Midland Post 165 improved to 2-0 in pool play and is in control of the Stripes Division entering Sunday’s pool play finales.
Midland (Mich.) Post 165 coach Dan Cronkright said before the 2024 American Legion World Series that his team has been motivated to get here since missing the 2023 ALWS.
After a 9-2 victory in Saturday’s Game 9 against Wilmington Delvets (Del.) Post 1 at Veterans Field at Keeter Stadium, Midland is virtually assured of making its stay in Shelby, N.C., a long one this season.
Post 165 (29-8) scored three runs in the bottom of the first inning, then sent 12 batters to the plate in a six-run second inning to break the game open and improve to 2-0 in pool play.
“That was a good start for us,” said Cronkright, whose team is making its record ninth ALWS appearance in Shelby this season. “I've been waiting for us to get things going and, in the first two innings, we got things going really good.”
Cayden Smith had both of his team-high two hits in the first two innings as Post 165 pecked away at Delvets' pitching with RBI singles by Tanner Sonntag, Luke LaCourse, Jake Szajenko and Ryan Louch, a sacrifice fly by Nathan Ball, an RBI groundout from LaCourse and a bases-loaded RBI walk on Ball.
The comfortable early lead allowed Cronkright to use three pitchers - Brett Faccio (4 1/3 innings), Sonntag (1 2/3 innings) and Landon Love (1 inning) - as he positioned himself to have multiple pitching options in the coming days.
“We’re definitely trying to save some arms and see how it goes,” Cronkright said.
The Delvets (22-7) scratched for single runs in the second inning on Vincent Offutt's RBI groundout and a wild pitch in the seventh inning on a day in which both teams substituted liberally.
“This is a pretty tight group and they really pull for each other,” Cronkright said of his team. “The last couple of innings, we put in some guys that haven't played much and the old guys were rooting for the young guys. I love seeing that.”
Midland is 2-0 and atop the Stripes division standings entering its 1 p.m. Sunday finale against Billings Scarlets (Mont.) Post 4.
Delvets, which is 1-1 in pool play, meets Bossier City (La.) Post 202 at 4 p.m. on Sunday.
“You play it one game at a time and go to the next game,” Cronkright said. “That's what we've done for two games and, hopefully, we'll put it together tomorrow and win another one.”
Brady Fox (2 hits) led the Delvets' four-hit offense.
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