Hosts with the most: Post 295

Tuesday, July 28, 2009 by James Peters | Staff Writer Gazette.net

Hosts with the most: Post 295

Legion team focuses on more than just defending title

As host of the 2009 Maryland State American Legion baseball tournament, Gaithersburg Post 295 manager Rick Price found himself with many more duties than just defending his program's state championship.

The event began Friday and was to conclude with Tuesday's championship game, which ended too late to be included in this edition. But before the first pitch was thrown at the University of Maryland's Shipley Field, Price knew all the extra work was worth it.

"It's exciting for me," said Price. "The first morning, the first two teams walked in — Wicomico [Post 64] and LaPlata [Post 82] — and the kids' eyes light up. They were excited to play on the field. I knew then this was the right place. It made the tournament for me. I think they're having a blast. How often do you get to play on an ACC field?"

Post 295, the only American Legion Post to host a Maryland state tournament without its own home field, secured Shipley with the cooperation of the former Terrapins baseball staff. That commitment was upheld despite a coaching change from Terry Rupp to Erik Bakich, who has since offered Shipley Field on a permanent basis.

"The ex-coach, Terry Rupp, was the first one to get it started and Jeremy Menna [Maryland's Director of Grounds] has done the leg work for the whole tournament," Price said.

The whole Post 295 community has also chipped in to help run the five-day, eight-team tournament. Players' parents help manage the concession stand and ticket sales each day, going late into the night because of rain and lengthy games.

Sharing the day-to-day operations duties with Price is Montgomery County Commander Bob Ouellette of Post 295. Ouellette produced the tournament program, announced lineups for most games and used his grill to cook up hot dogs for the concession stand.

"To be able to host two state tournaments in a relatively short time [the other in 2003 at Shirley Povich field] is a pretty big honor," Ouellette said. "They felt well enough of us to allow us to have it again. … The hardest thing is getting people out to volunteer their time, but we're very appreciative of those volunteers that have come out for the tournament."

Besides concession and ticket duties, Gaithersburg Post 295 is also responsible for housing and feeding teams from 50 miles or more away, in this case, Wicomico Post 64 and Cumberland Post 13.

As part of the festivities, former Washington Senators Jim Coates and Chuck Hinton threw out the first pitch before Post 295's game against Gaithersburg Post 104 on Friday night.

Coates pitched for the New York Yankees from 1956-1962. The '56 team, which defeated the Brooklyn Dodgers for the World Series title, included Whitey Ford, Yogi Berra, Mickey Mantle, Phil Rizzuto and Don Larsen. Hinton played 11 years for the Senators, Cleveland Indians and California Angels.

Gaithersburg Post 295 received a temporary charter on April 15, 1983, and that same year, Price began the baseball program. Post 295 earned permanent status on December 7, 1984, and captured its first county championship in 1990. Gaithersburg has since won nine county crowns and three state championships, in 2003, '04 and '08.

Defending champions dethroned

Tuesday, July 28, 2009 by James Peters | Staff Writer

Defending champions dethroned

Gaithersburg Post 295's reign as the Maryland State American Legion champions came to an end Monday afternoon.

Trailing 6-4 going into the bottom of the eighth inning, Mount Airy Post 191 rallied for four runs en route to an 8-6 victory at the University of Maryland's Shipley Field, ending defending champion Gaithersburg's 2009 campaign.

Mount Airy will now face Gaithersburg Post 104 in Tuesday's final. Post 191 is undefeated in the tournament, and Post 104 (21-11) will have to beat it twice to win the state crown. The first game is set for 10 a.m. Tuesday, to be followed by a second if needed.

Post 295, the Montgomery Division champions, finished the season with a 28-7 record.

"It was just a matter of time before they got some timely hits and put some runs up there," Gaithersburg manager Rick Price said. "They're a good hitting team; that's what good hitting teams do. They eventually get you."

After seven solid innings of pitching from Tyler Klitsch, just back from vacation, Price handed the ball to reliever Brian Black in the bottom of the eighth with Post 295 up a pair of runs. Leadoff batter Larson Kimble worked a walk to start the inning and then Brian Peuthus tried to bunt him over to second base. Black quickly grabbed the bunt and threw to second in time to get Kimble, but the field umpire called Kimble safe, ruling that shortstop Tyler Ewing was off the bag.

