LEGION BASEBALL: Post 210 takes home opener

TILTON — In some ways, Tuesday’s home game for the Post 210 Speakers was like a fresh start.

First, the Speakers were playing in its first game at the Carl Gruber Athletic Complex this season and second, it was a chance for a new lineup to take shape.

With new addition Bryson Houchens, the Speakers collected 11 hits and were able to defeat Watseka 10-3.

“We have a few new pieces with Bryson Houchens and we have Ryan Edwards, who will be our utility player but he is out with an injury,” Cruz Dubois said. “So it is nice to have some new players on the filed that we haven’t played with.”

“I had to work on the field twice a day but we got it in and played well,” Post 210 coach Brent Hart said. “I really wanted to get this game and I didn’t want to throw Houchens in for the weekend. I wanted him to get accommodated and he seems like a super cool kid and he’s big and athletic.”

Most of the runs came from the bats of Dubois, Cole Miller and Houchens after being set up by the efforts of the bottom of the order, namely Marvin Davis III, who had four walks and leadoff hitter Easton Barney, who had two walks and a hit.

“Marvin Davis getting four walks out the of the nine-hole was huge,” Hart said. “If you can get him on base that many times and turn it over with Barney, Dubois, Miller, Houchens and Darling, you are going to score a lot of runs. We may have let off the gas a little bit tonight, but I didn’t hate what I saw.”

On the mound, Pedro Rangel V started the game and got the win, going two innings with two strikeouts, Jaxon Spicer came in the third and had one strikeout and Dubois had seven strikeouts in three innings.

“Dubois threw great in relief, Spicer threw great and Rangel threw great to start,” Hart said. “They were over 60 percent in strikes.”

Dubois’ last strikeout was important after Watseka batter Seth Dirks stated he wanted slower pitches early in the at-bat.

“That has never happened before, but I sped things up,” Dubois said. “I don’t even throw as fast as those college guys, so he is in for a rude awakening down the road.”

Miller had three hits and four RBIs including a solo home run in the fifth inning and has some great ideas about the rest of the season with this lineup.

“That was my fourth one this year, I am just seeing and hitting the baseball well,” Miller said. “Bryson coming in is great because he has a big bat and to have Cruz, me and him back to back to back will be dangerous. I think we can get home runs back to back to back, I have a feeling that it can happen a few times.”

“Miller is hitting great for us,” Hart said. “He hit a home run in Missouri over the weekend that was over 400 feet. It was off a kid throwing 88 and he hit a big boy shot.”

Dubois had two hits and two RBIs, Houchens had two RBIs and Matt Darling had two hits.

Houchens, who played at St. Joseph-Ogden, played his first game for the Speakers after helping the Spartans win the IHSA Class 2A title on Saturday at the University of Illinois. He is one of two additions to the team as Armstrong-Potomac standout Edwards is still recovering from a twisted ankle from last week’s IHSA Class 1A supersectional game against Tremont.

“I just love the game and I wanted to be here with the guys. Coach Hart gave me a great opportunity and I had to take it,” Houchens said. “It felt good, it was a whole different environment, but I was happy to get out here.”

“I am impressed with his intelligence and it is not surprising because coach (Josh) Haley does a good job with those guys,” Hart said. “We had (Braxton) Waller here last season and they play really smart baseball and I really like it.”

After rain ruined a home game earlier in the month, Miller said getting the win on Tuesday was very key after missing final day action of the Baseball BaTtles tournament in Ballwin, Mo.

“It meant a lot to me because we are the defending state champions, so I wanted to have a great showing,: Miller said. “Coming off of last weekend by not making it to Sunday, that lit a fire under us to get us going.”

“From the last tournament, we learned a lot and we saw some good pitching,: Dubois said. “It seemed that everything was slowed down in this game and we moved everything very smoothly.”

The Speakers are 8-2 and will got to Terre Haute, Ind. for the Best of the Midwest Tournament this weekend.

“They only have eight teams this year, so everyone makes bracket play,” Hart said. “We are going to give the guys some work the first day and see what happens with bracket play.”

Post 210 Junior Gold 13, Tuscola Post 27 juniors 7

TUSCOLA — The Junior Gold made the most of their six hits as they beat Tuscola on Tuesday in a road matchup.

Terrence Forman had two RBIs for the Junior Gold, while Owen Atwood had two hits and an RBI and Weston Church, Dayton Dubois, Tate McLaughlin, Ivan Rodriguez and Fletcher Clem each had one RBI.

Jordan Winchester had six strikeouts in four innings, while Ryker Dieu had three strikeouts in three innings of relief.

The Junior Gold are 4-4 and will play Watseka on Friday.