White River Junction
The shirts’ slogan reads that the road to the Legion World Series in Shelby, N.C., starts with the state event, but in reality, that path begins with league contests such as Wednesday’s 5-1 defeat of Bellows Falls Post 37. Those clashes might not have the cachet of a tournament matchup, but they’re vital to reaching that level at all.
“We haven’t played our best baseball yet, not at all,” Post 84 coach Jarrod Grassi said after his team broke open a fifth-inning tie with three runs. “A lot of the reasons are things we can control. We fall behind in counts and haven’t had enough runs batted in. We’ve (issued) too many walks, and our pitch counts are too high.”
Wednesday’s main issue was that White River Junction’s hitters tried to maul the off-speed throws of Post 37 starter Spencer Clark. A rising senior at Bellows Falls Union High, the lefthander doesn’t change grips or arm slots, he just infuriatingly mixes speeds and location. Too often for Post 84, its batters tried to clobber offerings in the dirt.
“He has a lot of movement on his balls and he kept hitters off-balance all spring,” second-year Bellows Falls coach Bill Lockerby said. “He was a big surprise and kind of came out of nowhere for us.”
There were few surprises from White River Junction hurler Jordy Allard, who tossed a six-hitter over the seven-inning game, striking out nine batters, walking three and throwing 104 pitches. Two Post 37 at-bats were extended by fielding errors and Allard surrendered only one hit during the last four innings of his first start this summer.
Post 84 had eight hits, two by Jacob Perkins, who also had an RBI. Allard hit a double and Moises Celaya, not known for his speed, legged out a triple, causing jokers in the home dugout to offer him hits off an imaginary tank of oxygen. Post 37 issued five walks and committed two errors.
Perkins is a rising sophomore at Lyndon State College, where he batted .238 and played in 30 of 42 games for the 22-20 Hornets this spring. The 2016 Hartford High graduate played center field on Wednesday and his defense, already smooth a year ago, has noticeably improved.
Perkins said that while high school practices mostly focused on hitting and pitching, there are college workouts devoted only to taking specific angles on various fly balls. Returning to face lower-quality pitching has been a challenge, he said, but has aided him in focusing on plate discipline. Trying to blast bad pitches only results in grounders and pop-ups.
“I have to be more selective here because there are kids who can’t throw a strike to save their lives,” Perkins said. “In college, you’re going to get fastballs around the strike zone until you can prove you can hit them. Then, you get curveballs and other stuff from guys who have three or four pitches that they can throw in any situation.”
Perkins came back to have what might be one last season with his younger brother, Hunter, and to gain another shot at a state title that’s eluded the siblings and their friends in both high school and Legion ball.
“We were flat tonight, but we knew we’d be able to turn it on,” Jacob Perkins said. “We have to do that earlier though, not in the third and fourth innings.”
Tied at 1-1 and entering its half of the fifth, White River Junction took the lead when Tyler Hamilton walked, stole second, took third base on a ground-out and scored on a Jacob Perkins single. Perkins then moved to second and third when Clark nearly balked and threw away a pickoff attempt.
Jacob Perkins scored on Allard’s double. Allard then scored on Celaya’s triple.
Post 84 closed the scoring an inning later when Hamilton walked again, moved to third on a Ryland Richardson single and came home on a Jacob Perkins single.
White River Junction (11-3-1, 7-1) visits Rutland at St. Peter’s Field tonight, then plays a doubleheader at Bellows Falls on Saturday.
Notes: Loretta Blakeney, a recent Woodstock High graduate headed to Castleton University in the fall, wowed the crowd with a standout rendition of the national anthem. … Celaya, a rising Hanover High senior and football field-goal kicker, said he’s pursuing a college roster spot with that talent. … Post 84 again wore the hats and jerseys it donned for a recent benefit game in memory of late local umpire Bob Ammel. … White River Junction has six coaches: Grassi, his father, Dick Grassi, Phil Chaput, John O’Hara, Jamie Richardson and Kris Keelty. … Post 84 plays four games in a high-level tournament at West Point, N.Y., early next month and O’Hara said the team will tour the U.S. Military Academy during its visit. That 10-team event features the defending Legion state champions from Rhode Island, New Jersey, New York, Virginia and West Virginia. … Windsor High’s Seth Balch is on the Post 37 roster, but didn’t play Wednesday.
Tris Wykes can be reached at twykes@vnews.com or 603-727-3227.