BLAIR – Game 14 of the Class B Area 3 Junior American Legion baseball tournament went extras for Rolling Hills Supply Post 43 Wayne and West Point Post 70.
From Veterans Memorial Field, a fourth different opponent was on the schedule for #1 Wayne Post 43 being the Bombers Tuesday night.
Rolling Hills Supply (17-5) suffered a loss by walk-off balk of 3-2 in 11 innings. West Point improved to 14-6 moving into game number 15 of the B3 Tournament.
Head Rolling Hills Supply Post 43 Wayne Juniors coach, Mike Sturm talked about the ending of the game in his postgame interview with KCTY where Alex Rodriguez was called for the balk to end the game.
"I just went up to the umpire and I said 'he's not even on the rubber yet, he's waiting for the home plate umpire to ready play'," said Sturm. "I told Alex (Rodriguez) to go from the stretch so we didn't get a squeeze on us because the runner on the previous pitch got halfway down the line. So, I said 'Alex go from the stretch' and while he's not even on the rubber yet, I mean he was right behind the rubber but I had the angle from it from the dugout and he wasn't even on the rubber yet, steps with his left foot to turn, put his left foot in front and they called a balk on it."
Neither team scored in the first inning before Rolling Hills Supply scored a run in the top of the second and fourth innings to lead 2-0.
West Point Post 70 answered with a run in the home half of the fifth and forced extras with one run in the seventh tied at 2-2. A trio of scoreless innings followed in the eighth, ninth and 10th.
After Wayne was held without a run in the top of the 11th, West Point's Josh Snodgrass was hit by pitch and then stole second before being advanced to third on a sacrifice bunt. A walk-off balk allowed Snodgrass to score his third run of the game and win the game 3-2 for West Point. Rolling Hills Supply won the hit department, 7-6.
Jaxson Kneifl singled twice while Brayden Rajaee-Hallgren accounted for two RBI. Kneifl also finished the game with 10 defensive putouts.
Drew Reinhardt and Adrian Contreras both singled and scored while Alex Rodriguez, Parker Patefield and Gavin Anderson all singled.
Rodriguez (63 pitches) suffered the loss in four and a third innings allowing an earned run off three hits while striking out one batter, walking one and hitting two. Brodrick Tiedtke (85) started the opening six innings allowing two earned runs off three hits while striking out five batters and walking five.
Championship Tuesday is underway for #2 West Point Post 70 (14-6) vs. #4 Valparaiso Post 371 (14-8). West Point won 9-1 in six innings over Valparaiso on Monday.
The Class B Juniors State host will be Waterloo/Valley starting Saturday, July 20.
Waterloo/Valley suffered two losses in the Area 4 Tournament but will be an automatic qualifier as the host team.
The Rolling Hills Supply Wayne Post 43 Seniors are 21-1 and have been off since winning 3-1 over Seward on Thursday, July 11. Wayne, who has won 15 straight, was scheduled to visit O'Neill this Thursday but the games have been called off.
Post 43 will next visit Blair on Monday, July 22 at 7 p.m. before competing in the Class B Area 5 Senior American Legion baseball tournament in West Point starting on Friday, July 26.
