The BJCL’s postseason semifinals are set.
The Milgram Mustangs eliminated Regal Plastic in the opening round of the American Division playoffs and now will face the Ban Johnson Legends (21-5), who boasted the best record during the regular season and earned a bye.
Meanwhile, the BJ Raiders eliminated Building Champions in the first round of the National Division playoffs and advance to meet the top-seeded Creche Innovations Stars (19-8).
Both best-of-three semifinals series begin Monday, July 15, at Creekside Baseball Park.
The Legends won two of three games against the Mustangs during the regular season.
The Stars won two of three games against the Raiders during the regular season, but the season series was deadlocked 11-11 in terms of runs scored against each other.
The winners of the semifinals will meet in the BJCL Championship Series, which is scheduled to begin Saturday, July 20.
Mustangs eliminate Regal, advance to battle Legends
Trailing 3-1 and down to their final out Thursday in the opening game of a first-round series against Regal Plastic, the Milgram Mustangs mounted a game-winning rally and went on to sweep their way into a showdown this week with the Legends.
Regal ace RHP Jake Canent (Blue Valley North/Rockhurst) and Mustangs RHP Weston Fries (Salina [Kansas] South/KCKCC), who allowed only two hits in six innings, waged a tense pitcher’s duel that was deadlocked at 1-1 through five innings before Regal nudged in front with single runs in the sixth and seventh innings.
Canent, who struck out 10, needed only two pitches to record two outs in the bottom of the seventh before C Jack Kesler (Lee’s Summit North/UCM commit) sparked a rally with a walk.
SS Chris Mancinas (Bishop Ward/JCCC) followed with a single and both runners scored on 3B Peyton Lewis’ (Blue Springs/Bluefield [West Virginia] State) game-tying, two-run triple.
Lewis then scored on a wild pitch for a walkoff, 4-3 comeback win.
More drama awaited in the second game Friday as Regal 3B Jeremy Rader’s (Springfield Catholic/Southeastern Louisiana) seventh-inning sacrifice fly forced extra innings.
The Mustangs pushed two runs across in the eighth inning and RHP Nick Hooper (Grain Valley/East Central CC/Missouri S&T commit) slammed the door shut with a perfect bottom of the eighth, which included two strikeouts.
Raiders rally after dropping opener to BC
After dropping its playoff opener Thursday, the BJ Raiders rallied to beat Building Champions in consecutive games and advance to face the Stars for a berth in the BJCL Championship Series.
BC grabbed the early series lead behind a Game 1 gem from LHP Cooper Westra (Rockhurst/JCCC commit), who allowed only one run in scattering five hits and two walks during a 3-1 win.
Westra struck out nine, while 1B Avery Garmon (Grain Valley/Rockhurst) had two hits, including an RBI single, to power BC’s offense.
BC led Game 2 on Friday 4-2 after four innings before the Raiders’ offense awakened with back-to-back six-run innings in a 14-9 victory.
2B Lukas Wilson (Staley/JCCC commit) had a two-run double and C Jackson Helberg (Kearney/Colorado Mesa) added a two-run home run in the fifth as the Raiders slugged their way into the lead.
An inning later with the lead trimmed to one run, the Raiders loaded the bases then drew five bases-loaded walks and had a batter hit by a pitch in pulling away.
The Raiders took the lead in Saturday’s rubber match when 3B Jackson Mervosh (Olathe South/KCKCC), DH Dane Moberly (Liberty/Drury) and SS Jett Buck (Liberty North/Washburn) strung together three consecutive RBI singles in the third inning.
Buck, who had three hits in Game 2, later added an RBI double for insurance behind LHP Evan Hartner (Rockhurst/Mizzou commit), who allowed two runs on five hits and five walks with six strikeouts in 6 1/3 innings in a 5-2 win.
