Bayne Blast Lifts Juniors Over Regulators, 9-5

The Security First Regulators came down from Sheridan County on Tuesday, May 30, for a pair of games against the Post 17 teams here in Sidney. The juniors were able to get their game in, but the seniors had play stopped in the first inning when thunderstorms rolled in with lightning strikes hitting all around the area. The game was unable to be resumed as the stormy weather remained for a few hours after the start of the senior game.

The junior game pitted Sidney's starting pitcher Anderson Smelley against Johnny Ziller and a Regulator team looking for their first win. The visitors got off to a good start, plating a run in the first inning on an RBI double. Sidney went down in order in the bottom of the first inning to keep the Regulators in front, 1-to-0. After Smelley struck out the side in the top of the second inning, the Sidney bats went to work in the bottom of the inning, and the Post 17 juniors scored two runs - one on a triple by Zech Roggasch followed by an RBI single by Conner Schumacher.

After Smelley hit the first batter and walked the second batter of the third inning on four pitches, Conner Schumacher replaced Anderson Smelley on the mound. Schumacher walked his first batter to load the bases, then issued another walk to bring in a run. Schumacher then gave up a single to bring in another run, then struck out the next two batters. A wild pitch brought in another run prior to Schumacher striking out the next batter for the third out. The Regulators held a 5-to-2 lead.

In the bottom of the frame, the game turned. Sidney's batters showed a lot of patience, with Connor Hurt working a walk to lead off, then quickly stealing second and third base with Landon Riddle at the plate. The Sidney team had no problem stealing bases at will against the Regulators' catcher. On Hurt's steal of third, the catcher's throw to third went high, and Hurt was able to score to narrow the lead to 5-to-3. Riddle then worked a walk, and Kyle Jagger also worked a walk to put two on with Rhyder Bayne at the plate. On a 1-and-0 pitch, Bayne connected and jacked a mammoth home run, clearing the left field fence by at least twenty feet and also clearing the bases. The three runs batted in gave Sidney a 6-to-5 lead, which they would not surrender. Patrick McCartney then came in to pitch the rest of the way for the Post 17 team, and the juniors took advantage of errors and passed balls to tack on two more runs in the fourth and one more in the fifth to finish the game with a 9-to-5 victory.

Patrick McCartney was the winning pitcher for Sidney, going three innings and striking out six while giving up three hits, two walks and no runs. Sidney only had three hits, but took advantage of the Regulators' five errors. Sidney waltzed through the base paths collecting 12 stolen bases. Bayne homered and had three RBI's, while Zech Roggasch had a hit and an RBI and Conner Schumacher also had a hit and an RBI. Johnny Ziller went the entire way on the mound for the Regulators, giving up nine runs and striking out two and walking seven.

The seniors next took the field, and the Regulators started fast, scoring three runs in the first inning off of starting pitcher Ben Hashman. Prior to the start of the bottom half of the first inning, the game was delayed by lightning strikes in the area. The lightning and stormy skies continued long enough to delay the game until a later date to be determined.

The Post 17 boys have had many of their games over the week cancelled due to weather and field conditions. Hopefully, we will get rescheduled dates soon, and will publish the information when it becomes available.