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BASEBALL: Pinckneyville-Du Quoin pushes past Herrin, Marion at District Tournament

Posted July 16, 2012 11:00 pm

Doug Daniels

</element><element id="paragraph-1" type="body"><![CDATA[A ten-run sixth inning provided the separation for Pinckneyville-Du Quoin against Marion in their second round game on Saturday at the 25th District American Legion Senior Baseball Tournament which got underway this weekend at The Harold Harmsen Field of Dreams in Steeleville. Posts 2504 & 647 connected for fifteen hits in the 16-6 short-game over Post 147, five of those by leadoff hitter Bryant Shute.

Pinckneyville-Du Quoin broke open a 4-4 game in the bottom of the sixth with three straight singles to lead off, then a wild throw by Marion starter Aaron Hancock brought coach Greg Haub out to the mound for his first of three pitching changes in the inning. Fifteen batters came to the plate for 2504/647 in the frame before it was over.

"Keeping young guys poised is just part of it," said Pinckneyville-Du Quoin head coach Sean Patrick. "When you get flustered it's easy to kind of go out the window."

"It just takes staying under control, I think that's an important lesson for us to learn in the big picture and for these kinds of ball games."

2504/647 never trailed Sunday, jumping ahead 2-0 in the top of the first on RBI singles from Brett Warchol and C.J. Opp.

Marion's Dylan Arvai doubled in Cody Smith in the bottom of the first to trim the deficit in half, but Pinckneyville-Du Quoin answered right back in the top of the second when Kyle Mueller brought in a pair with his two-out single to make it 4-1.

Opp, P-DQ's starter, go into some trouble in the third after a pair of leadoff walks to Blake Gray and Coty Wece. A double by Cody Smith and an error at third base for Pinckneyville-Du Quoin allowed Marion to tie the game at 4-4. Opp battled through three more innings on the hill, stranding seven Marion baserunners after the third.

"(Marion) hit following errors and they did what they needed to do to stay in the game," Patrick said. "(Opp) just competed, he's had three very good starts in a row. It's hard to be very good all of the time, but as long as he's letting them put it in play, the defense stays sharp and you give yourself a chance to win."

Adam Barczewski, Marian Brammeier and Shute each singled to spark the big rally in the top of the sixth for 2504/647, then Nate Boss reached on the error to chase Hancock from the game. Koty Rains entered, but could only get one out while allowing a double to Mueller and walks to Warchol and Travis Chapman.

Dakota Pratt was up next to try and stop the bleeding for Post 147, but he walked Zach Phillips then allowed RBI hits by Barczewski, Brammeier and Shute. Garrett Marks relieved Pratt and finally got the last two outs after hitting Boss, but Marion trailed 14-4.

Post 147 avoided a seven-inning defeat with a pair of runs off Mueller, but 2504/647 tacked two back on in the eighth after hits by Shute and Boss and RBI from Mueller and Warchol.

Shute (5-6, 2B, 3 R, 2 RBI), Mueller (2-4, 2B, 2 BB, 2 R, 5 RBI), Barczewski (2-3, BB, 3 R, RBI) and Brammeier (2-5, 2B, 2 R, 2 RBI) each had a multi-hit day for Pinckneyville-Du Quoin on Sunday. Boss (1-4, HBP, 2 R, RBI), Warchol (1-4, BB, SAC, 2 RBI), Opp (1-3, 2 BB, R, RBI) and John Goodrich (1-1, 2B, R) also had hits off Marion pitching.

For Post 147, Arvai (2-3, 2B, R, RBI) and Gray (2-3, BB) each had a pair of hits and Wece (1-4, BB, R), Smith (1-4, 2B, BB, 2 R, RBI), Alex Andros (1-4, R, RBI), Kyle Mitchell (1-3) and Alex Liebenrood (1-3, BB, RBI) had the others.

Opp went six innings for the win and gave up three earned runs on seven hits and three walks, striking out three. Hancock worked into the sixth for Marion, taking the loss with seven earned runs allowed on nine hits and five walks with five fanned.

Pinckneyville-Du Quoin will meet up with Sparta in the winners bracket on Tuesday at 4:00 p.m. after Post 396 upset top-seeded Murphysboro 8-3 on Sunday.

Marion falls into the losers bracket to take on Steeleville at 4:00 p.m. on Monday.

<u>P-DQ halts Herrin 7-3</u>

Pinckneyville-Du Quoin had advanced into Sunday's game with Marion by knocking off Herrin Post 645 7-3 on Friday behind a complete game from Evan Chapman and four RBI from Warchol.

Warchol drove in two runs with a double in the first, then two more on a double in the third off Herrin starter Gabe Jelly to give 2504/647 a 4-3 lead they never relinquished.

Chapman went all nine innings and surrendered two earned runs on eight hits, three walks and two hit batters with five strikeouts.

Warchol (2-5, 2 2B, 4 RBI), Boss (2-5, 2 R), Shute (1-4, BB, 2 R, RBI), Mueller (2-4, 2B, 2 R, RBI), T. Chapman (2-5) and Barczewski (1-4, BB, R) had hits against Herrin.

Post 645 got hits from Baily Schimpf (2-5), Cody Crosley (2-3, 2B, BB, HBP, 2 RBI), Brandon Ryker (2-4, 2B, R), Daniel Allen (1-5, R, RBI) and Boris Moskoff (1-3, BB, R).

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