Post 95 victorious in season-opener

Derek Harmeier showed his signature control from the mound and Post 95’s offense scattered 13 hits to secure a 4-1 win in Tuesday’s Sr. Legion season-opener.

Harmeier, a 2011 South Central graduate who pitches for Kaskaskia College, threw seven innings against Carlyle, striking out six, while walking three and allowing just five hits. Three times he stranded two runners on base.

“He’s been off for a while since his last outing at Kaskaskia, but he came out and threw the ball really well,” said coach Andy Rincker. “He dominated the ball game.”

Rincker, who is Greenville College’s pitching coach, also praised Harmeier for commanding the strike zone (67:32 ball-to-strike ratio) and forcing seven hitters to fly out.

It looked as if Carlyle was going to take control of the game from the get-go, however, as two of the first three batters singled, but a fly out and a ground out would end the top of the first inning with no damage done.

Dathan Berning, a 2012 Vandalia graduate, opened the bottom of the frame with a triple, and Dylan Carr, a 2012 Greenville graduate, followed with an RBI single.

“We wanted to come out, be aggressive and jump on them early,” Rincker said. “That’s what we want to hang our hat on.”

Carlyle strung together a pair of singles and a walk to manufacture a run in the third, but Post 95 would answer back in the bottom.

Mitch Wolff, a 2012 Altamont graduate, sent a single to center, advanced to second on a passed ball and scored on a double from Ian Murrell, a 2012 Vandalia graduate.

The score would remain 2-1 until the seventh inning. Both teams twice had a runner in scoring position with one out during the scoreless stretch.

Berning opened the bottom of the seventh by reaching on an error, and he advanced to second on a fielder’s choice from Carr.

Wolff flew out to center, but Dylan Bone, a 2012 Greenville graduate, sent a double off of the left-field fence to bring in Berning. Murrell then followed with another double to left to plate Bone.

“It was nice to see those guys go back-to-back,” Rincker said.

By the end of the game, only one of Post 95’s starters had not recorded a hit, and five of them – Bone, Murrell, Wolff, Brady McDowell and Raustin Zahradka – had a multi-hit game.

That, Rincker said, is something he hopes Post 95 will continue doing all season long.

“It’s always tough when you’re starting out to get into an offensive rhythm,” he said. “We’ve only hit three times together now, so it was nice to come out and put the bat on the ball.

“It’s great to hit the ball early, and we will hopefully maintain that for the rest of the season.”

Post 95’s game against Mattoon on Monday was canceled due to Mattoon’s high school team advancing in the state playoff series.

Vandalia will play a nine-inning game against Aviston on Thursday at 6:30 p.m. (weather-permitting) and will join with the Jr. Legion players at 7 p.m. on Friday for a Hosick Motors fundraiser.

Next Monday, the Sr. Legion squad heads to Salem for a 6 p.m. doubleheader and begins play in the New Baden wooden bat tournament next Wednesday.

The Jr. Legion team will play at Roxana on Thursday at 6 p.m. Next Monday, the team hosts Salem for a 6 p.m. doubleheader and travels to Newton for a 6 p.m. doubleheader next Tuesday.

Tuesday, May 29
Vandalia 4
Carlyle 1
C: 0-0-1-0-0-0-0-0-0—0-6-2
V: 1-0-1-0-0-0-2-0-X—4-13-2
WP: Harmeier (1-0); 7 IP, 6  K, 1 R, 5 H, 3 BB
Post 95: Murrell, 2-for-4, 2 2B, 2 RBI; Bone, 2-for-3, 2 2B, RBI, run, BB; Berning, 1-for-5, 3B, 2 runs; Wolff, 2-for-4, run; Zahradka, 2-for-4, 2 SB; McDowell, 2-for-4; Carr, 1-for-4, RBI; Kyle Bloemker, 1-for-4.
Record: 1-0