"I just picked up the ball and threw to Tyler," Black said. "It looked like he was definitely there on the base and then he pulled off to look at first. I guess with the cloud of dust and the slide, the umpire just couldn't see his foot on the base. …

"It's just disappointing something like that would hurt our chances. We had chances all game to score runs and get more insurance, but to have their rally started on that kind of play hurts."

Jake Ringold followed with a sacrifice bunt to move Kimble to third and Peuthus to second. Doug Anuszewski then singled to left field to cut the lead to 6-5. Jason Driver, who was hitless on the day, then drove a pitch to left center field after what appeared to be strike three to drive in the tying run. Two batters later, Taylor Henry put Post 191 ahead for good with a two-run single to center field.

The loss diminished a strong outing by Klitsch, who allowed just two earned runs in his seven innings of work. He struck out four and walked two.

"His command was the best it's been all year," Price said. "That's the best hitting team in the tournament, including Frederick [Post 11]. And he held them. He just ran out of gas."

The contest started out in a back-and-forth fashion with Post 295 scoring first in the top of the first inning on a bases-loaded walk by Gary Schneider. Post 11 answered back with two runs in the bottom of the second inning, scoring on a combination of an error, a well-placed bunt single and a fielder's choice.

Gaithersburg rallied for the lead again in the top of the third with four runs, on a Nick Loftus single, a Schneider double and a two-run single by Josh Mendelson. Frederick trimmed the lead to 5-4 with two runs in the third on a two-base error and a single by Alex Anwar.

Post 11 looked poised to add some runs in the fourth with runners on second and third with one out but Anuszewski lined out and Klitsch struck out Driver. Gaithersburg then extended the lead to 6-4 on a single to left field by Ewing that scored Zach Skellchock in the top of the fifth.

Post 295 stranded eight runners in the final five innings and were caught stealing twice.

Deja Vu!

by James Peters
Staff Writer
After watching Gaithersburg Post 295 overcome sizable deficits during a two-game championship sweep at last weekend’s Montgomery Division tournament, Gaithersburg Post 104 manager Joe Stolz compared his team’s neighborhood rival to Jason, the “Friday the 13th” character for Post 295’s ability to rise time and again from seeming defeat.
When the two teams hooked up again Friday in a first round Maryland State American Legion contest at the University of Maryland’s Shipley Field, the nightmare that is Post 295 haunted Stolz and his squad once again as the host squad turned a 7-2 seventh-inning deficit into an 11-7 victory.

Post 295 (27-5) scored nine times in the seventh inning to turn the five-run deficit into the eventual four-run victory that places it into Saturday’s 7:30 p.m. contest with Frederick Post 11 (31-2), which dismantled Cumberland Post 13, 34-3, in seven innings earlier in the day.
Post 104 (18-11) will now square off against Post 13 at 12:30 p.m. with the loser being bounced from the tournament.

“We just don’t want to go down,” said Post 295 right fielder Matt Civetti, who helped spark the nine-run rally with a two-run single and a pair of runs. “We don’t want to go down to a team that’s so close to us. We just never get up. We just turn on the bats.”
Post 295’s resurrection began against Post 104 ace pitcher Nick Riley, who limited his opponent to just two runs – both coming in the third inning – in his first six innings of work but Post 295 worked a couple of runs against him in the seventh, forcing Stolz to lift him in favor of Mike Linkins.

Stolz said he should have taken Riley out when the first two runners reach base, allowing Linkins to take over with two on and no out and Post 104 still up five runs. Instead, Linkins entered with the bases loaded and one out and was roughed up for seven more runs before getting out of the inning when Gary Schneider was caught stealing at third base.
In between Riley’s departure and the throw out, Post 295 used a bases-loaded walk by Spencer Pearman, two run-scoring singles by Tyler Ewing and Nick Loftus and a pair of two-run hits by Schneider and Civetti to take its first lead of the game.

“When the first two batters got on, I should have taken Riley out,” said Stolz, whose team was also plagued by numerous stranded runners. “His pitch count was near 100. I went out and talked to him and he said he was fine but I should have known better. That was a mistake. I didn’t take him out, out of respect for him and [catcher] Ben [Silverman]. Both said he was strong.”
With the lead, Brian Black pitched three shutout innings in relief to seal the victory. Black relieved Pearman, who allowed two runs in his 3 2/3 innings of work. Pearman had not taken the mound all season but with ace pitcher Jimmy Reed held back for another day of rest and with Gazette Player of the Year Dominique Vattuone out with a broken jaw suffered last weekend when he was hit by a pitch, Pearman was summoned out of center field.

