Post 95 pranks coach after run-rule victory
Sr. Legion coach Andy Rincker watched last Wednesday as two of his players prepared to dump the contents of the water cooler on him.
But instead of trying to avoid the inevitable, he stood calmly and let the cold water flow over his body.
Earlier in the year, players wouldn’t have been able to pull such a prank, but after pounding out 15 hits in five innings for an 11-1 win against Granite City, it was a little easier for Rincker to smile about it.
“It’s nice to see us playing more consistently,” he said. “I think it’s having all of our guys back and being able to put guys in positions where they need to be.”
Vacations and other conflicts had made the lineup different for many of the first 12 games of the season, but the lineup employed against Granite City “potentially” is the one Post 95 will start using with regularity, Rincker said.
And why not? Six players had multi-hit games and only one player – Mitch Wolff – didn’t reach base, but that’s not going to happen to him too often.
Dathan Berning led the offense with three hits and two RBI, and Dylan Carr had three hits, an RBI and a run. Meanwhile, Brady Huber, Dylan Bone, Ian Murrell and Raustin Zahradka each had two hits.
All of them except Murrell had at least one RBI and all but Berning scored at least once.
“We came out, swung the bats well and that’s really all you can say,” Rincker said. “Fifteen hits in a five-inning ballgame? We’ll take it every time.”
Post 95 left the bases loaded in the bottom of the first inning and left two runners on base while scoring once in the second when Carr singled to bring home Seth Lohman.
Huber scored in the second when Zahradka reached on an error, and Cy Perfetti drove in Murrell with a fielder’s choice.
Then, in the fourth and fifth innings, Vandalia pounded out nine hits to score eight runs.
Five of the first six batters in the fourth had hits, with Bone getting an RBI double and Huber and Zahradka getting RBI singles.
Perfetti and Berning would later drive in runs in the inning.
Two errors by Newton’s second baseman helped along the scoring in the fifth, as Post 95 rallied for three two-out runs to end the game early and get the eighth win of the season.
To go with the offensive explosion was another strong outing for Bone.
He tossed a complete game, striking out two and allowing just four hits.
Bone commanded the strike zone well, and with no errors behind him, he had little trouble getting the win.
This weekend, the team is playing in the Mattoon Firecracker Classic, and the next home game, a nine-inning contest, is next Tuesday against Shelby County at 6:30 p.m.
Box score
Wednesday, June 20
Vandalia 11
Newton 1
N: 0-0-0-0-1—1-4-4
V: 0-1-2-5-3—11-15-0
WP: Bone; 5 IP, 2 K, 1 ER, 4 H, 3 BB, 1 HBP
Post 95: Berning, 3-for-5, 2 RBI; Carr, 3-for-3, RBI, run, BB; Huber, 2-for-3, RBI, 3 runs, BB; Bone, 2-for-3, 2B, RBI, run, BB; Zahradka, 2-for-3, RBI, run, BB; Perfetti, 1-for-4, 2 RBI, run; Murrell, 2-for-4, 2 runs; Lohman, run, BB; Tyler Pryor, run.
Record: 8-5
Dylan Bone breaks out of the batter’s box last Wednesday during an 11-1 victory against Granite City. Bone was 2-for-3 in the game, with a run and an RBI.
