TERRE HAUTE — It took eight innings, but Byron Cox Post 72 beat previously unbeaten Terre Haute Post 346 5-3 at Terre Haute North High School on Tuesday. All of Post 72’s runs came in the last four innings including three runs in the deciding eighth frame.
Post 72 took a 2-1 lead in the fifth inning. Kyven Hill had an RBI single scoring Aiden Riser with one out. The visitors scored again when Keaton Brown hit a ball that was misplayed by the second baseman allowing Ethan Wooten to score.
The score held until the bottom of the seventh inning. Terre Haute scored the tying run with two outs aided by an error and passed ball. A single by H. Manson tied the game.
Post 72, which had been held to just three hits after seven innings, had back-to-back singles by Aiden Ambriz-Cruz and Sam Gooch to lead off the eighth inning. An intentional walk loaded the bases still with no outs.
Ambriz-Cruz scored on a Terre Haute infield error to put Post 72 ahead 3-2. Wooten responded with a long sacrifice fly which scored Gooch. Kaden Smith expanded the lead to 5-2 with an RBI single.
Terre Haute did not go down quietly.
A hit batter and two singles loaded the bases with one out surrendered by relief pitcher Nate Kouns.
Post 72 coach Kyle Proctor called on Gooch to get the final out. A wild pitch allowed Terre Haute to score one run before Gooch got the last out on a line drive to Riser in left field.
Both starters had excellent outings. For Post 72 pitcher Creux Rieman pitched 5.2 innings and allowed just one run, six hits and struck out three. Rieman issued one walk.
Kouns pitched two innings and gave up two runs on two hits.
Gooch recorded a save.
For Terre Haute, J. Norton pitched five innings and surrendered two hits and two runs.
Post 72 ended up with six hits in the game and no player had more than one hit.
Terre Haute (18-1) had 10 hits but could not get a big hit with men in scoring position. Post 72 erased threats in the second and sixth innings by Ambriz-Cruz to Brown to first baseman Peyton Grimmett double plays to end the innings.
Post 72 will take their 16-2 record to Danville, Illinois this weekend with a tournament beginning Friday. The team will play two games on Saturday.
