Chesapeake team drops opener
Chesapeake Post 280’s surge through the baseball postseason hit a major bump Thursday as the Mid-Atlantic Region champs yielded three runs in the final inning and lost 5-4 to Midland Post 16 of Michigan in the American Legion World Series opener in Shelby, North Carolina.
Those teams are part of the “Stars” pool, one of the two fourteam round-robin groups in the event. The top two squads in the “Stars” and the top two among the “Stripes” pool will advance to the single-elimination semifinals.
Chesapeake, the state and Mid-Atlantic Region champion, will return to action at 1 p.m. Saturday against Idaho Falls Post 56 and will complete pool play at 4 p.m. Sunday against Omaha Post 1 of Nebraska.
If Post 280 wins both games, its chances are good to advance to the semifinals. If Chesapeake finishes 1-2 in pool play, the
Hampton Roads team is unlikely to advance.
Midland took a 2-0 lead in the top of the fourth inning off starter Max McCrary. Zack Parker and Braylen Laverty singled, and Parker scored on a throwing error by the left fielder. Laverty came home on Jack Bakus’ sacrifice fly.
Chesapeake answered with four runs in the bottom of the fourth.
Ayden Stuffel singled, Jake Smith walked and Cooper Newell hit an RBI double to left. After a lineout and an intentional walk to Gavin Whitehurst loaded the bases, Nick Valentine hit a three-run double to left-center to put Post 280 ahead 4-2.
McCrary held that lead until the seventh, which begin with Luke LaCourse reaching first base on a fielding error. After McCrary induced a flyout to center field, reliever Bobby Loper came in to pitch. He forced a ground ball by Alex Warner, but
a throwing error enabled Post 16 to get runners on first and second with one out.
Tyler Smith then hit an RBI single to cut Post 280’s lead to 4-3. Loper induced a comebacker for the second out, putting runners at second and third. Parker then tied the game with an infield single, his third hit of the day, and Laverty gave the Great Lakes champions a 5-4 lead by singling through the left side.
In the bottom of the seventh, Stuffel reached first on a passed ball after swinging and missing at a 3-2 pitch. He stole second with two out, but winning pitcher Trent Johnson completed his three-inning stint by catching Newell looking at a called third strike to end the game.