Post 22 13, Sioux Falls West 5

Post 22 catcher Austin Wickham connects for a base hit Thursday night against Sioux Falls West. The Hardhats pounded out 15 hits in a 13-5 victory.

The first time through the order against a quality pitcher can be baffling. His delivery might have some quirky movement that is distracting. His favorite pitch might have some late movement that a hitter can’t anticipate until seeing it in the batter’s box. Or his release can throw off a hitter’s rhythm just so.

However it happens, it takes time to get used to a good pitcher. But one thing that makes a pitcher excel is his ability to get guys out a second, third, fourth time (see: Tanner Chleborad).

And when a pitcher isn’t as refined as a Chleborad, that second trip to the plate can be mighty enticing for the team the next time through.

Just ask Post 22. The hitters in the program have been taught to make adjustments after one time through the order for decades. The results of this approach to hitting are well known.

Sioux Falls West starter Joe Rezac was rolling against the Hardhats on Thursday. He gave up a run in the first, but had a 1-2-3 second inning and forced a double play to end the third. Once the lineup cycled through for the second time however, the young Post 22 hitters found and Fitzgerald Stadium turned into a batting practice session.

“Chleborad and Bohne had a speech about backing up our pitcher and getting some runs,” Post 22 outfielder Jacob James said. “We just focused up more (after that). We didn’t come ready to hit at the beginning of the game, and we stepped it up the second time through.”

After getting the first out in the fourth inning, Bohne’s double started a string of seven consecutive base hits for the Hardhats. Ryne Lees and James had run-scoring hits on the first pitch of their at-bats, proving the Post 22 batters had a good idea what they would see at the plate.

“He threw the ball straight, and was throwing a lot of strikes,” Post 22 center fielder Greg Schaefer said. “He was catching a lot of the plate, it was just a matter of time before we started hitting the ball hard.”

Jarrett Jensen’s fielder’s choice finally got the second out, albeit while scoring a run, but that set off another four straight hits that were finding open spots in the infield, outfield and everywhere else – except inside the Sioux Falls West fielder’s gloves.

In all Post 22 had 11 hits in the inning. Jake Sullivan, Austin Wickham, Newt Johnson, Lees, and James all had run-scoring hits in the frenzied fourth, and Bohne, Sullivan and Schaefer had two hits in the inning alone.

“It was huge,” Schaefer said. “We really needed that inning. That’s what got us the win.”

Bohne picked up the win despite some sloppiness in the field from his defense. The southpaw struck out four and held Sioux Falls West to just four hits by using his best weapon – his control.

Bohne got first-pitch strikes on 10 batters in a row following the leadoff hitter in the first. His defense behind him was not as sharp.

An error from the shortstop Johnson set up Sioux Falls West Ben Nelson’s two-run single in the third inning, and an errant throw to first base from second baseman Donte Bledsoe allowed the third run to come home. Bohne still had not given up an earned run, but Post 22 trailed 3-1 after three.

“(Bohne) came right after them, and the defense caused him to throw more pitches then he should have,” Post 22 head coach Dave Ploof said. “That’s what your defense has to do, is be ready to play to save the pitcher’s arm. That’s what we did not do. If we don’t pick that up by the end of the year, it will really hurt our ballclub.”

Two more runs were scored by West in the top of the sixth, one from a passed ball and another on an error by the first baseman Lees.

Post 22 did manage to end it one inning early with a strong finish in the bottom half.
The first three Post 22 hitters reached on errors, with Johnson scoring with the third. Schaefer would knock another RBI single, and Sullivan raced home on a passed ball to push it to the eight-run lead necessary to stop the game after six innings.

James was the offensive stalwart in the leadoff spot, going 4-for-5 with two runs and two RBIs. Schaefer finished with three hits, and Bohne and Sullivan each drove in a pair, with Bohne scoring a game-high three runs.

Post 22 improved to 22-7 on the season and 2-0 in the Rich Hinseth Tournament. The Hardhats host Sioux Falls East tonight at 7:30 p.m. at Fitzgerald Stadium.