Marathon Legion concludes its season
By Casey Krautkramer
Marathon’s American Legion Post 469 baseball team’s season has ended after it was eliminated from the Class A regional on July 26-29 in Stratford. Post 469 concludes its summer season with a 19-7 overall record.
Marathon began the double-elimination Class A regional with a tough 10-2 loss to the Clintonville Diamond Cats on July 26. Post 469 was behind 10-0 going into the bottom of the sixth inning. Blake Underwood had an RBI single and Marathon scored its second run of the inning on Ean Shuda’s fielder’s choice groundout.
Post 469 starting pitcher Blake Underwood reached his 105-pitch limit in the top of the seventh inning. Marathon assistant baseball coach Ron Kunkel, who kept track of the number of pitches thrown, explained that in the spring high school season the limit is 100 pitches thrown by a player who then isn’t allowed to pitch for three days after the game. He said in the summer American Legion season, pitchers are allowed to throw 105 pitches in a game but then they need to rest four days before they are allowed to pitch again. That meant Blake Underwood was finished pitching during the four-day Class A regional.
Evan DeBroux relieved Blake Underwood on the mound in the top of the seventh inning against Clintonville.
Marathon bounced back to blast Tomahawk, 15-5, on July 27 to stay alive in the Class A regional. Post 469 was beating Tomahawk, 8-0, in the third inning when Grant Warren belted a three-run homer to make the score 11-0.
Tyler Underwood pitched a complete game until the top of the fourth inning when a Tomahawk player walked and stole second base. DeBroux relieved him after 3-1/3 innings. Tyler Underwood later on re-entered the game as a pitcher after DeBroux struggled on the mound. Tyler Underwood earned the pitching win.
Grant Warren also had an RBI double to go along with his three-run homer for a total of four RBIs in the victory against Tomahawk. Cooper Hoeksema doubled and Shuda collected a pair of RBIs in the win.
DeBroux and Corey Kunkel each batted three for four while Blake Underwood was two for four against Tomahawk.
Marathon’s season concluded on July 28 after a 3-1 loss to Crandon in Stratford. Grant Warren was the losing pitcher. Blake and Tyler Underwood both batted two for three and Cale Quaintance doubled in the defeat to Crandon.
Marathon Post 469 didn’t end up playing against the Stratford Legion team in the regional. Stratford went undefeated in the regional and beat Clintonville twice to advance to its second straight American Legion Class A state tournament.
SUCCESSFUL SUMMER- The Marathon American Legion Post 469 baseball team finished its summer season with a 19-7 record. Legion players pictured, from left to right, front row are: Ian Cihlar, Kaleb Ohde, Quade Fuhrman, Taylor Underwood, Swayne Stencil, Blake Underwood and Cale Quaintance; middle row: Jorey Kunkel, Ean Shuda, Sam Lepak, Owen Chrouser, Blake McCain, Will Tourtillott and Quillan Kunkel; back row: Evan DeBroux, Coooper Hoeksema, Cody Radtke, Grant Warren, Tyler Underwood, True Thurs and Grant Salber. Not pictured is Charlie Ehlert.
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