Clean sweep: Post 91 clinches top seed against Patriots
Published 9:44 pm Wednesday, July 8, 2015
Austin Legion’s Jacob Kempen tries to slide past the tag of Rochester’s Zach Smith in game one of a doubleheader Wednesday night at Dick Seltz Field. Eric Johnson/photodesk@austindailyherald.com
The Austin Post 91 Legion baseball team locked up the top seed in the District playoffs as it swept the Rochester John Marshall Patriots by scores of 6-0 and 5-2 in Dick Seltz Field Wednesday.
Austin (23-3 overall) began the day up 4-0 in the bottom of the third inning of a suspended game, which gave Austin hurler Jake Reinartz a chance to pitch in both games. Reinartz threw a total of eight shutout innings and he allowed just five hits as he picked up a win in the first game and put Austin in position to win the second game.
Austin Legion’s Nate Conner swings on a pitch against Rochester Wednesday evening at Dick Seltz Field. Eric Johnson/photodesk@austindailyherald.com
“I kind of just re-set when the second game started and treated it like I was starting another game,” said Reinartz. “I just tried to focus on throwing strikes and I didn’t let it affect me.”
Austin led the second game 1-0 after four innings, but the Patriots took a 2-1 lead off of a pair of Austin errors in the fifth. Post 91 bounced back to take a 2-1 lead when Jordan Hart tripled in a run with two outs and Hart scored on a Rochester throwing error to make it 3-2. Austin went up 5-2 in the bottom of the sixth when Nate Conner drew an RBI walk and Alex Ciola was hit by a pitch for an RBI.
Daniel Bollingberg picked up the win in relief for Austin in the nightcap.
“Jake Reinartz was lights out today and it was good to get Dan in there,” Austin co-head coach Joe Kroc said. “For us to have 23 wins with a guy we were expecting to be one of our top four pitchers having less than ten innings pitched [this summer] is pretty impressive.”
Rochester was coming off winning the Firecracker tournament over the weekend, but Post 91 was able to hold them in check. Austin’s Jason Stoulil said the top seed will give Post 91 a great advantage in the District tournament and he said it was especially sweet to clinch it against a Rochester squad.
“[The top seed] is a nice road to state,” Stoulil said. “It’s nice to beat up on anybody really, but it gives us a little extra kick to beat a Rochester team.”
Austin Legion’s Jake Reinartz delivers in the first game of a doubleheader against Rochester Wednesday night at Dick Seltz Field. Eric Johnson/photodesk@austindailyherald.com
Austin has five games remaining in the regular season and the District tournament begins July 21. Kroc said that Post 91’s pitching staff has been key all summer and Wednesday was no different.
“[The Patriots] have really been swinging it well,” Kroc said. “For our pitchers to come in and what they did today was great. Defensively we’ve been playing unbelievable all year and our pitching has been unbelievable.”
Patriots 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 — 0 4 0
Austin 2 0 2 0 0 2 X — 6 10 1
Austin pitching: Jake Reinartz (W) 7 IP, 4 H, 2 BB, 0 R, 6 K
Austin hitting: Alex Ciola, 2-for-3, BB; Dylan Gasner, 0-for-3, 2 R; Jordan Hart, 2-for-4, triple, 2 RBIs, 2 R; Nate Conner, 1-for-3, RBI, SB; Ethan Horstmann, 1-for-1, SB; Jason Stoulil, 1-for-3, double, R; Ryan McCormack, 0-for-1; Isaac Schumacher, 1-for-2, BB; Daniel Bollingberg, 0-for-2; Jacob Kempen, 2-for-2, RBI, R; Riley Wagner, 0-for-2
Patriots 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 — 2 4 2
Austin 1 0 0 0 2 2 X — 5 7 1
Austin pitching: Reinartz, 4 IP, 1 H, 4 BB, 0 R, 4 K; Bollingberg (W) 3 IP, 3 H, 1 BB, 0 R, 2 K
Austin hitting: Bollingberg, 1-for-4, SB; Gasner, 0-for-3, R, BB; Conner, 2-for-2, 2 RBIs, R, 2 BBs; Hart, 2-for-4, triple, RBI, R; Ciola, 0-for-1, RBI, 2 BBs, HBP; Stoulil, 1-for-4; Jacob Kempen, 0-for-3; Reinartz, 0-for-3; Schumacher, 1-for-2, R, BB, SB
