The Pittsburg Post 64 Junior Silverbacks combined for 38 runs scored, 21 walks and 18 stolen bases during a sweep Wednesday night against the Linn County Commanders (Mound City Post 248) at Al Ortolani Field, improving to 6-2 on the season.
The Silverbacks won the first game 16-1 in four innings and the second 22-2 in three.
“They played well,” Silverbacks coach Tucker Akins said. “They hit the ball really well. Not only were we getting basehits, we were hitting the ball very hard and that’s good. We need to build off that going into the rest of the season. This group is meshing together very well.
“That’s something our pitching staff has struggled with to start off the year, which is fine. I mean, they’re being human, but getting ahead in counts and getting up 0-1, 0-2 it’s going to help them out a lot better than pitching three balls in a row and coming back to get the out. I’ve just been trying to get that in their minds; getting ahead helps your pitch count out and helps you go longer in the game. I believe they’re all learning from it and they’re all going to be better moving forward this season.”
The Silverbacks return to action Saturday and Sunday in the NEO showcase tournament at Miami, Okla. They first play Wichita Rampage 17U on Saturday.
“We’re starting to play really well,” Akins said. “We’re at NEO this weekend. We play two Saturday and two Sunday. Looking forward to it. Hopefully, the rain stays off.”
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MOUND CITY 1
The Silverbacks pushed across six runs in the second, nine in the third and one in the fourth.
Gage King’s two-run single highlighted the six-run second and Luke Jones and August Amershek each picked up RBI with an infield single and a fielder’s choice, respectively.
Kaiden Nash’s two-run single was the biggest blow in the third and Tate Renn and Brooks Walker each hit consecutive RBI singles. Gannon Hobbs collected two RBI with a bases-loaded walk and then later a bases-loaded hit by pitch.
Walker led the Silverbacks with three hits, all singles. He singled in the first and twice more in the third.
Jones earned the win and he allowed one run on two hits with four strikeouts and two walks over three innings. Keaton Peak worked through an error and a walk to pitch a scoreless fourth, helped out by second baseman Renn and shortstop Amershek combining on a 4-6-3 double play.
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MOUND CITY 2
The Silverbacks generated six runs in the first and 16 in the second, highlighted by two inside-the-park home runs.
Cooper Leonard opened the Silverbacks’ scoring with a grand slam, finding the gap, clearing the bases and motoring all the way around the bases for a 4-0 lead.
August Amershek singled and Tate Renn and Brooks Walker worked back-to-back walks to load the bases.
Mic Muller and Colten Widmer drove in the other runs with an infield single and a 5-3 groundout.
Renn’s two-run home run started the scoring in the second and Widmer hit a two-run single. The Silverbacks finished the inning with 16 runs on seven hits and two errors; they worked six walks, was hit by pitch two more times and left the bases loaded.
It also took three different Mound City pitchers to get out of the inning and the Silverbacks batted around twice with 22 batters sent to the plate.
Muller earned the win and he allowed two runs on two hits with three strikeouts and five walks over 1 1/3 innings. Widmer and Amershek finished it up on the mound.
This sports reporting is made possible, in part, by the Support Local Journalism Project Fund. Learn more at: southeastkansas.org/fund/support-local-journalism-project-fund
