Post 373 ends Legion season on a high note

Greencastle Post 373 ended its 2007 American Legion baseball campaign on a high note Saturday by dumping Waynesboro Post 15 by an 8-1 margin.

Evan Dixon allowed four hits in 6 1/3 innings for the win, while Rusty Cordell and Cameron Emmett paced the offense with three hits and knocking in two runs each.

Post 373 took the lead in the second frame as Emmett and Drew Bittner each singled. Emmett advanced to third on a passed ball and went home as Heath Ausherman put the ball in play in the infield.

The score was knotted in the bottom of the frame as Waynesboro's Aaron Beck and Ryan Visnon each walked and Brenton Kopecek drove in Beck.

That would be all for Waynesboro, while Greencastle kept the scoreboard busy in the third. Post 373 took the lead for good during the rally begun as Evan Dixon was hit by a pitch and Tim Armstrong, Cordell and Emmett each singled. An error scored Cordell and Emmett was plated when Bittner delivered a single for a 5-1 Greencastle lead.

Post 373 didn't stop there, added two more in the sixth. Armstrong came through with a base hit and stole second. He scored from second on a Cordell single. Cordell swiped second and in repeat fashion, scored on Emmett's single. Derek Keener kept things going with a walk and eventually Emmett scored on a wild pitch.

Dixon fanned seven in the win. Ryan Chistman got the final two-thirds for Greencastle.

In addition to the offense from Cordell and Emmett, Greencastle got two hits each from Armstrong and Bittner.

Earlier in the week, Shippensburg Post 223 pitcher Ricky Ott scattered five hits and struck out nine to lead his team to a 7-2 win over Greencastle.

Ott's one rough inning was the third, when Christman started off with a single. Armstrong doubled him in for Post 373's first run. Post 373's other run was unearned when Keener reached on an error and later scored on a passed ball.

Post 223 jumped out to a 4- 0 margin after two innings. Patrick Davis did much of the damage as he was hit by a pitch to start the game and later scored and his double in the second inning drove home a run. Davis later scored on a Zack Piper double. Shippensburg would add single runs in the fourth, fifth, and sixth.

Kyle Plasterer went 2 for 4 and Justin Capozzi walked twice and scored two runs for Post 223.

Grant Meyers was 2 for 3 for Post 373. Alex Izer pitched three innings, allowing four runs on four hits in being charged with the loss.