“He told me before the game I would go a few innings,” Pearman said. “My arm was feeling great. I was trying to hold them. I tried to do my job. I threw a bullpen four days ago.”
Like in the teams’ two division championship games, Post 104 opened an early lead, scoring five runs on four run-scoring singles by Tim Riley, Kory Smigocki, Mike Campos and Evan Pappas and a wild pitch thrown by surprise starter Zach Skellchock in the bottom of the first inning. Kenny Beyer opened the game with a double.

Post 104 had a chance to add to that lead in the top of the second, loading the bases with three straight walks with two down but Skellchock was able to get Pappas to flyout to catcher Gary Schneider. It did, however, capitalize on an inning-opening double down the left field line by Mike Murphy in the third inning, however, for a 6-0 lead. Murphy scored the sixth run on a single to right field by Beyer to chase Skellchock in favor of Pearman.

Post 295 finally got on the board in the bottom of the third inning, striking for two runs on three hits, a hit batsman and a fielder’s choice. Ewing and Mike Ryan scored on a single by Loftus and a fielder’s choice groundball hit by Nick Karis with the bases loaded, cutting the deficit to 6-2.
Post 104 loaded the bases in the fifth inning but Pearman struck out Matt Miller looking to end the threat. Pearman almost worked similar magic in the sixth inning, striking out two with runners on second and third. He produced two strikes on Nick Vergelli as well but Vergelli was able to line a shot up the middle for a 7-2 advantage.

“It’s just a rivalry,” Pearman said. “We’ve just to go out there and show them whose better.”

Deja Vu

by James Peters
Staff Writer
After watching Gaithersburg Post 295 overcome sizable deficits during a two-game championship sweep at last weekend’s Montgomery Division tournament, Gaithersburg Post 104 manager Joe Stolz compared his team’s neighborhood rival to Jason, the “Friday the 13th” character for Post 295’s ability to rise time and again from seeming defeat.
When the two teams hooked up again Friday in a first round Maryland State American Legion contest at the University of Maryland’s Shipley Field, the nightmare that is Post 295 haunted Stolz and his squad once again as the host squad turned a 7-2 seventh-inning deficit into an 11-7 victory.

Post 295 (27-5) scored nine times in the seventh inning to turn the five-run deficit into the eventual four-run victory that places it into Saturday’s 7:30 p.m. contest with Frederick Post 11 (31-2), which dismantled Cumberland Post 13, 34-3, in seven innings earlier in the day.
Post 104 (18-11) will now square off against Post 13 at 12:30 p.m. with the loser being bounced from the tournament.

“We just don’t want to go down,” said Post 295 right fielder Matt Civetti, who helped spark the nine-run rally with a two-run single and a pair of runs. “We don’t want to go down to a team that’s so close to us. We just never get up. We just turn on the bats.”
Post 295’s resurrection began against Post 104 ace pitcher Nick Riley, who limited his opponent to just two runs – both coming in the third inning – in his first six innings of work but Post 295 worked a couple of runs against him in the seventh, forcing Stolz to lift him in favor of Mike Linkins.

Stolz said he should have taken Riley out when the first two runners reach base, allowing Linkins to take over with two on and no out and Post 104 still up five runs. Instead, Linkins entered with the bases loaded and one out and was roughed up for seven more runs before getting out of the inning when Gary Schneider was caught stealing at third base.
In between Riley’s departure and the throw out, Post 295 used a bases-loaded walk by Spencer Pearman, two run-scoring singles by Tyler Ewing and Nick Loftus and a pair of two-run hits by Schneider and Civetti to take its first lead of the game.

“When the first two batters got on, I should have taken Riley out,” said Stolz, whose team was also plagued by numerous stranded runners. “His pitch count was near 100. I went out and talked to him and he said he was fine but I should have known better. That was a mistake. I didn’t take him out, out of respect for him and [catcher] Ben [Silverman]. Both said he was strong.”
With the lead, Brian Black pitched three shutout innings in relief to seal the victory. Black relieved Pearman, who allowed two runs in his 3 2/3 innings of work. Pearman had not taken the mound all season but with ace pitcher Jimmy Reed held back for another day of rest and with Gazette Player of the Year Dominique Vattuone out with a broken jaw suffered last weekend when he was hit by a pitch, Pearman was summoned out of center field.

