Plover Drops Game Against Elgin
The Plover Black Sox had their title hopes in the American Legion Great Lakes Regional take a hit with an 11 inning 2-1 loss to Elgin, Illinois in their tournament opener.
The game, which was slated to start at 4:00, was delayed several hours by rain but finally got started around 7:30 PM. The Black Sox sent their ace southpaw Cal Giese out to the mound, and he did everything in his power to give his team the win.
Offense was scarce in the contest, thanks in large part to a pitching duel between Giese and his counterpart Ryan Weiss. Despite going 11 innings, the game only saw nine hits between the two teams in total.
Elgin got on the board in the 4th inning after Dane Toppel led off the inning with a triple and Nick Menken grounded out for an RBI.
Giese helped out his own cause in the 7th inning with a solo home run to tie the game at one run apiece.
Plover had a chance to win the game in walk-off fashion in the 9th inning. They got men on first and third with two outs, but the runner on third was picked off on a snap throw from the Elgin catcher to end the threat.
Some tough luck struck the Black Sox in the 11th inning, and it ultimately cost them the game. Menken drew a walk and Kyle Hays reached on an error to put runners on first and third with two outs. Antonio Danesi walked in the following at bat to load the bases. Finally, Brayden Royse drew a walk to plate an unearned run and give Elgin a 2-1 lead.
Plover got the tying run on base in the bottom of the 11th with two outs, but failed to capitalize and took the loss as a result.
Giese did everything for Plover both on the mound and at the plate. He pitched 10.2 innings and allowed just four hits and one earned run while striking out 13. At the plate, he had the lone RBI for the Black Sox with a 1-for-3 performance.
Plover now has a mountain to climb if they are to contend for an American Legion World Series berth. Every game they play in from this point on will be an elimination game, and with one more loss they will be knocked out of the tournament. Their next game will be against Paducah, Kentucky tomorrow, although the game time is yet to be determined. The fourth game of the opening day was postponed due to delays during games one through three.
