The Arlington Senior Legion baseball team celebrated a massive comeback victory June 11 at the Washington County Fairgrounds.
Coach TJ Stosich's Post 71 lineup trailed Pender 8-1 going into the bottom of the seventh inning, but won 9-8 in the eighth as Dallin Franzluebbers plated Burke Quinn with a walk-off swing.
“We just played a great team game tonight,” the last batter said.
It didn't start out that way, though. Pender scored five fourth-inning runs and added to its lead with three more during the fifth after Tanner Kyllo plated Arlington's first run down 5-0.
The Eagles chipped away at their deficit in the seventh frame, though. Liam Shearer got it started, reaching base, moving around them and scoring on a throwing error.
The third Arlington run later scored on Wes Monke's bases-loaded walk before Franzluebbers hit into a fielder's choice to make it 8-4.
Luke Sharp added his own RBI next, but Pender picked up its second out still ahead by three runs. Tyler Ott singled, however, to extend the inning before Kyllo hit into an error to pull Post 71 within 8-6.
Shearer reached base a second time during the frame next, setting up Luke Ott with the bases loaded.
“I was just looking for something I could hit and I poked it,” the batter said.
Ott's single into shallow left-centerfield evened the score at 8-all, sending the game into extra innings. Monke was tasked with keeping Pender at eight runs during the top half of the eighth, coming out onto the mound for his fourth inning there after taking over for starting pitcher Jackson Stosich.
“I kind of just said, 'Whatever happens, happens. Just throw it and it'll end up somewhere,'” Monke said before relaying the result. “Ended up where I wanted it to go.”
The pitcher walked one of the opposition's eighth-inning batters, but struck out three others, taking advantage of what appeared to be a wider, extra-innings strike zone dictated by the home plate umpire.
“I was painting (the corners) already and then that just added an extra ball outside,” Monke said.
Franzleubbers was impressed with his teammate's effort to get Post 71 back up to bat.
“He came in and really did a good job,” he said after delivering the game-winning swing.
The win pushed Arlington's Ralph Bishop League season record to 3-2 overall.
“It was good to be on the other side of that,” Luke Ott said, noting how Post 71 had lost its own late lead to Oakland-Craig in a loss June 9.
The Eagles were scheduled to play at Columbus Lakeview on Monday and host South Sioux City today in a game rescheduled from June 6. First pitch at the Washington County Fairgrounds is set for 8 p.m. after the Junior Legion game at 5:30.
POST 71 SENIOR LEGION LINE SCORE
June 11
Arlington 9, Pender 8, 8 inn.
PENDER 0 0 0 5 3 0 0 0 — 8
ARLO (3-2) 0 0 0 1 0 0 7 1 — 9
