Post 63's comeback kids

After pretty much every game his team played at the Senior American Legion District 14 baseball tournament, Cape Girardeau Ford & Sons Post 63 coach Todd Pennington talked about his players' desire to back up one another, play as a team, not let down a teammate.

He even talked about how he talked about it so much -- because it was true and because his players proved it was true game after game.

They did the same thing Monday night in the tournament's championship game, coming from behind to beat Dunklin County 9-8 in a nine-inning affair.

This time it was Skylar Cobb who came through when his team and a teammate needed it the most.

Cobb's two-out, two-run single with the bases loaded in the bottom of the eighth inning provided the winning run for Post 63. Cobb's hit came three at-bats and three base runners after teammate Jake Pewitt had been picked off third base to give Dunklin County two outs in the inning.

Dunklin County Post 303 base runner Garret Stockton reaches first base on a bunt before Cape Girardeau Ford & Sons Post 63 Senior American Legion first baseman Ryan Grigaitis catches the throw during the third inning Monday. (Fred Lynch)

"I was just waiting on that first pitch fastball and I got it," Cobb said. "I didn't hit it great, but it found a hole."

The hit, which sneaked between a diving shortstop and second baseman came off Dunklin County's Dylan Lynn, whom Cobb will play with at Three Rivers Community College next season.

"When I first hit it, he stuck his hand out and I was hoping he wouldn't touch it," Cobb said. "Then once it got past him, I had a pretty good feeling it was getting through."

Pewitt's mistake was erased with Cobb's hit.

"We all have our off days and we're going to be there to pick him up no matter what," third baseman Dustin Crowden said. "We're going to be here to pick every one of us up. I mean, I have my bad days, too, and my teammates pick me up."

Cape Girardeau Ford & Sons Post 63 American Legion third baseman Dustin Crowden throws to first base to retire the Dunklin County runner during the second inning of the District 14 championship game against Dunklin County Post 303 Monday at Notre Dame Regional High School. (Fred Lynch)

Cape jumped out to a 6-2 lead after three innings, but a five-run fifth and another run in the sixth had Post 63 playing from behind in the late innings. Dunklin County could have plated a few more runs had it not been for some stellar Post 63 defense.

First, catcher Josh Compas picked off his second Dunklin County runner in as many days. He ended the Dodgers' rally in the third inning by picking Garret Stockton off third to end the frame.

Then with one out in the fifth inning and a runner on base, Crowden made an improbable stop of a line-drive smash by Dunklin County's Adam Grantham.

The ball popped out of Crowden's glove, no doubt thanks to the velocity it was hit at him, but he was able to throw to first in time to retire Grantham, providing a vital out in what proved to be a big inning for the Dodgers.

"I'm still feeling that, too," said Crowden, whose elbow was swollen after being hit by a pitch in the eighth inning. "I was just trying to protect myself. The main thing I was trying to do was knock that ball down. I would have loved to have a double play there, but I had to get the out at first."

Cape Girardeau Ford & Sons Post 63 Senior American Legion second baseman Blake Smith throws out a Dunklin County runner at first base Monday.

Jeremy Essner provided the defensive highlight from the mound an inning later. Jake Welch grounded a ball up the middle, prompting Essner to reach out with his bare hand to grab the ball at a full stretch, meaning fielding the ball with his glove on the opposite side of his body would have been impossible.

"I enjoy playing with every one of these kids," Crowden said. "Every one of these kids are top-notch players and I would not go to any other team to play for anybody else because I know when we go on the field, if one of us do make a mistake, we'll pick each other up and do something better to pick him up."

The district tournament championship is the second in a row for Post 63.

"The whole way this worked out is great," Cobb said. "We have a lot of momentum now going to the zone tournament. We're going to go up there and we're going to try to win it."

Cape would have advanced to the zone tournament later this week even if it lost Monday because it's hosting the tournament at Capaha Park. But the players were in agreement that working their way through the losers bracket to claim the title was a better way to move on.

"That's what I was kind of thinking," Crowden said. "That's probably what we were all thinking. We just don't want to have a zone berth just because we're hosting it. We can win that tournament. We're one of the better teams in that tournament and we want to be there because we got there by working."

Jayden Pobst finished what Ronnie Scott and Essner started on the mound, pitching 2 1/3 scoreless innings to end the game.

Pobst entered the game with two outs in the seventh inning and struck out Stockton with the bases loaded to preserve a two-run deficit.

The game ended with Pobst taking a toss from first baseman Ryan Grigaitis just in time to retire Joe Campbell and prevent the tying run from scoring from third, despite strong objections from the Dunklin County coaches, players and fans.

"It's awesome," Crowden said. "We had to fight our way back through the losers bracket. We have a good team and we're never going to get down on ourselves, but to win something like this two years in a row for the Legion team -- being a part of this team is amazing. This is probably one of the most awesome feelings I've ever felt."