Post 18 Freshmen Win Opening Round Game

Joshua Earney pitched through several jams Wednesday in Sullivan's Ninth District tournament opener against Hannibal.

Earney battled his way out of a two-on, one-out situation in the fourth, getting a strikeout and groundout, then a bases-loaded, two-out jam in the fifth.

The righty struck out 13 batters and carried the Post 18 freshmen to a 3-1 win over seventh-seeded Hannibal.

Sullivan led from the first pitch Hannibal's Chase Kirby threw in the bottom of the first.

Garrett Juergens led off by rocketing the ball to center. He slid safely into third, but the throw to the base rolled into the spacious foul territory of Campbell Stadium. Juergens scrambled to his feet and crossed the plate, even as the throw home nearly hit him.

Sullivan looked like they would continue piling on when Kirby walked Joshua Wiese and Trevor Abernathy tapped a ball back to the mound Kirby couldn't field. That put two runners on, but Earney grounded out, Collin Immekus struck out and Noah Bryan's fly ball was tracked down in center.

Post 18 added another run in the third. Juergens drew a leadoff walk and stole second. Kirby walked Wiese. Sullivan tried a double steal, but left the bag too early and he was tagged out on a 1-6-5. Wiese moved up to second and scored when Earney lined a single to center.

After going hitless through the first three innings, Hannibal finally got going in the fourth when Ross Arch led off with a double. Kirby walked and Spencer Locke dropped a sacrifice bunt to advance the runners into scoring position.

Earney needed just six pitches to get the next two outs. He struck out Corder Lehenbauer on three pitches looking, then got Garrett Stone out on a dribbler to short.

Sullivan added another run in the fourth when Blayten Nolie reached safely on an infield single to third and moved up to the bag on Carter Dace's opposite field single to right, all with two outs. Nolie scored on a wild pitch and Dace went to second, but Hannibal retired Juergens for the first time on a flyout to right.

Hannibal would again test Earney in the fifth. Hirner singled up the middle to lead off the inning, but it was wiped out when Abernathy gunned him down trying to steal second. Cooper Hinkle struck out and Earney seemed on his way to an easy inning. Jerry Cunningham hit a grounder to short that Wiese couldn't turn into the third out, then it happened again on a grounder by Logan Astorino. Arch walked to load the bases, but Earney kept Hannibal off the board with a strikeout of Kirby.

Earney set Post 55 down in order in the sixth, but they fought back in the seventh. Hirner led off with a double and Cunningham hit a one-out single to right, putting runners at the corners. Astorino struck out, but the ball went to the backstop. Abernathy threw to third to try and get Hirner, who had wandered halfway down the line. The ball went high and allowed Hirner to score, making it 3-1. Cunningham was sent back to first since a runner can't advance on a dropped third strike.

Earney's first pitch to Arch was wild, which allowed Cunningham to advance to second. He fell behind in the count 2-1, but muscled a strikeout to send Post 18 to the second round.