Funkstown falls in Legion doubleheader

July 09, 2007|By JACK HILL III / Staff Correspondent

FUNKSTOWN - The weather was sunny, but the fortunes were dark for the Funkstown Post 211 American Legion baseball team Sunday afternoon.

Mount Airy Gold Star Post 191 swept Funkstown in a Western Maryland District doubleheader 9-6 and 16-6.

Mount Airy (7-3 district, 27-11 overall) is in first place and one game ahead of Frederick in the district standings. Funkstown (1-7 district, 3-15 overall) is five games back.

"In the first game, I thought we played pretty well," Funkstown manager Brian Smith said. "We battled back and took the lead. At the end of the game, we failed to execute. They executed and they took the lead."

Mount Airy scored three runs in the top of the seventh to break a 6-6 tie in the first game.

Larson Kimble walked, Andrew Bizjak reached on a bunt single and both runners advanced one base on a wild pitch. Matt Greene knocked in Kimble with a sacrifice fly to center, while Bizjak took third. Bizjak then came home on a squeeze bunt by Jack Lambert.

Doug Anuszewski singled to right, Patrick Quinn was hit by a pitch and Chris Chastain singled to center to load the bases. Garrett Price was then hit by a pitch to force home Anuszewski with the final run.

Greene hit a two-run homer during a four-run fifth inning and finished with three hits, three RBIs and two runs scored. Chastain had four hits, while Bizjak had two RBIs and two runs scored.

Chad Bikle had two hits, including a home run, and three RBIs for Funkstown. Brock Jamison added two hits and two RBIs, while Matt Byers also had two hits.

In the second game, Mount Airy had an eight-run third inning and a seven-run fifth inning for 15 of its 16 runs.

Brian Paulhus had four RBIs and Greene had two for Mount Airy.

Byers hit a two-run homer in the fourth and finished with three RBIs for Funkstown.

"We hit the ball better in the second game," Smith said. "We didn't make the plays that we had to make against them in the third inning. We gave up five walks in a row in the fifth inning. We had trouble throwing strikes."

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