By Chris Garner
For the manager of a baseball team that just scored 55 runs in four games, Don Andrews of the Kokomo Post 6 junior squad ought to be thinking about job security.
But he might want to be careful what he admits to publicly.
Andrews’ Sixers captured the American Legion junior (17 and under) state championship Sunday at cfd Investments Stadium in Highland Park over Crown Point Post 20 with a 20-9 rout in five innings of a scheduled seven-inning ballgame.
Kokomo pounded out 20 hits to go with its 20 runs, including two home runs by Spencer McQueary and a two-run dinger by Clay O’Neal.
Eight of the nine Sixer starters had at least one base hit against the four Crown Point pitchers, and all nine scored at least one run.
All that after Kokomo scored 13 runs Thursday, 12 runs Friday and 10 runs Saturday.
“They came to play, came to win and took care of business,” Andrews said. “I’ve told people this is the most fun group of kids I’ve ever worked with ... and there’s a lot of talent to go along with it.
“All I have to do is fill out the lineup card and they go out and do the job.”
Things started quickly for Kokomo (28-16) as its first four batters — Matt Adams, O’Neal, Damon Reel and McQueary — all reached on base hits.
It would be a recurring theme for the Sixers.
Adams tripled to open the contest off Post 20 starter Tyler Simmons and O’Neal followed with a towering blast well beyond the screen that protects the 270-foot porch in rightfield.
Reel and McQueary both singled and later scored, courtesy of a Daniel Salinas walk and a Mitch Frey sacrifice fly, to put Kokomo ahead 4-0.
In the top of the second the Sixers sent 11 batters to the dish, plating seven, started by back-to-back doubles by O’Neal and Reel.
McQueary drove in Reel, making the score 7-0, with the first of his two home runs over the rightfield fence, and Adams drove in the final run of the frame with a sac fly to give Kokomo a commanding 11-0 advantage.
In all, those four at the top of the order were a combined 11 for 17 with 11 runs scored and eight runs batted in.
McQueary was 4 for 5 with four runs and three RBI while O’Neal was three-quarters of the way to hitting for the cycle — homer, double, triple — after two innings and his first three at-bats.
“We knew [Crown Point wasn’t] going to have hardly any pitching just because we hadn’t lost and they had to battle back all the way through the losers’ bracket,” said O’Neal, who also came on to pitch with two outs and the bases loaded in the third. He got Simmons, the No. 2 hitter, to ground out to third base.
“We just creamed [the ball]; it was awesome. Everybody just started stringing hits [together].”
McQueary’s second home run to lead off the third chased CP’s third pitcher, Jake Negele, before Gavin Bugher, Salinas and Frey all singled, with Frey’s base knock driving in Bugher. Drew Brantley then tripled to left-centerfield, delivering Salinas and Frey.
Bugher was 3 for 4 with two runs; Salinas 2 for 3 with a double, two runs and two RBI; Frey 2 for 2 with two runs and three RBI; and Brantley 2 for 3 with two runs and three RBI.
“We hit the ball all up and down the order, but like a lot of teams we’re top-heavy and we put up a lot of runs in games early,” said Andrews. “They all want to hit well and do something great and they go out and do it.”
In stark contrast was Post 20’s first five batters, who managed no hits, five strikeouts and only one RBI and one run against Sixers starter A.J. Vazquez and O’Neal. Simmons, the losing pitcher, twice left the bases loaded for CP.
Vazquez wound up lasting 2 2/3 innings after having beaten Crown Point on Thursday to open the double-elimination tournament. He allowed six runs (three earned) on four hits and four walks.
The port-sider struck out two and exited with two outs and bases loaded in the third after a blister developed on his left foot.
“He just pitched three days ago and we asked him to come back and do it again [Sunday],” Andrews said of Vazquez. “We knew he wouldn’t be on the top of his game but he threw well enough.
“It’s hard to keep your composure and stay loose and be able to go out and throw strikes. There was a lot of pressure on him. He had a lot of people here to watch him play and he felt it a little bit.”
O’Neal, after working out of that jam, gave up three unearned runs in the fourth against only one hit. He struck out three and walked three, hitting one batsman.