“He told me before the game I would go a few innings,” Pearman said. “My arm was feeling great. I was trying to hold them. I tried to do my job. I threw a bullpen four days ago.”
Like in the teams’ two division championship games, Post 104 opened an early lead, scoring five runs on four run-scoring singles by Tim Riley, Kory Smigocki, Mike Campos and Evan Pappas and a wild pitch thrown by surprise starter Zach Skellchock in the bottom of the first inning. Kenny Beyer opened the game with a double.

Post 104 had a chance to add to that lead in the top of the second, loading the bases with three straight walks with two down but Skellchock was able to get Pappas to flyout to catcher Gary Schneider. It did, however, capitalize on an inning-opening double down the left field line by Mike Murphy in the third inning, however, for a 6-0 lead. Murphy scored the sixth run on a single to right field by Beyer to chase Skellchock in favor of Pearman.

Post 295 finally got on the board in the bottom of the third inning, striking for two runs on three hits, a hit batsman and a fielder’s choice. Ewing and Mike Ryan scored on a single by Loftus and a fielder’s choice groundball hit by Nick Karis with the bases loaded, cutting the deficit to 6-2.
Post 104 loaded the bases in the fifth inning but Pearman struck out Matt Miller looking to end the threat. Pearman almost worked similar magic in the sixth inning, striking out two with runners on second and third. He produced two strikes on Nick Vergelli as well but Vergelli was able to line a shot up the middle for a 7-2 advantage.

“It’s just a rivalry,” Pearman said. “We’ve just to go out there and show them whose better.”

Post 295 juniors also in postseason

Tuesday, July 21, 2009 by James Peters Staff Writer Gazette Newspapers

Gaithersburg Post 295's senior American Legion baseball team is not the Post's only program headed for postseason play. The Post 295 Junior Legion squad recently qualified for the National Amateur Baseball Federation (NABF) 18-and-under wood bat regional tournament, which will be held in Altoona, Pa., Thursday through Sunday.

After struggling to a 7-10 mark to open the summer season, the junior legion squad finished regular season play with a 25-11 record, 21-11 in the Potomac Junior Legion league. The team consists of players from Northwest High, Quince Orchard, Seneca Valley, Poolesville, Washington Christian Academy and Landon.

"Coaching this team was a pure pleasure for me and my coaching staff: Randy Smith, Paul Mattes, and Jason Pak," Post 295 manager Steve Cononie said. "These guys started out slow but finished as strong as any team I have ever coached."

Leading Post 295's offensive attack have been Bobby Donson (.475 average, 21 runs batted in), Nathan Pauley (.395, 17 RBI), Nathan Burford (.352, 15 RBI), Travis Smith (.387, 15 RBI) and Drew Karlin (.356, 16 RBI). Karlin (4-1, 1.38 earned-run average), Donson (3-1, 4.88 ERA) and Matt Cononie (3-0, 3.43 ERA) have anchored the pitching staff.

"To win the NABF regionals, they will need to keep doing everything they have been doing the second two-thirds of the season," Steve Cononie said. "If they continue to hit and the pitchers keep pounding the strike zone, these guys will go far. They play with tons of heart and a refuse-to-lose attitude."

Legion state tourney: Can Post 295 do it again?

Tuesday, July 21, 2009, by James Peters Staff Writer

As the host of this week's Maryland State American Legion baseball tournament at the University of Maryland's Shipley Field, Gaithersburg Post 295 will be in charge of the day-to-day operations. But it had no control over the random pre-tournament pairing draw.
Because of that, the defending state champions will play a familiar foe during Friday's first round: Gaithersburg Post 104, which it played three times last week. Post 295 beat Post 104 twice Sunday to win the Montgomery Division championship.

Post 104 qualified for the state tournament by reaching the final, with Post 295 having automatically secured a spot as host.

"It is a little weird, because it will be the fourth time in a week," said Post 295 pitcher-infielder Zach Skellchock. "They're ready for it, we're ready for it, so let's go out and play."
Added Post 104 manager Joe Stolz: "Going to states is fun … and we'll play them again. These were two competitive, close games and that will be, too."

