TERRE HAUTE — Kokomo Post 6 senior team manager Don Spall told reporters this week that his team was notorious for spotting teams extra runs, only to come back and steal victories.
Friday night must’ve been a déjà vu moment for Spall.
Post 6 squandered a four-run lead, only to come back and eventually take a 10-9 victory in 10 innings over Crawfordsville Post 72 in the opening round of the American Legion regional at Terre Haute North High School’s field.
“This year, that’s been our trademark,” Spall said. “We’ve been down before. We got four runs early and gave up a big inning, got down, then got down a couple more. We’re not going to give up — we aren’t going to fold our tents and leave the ballpark. We are going to keep battling. I never lost confidence that we were going to put more runs on the board.”
Dylan Green stepped to the plate in the bottom of the 10th inning with two outs and Clay O’Neal standing on second base. O’Neal led off the frame with a double down the left field line.
Green was 0-for-5 at that point with three strikeouts, but as Spall put it, the Kokomo High School product “had a different look in his eyes.”
Green took a 2-2 pitch in the dirt that allowed O’Neal to advance to third, and on the next pitch, Green ripped a low-lining single into left field just under the left fielder’s glove, scoring O’Neal for the walkoff victory.
“I had a terrible night at the plate,” Green said. “It was a battle of a game, and I wasn’t doing my part, but everyone told me to keep my head up — they know what I can do. I came up that last time with a little more confidence, and showed what I could do. I wanted to win this ballgame for the team, and for [starting pitcher] Colton [Summers].”
Summers showed his warrior side Friday night, pitching a complete game. He surrendered 14 hits on few balls that were hit hard, but fanned 10, and allowed his team to stay in the game long enough to allow his potent offense pull it out for him. He threw 160 pitches.
“We had to battle the whole game,” Summers said. “You have to credit to our guys, the errors weren’t lazy errors, guys kept diving after balls. We pulled it out, and it feels great.
“One thing I’ve got to continually work on is keeping my head when things aren’t going well. That’s something I’ve matured on a lot. I’m proud of myself, and the guys who made plays behind me tonight.”
Damon Reel put Kokomo (23-10) on the board first with a solo homerun in the second. O’Neal’s RBI double in the fourth gave the Sixers a 4-0 lead.
Post 72 (18-7) rallied for five runs in the sixth on five hits and pair of errors, and held an 8-6 lead until Devin Schacht’s liner to second crossed up the second baseman and allowed a pair of runs to score in the bottom of the ninth, sending the game into extra innings.
O’Neal had three hits, while Reel added a pair of hits.
Post 6 moves on to play host Post 346 (33-4) at noon today. Post 346 beat Lafayette Post 11 8-0 in Friday’s opening game.
“I’m going to savor this victory until we get back to the motel,” Spall said. “We’re going to see a left-hander who is very good [Saturday]. Hopefully, we get [another] 10 runs, and are going to be competitive. It’s going to take 10 runs a game — I’m sure of it.”
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