KOKOMO – It was a tough start for Plymouth’s Post 27 as they took one on the chin in game one of the American Legion state finals at the hands of Kokomo Post 6 by a 7-3 final.
Early on it was a pitchers battle with Plymouth’s Braydon Davidson battling Kokomo’s Austin Weaver. In the end it was Weaver getting into the eighth inning holding a 7-0 lead, good enough for the win.
“We left ten guys on early I know that, a number in scoring position, we just couldn’t get that timely hit,” said Plymouth manager Will Hostrawser. “I give (Austin) Weaver credit, he wasn’t his best tonight but he fought and he kept us off balance. We kept putting the ball in play just nothing real good.”
Davidson was nearly as good leaving the game in the sixth trailing 3-0 giving up just five hits to a very potent hitting Kokomo lineup.
“We gave up three runs with him on the mound I think only one of those was earned, we made a couple of errors and they took advantage of that,” said Hostrawser. “That’s been Braydon the last couple of times out, I thought his command was particularly good tonight, he struggled finding that strike zone. I think we all did, but that’s something that you have to battle through.”
Kokomo struck for two unearned runs in the second when a two out error kept the inning alive for Jarrod Smith’s two run single that looked like it might be all the scoring as both teams settled in. Post 6 struck for one more in the fifth before Davidson gave way to Mike Machinic, who had the two out, two run bug bite him twice in the sixth and seventh.
“With two outs you have to bear down,” said Hostrawser. “One inning we had an 0-2 count and hung a curve ball, another inning we have an overthrow at second base to put runners in scoring position. In a tight ball game like it was at that point those things always come back to hurt you.”
Plymouth refused to die breaking through in the eighth when Machinic led off with a single, Andrew Cullers walked and Billy Harness stroked a two run double off reliever Baylee Young and scored moments later on Travis Upp’s sacrifice fly. It would be too little, too late, as Dalton Leighty came on to close it out in the ninth for Post 6.
“The one thing is that our kids kept battling to the end and hopefully that carries through for us tomorrow,” said Hostrawser.
Kokomo (29-6) moves on in the winners bracket. Plymouth (20-13) will have to fight their way through the losers bracket with a 12:30 p.m. Saturday game against Floyds Knobs Post 46.
LINESCORE
Plymouth 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 0 3-9-2
Kokomo 0 2 0 0 12 2 0 x 7-12-1
WP – Weaver (5-0). LP – Davidson (3-1). HR – Blankenberger (K). 2B – Leighty (K), Harness (P).
