Extra Baseball At Legion Championship

Rowan County North Carolina jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the American Legion World Series championship game in Shelby North Carolina last night but this was for all the marbles and Texarkanas Arkansas fought back to tie the game at 4-4.

Arkansas missed a great chance to win it in the top of the eighth with the bases loaded and one out and they attempted a squeeze with the bases loaded.  I have never thought much of a bases loaded squeeze because even if the hitter makes contact with the ball it is still a force play at home.  Arkansas got a poor call in the ninth when the umpire at first call a Hog runner out when on the replay the player sliding into first slid completely across the base before the throw arrived.

You could not ask for a better championship game as Texarkana loaded the bases in the 12th and this time no squeeze.  Baseball is a beautiful game because of the chess match that goes on.  Rowan County chose to bring the infield in with two strikes on a batter with one out. What happened a ground ball which could have be a double play ball shoots by the short stop and Arkansas is on their way with four runs.

The bottom of the 12th Rowan County plated a run and had a runner on first with one out. A slow roller back to the pitcher who turned and his double play throw to second goes through the legs of the shortstop and North Carolina has a shot.  A bases loaded walk makes it 8-6.  Arkansas wins it on a come backer to the pitcher and the pitcher runs halfway first before his underhanded toss to first.  The State of Arkansas wins their first ever American Legion World Series.  Arkansas 8 North Carolina 6

The largest crowd in the history of the Legion World Series over 8500 most pulling for Rowan County.  It is the sixth   time a team from North Carolina has finished second.  Albemarle in 1944, Gastonia 1954, Charlotte 1964 and Cherryville in 1998 and 2003.