A 2-0 Class B Area 3 Tournament start led only to an early exit for the Blair Junior Legion baseball team Monday night.
The Post 154 Bears beat both Omaha Roncalli and West Point to start play last week at Vets Field, but, ultimately, lost to both Valparaiso on Sunday and Wayne on Monday to end the season. It wasn't the result coach Howie Brewer had wanted, but he couldn't overlook his squad's overall success leading up to the district semifinals appearance.
“I'm proud of them,” the coach said after sharing 1-on-1 time with each player before they left the field Monday night. “They won 10 of their last 13 games. They really played well down the stretch.”
The game with Wayne, though, was rocky. Post 154's Nate Murray, Cam Wilkins and Jaxon Logan loaded the bases during a 0-0 game during the second inning, but, beyond that, Wayne was in control.
The tournament's top seed, Post 43, scored its first run during the bottom half of the second frame before adding five runs in the third for a 6-0 advantage.
“It was one of those just deflating innings,” Brewer said. “We tried to get the energy back and we couldn't find it.”
Wilkins and Logan reached base again during the fourth frame, but their efforts amounted to nothing on the scoreboard.
“The balloon had been popped, essentially,” Brewer said.
Wayne added its seventh run with an RBI single before Blair's Andrew Korth followed an Aiden McBreen single with a fifth-inning RBI double, but the six-run deficit was as close as the Bears would get.
“When you strand that many runners and you give that many free bases, chances are you're not going to come out on the winning end,” Brewer said.
Post 154 didn't, closing out its season with a 16-10-1 overall record. Its coach said Blair gained from its winning season, though.
“They really did a good job of just getting the bats going,” Brewer explained, recapping a major success of the summer. “More so than just coming out there and swinging, but having an approach at the plate and understanding there's a job to do when you're up there.”
The Bears, overall, bought into their roles and played as a team, particularly during their 10-3 closing stretch.
“Proud of the team,” Brewer said. “Proud of the effort they gave.”
The coach himself enjoyed the time spent out at the ballpark.
“I love coaching this group,” he said. “A lot of bright futures there and I'm excited to see where they go.”
Post 154 drops Sunday game
Blair suffered its first loss of the Area 3 Tournament on Sunday.
Trailing 2-1 through four innings, Valparaiso scored eight runs during the bottom of the fifth to, ultimately, surpass Post 154, 11-3.
Coach Brewer's squad scored a run during the top of the sixth inning in response to the victors' outburst, but Valparaiso levied its own, too. It scored two runs during the bottom half and ended the postseason game by run rule.
POST 154 JUNIOR LINE SCORES
Monday
Wayne 7, Blair 1
BLAIR 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 — 1
WAYNE 0 1 5 1 0 0 X — 7
Sunday
Valparaiso 11, Blair 3, 6 inn.
BLAIR 0 0 2 0 0 1 — 3
VALPO 0 1 0 0 8 2 — 11
