Walz delivers in Post 14 win

Ben Walz is doing what he can to make sure he stays in the lineup.

Led by a 3-for-3 performance from Walz including a two-run single in the bottom of the sixth and a four-hit shutout from Joey Gebhardt, Jamestown Post 14 blanked the Aberdeen (S.D.) Smittys 4-0 in Legion baseball action Tuesday at Jack Brown Stadium.

Walz’s playing time has steadily increased as of late, something Walz said has developed since he started to take practices more serious.

“I started to work a little bit harder at practice,” Walz said. “The coaches have given me a lot of pointers.”

Jamestown coach Shane Schoeneberg agreed.

“He always wants to learn,” Schoeneberg said. “He absorbs everything, and he’s always working hard.”

Schoeneberg has been juggling the bottom of the order to account for hot hitters and playing time, but Walz is making it harder to give his spot away. Certainly not a bad thing, said Schoeneberg.

“It’s definitely a great problem,” he said. “You see those guys perform, you want to leave them in the order.”

Walz’s first two singles were wasted, as Aberdeen starter Carter Paulson was able to pitch out of the second and fifth innings unscathed.

But Jamestown struck gold in the bottom of the sixth with four runs, thanks to Walz’s third hit of the game that put Post 14 in front by the final margin. Riley Schafer led off with a single and Danny Fischer, Brady Anderson and Jake Stilwell each followed with singles with the last two accounting for two RBIs that gave Jamestown a 2-0 advantage.

The big inning insured a win for Gebhardt, who kept Aberdeen off-balance most of the game. He scattered four hits and two walks over seven innings, while striking out four.

“That’s an awesome sign,” Schoeneberg said.

An error-free first game was followed by a mistake-ridden nightcap in which Aberdeen made five errors and Jamestown two.

However, Aberdeen rallied from a 4-1 deficit in the top of the seventh to send it into extra innings, where Dalton Cox doubled and was driven in by Carter Paulson. Aberdeen’s Zach Shafebauer went all eight innings for the win, surrendering two earned runs.

Jamestown was cruising until it ran into trouble in the seventh. Post 14 had rallied from a one-run deficit to take a 4-1 lead in the third inning behind a solid performance from starter Landon Weiser. But it wasn’t meant to be, as Weiser struggled in the seventh and made way for Shaun Hogan, who gave up the game-winning run in the eighth for the loss.

Stillwell and Gengler led Post 14 with two hits each.

Jamestown hosts the Post 14 Invitational Friday through Sunday at Jack Brown Stadium. On Friday, Post 14 plays Groton, S.D., at 2 p.m. to be followed by a 7 p.m. contest against Beulah.

Jamestown 4, Aberdeen, S.D., 0

Aberdeen 000 000 0 — 0 4 0

Jamestown 000 004 x — 4 9 0

Carter Paulson and Mike Stotz. Joey Gebhardt and Shaun Hogan.

W-Gebhardt. L-Paulson.

Highlights: A, Lane Holzer 1-2, walk. J, Ben Walz 3-3, 2 RBIs, Gebhardt 7 IP, 0 R, 4 H, 2 walks, 4 K, Riley Schafer 1-2, walk, R, Jake Stilwell 1-3, RBI, R, Brady Anderson 1-3, RBI, R.

Aberdeen, S.D., 5, Jamestown 4, 8 innings

Aberdeen 001 000 31 — 5 9 5

Jamestown 004 000 00 — 4 8 2

Zach Shafebauer and Griffin Hieb. Landon Weiser, Shaun Hogan (7) and Riley Schafer.

W-Shafebauer. L-Hogan.

Highlights: A, Matt Swallow 3-4, 2 2Bs, 2 RBIs. J, Jake Stilwell 2-4, R, RBI, Kasey Gengler 2-4, RBI.

Sun sports writer Chris Aarhus can be reached at (701) 952-8462 or by e-mail at caarhus@jamestownsun.com

Tags: sports, baseball, legion