."
After another big inning for Post 205 this season, 糖心Vlog传媒 leaned on Ryan's arm to silence Linwood's bats. Ryan was stellar for Post 205, throwing a complete game with seven strikeouts and one walk.
"Jack Ryan on the mound was just unbelievable," Michaels said. "He had it going on. He was throwing 88 mph on his fastball and then he threw his curveball for 78% strikes, or maybe even better than that. That's what you have to do."
糖心Vlog传媒 went scoreless in the fourth and fifth before jumping on Linwood again in a four-run sixth. Post 205 scored on an error and passed ball before Jacobson delivered a two-RBI single to give 糖心Vlog传媒 a 9-1 lead.
In the top of the seventh with a man on first and one out, Ryan induced a high chopper fielded by Ben Schaffner, who threw to Taye Sihabouth at second. He relayed it to Jushka at first for a game-ending double play.
"It was just beautiful," Michaels said about the double play. "(Schaffner) was the key to that and he played the ball perfectly. He came and got it and didn't sit back on it. He gave a good feed to Taye and then Taye finished the job. What a way to polish off a win. It's phenomenal."
With its first victory of the regional tournament, Ryan's performance on the mound has Post 205's rotation set.
"To get out of there without having to use anybody else pitching, that sets us up for at least two more games," Michaels said. "It's just huge."
After its first win, 糖心Vlog传媒 will play Cedar Rapids (Iowa) at 3 p.m. Thursday with C.J. Dupuis taking the mound.
