Post 180 Split State Games on Day One

Vienna Post 180 opened its run in the Virginia American Legion Senior Baseball Tournament on Wednesday with a 5-4 win against host team Stafford Post 290 and then an 8-5 loss against Albemarle Post 74, putting them in the losers' bracket for the remainder of the tournament.

Rain pushed Post 180's game from Tuesday night to Wednesday morning, forcing them to play two games in one day to start the tournament.

Game One

Post 180 defeated Post 290 with a narrow 5-4 win, capitalizing on Stafford's missteps to advance around the base path.

Two balks and a passed ball in the second inning allowed Post 180 to score the first run of the game. 

In the fifth inning, Post 180 piled on four more runs that proved to be valuable insurance runs as Post 290 earned all four of its runs in the sixth and seventh innings to make it a one-run game.

Henry Brandmark started the fifth-inning scoring spree with a double, which Mason Hauser followed with a bunt single. Justin Padgett notched the first RBI of the game with a single up the middle. Jack Anzilotti laid down what should have been a sacrifice bunt, but it was bobbled to allow a run and to put runners on second and third with no outs. Dennis Cooney was hit by a pitch to load the bases, and Brandon Chandler followed with a fielder's choice RBI. Josh Forrest sent home the last run of the inning with a single to left field, putting Post 180 up 5-0 heading into the sixth inning. 

Tim Davis (1.57 ERA) started in game one against Post 290 on Wednesday morning, tallying two strikeouts, seven hits and four runs over six innings to earn the win. Brandmark (0.76) closed, striking out four and giving up one hit and no runs.

Game Two

Mistakes plagued Post 180 in their second game Wednesday, committing five errors and allowing seven unearned runs to give Albemarle Post 74 an 8-5 victory.

Post 74 scored four runs on three hits and three errors in the second inning. Post 180 answered with five runs over the next two innings.

Drawing a walk to start the bottom of the third, Brandmark advanced to third base on two wild pitches. After two strikeouts, he scored Post 180's first run on Anzilotti's misplayed ground ball to the shortstop. Davis singled and Cooney walked to load the bases, then Chandler drew a walk to plate the second Vienna run.

Post 180 kept the momentum in the fourth inning, starting with Ryan Forrest drawing a walk and Brandmark getting hit by a pitch. Forrest stole third base, which allowed him to score on a single from Hauser. Padgett moved the runners over with a sacrifice bunt, and Brandmark scored on a wild pitch. A sacrifice fly from Anzilotti scored Hauser — Post 180's last run of the game.

Post 74 reclaimed the lead with a four-run sixth on three hits and two errors, then held their 8-5 lead for the remainder of the game.

Daniel Bayer started for Vienna, striking out four and giving up eight hits and no walks for eight runs — just one of them earned — in 5 2/3 innings. Padgett closed with two strikeouts and one hit, giving up no runs.

Post 180 will continue in the double-elimination tournament Thursday afternoon against Manassas Post 158. A loss would end their season. A win would have them play in a game that's scheduled to begin around 8 p.m. today, which would be their second two-game day in a row.