Shrewsbury Post 397 now 1-1 at American Legion World Series after stopping League City, Texas
SHELBY, N.C. — Maybe Thursday's setback was merely just the end of a five-game winning streak for Shrewsbury Post 397.
Shrewsbury, which went 5-0 as host while capturing last week's Northeast Regionals, bounced back Friday with a fine 3-1 victory over Western Region champion League City in the second day of pool play at the American Legion World Series.
Rocco Hickson turned in a solid, 5⅓-inning start, and closer Ryan Sande came through with a five-out save while facing just five batters, as Zach Amero's two-run single in the first inning held up for Post 397.
Shrewsbury was coming off a 13-1 loss to Mid-South Region champion Troy (Ala.) in the first day of pool play. Post 397 faces Southeast champ Camden, South Carolina, in its final game in Stripes Division play, starting at 7:30 p.m. Saturday. League City topped Camden, 13-2, in the opening day of play.
Saturday night's Shrewsbury/Camden game was to be viewed on ESPN3. The winner would advance to Monday's semifinals.
All four teams in the Stripes Division were 1-1 after two games each, as Camden topped Troy, 6-3, in Friday's night game. League City and Troy have the bye on Saturday, while Shrewsbury's designated day off is Sunday, which could give pitchers an extra day off if the team advances to the semifinals.
The winner and runner-up of each the Stars and Stripes divisions advance to Monday's semifinals, with the championship game at 7 p.m. Tuesday. The semifinals and final will be aired on ESPNU.
After League City's Tristan Zarella homered off Hickson to right field on the first pitch of the game, Post 397 responded with a pair of two-out runs in the bottom of the first inning to take a 2-1 lead.
The opening-pitch homer was the first in ALWS play since David Perdios of West Quincy, Mass., turned the trick in 1975.
Amero's double down the left field line scored Ryan Walton, and Pat McManus followed by singling up the middle to drive in Amero, who had two hits. Walton had led off with a single to center and was sacrificed to second on Jimmy Railsback's bunt fielded by League City's starting right-hander Kambino Hardebeck. A.J. Hamm's fly to right was the second out.
Following the first, Hickson and Hardebeck effectively shortened the game with scoreless innings. Zarella doubled down the right field line to lead off the third for his second hit, but after a Kyeler Thompson fly to center, Travis Bragg lined into a double play, with right fielder Chris Pompei firing to shortstop Hamm to get Zarella.
In the Shrewsbury fifth, Walton delivered his second hit of the day, a two-out single through the left side, but was thrown out trying to steal second by League City catcher Joe Rodriguez.
After allowing a one-out single to Albert Garza in the sixth, Hickson was relieved by Ryan Sande. Hickson scattered eight hits in his traditional fashion, without a walk or strikeout, keeping control while pitching to minimal contact.
And Sande snuffed out the threat in the sixth, inducing a fielder's-choice grounder to Logan Silvertooth and bounder back to the box by Wyatt Easter.
Shrewsbury provided an insurance run in the home sixth. Railsback led off with a triple down the right field line, and Hamm lifted a sacrifice fly to center for a 3-1 lead. Amero then collected his second hit of the game, a singled to left-center, but McManus struck out looking and Alex Martin flied to center to end the inning.
Sande set League City down 1-2-3 in the seventh, on a fly to center, strikeout and grounder to third base.
This article originally appeared on Telegram & Gazette: Shrewsbury Post 397 stops League City, Texas, at American Legion World Series
