The Legion AA Twins had chance after chance to score against the Service Cougars, but nothing worked until the last moment in a wild finish Saturday at Coral Seymour Memorial Park.
The Twins rallied from a three-run hole in the bottom of the seventh to win 8-7 on a walk-off, taking advantage of an error by Service’s third baseman on a grounder by Tanner Ussing to end the game.
The Twins then won the nonleague game 10-0 over the Cougars for Post 20’s fourth straight win, pushing their league record to 3-2 and 5-4 overall this summer.
Trailing 7-4 in the seventh, the rally got started with a leadoff bloop single by Davey Belger, followed by a walk by Jeremy Kupferschmid and a single up the middle by David Michael to load the bases with one out.
Mose Hayes laced a grounder off the mound that helped him reach on an error by the Service second baseman, who couldn’t field it cleanly, allowing a run to score for a 7-5 game.
Seth Adkins then drew a walk to force in another run to cut it to 7-6, and Twins veteran Logan Smith used a squeeze bunt to bring home the tying run.
“I ended up having to trust Logan there, get mostly down the basepath and see if he could squeeze it in there,” said Michael, who scored the tying run.
Ussing then took a whack at the first pitch he saw, sending it down the third-base line and past the glove of Service’s Dawson Beaty, bringing home the winning run to end the game.
Ussing finished 2 for 4 in the first game to lead the Twins, and said his first-pitch swing that won it came on a near check swing.
“The first swing I got out in front, pulled off a little bit,” Ussing said. “I thought I was going to get thrown out.”
Twins coach Robb Quelland said having two veteran ball players like Michael and Smith playing the crucial roles on the squeeze bunt was huge.
“I knew (Smith) would give us the best effort on the team to put a bunt down,” he said. “He wouldn’t cause an out for that runner on third, he would do what the team needed.”
Quelland said pulling off the three-run comeback gave him confidence that the team is beginning to see the improved batting from the lower end of the lineup.
“Our eight and nine guys aren’t outs by any means,” Quelland said. “Most teams would be seven-eight-nine going, ‘Oh no’, and we’re like, ‘Yes!’
“It was good energy, they showed patience, they grew by leaps and bounds.”
Prior to the dramatic finish, the Twins struggled with four errors on the day and also had trouble getting the timely hits. Post 20 left the bases loaded twice, first in the second inning and later in the sixth, both threats being ended on ground-outs.
The Twins also missed a chance to score in the bottom of the fourth when a single by Seth Adkins encouraged Quelland to send baserunner Mose Hayes around third to score, but the throw from left field beat Hayes home for the out to end the inning.
Service led 5-1 in the third inning after scoring four in the top of the frame, three on errors made by the Twins. Post 20 scored twice in the bottom of the third to cut the gap to 5-3.
The day also featured an official infield assist for Michael, who dove in the first inning to catch a low line drive but ended up bouncing the ball off his nose. The deflection by Michael ended up turning into an out at first, but Michael missed his first at-bat due to a bloody nose.
“I get the assist for it, right?” Michael said. “It was a square hit, and went straight to Mose.”
Kupferschmid picked up the win on the mound by tossing the final two innings for the Twins, giving up one run on one hit and two walks, while whiffing one. Harold Ochea started and lasted five innings, giving up six runs (only two earned) on four hits and two walks with two strikeouts.
While Ussing had two hits on the day, the Twins also got base knocks from Michael, Hayes, Adkins, Jacob Boze, Belger and Harrison Metz.
Post 20 had trouble with Service catcher Josh Smith, who batted in three runs in a 2-for-3 day. Sam Maudsley started for Service and went four innings with three runs (two earned), giving up three runs — two earned — on four hits and five walks with three strikeouts.
In Game 2, the Twins pitching staff shut down the Cougars with a combined two-hit shutout by Chris Jaime and Jacob Boze. Jaime gave up one hit in four innings with two walks, while Boze pitched one clean inning of relief with one hit and one strikeout.
The Twins took an early 3-0 lead in the first inning and scored runs in every inning before forcing the game to end after five on the run rule.
Hayes went 2 for 3 with two runs to lead Post 20, while Smith had two RBIs.
The Twins’ Mose Hayes evades the tag of Service second baseman Kyle Andrew (left) Saturday, June 22, 2019, at Coral Seymour Memorial Park in Kenai. (Photo by Joey Klecka/Peninsula Clarion)
The Twins’ David Michael swings at a pitch by Service’s Andrew Jaidinger Saturday, June 22, 2019, at Coral Seymour Memorial Park in Kenai. (Photo by Joey Klecka/Peninsula Clarion)
Legion Twins pitcher Harold Ochea offers up a pitch Saturday, June 22, 2019, to a Service batter at Coral Seymour Memorial Park in Kenai. (Photo by Joey Klecka/Peninsula Clarion)
