By Patrick MacCoonRecord Sports EditorWith a first-round district tournament matchup against perennial powerhouse Washington, there was little room for error for the Warrenton Freshman Legion baseball team.However, five fielding errors and struggles at the plate cost Post 122 in a 10-0 five-inning loss on Thursday night at the St. Peters Rec-Plex.“We kind of just laid an egg,” Warrenton Head Coach Jamey Sherman said. “We didn’t show up like we wanted to, but there’s always growing pains. When you are a young team like this, there’s going to be nights with ups and downs. We just came out flat and couldn’t get going.”Through the first two innings, Post 122 starter Chris Vogt flustered a dangerous Post 218 lineup, which entered averaging 7.6 runs per game.With his breaking ball working to his advantage and a strong fastball, Vogt was able to retire three of the first six batters he faced by strikeout. His first two scoreless frames, in which he only allowed a bloop single to left, gave him 19 strikeouts through his previous nine innings on the mound.“We knew that Chris is one of the top pitchers at the freshman level,” Sherman said. “We thought he could shut them down and having him out there was our best shot to win.”Instead of entering panic mode, Washington regrouped and adjusted to a higher caliber pitcher than they had seen for the majority of the season.Soon after a fielding error opened the bottom of the third, Post 218 strung together four straight hits to force Vogt from the mound in a five-run inning.“Vogt kind of caught us off guard at the plate for a couple of innings,” Washington Head Coach Jordon Bierbaum said. “We haven’t seen someone throw that hard in a long time, so I told them to choke up a little on the bats and get around quicker. What helped us was we started to force them to make plays in the field.”All five errors for Warrenton (6-13) were committed in the third and fourth innings. Miscommunication on bunt coverages and first-and-third situations provided extra runs for Washington (17-2).“Anytime you face Washington is tough,” Sherman said. “They have been a powerhouse in this district for as long as I can remember. They forced us into tough situations and executed on bunts, hit-and-runs and out on the basepaths. It’s hard to play with them when you make errors.”Braden Lawson had the lone hit for Post 122 in four innings against Brandon Repp, who only needed 35 pitches while facing the bare minimum number of hitters.Kory Schniedermeyer and Lawson each singled in the fifth and final frame, but couldn’t plate a run as the Post 218 defense turned a double play to help keep the shutout intact.“We just picked a bad time for us to not have our bats show up,” Sherman said. “We couldn’t quite figure the other pitcher out and had more success against the reliever. Braden had two hits, but the majority of the lineup struggled to get anything going.”Chris Broeder led Washington with a double and a triple and drove in two runs.Vogt was handed the loss, allowing three earned runs and four hits in 2 1/3 innings.Dylan O’Neal and Camron Swaringen allowed a combined three hits in 1 2/3 innings of relief.

Dylan O'Neal delivers a pitch during a pitch in last Thursday's district tournament. Warrenton lost to Washington and Pacific to end its Freshman Legion season.

Patrick MacCoon photo