GREENVILLE – American Legion Post 140 Thunder run ruled the visiting Post 129 10-0 behind the complete game shutout by Owen Paulus on the mound and a walk-off RBI double off the bat of Kyle Mills Tuesday night at Sater Heights Park.
“This year we had some kids come over from select ball and it’s a good level of competition with quality morals,” said Greenville Post 140 coach Chad Henry. “It’s great ball and we invite everyone to come out and see the team play.”
Playing their final game for Post 140 included: Casey Jones (Brookville), Owen Paulus (Greenville), Kyle Mills (Greenville) and Kody Shinabery (Fort Recovery).
“These four guys represent what we were looking for,” said Henry. “Kyle, Casey and Kody were three of the four that we started with. We started with four kids last year – had a pretty good season and come out and had 39 this year.”
“Those guys are out here day in and day out,” Henry continued. “They represent the type of ball that we want to showcase to people. I tell them every time we step on the field we are recruiting by playing the game the right way, respecting your opponents and respecting the game. That is what Legion baseball should be all about.”
Greenville took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of inning No. 2 getting a leadoff Casey Jones single to center, a Jarin Young single to left and Jones scoring by way of an error after stealing third.
Post 140 used the fourth inning to put the game out of reach, scoring seven runs to lead 8-0 after four complete.
Jones led off with a single to right, Kody Shinabery coaxed a walk and Young laid down a perfect bunt for a single loading the bases with no outs.
Jones and Shinabery took advantage of a passed ball to score two Post 140 runs followed by a Darrin Hays RBI triple to the wall in center plating Young for a 4-0 advantage.
Zac Longfellow knocked a RBI single scoring courtesy runner Kenny Moore setting up a 2-run homer over the left field wall off the bat of Tent Collins to make it a 7-0 game.
“With Trent it’s small adjustments in the box one way or the other,” stated Henry. “He’s a strong kid with a hard swing and it’s another kid that does things the right way. He leads by example. To see these guys interact with their teammates, interact with my son (batboy Ethan Henry) in the dugout, that is what it’s all about – but what a great player Trent is.”
Next up, Mills ripped a triple to the wall in center and scored on a Tim Lawson groundout to short sending the teams to the top of the fifth with Greenville leading 8-0.
Greenville iced the game in the bottom of the fifth with Hays crushing a one-out line drive single to left, Collins taking a walk setting up Mills two-out 2-run walk-off double to center scoring Hays and Collins for the 10-0 five inning victory.
“Kyle hasn’t been able to play much with us this year,” Coach Henry noted. “Last year he slugged over twelve hundred for a summer, it was ridiculous and hard to match that not playing every single day, but just every time he gets in the box you have that feeling something is going to happen and way more often than not, it turns out that something does.”
Collecting two hits for Post 140: Kyle Mills going 2-3 with a double and a triple, 2-RBIs and 2-runs scored. Zac Longfellow was 2-3 including a double, 1-RBI and 2-runs. Casey Jones went 2-3 with 2-runs, Darrin Hays was 2-3 including a triple and a RBI and Jarin Young went 2-3 with run scored.
Trent Collins went deep with a home run going 1-2 with a walk, 2-RBIs and 2-runs scored. Tim Lawson was 1-2 with a RBI and Kody Shinabery went with a walk and a run.
Owen Paulus tossed a complete game shutout allowing 2-hits, 3-walks while striking out seven.
“Owen is so efficient,” said Henry. “It’s like he starts out just feeling around the strike zone with his hammer curveball and he just keeps picking up velocity as the game goes on. One he settles in and at the end he is just untouchable.”
Greenville Legion played error free ball while Hillsboro committed 1-error on the night.
