FRANKFORT — For the first time since 2021 American Legion Byron Cox Post 72 will be back in the state tournament. It was a very successful showing this past weekend for Post 72 as they went 3-0 to win the Frankfort Regional 2 Tournament. In their three wins Post 72 outscored their opponents by a combined 37-6. Here’s how Post 72 got their job done and will be back in the state tournament which gets underway on Friday.
Gm 1 vs Muncie Post 19
The pitching was the story throughout the three games for Post 72 and in their first game on Friday, Luke Pluimer delivered a gem of a game. The recent Seeger grad struck out 12 over six innings while walking just two and giving up five hits as Post 72 were 4-3 winners.
In the second inning Post 72 got three of their four runs in the second inning and did it all with two outs. Two walks and a single loaded the bases with no one out, but back to back strikeouts had it looking like Post 72 might waste a golden opportunity. Carlos Lopez grounded to the shortstop and with Roman Utterback’s blazing speed, he was able to beat the shortstop to the bag as everyone was safe and Corbin Wells crossed home. That flipped the order for Jarrod Kirsch who did as he usually does and laced a two-run single up the middle to make it 3-0.
Fast forward to the bottom of the third and Muncie had evened the score at 3-3 and then Utterback’s speed came into play yet again. With him standing at third and Camden Proctor at first and one out, Muncie’s pitcher got too occupied with Proctor and after multiple pick off attempts at first, Utterback picked up on the timing and was able to steal home on another pick off attempt. That run proved to be the difference in the game as Utterback also came into the game in the seventh to pick up the save.
“We really didn’t play our best because our offense didn’t play like it should’ve” Proctor said of the game one win. “We left too many on base (10) and when we got the bases loaded we’d strike out. Luke told us that he was ready and the way he pitched in our invitational last week, it made the decision a little easier.”
Between Pluimer and Utterback Post 72 struck out 14 Muncie hitters.
Gm 2 vs Kokomo Post 9
A first inning that kept on giving turned into a 21-1 win over Kokomo.
Post 72 sent 19 hitters to the plate in the top of the first inning, and 45 minutes after the first pitch was thrown, 14 runs were across before the Byron Cox defense even took the field.
“They made it easy on me,” Proctor said of onslaught. “We left 10 runners on base (in Game 1 on Friday) against Muncie, but we got them in today.”
Each of the nine guys in the batting order scored at least once in that first inning. Five of them scored twice, as the 14 runs were one shy of tying the most in an entire game-this season.
The Crawfordsville guys also took advantage of what was given, as four Kokomo errors greatly extended the at-bat. Another note of interest is that 11 of the 14 first-inning runs were scored with two outs.
An extra five runs were scored in the fifth, two in the sixth, and it was a lucky 21 on the board.
That gave starting pitcher Jarrod Kirsch a sizable window to work with, but with the huge margin, even the Post 72 pitching plans were affected by the big number.
Kirsch was pulled in the second inning, after throwing only 29 pitches.
That was one under the Legion maximum off 30, so it meant Kirsch was then able to take the mound for the Sunday championship game.
Lucas Gerkey came in to pitch, and as another gift from the baseball gods, he threw 29 pitches to finish the game, making him also eligible for the title game.
Kirsch and Gerkey each gave up two hits, and Post 6 got their one run in the third.
The defense behind them turned in an error-free five innings.
The win, the 20th of the season, and the most for Proctor as a coach, moved Post 72 into the championship bracket of the regional, and guarantees a spot in the eight-team State Finals next weekend in Terre Haute, as both first and second places advance.
That was not good enough for Proctor, though.
“We want to win this regional,” he said. “Finishing second at our invitational last week left a bad taste.”
Gm 3 vs Lafayette Post 11
A six-run third was the difference and allowed Post 72 to capture the Regional title on Sunday against Lafayette Post 11 by a 12-2 score in five innings. The game got started on a sour note however as Kirsch had to be removed from the game with soreness in his throwing arm after just an inning of work. Gerkey came in and picked up the slack allowing just one hit over the final four innings.
The six-run third came after the score was even at 2-2. Lafayette got on the board first as Gerkey hit the first batter and then gave up a two-run single, but that’s all that Lafayette would get. Benton Central’s Brylan Hedden evened up the game with a two-run single of his own with two outs in the bottom of the second.
Post 72 scored their six runs in a variety of ways as Lafayette committed some errors and wild pitches while Gerkey and Hedden picked up RBI knocks. The final run of the game in the bottom of the fifth came on a wild pitch as Kirsch scored the game-winning run and the championship celebration commenced.
“Nobody wants to finish second in these things,” Proctor said. “This win means we’ll see a runner-up from another Regional. We earned this championship and get to be back at the state tournament. The last time we were there we finished as the runner-ups so this group knows they can win the whole thing.”
This state tournament appearance will be a new experience for everyone single player on Post 72’s excluding one Camden Proctor who was on the team his first season with Post 72 back in 2021.
"To be able to have a group of gusy come together like this is a pretty awesome feeling," Kirsch said. "We really felt like we started to gel in our tournament last weekend. We know the job isn't finished and we have to take it one game at a time in the state tournament. We know we're capable of winning the whole thing."
Bryce Dowell noted how this group is a confident one with plenty of talented players up and down the lineup and on the mound.
"It took some time to find our confidence and once that happened, the results have spoken for themselves," the recent Cville grad said. "We've been barreling the ball all summer but have just hit it right at them. Now we're finding gaps and really showing people what we can do. We know the type of competition we're going to see in the state tournament and it's up to us to play up to that level."
Terre Haute is the host for this year’s state tournament and Post 72 will begin play on Friday at 5 p.m. as they take on South Haven.
The eight-team double elimination tournament lasts through next
Tuesday.
