Posse tops Rogers twice before playoffs

Posse Junior Legion at the start of this week was still uncertain about where they will start in the Spokane League playoff which had an opening game booked for Wednesday. The first five games of the playoffs have been slated at Shadle Park’s A.K. Jackson Field Wednesday and today.

Final slots on the playoff remained in limbo until teams completed makeup games to finish out their league records at the start of this week.

Posse members learned late last week that the playoff assignments have been weighted among the three divisions which have competed in the league. The American Division was assigned seven of the playoff slots because that division was considered to be made up of more advanced players.

The top four teams in the American league received a bye and are booked to play the survivors of the four elimination games which have been set for Wednesday.

Posse at the start of the week was still looking at either the third or fourth slot assigned to the National Division. A fourth-place assignment would have put them in the first elim round Wednesday, and a number-three assignment would put them up against the champs of their own National Division today, Thursday.

Posse last Wednesday finished out their league run at 10-5 by taking two solid wins over Rogers’ last place team in the National Division. The two losses ended the season for Rogers which booked just three wins on the season.

Posse and Rogers traded runs through the first six innings of the first game last Wednesday, but Posse dropped the hammer with six runs in the seventh to post a 15-8 win. The locals had five hits in the last inning rally. They finished with 14 hits off three Rogers pitcher.

Jeff Davies started on the mound for Posse, and Evan Parks relieved him in the fifth inning to shut down a Rogers rally. Parks shut out the Rogers, who was playing as the home team, in the bottom of the seventh.

Cal Gregory led the Posse bats with three hits in the first game. Jake Mendiola, Davies, Brent Backer, and Griffin Bashaw each had two hits. Jake Cillay and Josh Haun had the other raps.

Posse took the second game 14-2 with an early shutdown on the 10-run rule after five innings. Griffin Bashaw pitched the distance for Posse and allowed just three hits to the northeast Spokane club.

Posse totaled seven hits and also cashed in on seven walks allowed by four Rogers pitchers. Cillay and Tyler Lincoln each had two RBIs. Cillay and Davis each had a double in the second game, and Bashaw helped his own cause with two hits.

Posse defense committed just one error in the last two league games.

The pair of Posse wins closed out the local season at McDonald Park.