Friday's contest, the final one slated for the first day, could be a repeat pitching match-up between Post 295 left-hander Jimmy Reed (7-1, 1.62 earned-run average) and Post 104 ace Nick Riley (5-3, 3.32 ERA). Reed went the distance in Sunday's opener, while Riley was lifted after his shutout bid ended in the sixth inning.

"It will be a great experience to get to host it and see what we can do in the state tournament," said Post 295 manager Rick Price.

Post 295 is paced on the mound by Reed, Dominique Vattuone (5-0, 2.78 ERA) and Tyler Klitsch (3-2, 2.33 ERA), and at the plate by Nike Karis (.383 average, 22 runs batted in), Mike Ryan (.378, 15 RBI), Spencer Pearman (.351, 24 RBI) and Matt Civetti (.319, 4 home runs, 24 RBI).
Riley and Mike Linkins (4-1, 4.50 ERA) anchor the Post 104 pitching staff, while Kenny Beyer (.444, 27 runs), Matt Miller (.367, 22 RBI, 35 runs) and Ben Silverman (.337, 29 RBI) are the team's top hitters.

"It's very weird but hey, if we beat them, it's sweet," Post 104 infielder Kory Smigocki said.
The rest of the eight-team state tournament field consists of LaPlata Post 82, Fort Cumberland Post 13, Frederick Post 11 and Mount Airy Post 191.

Two more teams will be involved: The Anne Arundel County champion, Pasadena Post 277 or Severna Park Post 175, and the Eastern Shore champion, Salisbury Post 64 or Queen Anne Post 18/36. Both were involved in games which ended too late to be included in this edition.
Post 11 appears the strongest of the non-Montgomery County teams, having gone 24-0 in district play. It boasts a powerful lineup including Hank Adams (.398, 6 home runs, 33 RBI), Brent DeHaven (.410, 23 RBI, 36 runs), Brady Wilson (.419, 17 extra-base hits, 40 RBI) and Frankie Zier (.462, 38 RBI). It pitches well, too, with arms like Zach Jones (6-1, 3.00 ERA), Nick Meekins (6-0, 5.79 ERA) and Zier (7-0, 3.09 ERA).

- Sandy Spring Post 68 entered the Montgomery Division tournament having won 13 of its final 14 games on-field, but couldn't carry that momentum into the postseason.
Post 68 dropped its only two tournament games to end what was an otherwise strong summer, the second in the team's brief existence.

- Gaithersburg Post 104 used just two pitchers, Nick Riley and Mike Linkins, to reach Sunday's Montgomery Division tournament championship game. But it was forced to use seven hurlers during a double-header sweep at the hands of Gaithersburg Post 295, which won the title by scores of 8-4 and 13-11.

Post 295 repeats history

Returning state champions win division crown with consecutive rallies over Post 104
by James Peters Staff Writer Gazette.net

The Gaithersburg Post 295 baseball team experienced a touch of déj? vu Sunday afternoon, much to the chagrin of its cross-town rival.
The reigning American Legion state champions topped Gaithersburg Post 104 twice on Sunday, 8-4 and 13-11, to win the Montgomery Division crown at Damascus Regional Park.

Six years ago, Post 295 cruised into the Montgomery Division tournament final assured a spot in the Maryland State American Legion baseball tournament. Regardless, Post 295 recorded a two-game championship sweep of Damascus and used the momentum to capture the state title.

"We don't want to be the team that just gets in because we're the host," said Post 295's Zach Skellchock, who closed out the second contest on the mound while also scoring three runs and driving in one. "We want to get in because we won our county."

Top-seeded Post 295, which is hosting this year's state tournament in College Park, found itself in exactly the same position again Sunday when it squared off with the division's No. 3 seed, which entered the final without a loss in the double-elimination tournament, just like Damascus in 2003.

And just like in 2003, Post 295 rallied from an early deficit in the first game to force a second championship contest that it also came from behind to win. It marked the team's ninth division crown since 1990 and sixth in the last seven years.

"We just wanted to win," said Skellchock, "We didn't feel right losing to them in the first game [a 3-0 Post 104 victory in Thursday's winners' bracket]. We just wanted to come out and beat them in both games and come out and be county champs."

