Post 147 wins wild one over Harrisburg

MARION -- Had it been a seven-inning game, a lot of exciting drama never would've happened.
The Marion Post 147 Senior American Legion baseball team took a five-run lead into the eighth inning and went into the ninth trailing by two Monday night against Harrisburg Post 167 at Ray Fosse Park.
But the Marion squad regrouped after giving up that seven-spot and plated three in the bottom of the ninth for a wild 8-7 walkoff victory in a non-district game.
Post 147 improved to 2-1, while Post 167, which includes several Crab Orchard players, dropped to 6-4 after the result.
Marion's Cory Howard pitched his way into the eighth inning and gave up just one hit until the frame, but ran out of gas and was relieved by Brendan Soldner with the bases loaded.
Soldner ran into tough luck and in a blink Harrisburg plated seven runs, with the tying run coming off the bat of Kale Oglesby and the go-ahead runs coming with a hit by Bayden Ditterline, who had walked to start the rally.
But in the bottom of the ninth, Marion's Frankie Horner drew a one-out walk and Tyler Cline doubled before Soldner came up and smacked his fourth hit of the night, a triple to right-center field, to tie the game.
Soldner had already tripled and scored the game's first run on a sac fly by Brandon Lynn and doubled in another run in a four-run rally in the sixth before driving in the two crucial runs in the ninth.
Soldner also scored the winning run when Aaron Maragni hit a chopper to the left side of the infield and the throw home was not in time.
Jake Welch and Ryan Trokey also drove in runs for Post 147.
Post 167 had just three hits in the game but also turned a triple play in the third inning when Trokey bunted in the air and runners were forced out at both first and second base.