WIlliamsburg Post 39 clinch undefeated regular season

By John Harvey

HarveySports757@yahoo.com

              

GLOUCESTER – Williamsburg Post 39 baseball team earned two victories Thursday night to clinch an undefeated regular season.

The Wildflowers scored five runs in the fourth inning and held on for a 6-3 road victory at Gloucester Post 75. Hampton Post 31 forfeited its regular season finale against Williamsburg to give Post 39 the regular season title.

“This is just an all-around great group of guys,” said Liam Lowery. The Jamestown High product had three hits and drove in two runs in his final game for the Wildflowers. He is scheduled to report to the Naval Academy Preparatory School on Sunday and will miss next week’s District 3 tournament.

Solomon McCray had two hits and scored two runs. Mikey Anerton added two hits with an RBI and a run scored. Austin Carter finished with two hits and a run scored.

Williamsburg Post 39 scored five times in the top of the fourth for the first runs of the game. Tyler Klinedinst led the charge with an RBI-triple. Lowery and Anerton followed with run-scoring singles.

Sean Hughes and Kent Klyman held Gloucester without a hit heading into the fifth inning. The Dukes scored an earned run in the bottom of the fourth inning. They followed that up with single runs in each of the next two innings to close the gap to 5-3 through seven innings.

Williamsburg added a much-needed insurance run in the Top of the 7^th.  McCray doubled to left field to lead off the inning. Lowery laced a single to center to give Post 39 a 6-3 lead.

Matt Smith pitched two scoreless innings of relief to secure his second save of the summer. The William and Mary product struck out five batters and allowed just one hit.

“It’s a big feat, (finishing undefeated), but we see it as just another goal we had coming into the year,” Smith said.  “It was nice to reach that goal, but we have bigger ones to reach.”

Michael Brumfield, who allowed one earned run on four hits in three innings, thinks Thursday’s game will serve as motivation heading into Monday night’s District 3 tournament showdown with Middlesex Post 241.

“That wasn’t the true Post 39,” he said. “We were a little rusty from not playing in a couple of weeks, but we stuck with it and got it done. We need to keep moving forward, just like we have been all season.”

Smith agrees. “I think we’ll be ready for the tournament when it comes around,” he said. “This team works hard and we’re ready to prove we’re a good squad.

           

Contact me at HarveySports757@yahoo.com or via Twitter @HarveySports757.