Despite failing to capture the division crown, Post 104 (18-10) also qualified for the state tournament to help round out the eight-team field. It will play Post 295 (25-6) in the first round at the University of Maryland's Shipley Field on Friday.

"It's painful," Post 104 manager Joe Stolz said. "That's all I can say. I thought we had them up 4-0 in the sixth inning [of the first game] but they're like the ghoul in the movie, ‘Friday the 13th;' you can't kill them. It's hard to take."

Led by the pitching of ace hurler Nick Riley and hitting of Mike Campos and Ben Silverman, Post 104 grabbed the early four-run lead. Post 295 ace Jimmy Reed (7-1, 1.62 ERA) cruised through the first three innings, but Post 104 broke through on three straight base hits, including a run-scoring single by Campos for a 1-0 lead in the fourth. Back-to-back doubles by Sam Buonomo and Silverman pushed the lead to 2-0, then Campos slapped a two-run single in the fifth.
Post 295 came back to take the lead for good and chased Riley from the game in the sixth inning with six runs on five hits and an error. Ten batters came to the plate, with run-scoring hits by Spencer Pearman, Matt Civetti, Nick Loftus and Dominique Vattuone. Gary Schneider then put the game away with a two-run home run in the top of the seventh.

"It was all hitting," Schneider said. "It was just matter of getting one hit and the team starts rolling. It was definitely a pride thing. We don't want people to say they're already in and they don't deserve to be there."

Post 104 raced out to a 5-0 lead in the second game, capitalizing on two costly errors by Schneider, Post 295's starting hurler, who overthrew first base on two sacrifice bunt attempts. Evan Pappas also successfully worked a suicide squeeze to cap the five-run explosion.
However, Schneider and crew showed resolve with three runs in the top of the second, eventually taking a 7-5 lead in the bottom of the third inning. Nick Karis led the way with a three-run homer. Post 104 closed to within 12-11 with Skellchock halted the slugfest with a scoreless seventh inning that included a game-ending double play.

"Things just didn't go our way," Post 104 pitcher-infielder Kory Smigocki said. "We started off great but we kind of lost of the intensity. It's tough, but we'll get them back in Friday's state tournament."

Post 295 Sweeps into State Tournament

After dropping the 2nd game to Post 104 in the County Tournament, Post 295 worked their way through the losers bracket. Post 295 beat, Laurel Post 60 for the opportunity to play Post 104 in the finals. Since Post 295 lost 1 game to Post 104, they needed to win 2 games to be crowned Montgomery County Champions. And that is what they did. Beating Post 104 2 games at Damascus Regional Park.

With Post295 receving an automatic place in the 2009 State Tournament, Post 104 will receive an invitation to the States as Montgomery County's representative. The irony is that Post 104 will meet Post 295 in the opening round on Friday night.

Playing like champions

Wednesday, July 15, 2009 by Daniel Weintraub Special to The Gazette

Defending state-title winner Gaithersburg Post 295 scores 11 unanswered runs en route to playoff victory over Laurel Post 60

After taking a four-run lead in the top of the first inning, underdog Laurel Post 60 seemed poised to pull off a stunning upset over Gaithersburg Post 295, the top seed in the American Legion baseball playoffs.

Minutes later, the defending state champions erased such possibilities.

After allowing a grand slam to third baseman Danny Caddigan, Post 295 starting pitcher Jimmy Reed shut out Post 60 until being taken out after the fifth inning. While Reed buckled down, his offensive support exploded with 11 runs, including a seven-run fourth inning, en route to a 12-8 win.

Post 295 responded quickly to Post 60's early offensive; right fielder Matt Civetti hit a three-run homer in the bottom of the first. After tying the game in the second on a run-scoring double by designated hitter Mike Ryan, Post 295 blew the game open with seven runs in the fourth, sending 12 batters to the plate. They knocked out Post 60 starter Kevin Kratochwill in the process, with all nine batters reaching with base hits in the rally.

"We hit the ball really well," said Post 295 manager Rick Price. "We have to keep doing what we're doing because we're pretty good when we hit well."

After Caddigan's early grand slam, Post 60 was held scoreless by Post 295 until the sixth inning. In the fourth inning, Reed needed just 14 pitches to strike out the side. After scoring once in the sixth off reliever Daniel Young, Post 60 got a three-run homer from Rob Medoff in the seventh, cutting the lead to four.

