RAPID CITY – After losing their first four games of 2022, Post 8 Legion baseball took their first two wins of the season Saturday at the Veterans Classic, defeating Fargo (ND) Post 400 9-5 in eight innings and Bellevue East (NE) 8-5 at Fitzgerald Stadium.
Post 8 (2-4) scored four runs in the eighth against Fargo to break a 5-5 tie. Brecken Krueger had a bunt single for his second hit and RBI of the game to give the Eights a 6-5 lead. Jayden Wiebe singled in two more and Jack Merkwan drove in the last run of the frame with a groundout. George Stalley also drove in two runs. Matthew Hanson had three hits. Krueger also was the winning pitcher in relief, allowing just two hits in four shutout innings.
Post 8 rallied from a 5-0 deficit after one-half inning to again win in their last at-bat with four runs in the sixth against Bellevue East. Hanson tied the game with an RBI double before Krueger had an RBI infield hit to give Post 8 their first lead of the game. Wiebe then hit a sacrifice fly and Merkwan had an RBI single. Grayson Hunsley won after entering the game with one out in the first and pitched six and two-thirds scoreless innings, striking out two and allowing just three hits.