Post 72 wins regional title in dominant fashion

Codey Emerson and Jeff Nelson

FRANKFORT — For the first time since 2021, American Legion Byron Cox Post 72 will return to the state tournament. It was a very successful performance last weekend for Post 72, as they went 3-0 to win the Frankfort Regional 2 Tournament. In their three wins, Post 72 outscored their opponents by a combined 37-6. Here’s how Post 72 completed their task and returns to the state tournament, which gets underway on Friday.

Gm 1 vs Muncie Post 19

The pitching was the story during the three games for Post 72 and in their first game on Friday, Luke Pluimer delivered a gem of a game. The recent Seeger graduate struck out 12 batters in six innings, walked just two and gave up five hits as Post 72 won 4-3.

In the second inning, Post 72 got three of their four runs in the second inning and did it all with two outs. Two walks and a single loaded the bases with nobody out, but back-to-back strikeouts made it look like Post 72 was going to waste a golden opportunity. Carlos Lopez drove the ball to the shortstop and with Roman Utterback’s blazing speed he was able to beat the shortstop to the bag with everyone safe and Corbin Wells driving the ball home. That turned the order for Jarrod Kirsch who did what he always does and hit a two-run single up the middle to make it 3-0.

Fast forward to the bottom of the third and Muncie had tied the score at 3-3 and that’s when Utterback’s speed came into play again. With him on third and Camden Proctor on first and one out, Muncie’s pitcher got too busy with Proctor and after multiple pickoff attempts on first, Utterback picked up the timing and was able to steal on another pickoff attempt. That run proved to be the difference in the game as Utterback also came in the seventh inning to earn the save.

“We really didn’t play our best game because our offense didn’t play the way it should have,” Proctor said of the Game 1 win. “We left too many on the bases (10) and when we got the bases loaded, we struck out. Luke told us he was ready and the way he pitched in our invitational last week made the decision a little easier.”

Between Pluimer and Utterback Post 72, Muncie struck out 14 batters.

Gm 2 vs Kokomo Post 9

The first inning continued to drag on and on, ending in a 21-1 victory over Kokomo.

Post 72 sent 19 batters to the plate in the first inning and 45 minutes after the first pitch was thrown, 14 runs had been scored before Byron Cox’s defense even took the field.

“They made it easy for me,” Proctor said of the offense. “We left 10 runners on base (in Game 1 on Friday) against Muncie, but we got them in today.”

Each of the nine boys in the batting order scored at least once in that first inning. Five of them scored twice, as the 14 runs fell one short of tying the most in an entire game this season.

The Crawfordsville boys also took advantage of what they got, as four Kokomo errors extended the at-bat considerably. Another interesting note is that 11 of the 14 runs in the first inning were scored with two outs.

In the fifth inning five more runs were scored, in the sixth two and it was a lucky hit: 21 on the scoreboard.

That gave starting pitcher Jarrod Kirsch a decent amount of time to work with, but the large margin meant even the Post 72 pitching plans were affected by the large number.

Kirsch was taken off the field in the second inning after throwing just 29 pitches.

That was one shy of the Legion’s maximum of 30, meaning Kirsch took the mound for Sunday’s championship game.

Lucas Gerkey came out to pitch and in a gift from the baseball gods, he threw 29 pitches to finish the game, also qualifying him for the final.

Kirsch and Gerkey both gave up two hits and Post 6 scored its one run in the third inning.

The defense behind them threw five error-free innings.

The win, Proctor’s 20th of the season and most as coach, vaulted Post 72 into the championship bracket of the regional competition and secured a spot in the eight-team state finals next weekend in Terre Haute, as both first and second place finishers advance.

But for Proctor, that wasn’t good enough.

“We want to win this region,” he said. “Coming in second at our invitational last week left a bad taste in your mouth.”

Gm 3 vs Lafayette Post 11

A six-run third inning was the difference, allowing Post 72 to capture the regional title on Sunday against Lafayette Post 11 by a 12-2 score in five innings. The game started on a sour note, however, as Kirsch was pulled from the game with soreness in his pitching arm after just one inning of work. Gerkey came in and picked up the slack, allowing just one hit in the final four innings.

The six-run third inning came after the score was tied at 2-2. Lafayette got on the board first when Gerkey hit the first batter and then gave up a two-run single, but that was all Lafayette would get. Benton Central’s Brylan Hedden tied the game with a two-run single of her own with two outs in the second inning.

Post 72 scored its six runs in various ways as Lafayette made some errors and wild pitches while Gerkey and Hedden picked up RBI knocks. The final run of the game in the bottom of the fifth came on a wild pitch as Kirsch scored the winning run and the championship celebration began.

“Nobody wants to come in second like this,” Proctor said. “This win means we’ll see a runner-up from another regional. We earned this championship and get to go back to the state tournament. The last time we were there, we finished as runners-up, so this group knows they can win the whole tournament.”

This participation in the state tournament will be a new experience for all of Post 72’s singles players, with the exception of Camden Proctor who was on the team in his first season at Post 72 in 2021.

“It’s a great feeling to have a group of gussy together like that,” Kirsch said. “We really felt like we were starting to come together in our tournament last weekend. We know the job isn’t done yet and we’ve got to take it game by game in the state tournament. We know we’re capable of winning the whole thing.”

Bryce Dowell noted that this group is full of confidence, with many talented players in the starting lineup and on the mound.

“It took a while to get our confidence back and once we did, the results spoke for themselves,” said the recent Cville graduate. “We threw the ball all summer and just hit it right at them. Now we’re finding holes and really showing people what we can do. We know what kind of competition we’re going to see in the state tournament and it’s up to us to play at that level.”

Terre Haute will host this year’s state tournament and Post 72 will begin play on Friday at 5 p.m. when they take on South Haven.

The eight-team, double-elimination tournament will run through next year.
Tuesday.