Price then yanked Young in favor of Tyler Klitsch, who after surrendering a walk and single, struck out Post 60 left fielder Nick Meyer for the game's final out.

On Thursday, Post 295 (22-5) will face county rival Gaithersburg Post 104 in a game featuring the winners of Tuesday night's two playoff games. Post 104 upset Sandy Spring Post 68, 7-2, at Shirley Povich Field, setting up a playoff-elimination game between Post 68 and Post 60 (14-13).

Montgomery Division playoff field ready to go

Tuesday, July 14, 2009 by James Peters Staff Writer Gaithersburg Gazete www.gazette.net

The field for the 2009 Montgomery Division American Legion baseball tournament was set this past weekend, as the regular season concluded with a flurry of make-up games. The tournament began Tuesday, too late to be included in this edition, and will conclude Sunday at Damascus Regional Park.

Gaithersburg Post 295 (21-5, 19-5 Montgomery Division) claimed the regular season title. Sandy Spring Post 68 (18-5) secured the No. 2 seed in just its second year of existence.

Gaithersburg Post 104 (16-8) returns to the playoffs as the No. 3 seed after missing postseason play a year ago, while Laurel Post 60 (14-12, 13-11) finished fourth.

Sandy Spring actually bested Post 295 in two out of three games this year and would have grabbed the No. 1 seed with one more win. The team's scheduled game Friday against Cissel Saxon Post 41 (13-11, 11-11) was postponed after umpires failed to arrive, but Post 68 manager
Matt Cangas decided not to make up the game.

That left Sandy Spring one game short of a full slate, and Post 295 in the No. 1 spot.
"We did not have to forfeit the game to Cissel," Cangas said. "I decided not to play the game, since it meant nothing to either team. They were out of contention for a playoff spot and we were already in the second seed."

Sandy Spring closed the season with 13 wins in its final 14 games. Post 41 fell out of playoff contention with seven losses in its final 10. Playoff mainstay Damascus Post 171 finished 11-13.
Tuesday's match-ups consisted of Post 295, the defending division and state champion, hosting Laurel, who lost all three games against Gaithersburg, and Post 68 hosting Post 104, which also fell three times to its first-round opponent. The winners and losers of Tuesday's games will play Thursday.

With Post 295 hosting the Maryland State American Legion tournament at College Park at the end of the month, the Montgomery Division will place two teams in the state tournament. Post 295 automatically qualifies as the host. If it wins the division title, the runner-up will also. If Post 295 stumbles, the division champion will head to the state tournament with Gaithersburg.

Who needs contact? Not Post 295

Friday, June 26, 2009 by John Y. Wehmueller Staff Writer http://www.gazette.net/

Gaithersburg beats Post 171 10-1 Thursday with strikeouts, walks

When Gaithersburg Post 295 manager Rick Price told him to "get a grip," left-handed pitcher/catcher Gary Schneider listened.

At Price's suggestion, Schneider changed the grip on his two-seam fastball at the beginning of the American Legion baseball season. He used it to great effect Thursday, striking out 10 Damascus

Post 171 batters over five innings in a 10-1 win at Quince Orchard High.

"Coach Price taught it to me about two weeks ago," Schneider said. "Basically, I was holding the ball too hard, and I wasn't getting any movement on it. I loosened my grip, and obviously, it moves a lot now."

Schneider allowed a lone unearned run in the top of the second. With one in, none out and the bases loaded, he worked out of the jam, inducing a shallow pop fly to right before striking out the last two batters of the inning.

He capped his performance by striking out the side, all swinging, in the top of the fifth inning before moving behind the plate for the final two frames. His offense backed him up with patience, patience and more patience.

Post 295 worked seven walks, including the game's first three batters. Catcher John Krahling walked twice and scored twice, the second by proxy thanks to courtesy runner Kyle Skellchock.
Daniel Young reached base in each of his three plate appearances and scored twice. The second time, Spencer Pearman drove him in with a home run over the right field fence for two of his three runs batted in on the day.

Pearman's home run capped a three-run fourth inning that made it 6-1. Post 295 added two insurance runs each in the fifth and sixth frames.

