Post 18 Splits Two Games This Week At Elsberry Tournament
Hannibal
The Sullivan Post 18 AA baseball team crushed Hannibal in a lopsided victory on Saturday, June 3 in Elsberry. The final score was 17-0. After losing in a close match with St. Peters, these juniors shook off their rust and showed off all they could do in a bombastic win.
The Post 18 team got off to an explosive start by scoring 9 unanswered runs in the first inning. Alex Toews was the first to reach home plate when Gibson “Gibby” Halbert hit a ground ball and reached on an error. Then Dustin Lappe singled on a fly ball and Jansen Loeb got his chance to score. Beau Beckett got hit by a pitch at-bat, which allowed Brennan Bouse to advance to home from third. The madness continued as Lappe safely scored, tallying it up to 5 runs. Kaden Smith hit a sharp ground ball and reached on an error, allowing Dylan Jones and Beckett to run up the board. Smith sneaked his way to home plate when Hannibal tried to tag Loeb out. To put the final nail in the coffin, Bouse singled on a ground ball to left field and Toews made his second score of the inning, now 9-0.
Hannibal failed to get any action going during the second. Grant Halmick struck out Gabe Lyons for the first out. Then baseman Loeb gripped onto a ground ball and threw to first baseman Lappe before the batter could make the first base. On the third out, another batter failed to make first base with the third baseman Halbert throwing the ball to Lappe.
Top of the second, Lappe continued his incredible performance by scoring on a wild pitch. Then Smith singled on a ground ball to far right field, giving Sam Leonard and Beckett the opportunity to run home. Soon after, Bouse swung the ball far into center field, allowing Smith to run home. Loeb scored on an error and Toews made his third run. The inning ended with Beckett doubling on a line drive, allowing Bouse and Halbert to score, 17-0.
Hannibal took over at bat, hoping to make it on the scoreboard. But Sullivan aggressively held them down with no mercy. Cole Baxter popped out a ball straight to third base. Second out was made on a fielder’s choice when Loeb threw to Smith. Halbert then tagged third base out, ending the inning.
Start of the third, Sullivan hoped to continue their high-powered streak but didn’t succeed in getting another run. But Halmick continued his streak of being a vicious pitcher. The first two outs were strikeouts. Then the last out of the game was a fielder’s choice from Loeb to catcher Anden Carey completing it and finalizing their win, 17-0.
Throughout the game, Sullivan continued to pile on the runs, capitalizing on errors and poor defensive plays from Hannibal. Their batters showcased remarkable power, launching several majestic home runs that electrified the home crowd. Halmick delivered a stellar performance, striking out numerous batters while allowing minimal hits and walks.
Ellsberry
After an incredible beating against Hannibal, Sullivan failed to recreate the same success against Ellsberry, losing 6-0. It was a struggle for the Post 18 to keep up with the fast-paced offense.
Sullivan struggled at bat in the first before quickly switching to defense. Bottom of the first, Nate McReynolds was the starting pitcher and his first strikeout was Lance Stuckey. Then Brady Eulinger of Ellsberry scored as Talan Herrell singled on a ground ball to left fielder Alex Toews. Camden Palmer popped out to second baseman Jansen Loeb and Trent Albrecht ran home after tagging up, now 2-0
The Post 18 team quickly got the other team out, with Brennan Howard lining out to first baseman Dustin Lappe, then Palmer and Eulinger both striking out.
In the third, Albrecht scored on a wild pitch, allowing Ethan Adam to advance to third on the same pitch. Herrell of Ellsberry doubled on a fly ball to right fielder Sam Leonard, allowing Adam to tally up the score, 4-0. Then McReynolds completed three straight strikeouts on Palmer, Brady Huber and Howard.
Bottom of the fourth, Palmer got out at first base on a dropped third strike. Then Eulinger singled on a ground ball to center fielder Brennan Bouse allowing Noah Taylor to run home, making the score 5-0. Then Albrecht grounds out on a throw made by second baseman Loeb to first baseman Lappe. Herrell also grounded out from shortstop Gibson Halbert to Lappe.
In the fifth, Halmick took over McReynolds’s spot as a pitcher and struck out Palmer and Huber. Then for the third out, Howard lined out to left fielder Toews.
Bottom of the sixth, pitcher Isaiah Skaggs steps into the mound and struck out Palmer and Eulinger. Then Lance Stuckey singled on a hard ground ball to left fielder Toews, allowing Taylor to make it home, making the score 6-0. Herrell grounded into a fielder’s choice to shortstop Halbert, making the third out.
Despite being on the receiving end of a defeat, Sullivan did not lose their spirit. They continued to play with determination and perseverance, refusing to give up.
Lappe led Sullivan in hits, going 1-for-3 when batting at the plate. Nate McReynolds pitched for four innings, giving up five hits and five runs while striking out eight.
The game concluded with Ellsberry emerging victorious, 6-0, leaving the Post 18 team disappointed but determined to learn from their defeat and come back stronger in future games.