For the second consecutive Sunday, the Mechanicsville American Legion Post 175 baseball team found themselves in too deep to climb out despite a valiant comeback effort. Trailing 8-0 after four innings, Post 175 finally found their offensive stroke but could not take the lead, falling to Midlothian 10-9.

  “Evidently we don’t like Sunday,” said 175 head coach Eddie Gates. “We dug ourselves a hole (but) we battled back.”

  The only thing that was perhaps harder on the Post 175 team than their second loss of the season was the playing surface at Rockwood Park.

  When the team arrived in Midlothian they were warned about the conditions of the field by Post 186 players and coaches that not only was the field hard and dusty but it was also dotted with rocks which created irregular hops. Soon afterward their point was proven when 186 starting first baseman James Wilkerson bent over to scoop up a warm-up grounder directly in front of the 175 dugout. The ball bounced off the ground and directly into his nose. The bloodied Wilkerson left the game before it ever began. “That was just a routine infield ground ball and it took a bad hop,” Gates said.

  “The field is tough,” Gates said. “I guess that’s why they call it Rockwood, there’s so many rocks on it I guess, but both teams play on it and both teams made some errors…it will make you a little hesitant to go after the ball.”

  The Midlothian players seem no happier with the conditions of the field. As 175 third baseman Laine Denton cleared the field of rocks around his base a call came out from the 186 dugout. “At least you only have to play here once.”

  Yet, Gates pointed out that it was his team’s play rather than field conditions that brought on the loss. “Just some certain situations and we didn’t make the play,” he said.

  And when it came to play, Mechanicsville started off just as rocky as the field. It appeared that 175 might take advantage of an off first inning from 186 pitcher Jim Cain when they had Jordan Walton ( 2-for-4, 2 walks, 2 runs) and Chase Worthington (db, 3 RBI) at the corners with two out. But Walton took too long of a lead on third and was picked off ending 175’s only serious chance to score in the first four innings.

  In the bottom of the first, 186 lead-off batter Cody Powell took a Taylor Marshall pitch and sent it to deep center for a single. Powell advanced to third on a pitch in the dirt then a groundout to short by Cory Tuzzo (3-for-5, RBI, db, 2 runs) drove him home.

  A Marshall walk of Kevin Sias was followed by Mike McCollum (3-for-5 2 runs, db) drilling a liner to first that Walton could only bat to the ground. When Zach Burkholder singled to center Midlothian had bases loaded with one out.

  Marshall then got in a 3-0 hole against Josh Reavis but bounced back to strike him out.

  Next up, Brendan Jones (4-for-5, 2 RBI), who replaced the injured Wilkerson, drilled a shot to third but the ball took a bad hop and eluded Denton’s glove allowing Sias to score for a 2-0 lead.

  Post 186 added to their lead in the bottom of the second when a single to right from Sias drove in Tuzzo for a 3-0 lead.

  Both teams failed to score in the third and 175 did the same in the top of the fourth. Then in the bottom of the inning Midlothian broke things open. A Marshall walk of McCollum loaded the bases with one out and a double to center by Burkholder drove home Tuzzo and Sias.

  Trailing 5-0, Gates brought Brandon Powers to the mound but Reavis sent the reliever’s first pitch to right for a double that plated McCollum and Burkholder for a 7-0 lead. Next up, a single to center by Jones drove Reavis in for an 8-0 deficit.

  One bright spot in the 175 offense came from unexpected placement of Mitch Keeler as the designated hitter. “I just had feeling and he came though,” Gates said. “He did well, he hit the ball well.”

  “He did it and I happened to perform,” Keeler said after starting the Mechanicsville rally in the top of the fifth.

  Keeler (3-for-5, RBI, db, run) led things off with a single up the middle, and with one out Denton singled over short. A walk of Walton then loaded the bases. Next up Worthington sent a shot to third for what looked to be an easy out but Jones could not get hold of the ball on the hard surface allowing Worthington to reach and Keeler to score.

  A Hank Parsley sacrifice to left drove in Denton (3-for-4, 2 walks, 2 runs, 2 RBI) and a single to right from Will Connerley sent Walton home to trim the lead to 8-3.

  In the bottom of the inning Powell found his marks shutting down the Midlo offense.

  With 175 finding its offensive spark, 186 coach Mark Mitchell brought Matt D’alessio to the mound in the top of the sixth but the Mechanicsville batters did not make his stay long.

  With one out, Brian Johansen singled to left, Denton singled to third and Walton was again walked to load the bases. Worthington then sent a double shot over the right fielder’s head to drive in Johansen and Denton. As a result D’alessio was replaced with Tyler Muench. But Parsley sent a sacrifice shot to center, plating Walton to bring 175 within two, 8-6.

  In the top of the seventh a double to right by Keys was followed by a double to left from Keeler, driving in Keys to pull Mechanicville within one, 8-7 and brining 186’s fourth pitcher of the game, Powell, to the mound.

  In the bottom of the seventh, 186 widened the margin once again when Powell sent a shot through the gap at short to plate Adam Tobey. Then in the eighth they added one more for a 10-7 lead.

  In the ninth, Mechanicsville’s last gasp came just short. With one out Bobo Pack singled to right then Keys bounced a shot over short for a single. Though Keeler next grounded out to short, Pack and Keys advanced bases and a walk of Johansen loaded the bags. A hopper from Denton eluded the shortstop allowing Pack and Keys to score to pull 175 back within one, 10-9. But Walton’s hard shot to short ended the game.

  Post 175 now heads into the grinder part of their schedule, playing 10 games in 14 days.

  “That’s going to make it tough on the pitching, see what we have,” Gates said. “Might do a little team pitching on a few games, let some people go the distance on some of them. Have to see how it works out.”

  Keeler said the team’s objectives are simple. “(We) just need to come out ready to play and make the plays.”