Post 14, WF split

The Jamestown Sun

The Jamestown American Legion baseball team split an Eastern Division doubleheader with West Fargo Wednesday night at Jack Brown Stadium.

In the opener, Post 14 took advantage of a five-run inning en route to a 6-3 victory while in the late game West Fargo's Dustin Gregory allowed a solo home run in the first inning but nothing after that in a 6-1 Jamestown loss.

Post 14 travels to Moorhead, Minn., today.

Jamestown 6, West Fargo 3

With one big inning, Post 14 gave itself all the cushion it needed, winning the opening game of a doubleheader for just the third time this season.

But it was their defense, with one error in the game, and pitching in key spots that proved the difference late in the game.

Andrew Davidson punctuated a five-run third inning for Jamestown with a three-run homer, his second of the season, redirecting a 3-1 Curtis Hensley offering over the fence in right field.

Davidson, who spent last year with Briar Cliff University, finished with a pair of hits in the game, one of four Jamestown batters to post a multi-hit game.

The big inning proved to be an early nail in West Fargo's coffin as Jamestown would not score again in the game.

"This wasn't really a typical game for us," said Jamestown coach Robbie Jamison, as Post 14 scored in just two of the seven innings of the opener. "When we get a lead, we have to fight the urge to sit on it and we have to learn to have a killer instinct. If you add a run an inning when you are ahead, it really kills the other team's spirit.

"But as a team, we are ready to turn the corner."

Post 14 opened the scoring on Brady Schoeler's RBI single in the bottom half of the first, scoring Zec Tahran. But when Ross Hogan tried to make a 2-0 game, he found himself cut down on a strong throw from West Fargo right fielder Justin Rheault.

But with a lineup capable of hitting top-to-bottom, West Fargo's No. 9 hitter Matt Kulesa drove a Nick Walden offering over the head of Tahran in center field, scoring a pair of runs to give his team a 2-1 lead in the top of the second.

Down by four in the top of the fifth, West Fargo added another run on Grant Schmidt's run-scoring fielder's choice.

Ben Walker worked the sixth, working out of a bases-loaded jam, and seventh innings, striking out the final two batters to collect the save.

Tahran had two hits, two runs scored and a stolen base for Post 14, Schoeler added two hits, two RBI, a run and a stolen base and Hogan was 2-for-3 with a walk while Andy Lick worked three bases on balls and finished without an official at bat.

"We are right there at 6-4 (in the Eastern Division)," said Jamison. "We have all four games left with Fargo and if we could take three of four and take care of business against everyone else, we could steal that second seed."

Adam Crist finished 2-for-3 for West Fargo with a walk while Kulesa had two hits in three appearances at the plate.

West Fargo 6, Jamestown 1

There is a calm confidence that goes with knowing your team's true identity.

And though Jamison was disappointed with Post 14's four-hit offensive output in the late game, he wasn't worried.

"We had good at bats," said Jamison. "Especially with hitting, you want process before result. I can swallow games like these every 10 or 12 or so."

Even still, early on it looked like business as usual for what is rounding into a fairly potent lineup.

Ross Hogan tied the game at 1-1 with a solo home run to left-center field in the bottom of the first. The big fly was Hogan's second of the season.

"We have our table setters, but we do rely on the middle of our lineup for extra-base hits," said Jamison. "We have power all through our lineup except for maybe at eight, nine and one. It goes against my style, but you have to coach to the personnel you have."

Doubling to lead off the third inning, Kulesa took advantage of a wild pitch from Schoeler, scooting across home plate before Kyle Walden could relay the ball to home from the backstop.

West Fargo added another run in their next inning when Derek Plehal's bloop to right touched down, scoring Cole Horsager.

Meanwhile, the Post 14 offense went dormant, as Gregory induced pop fly after pop fly, at one point retiring 15 of 16 batters while not picking up his first strikeout until the sixth inning.

"We hit a couple of balls really hard, but right at people. We've got to find a way to string some hits together," said Jamison. "But that is a credit to their pitcher. He did a good job of not walking anyone and changing speeds."

Plehal picked up his second RBI of the game on a fielder's choice in the sixth inning, off of Walker's second relief appearance of the day, scoring Justin Feist.

West Fargo put the game away with two runs in the seventh, scoring on an error and a bunt single.

"We played Moorhead twice here earlier in the season," said Jamison. "We lost both games, but we played tough. If we can play good baseball, we can go and get both games."

Jamestown 6, West Fargo 3

West Fargo 020 010 0 -- 3 10 1

Jamestown 105 000 x -- 6 10 1

Curtis Hensley, Johnny Schroeder (6) and Adam Crist; Nick Walden, Ben Walker (6) and Andy Lick. W--Walden. L--Hensley. S--Walker. HR--Andrew Davidson (2).

West Fargo 6, Jamestown 1

West Fargo 101 101 2 -- 6 9 1

Jamestown 100 000 0 -- 1 4 2

Dustin Gregory and Johnny Schroeder; Brady Schoeler, Ben Walker (6), Honda Lanwe and Kyle Walden. W--Gregory. L--Schoeler. HR--Ross Hogan (2).

Records: Jamestown 9-16 overall (6-4 Eastern Division)

Sun sports writer Kalen Ost can be reached at (701) 952-8461 or by e-mail at kaleno@jamestownsun.com . His blog is at www.areavoices.com .