Warrenton Post 122 Senior Legion Coach Chad Berrey remembers how dominant Washington has been over the past half decade.He has been a part of the struggling effort to defeat Post 218, recently as a player and now as the man calling the shots.It’s why Berrey was ecstatic when his team managed to hold a 4-0 lead over one of the state’s best programs heading into the sixth inning.Unfortunately, Post 122’s starting pitcher was on his final wave, and he seemed to be only barrier holding back Washington from a game-changing breakthrough.Jakob Junker held the visitors scoreless through five innings, giving up just one walk and three hits, including a double.“Junker threw six innings of amazing pitching,” said Berrey. “Then he started getting tired and said his legs were leaving him.”Warrenton, whose hitting has been sporadic the entire season, needed a stellar performance by its reliever and closers to secure the victory.But it proved to be an insurmountable task.Post 122 had built a 4-0 advantage in the third inning, with Trevor Bradshaw and Junker collecting hits to score and Kenny Dildine and Jacob Abel also accounting for runs.Arik Rader entered in relief and watched five Post 218 players cross the plate in the moments that followed. Washington cranked out two doubles and used a pair of walks to get on the board.“Rader was confident going in, but he struggled,” said Berrey. “He had a little lapse, and we stopped throwing strikes.”Warrenton would utilize two more pitchers before the game concluded after eight innings, unable to slow down Washington from moving the base paths.“I planned on pitching by committee,” said Berrey. “But it didn’t work out after Junker exited.”None of the final three pitchers could find the strike zone on a consistent basis.“If you walk Washington, they’re going to stomp all over you,” acknowledged Berrey. “They’re probably the best team we’ll play.”Garrett Capstick pitched an inning for Post 122, while Paul Inman closed.“We were hoping Paul could just come out and shut them down, but he didn’t have his control he usually has,” said Berrey. “Then they were able to take off and 10-run us.”Corey Eckenfels added two doubles for Warrenton.“If you give Washington anything, they’re going to take it all,” said Berrey. “They’re not going to stop until they 10-run you.”

The Warrenton Post 122 Senior Legion baseball team remains winless after falling 14-4 to Washington on Tuesday.

Derrick Forsythe Photo.