KOKOMO, Ind. — Napoleon Post 300 continued its winning ways in shutout fashion at the Kokomo Post 6 Junior Wood Bat Tournament on Saturday, winning its third and fourth straight games in Indiana and their ninth and 10th in a row overall.

The Bandits (18-5) got a massive effort from pitcher Cory Herman (Edgerton) in the opening game of the day, a 7-0 blanking of the host Kokomo Post 6 Senior team. The Bulldog grad fired a no-hitter, facing just one batter over the minimum with four strikeouts and a pair of walks in the victory. The no-no is the first for the Bandits since Jase Kepler and Mason McQuillin combined to no-hit Chaska (Minn.) on July 14, 2024 and the first complete-game no-hitter by a Bandit pitcher since Michael Hendricks pitched a five-frame no-hitter against Eagle River (Alaska) on July 11, 2015.

Napoleon plated two runs in the second, fifth and sixth frames, rapping seven hits in the triumph. Kaden Kreinbrink (Liberty Center) got the scoring started with a bang in the second, bashing a one-out pitch over the fence in right field for a two-run home run. RBI sacrifice hits from Cam Bukowski (Bryan) and Kenneth Smeltzer (Montpelier) boosted the lead to 4-0 in the fifth while a bases-loaded grounder resulted in an error that scored two more in the sixth. Tripp Langenderfer (Archbold) and Parker Hancock (Tinora) each had two base knocks in the win.

In the second contest, a no-hitter wasn’t achieved but a combined shutout still was as Ryne Maag (Ayersville/Glen Oak Community College) and Bukowski combined to hold Muncie Post 19 to four singles in a 4-0 shutout victory.

All four River Bandit runs came in the bottom of the first frame as after Maag stranded a pair of two-out Muncie baserunners, leadoff hitter Cade Carlin (Bryan) sent the first pitch he saw to left field for a single. Langenderfer and Smeltzer each reached to load the bags for Anthony Singer (Fairview), who drove in the first run with a four-pitch walk.

With two outs, a passed ball scored Langenderfer for a 2-0 lead before Logan Stein rapped a 1-2 pitch to right field for a two-run single that doubled the margin at 4-0. Maag struck out three in his three innings of work before Bukowski added two strikeouts in his four frames of relief.

Napoleon;020;022;1;-;7;7;0

Kokomo;000;000;0;-;0;0;2

Records: Napoleon 17-5, Kokomo 11-6-1.

Winning pitcher: Cory Herman (7 innings, 0 runs, 0 hits, 4 strikeouts, 2 walks).

Losing pitcher: Charlie Mavrick (4 innings, 3 runs, 4 hits, 0 strikeouts, 4 walks). Other: Owen Cotner-Graves.

Leading hitters: (Napoleon) – Tripp Langenderfer 2 singles; Parker Hancock 2 singles, 2 runs; Kaden Kreinbrink home run, 2 runs, 2 RBIs; Cade Carlin 2 RBIs. (Kokomo) – zero hits.

Muncie;000;000;0;-;0;4;0

Napoleon;400;000;x;-;4;4;0

Records: Napoleon 18-5, Muncie 13-5.

Winning pitcher: Ryne Maag (3 innings, 0 runs, 2 hits, 3 strikeouts, 1 walk). Other: Cam Bukowski.

Losing pitcher: Mac Anderson (6 innings, 4 runs, 3 earned, 4 hits, 2 strikeouts, 1 walk).

Leading hitters: (Muncie) – 4 singles. (Napoleon) – Tripp Langenderfer 2 singles; Logan Stein 2 RBIs.