by Seneca Contomanolis
DigitalSports Richmond
scontomanolis@digitalsports.com
South Richmond Post 137 was the team rallying this time.
Post 137 scored seven runs in the bottom of the eighth inning to comeback and beat Powhatan Post 201 9-7 on Tuesday night and force Game 2 in the American Legion, District 11 title round.
The teams will play for the third time in five days on Wednesday at 7 p.m. at J.R. Tucker to decide a champion.
The victor will advance to the state tournament on Aug. 4 at Stuarts Draft.
On Saturday Post 201 used a nine-run ninth inning to defeat South Richmond 12-11 in the third round.
“The loss we took the other night was absolutely devastating,” Post 137 coach Byron Ballard. “To comeback and win last night and tonight shows they are focused.”
Ronnie Shaban‘s three-run homer with two outs off of Austin Stadler capped the seven-run inning and put South Richmond ahead for good.
“I had some bad at-bats before that,” Ronnie Shaban said. “Those are the situations I live for. I saw the pitch and I went with it.”
Powhatan pitcher Eathan Lewis pitched well and held a 7-2 advantage heading into the eighth. After Bradley Shaban led off with a double Lewis was lifted for Hunter Gordon.
An RBI double by Chris Ayers against Gordon, then a two-run double by Dustin Sollars and a Chris Hardee RBI single on Stadler closed the lead to just one and set the stage for Ronnie Shaban’s third homer in two days.
Taking most of the summer off from pitching, Ronnie Shaban took the mound in the top of the ninth for the second straight night and closed out the game.
“Ronnie came to me last night and he didn’t say, ‘I can pitch,’ he said, ‘ I want to pitch,'” Ballard said. “I have seen few guys who play with that type of intensity.”
Post 201 took a 2-0 lead in the first inning when Stadler (4 for 5) doubled in two runs.
The lead grew to 4-0 in the fifth when Ian Harvey (two hits) scored on a wild intentional walk pitch to Stadler. During the same at-bat Stadler would drive in his third run of the game.
A solo homer by Joey Cujas in the fifth and one by Chris Ayers in the sixth cut the lead in half for South Richmond.
But Powhatan put one on the board in the seventh on a bases loaded walk and scored two in the eighth on two wild pitchers.
Post 201 200 020 120 – 7 9 0
Post 137 000 011 07x – 9 10 1
Lewis, Gordon (8), Stadler (8) and Cleary; Hauser, Hardee (6), Ackerman (7), R. Shaban (9) and Abrahamson. W: Ackerman. L: Stadler. S: R. Rhaban.
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