Defending champs from League City Post 554 improve to 2-0 in pool play.
Defending American Legion World Series champion League City (Tex.) Post 554 moved another step toward a chance at history with a workmanlike 4-2 victory over Hudson (Mass.) Post 100 in Friday’s opening game at Veterans Field at Keeter Stadium in Shelby, N.C.
League City (29-3) also managed its pitching staff in a way that gives coach Ronnie Oliver options moving forward as Post 554 pursues the seventh back-to-back ALWS title in history.
“We had a plan going into today for how to work our pitching,” said Oliver, who used starter Tyler Ryden four innings and reliever Braden Castle three innings in Friday’s Game 5 victory. “We were able to get a ‘W’ and now it’s on to the next game. You have to play them one at a time you know.”
Ryden was making his first start since going 2-0 in two starts in the Western Regional to earn MVP honors.
League City controls its fate for advancement to the semifinals entering the final game of pool play at 7 p.m. Sunday night against Stars division rival and 2022 ALWS champion Troy (Ala.) Post 70.
Post 554 is attempting to join Oakland (Calif.) Post 337 in 1949-50; Cincinnati Post 50 in 1957-58; West Covina (Calif.) Post 790 in 1970-71; Rio Piedras (P.R.) Post 146 in 1973-74; Brooklawn (N.J.) Post 72 in 2013-14; and Idaho Falls (Idaho) Post 56 in 2019 and 2021 (no season in 2020) as back-to-back ALWS champions.
Matthew Novominsky’s two-out RBI single in the second inning gave League City the lead for good on Friday.
Post 554 added two runs on Austin Rawls’ two-out single in the fourth. Then, after Hudson closed within 3-2 in the top of the fifth, Reese Brewer’s leadoff home run in the bottom of the inning closed out the scoring.
Alex Kudler had a game-high three hits to lead League City’s nine-hit offense.
“I have to give it to the other pitcher,” Oliver said of Hudson’s hard luck loser Teddy McFarland (5 innings). “He pitched a really good game.
“But I’m proud of the boys and what they did. I told them the plan and we stuck with it and here we are. All we’ve got to do now is win one more and we’ll be in an even better situation.”
Hudson (29-10), in its first-ever ALWS, faces long odds to advance after losing its first two games of pool play to the last two ALWS champions. Ryan Dillon had two hits and one RBI to lead the Post 100 offense.
Friday’s loss came on a day when Hudson head coach Ryan Bowen celebrated his 32nd birthday.
“I just told the guys, ‘That’s a team that just won the national championship last year,’“ Bowen said. “So there’s nothing for them to hang their heads about.
“I know the record says we’re 0-2. We’ve just got to move on, try to get a dub and see if some crazy things can happen.”
Hudson closes its pool play on Saturday at noon in a game against the Billings Scarlets (Mont.) Post 4.
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