Ballwin Blanks Sullivan On Day 2 Of State Tourney
For the first time all season, Sullivan was shutout as Ballwin Post 166 won 5-0 Thursday in the American Legion freshmen state tournament.
Post 18 (20-5) had just two hits and committed four errors. They returned to the field Friday to play against Jackson.
Joshua Earney started and went six innings, striking out four and walking four. Only two of the five runs were earned.
Earney battled through some control issues in the first inning when he walked three and threw a wild pitch.
Ballwin jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first and tacked on three more in the third.
Post 166 scored with two outs in the first. Earney walked the second batter he faced and after getting a pop-up to short, walked another batter. His wild pitch moved the runners into scoring position and another walk loaded the bases.
He nearly got out of the inning on a ground ball to short, but an error allowed two runs to cross the plate.
After Earney retired the side in order in the second, he allowed two straight one-out singles in the third. Ballwin would add runs on an error, wild pitch and a sacrifice fly, putting Sullivan in a 5-0 hole.
Sullivan's bats couldn't get going. Blayten Nolie led off the third by reaching on an error at third. Jacob Brooks was sent in as a courtesy runner and he moved up to second on a sacrifice bunt by Alec Bell and to third on a groundout by Braden Carey. That brought up Garrett Juergens, who grounded out to third on the first pitch.
Nolie worked a one-out walk in the fifth. Brooks was sent in as courtesy runner and he advanced to second on Bell's groundout. Ballwin stranded him there with a groundout from Carey.
Joshua Wiese had a one-out single in the sixth, which was Sullivan's first hit of the game. Ballwin again stranded the runner as Earney flew out to left and Abernathy popped out to the catcher.
Sullivan made one last stand in the seventh as Immekus drew a leadoff walk and Noah Bryan reached on an infield single. Nolie grounded into a fielder's choice to wipe out Immekus. Ballwin struck out the next two batters to finish Sullivan off.