Sullivan Post 18 Wins Against Manchester In A Close Battle, 8-6

By Wyatt Hardy

On Tuesday, Sullivan Post 18 AA defeated Manchester Post 208 AA in a close match-up, 8-6. They are finding their groove on offense and retaining a stronghold on defense. Sullivan won their last game against Wentzville and Manchester got the same beating from them. These players are not to be messed with.

Throughout the season, Beau Beckett has proved his skills as both an offensive playmaker and a fantastic baseman. In this game, he went off the rails, running home 3 times. Other stars at bat were Brennan Bouse, Dustin Lappe, Jansen Loeb, and Grant Halmick who collectively made up the rest of the runs. Nate McReynolds was the winning pitcher and forced eight strikeouts. He held them down for four innings, allowing only one hit and one run.

Sullivan’s first score of the game came in the top of the second. Bouse doubles on a line drive to far right field and Lappe seizes his opportunity to reach 3rd base. Bouse safely secures 2nd. Beckett then works his magic, hitting a ground ball and reaching on an error. Bouse makes his way to 3rd, Lappe runs home and gets the first score of the game. Anden Carey steps up to bat. Beckett realizes pitcher Michael McDermott is distracted, and swiftly steals 2nd. Carey is hit by a pitch and all bases are loaded. All-star Grant Halmick then singles a hard ground ball to left field. Manchester struggled to grab the ball quick enough as Beckett and Bouse made it home. Sullivan leads early, 3-0.

Manchester returns with vengeance with their first score. Drake Froidl singles on a left drive and makes it to first base. McReynolds wasn’t looking, and Froidl stole 2nd and then 3rd all in the same pitch. After Aidan Zanghi walks to 1st base, chaos breaks loose. Zanghi snatched 2nd and Froidl ran home while Sullivan was distracted Manchester now tallied up their score, 3-1.

Top of the 4th, Beckett scores on a wild pitch, defining himself as one of the most clutch players on the team. He has already scored his 2nd run of the game and Sullivan’s 4th.

Manchester attempts another comeback. Jake Thompson singles on a line drive to center fielder Bouse. Peyton Walker is at bat and Thompson steals 2nd. Then Walker singles on a ground ball to second baseman Loeb, giving Thompson enough time to make it home. Afterward, Walker and Miller score on errors. Manchester is tied up with Sullivan, 4-4.

Sullivan refuses to back down and is ready for combat. Beckett steals 2nd base and Halmick walks to 1st. Then on a passed ball, Beckett makes his way to 3rd and Halmick seizes his opportunity to steal 2nd. Manchester focuses on getting Leonard out at first, allowing Beckett to score and Halmick to advance to 3rd. Loeb singles on a pop fly and Manchester gets distracted again, giving Halmick the chance to quickly make it home. Drake sneakily steals 2nd and 3rd when Koch is at bat. He then singles on a hard ground ball to far center field and Loeb scores. Sullivan takes control over the scoreboard, 7-4.

Later on, the Post 18 keeps rolling on with their offensive madness. After Beckett hits a hard ground ball and reaches on an error, Bouse scores for Sullivan’s 8th run of the night.

Bottom of the 7th, Manchester needed a miracle to pull them out of this deficit. For the first two pitches, Walker and Miller walk to the bases. Then Walker faces the music and advances to 3rd on a passed ball. Miller took his shot, making 2nd base on defensive indifference. On the next play, Walker reaches home plate on a wild pitch, and Miller steals 3rd on the same one. Later, Miller scores on a wild pitch, but it wasn’t enough for a Manchester miracle.

Sullivan beat Manchester on an exciting night, 8-6. Both teams brought in their best offensive and defensive efforts. But, Sullivan never gave up the lead. Manchester made their shots and kept the score close, but could not reel in the victory. The Post 18 continues to have a strong presence in the outfield and on the mound. They have also proved that they have some high-powered playmakers at bat. The Sullivan Post 18 team will grow in their pursuit of being victorious.