PIQUA – The Greenville Post 140 Thunder baseball team came back from an early 2-0 deficit to defeat Piqua Legion Post 184 on their home field 4-2 on a complete game 3-hitter from Trent Collins.
Piqua used two first inning errors to plate two unearned runs and take a 2-0 lead after one inning of play.
“We were 10-2 on the season but it’s because we don’t make errors, we throw strikes and we take advantage of things on offense,” said Post 14 coach Chad Henry. “That first inning – it’s been a curse for me, this field my two years, but we came out, we did that but all the credit in the world to the kids. I challenged them and said, ‘this isn’t the way we’re going to play’ and they responded. They came out that very next inning and put up three runs with two outs.”
Post 140 came storming back in the top of the second to score three runs after two outs were recorded and lead 3-2 where the score would stand through six innings of play.
A one out Kody Shinabery single to center and a Piqua balk had Shinabery standing on second with two outs. Tim Lawson coaxed a 3-1 count for a walk putting runners on first and second bringing Logan Stastny to the plate to drill a two out run scoring double down the leftfield line putting runners in scoring position at second and third.
“I know Logan Stastny can hit the ball,” Henry stated. “He knows he can hit the ball. He was pressing a little bit, he was due and had a big at bat right there. Laced that thing down the line and we had the right guys in place to bring him around.”
Zac Longfellow followed with what would prove to be the game winning RBI with a two run single to center scoring Lawson and Stastny to give Greenville a 3-2 advantage.
Collins and Piqua’s Jack Olberding had a classic pitching duel going through the end of six until Olberding was lifted due to pitch count guidelines.
Three consecutive one-out seventh inning singles off the bats of Longfellow, Tyler Beyke and Collins had the bases loaded bringing Tytan Grote to the plate to drive a long sacrifice RBI fly ball to left scoring Longfellow with a Post 140 insurance run to lead 4-2 with Piqua coming to the plate in the bottom of the seventh.
Coming into the bottom of the seventh inning, Greenville’s Trent Collins pitch count stood at 91 pitches through six innings allowing the Ace of the staff 14 pitches of the allotted 105 pitches allowed to close out the game.
Batter No. 1 went down swinging on five pitches, hitter No. 2 struck out on four pitches giving Collins five pitches to close out the game. Batter No. 3 grounded out unassisted to Grote at first on the second pitch to give Collins the win with three pitches going unused.
“Three pitches to spare,” smiled Coach Henry following the game. “We had a guy warmed up each of the last two or three innings. We had a replacement ready if things go hairy but he stayed on top, he prevailed.”
Collins tossed 7.0 innings, allowing no earned runs on three hits, three walks while striking out 13 Piqua batters.
“They were trying, they were backing out, they were trying to mess with his timing, a little gamesmanship,” said Coach Henry. “That’s something we all do but he had two innings he threw nothing but curve balls and they were just flailing – he was on tonight.”
Longfellow paced Post 140 going 2-3 with a walk, 2-RBIs and a run scored. Shinabery went 2-3 with a run, Stastny was 1-3 with a double, a RBI and a run scored.
Collins went 1-3 with a walk, Beyke was 1-3 and Lawson collected a walk and scored a run.
