KOKOMO — Byron Cox Post No. 72 dropped its first game of the state tournament in game three of the state finals 9-3 to Rockport Post No. 254 on Sunday evening.
Rockport, who won three-straight state titles from 2015-17 and was the national runner-up in 2016, scored two runs in the first inning and three in the second to take command and not look back.
Crawfordsville committed five errors while Rockport’s clean defense other than one miscue proved to make a difference.
“We didn’t play well enough to win that game,” Post 72 coach Kyle Proctor said. “We made some bad throws and bad plays and gave them too many in the beginning. And then once we got some momentum we would do something else.”
Crawfordsville scored a single run in the third on a double from Fountain Central’s George Valencia, while Crawfordsville’s Zach Fichter hit a two-run home run in the fourth. But that was it for Post No. 72s offense as Rockport pitcher Holton Compton was efficient.
Compton pitched 6 1/3 innings, scattered nine hits, but allowed just three earned runs, walked four and struck-out two.
Tony Ramirez got the start for Post No. 72 and struck-out 10, but walked three, gave up eight hits and six runs, including three earned.
Bren Miller hit a home run and led Rockport with three RBI.
Post 72 now plays Newburgh at 1 p.m. today, while Rockport plays Kokomo at 3:30 p.m.
Post 72 has to win to keep their state title hopes alive.
“We’ve won three games in a row before, so we will see if we can win one Monday and see if we can win two on Tuesday,” Proctor said.