Post 171 matched Gaitherburg's hit total of seven, three courtesy of catcher/pitcher Andrew Osborne. But all seven were singles. Osborne scored the run after singling to lead off the second, moving station-to-station on an Anthony Papio single, a Gary Mullings walk and an error.

Post 295 heads to New York for a tournament this weekend, still in search of its 2008 mojo. Schneider was one of many players to miss time earlier this summer — he made a pilgrimage to the College World Series in Omaha, Neb. — but there is still time to come together and defend their state championship.

"That's kind of been the gist of the season; we're trying to punch it back up," Schneider said.

"Last season we got into a rhythm early. But this is still a good team."

Note: Earlier in the day, Post 295 finished a rain-delayed win over Post 171, 12-0.

Legion playoff race heats up in final week

Tuesday, July 7, 2009by James Peters Staff Writer Gazette.net

Of the seven teams that comprise the American Legion baseball Montgomery Division, only four can qualify for play in next week's double-elimination tournament.

The winner of that event will be rewarded with a trip to the Maryland State American Legion baseball tournament in College Park.

That means one of the division's better squads will be left out in the cold during the hazy, hot and humid days of summer. Five teams remain in serious contention for those four coveted spots heading into the final week of regular season play.

Gaithersburg Post 295 (16-2), the defending county and state champions, look almost assured a spot, entering this week with a 14-2 division mark. Sandy Spring Post 68, in its second year of existence, finished the week at 12-5 for a solid second place.

After that, however, the race is wide open for the final two spots. Even Post 68's postseason inclusion is not a foregone conclusion, because Sandy Spring plays a rugged schedule to close out the regular season.

Post 68 was to play six games this week, including a pseudo doubleheader with Post 295 on Wednesday. The first game is a continuation of an earlier contest that Post 68 led 2-0 in the third inning.

Below those two teams are Gaithersburg Post 104 (12-7 through Sunday), Laurel Post 60 (13-8, 12-7 Montgomery Division) and Cissel Saxon Post 41 (12-6, 10-6), who are at present vying for the final two spots.

Post 104 and Post 41 were to square off Tuesday in a crucial game for both, as they split their first two meetings. Both Post 104 and Post 41 hold the tiebreaker against Post 60.

Damascus Post 171 (9-13) and Wheaton Post 268 (2-15) reside at the bottom of the standings. Both reached postseason play a year ago.

American Legion baseball: Saratoga Stampede falls to defending Maryland state champs

By CHRIS PENNAMACOOR
The Saratogian

SARATOGA SPRINGS — Three hit batters and some uncharacteristically poor defense doomed the Saratoga Stampede 19U American Legion baseball team as it fell to defending Maryland State champion Gaithersburg Post 295, 8-6, on a rainy Thursday morning at Geyser Park.

The Stampede (14-4) had cruised through the first five innings, holding a 5-3 lead before the wheels came off in the top of the sixth.

The trouble began when relief pitcher Billy McDonough hit the leadoff batter Danny Young on a two-strike pitch. Zack Skellchock entered as a pinch hitter for Post 295 (16-2) and dropped down a bunt single which was followed by McDonough hitting Gary Schneider with a pitch to load the bases with nobody out.

Mike Ryan was up next and hit what appeared to be a tailor-made double play ball to short but Mike Allen’s throw to second went into right field and allowed Young and Skellchock to head home tying the game at five while Schneider took third base to put runners on the corners for Matt Civetti. Civetti drew a walk to load the bases again. Nick Loftus then hit a chopper to first. Erich Lange went to field the ball but it tipped off his glove and rolled away from him allowing Schneider and Ryan to and give Post 295 a 7-5 lead. Civetti scampered into third on the play.

McDonough recorded the first out on a grounder back to the mound by Chris Rados but Brian Black followed by plating Civetti with Post 295’s final run on a ground out to third. After he drilled Tyler Ewing for his third hit batter of the inning, McDonough got Young to end the inning.

While most of the damage done to the Stampede was self-inflicted, Skellchock, who had two hits and stole a base after entering the game in the sixth, credited his team with putting the ball in play.

“We woke up there late in the game,” said Skellchock. “Sometimes it takes us a while to get into a game that starts as early (10 a.m.) as this one.”

Saratoga did get one back in the bottom of the seventh when Shane Matthews doubled to right centerfield scoring Mike Allen who started the inning with a double of his own. The pair combined for five of the team’s nine hits and drove in four runs.