VIRGINIA — For Rock Ridge VFW 2, it feels as though things are clicking into place at the right time.
On Tuesday, Post 1172 got a strong pitching performance from Arlo Johnson, then backed him up defensively and did all the right things offensively. When all three phases were put together, Rock Ridge ended up on the right side of a 4-2 victory over visiting Grand Rapids.
“Arlo pitched a heck of a game today,” Rock Ridge head coach Paul Coombe said after the win. “He’s been solid for us all year and on the field, we were pretty good. We didn’t make al ot of mistakes. We had good at bats. We got some timely hits, some two-out hitting, which is what you need if you want to compete.
“I think this team is really good at picking each other up. When you make a couple mistakes, no one blames anybody. It’s always positive. Talk about getting the bats going, getting out of the inning. The kids are really positive right now and I think that’s done a lot for us.”
Johnson made quick work of the Thunderhawks in the top of the first inning, starting with a pair of strikeouts while centerfielder Brayden Westberg made a diving catch to save an early hit.
In the bottom of the first, Post 1172 got to work with two outs, starting with Joey Lamppa and Johnson earning back-to-back walks. Those free bases did Grand Rapids no favors as Westberg backed up his big defensive play with one on offense, singling to left to score in the first run of the game.
Post 1720 came up to bat in the top of the second and answered back. Tommy Crossley etched a base hit to start the inning and then moved to second on a fielder’s choice. A triple to right from Tyler Heers scored the tying run.
But the Wolverines didn’t miss a beat in the bottom of the second. Tucker Neumann rocked a double to right field with one out and with two outs, a triple to center from Croy Colbert put the home team back in front.
Grand Rapids answered once more in the top of the third, taking advantage of some miscues from Post 1172 to tie the game again, but that was the last run the visiting team could find all game.
Johnson continued to work on the mound and pitched a strong fourth to bring his team back to the plate. In the bottom half of the inning, Andrew Olson doubled to right to start things off and then took third on a fielder’s choice. Some quick baserunning from Rock Ridge and an error from the Grand Rapids infield let Nathan Norri reach with two outs, allowing Olson to score the go-ahead run.
Post 1172 put the final run on the board in the bottom of the fifth. The Wolverines, again with two outs, found a way to keep the inning going. Johnson reached on a walk and Westberg moved him over with a single. Wyatt Miller was hit by a pitch to load the bases.
All it took from there was a well hit ball to shallow right field from Olson to drive in run No. 4.
Rock Ridge backed up the run in the fifth with a strong defensive effort in the sixth and Johnson managed to go deep into the game, tossing the seventh to secure the win for Post 1172.
On a five-game winning streak, Coombe said things are clicking for his team at the right time. Coaching this same group through the last two seasons, the coach said the upward trajectory has made itself apparent amongst the players.
“It’s vastly improved from last year. Last year, we stole a bunch of games through playing hard and playing smart and I think the kids liked that but now, the things they do are almost like expectations for themselves. They know they have to show up every game and work their butts off. We can be smart at the plate, go down in the count and be disciplined enough to get a walk out of it. A lot of the things they do well are things they’ve worked on for a couple years now and they’ve come a long way because of it.”
Getting the win on the mound, Johnson surrendered just the two runs (one earned) on four hits while striking out eight. Coombe said it was an easy decision to let him throw the entire game.
“The leash gets shorter as the game goes on but he said his arm was feeling good. He didn’t have too many pitches and he was being efficient on the mound. He wasn’t out in the sun too long so we just let him go. If we get in trouble we can make a change but we didn’t need to today. He did a good job.”
Rock Ridge VFW 2 will play a few more games as part of the American Legion Post 239 team, but their VFW regular season is complete with the district tournament set to begin on July 17. Coombe says the team should have some confidence in themselves as they prepare for the postseason.
“I’m feeling good. The kids have been playing really well. I think everyone is hitting. We’ve got quite a few kids that can pitch and that’s a big thing in the tournaments. You need pitching to make it through. So far, the kids are pitching well. I think now we just need to rest up, work a little bit more and we should be in good shape with the playoffs coming up.”