The Arlington Junior Legion baseball team lost its Class B Area 4 opener Friday at Elkhorn Mount Michael, but the defeat didn't derail the Post 71 Eagles' postseason plans.
Coach Rusty Hilgenkamp made multiple strategic moves with his pitching staff during the 8-2 loss to Wahoo, doing what he hopes will eventually benefit his team as the double-elimination tournament chugs along.
“We're, kind of, trying to set ourselves up for going into the tournament,” he said. “Not just Sunday. I think we can win Sunday and go into Monday.”
Win or lose against Wahoo, Hilgenkamp knew Arlington was going to play again Sunday no matter what. So, trailing just 1-0 during the third inning, the coach pulled starting pitcher Jackson Stosich from the mound to preserve his pitch count for later on during the tournament.
“Either way, we go into Sunday,” Hilgenkamp explained.
Even with Stosich stepping off of the mound, Arlington was in position to advance into the weekend with a win against Wahoo before the fourth-seeded Medicine Man Post 82 team scored five runs during the sixth inning. The Eagles trailed just 3-2 through 5.5 frames, scoring a run apiece during the top of the fourth and sixth innings.
“We're, obviously, not a power-hitting team,” Hilgenkamp said. “We have to, in a sense, just manufacture runs.”
Post 71 did both times with Luke Sharp in the leadoff spot. The infielder led off the fourth inning with a single down the third-base line and the sixth with another productive plate appearance.
“Things happen with Luke,” Hilgenkamp said. “Whether it's fielding, hitting or whatever. Luke is just a good ballplayer.”
Peyton Marfisi followed up Sharp's third-inning hit with his own hit into a Wahoo error. Stosich, the pitcher, batted next and drove in Sharp with a sacrifice.
Then, during the sixth frame, Marfisi singled before Stosich plated his second run of the game with another sacrifice.
Ultimately, though, Arlington didn't produce enough offense to beat Wahoo. The opposition outhit the Eagles even as Hilgenkamp kept his pitching staff fresh. Stosich, Wes Monke, Marfisi and Liam Shearer all threw during the Area tourney opener.
“They all did a good job,” the Post 71 coach said. “Even that last inning. (Wahoo) put two perfect bunts down to get things rolling and we, kind of, had to battle back.”
The five-run frame proved to be the clincher for Post 82. Arlington's Tanner Kyllo and Monke reached base in the seventh, but they weren't able to make it back to home plate to cut into the victor's lead.
Coverage of Sunday's American Legion baseball game and more will appear inside this Friday's Washington County Enterprise and Arlington Citizen editions.
POST 71 JUNIOR LINE SCORE
Friday
Wahoo 8, Arlington 2
ARLO 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 — 2
WAHOO 0 0 2 0 1 5 X — 8
