The 2024 American Legion World Series Festival in Downtown Shelby
Hundreds attended the American Legion World Series Festival held in downtown Shelby on Saturday
A strong start on the mound and a chance to tie the defending champion in the final frame – Hudson Post 100 has made great progress in 24 hours.
A day after losing 10-1 to Troy, Alabama – the 2022 champion – Post 100 fell behind again early Friday afternoon. But when Teddy McFarland calmed down, Hudson tied the game three times before falling 4-2 to League City, Texas, on day two of the American Legion World Series in Shelby, NC.
Post 100 had a man on base in each of its final three innings but fell to 0-2 in the tournament. League City became the first team from Texas to win an ALWS title a year ago.
“We played against a very good baseball team,” Post 100 manager Ryan Bowen said by cellphone after the game. “They’re the defending champions, so our mindset before the game was to just try to hang in there, give ourselves a chance and see if we can win. And they did that.”
McFarland pitched five innings and allowed four runs while striking out two batters. League City led 4-0 through four innings before Hudson got within two runs when Ryan Dillon (2-for-3) singled Peter Ward after Dan Demirjian scored on an error in the game.
However, the result remained the same for the rest of the game.
“We just didn’t get enough traffic on the bases against these guys,” Bowen said.
After trailing by nine runs the previous day, Hudson played a much cleaner game.
“I don’t think 10-1 was really representative of our performance,” Bowen said of Thursday’s game. “I think we definitely performed better as a team today. It would have been nice to win, but playing against such a close team here is something they shouldn’t be down about.”
Post 100 plays Fargo, North Dakota, at noon on Saturday. Connor Madden (4-0, 2.21 ERA) will start on the mound as Post 100 looks to earn the program’s first World Series win.
“We’re trying to win down here. Technically, we’re still in the race if some crazy things happen today and tomorrow,” Bowen said. “Connor will give us a chance; that’s what he’s done all season.”
“Getting here is an incredible achievement in itself – winning a game is now the icing on the cake.”
Friday’s match reports:
End of 7th (Texas wins 4-2)
Ryan Dillon (2-for-3) of the Post 100 hit a single with two outs to give No. 9 batter Anthony Moura the tying run, and he ended the game with a groundout.
Hudson will face North Dakota on Saturday at noon in what will likely be the final game of the American Legion World Series.
End of 6th (Texas leads 4-2)
Hudson’s Bobby Long hit a sharp single to left to start the inning, but he was left helpless.
Ryan Graf came out of the bullpen for Post 100 in the second half. Post 554’s Alex Kudler hit a two-out single to center field for his third hit of the day. Alex Huang followed with another bloop single just over the heads of Hudson’s infielders. Graff threw a curveball for a strikeout and ended the inning unscathed.
End of 5th (Texas leads 4-2)
Braden Castle came out of the bullpen to pitch for Texas. Post-100 designated hitter Dan Demirjian continued his hot start with a leadoff stand-up double. He was the first runner in scoring position for Hudson. Peter Ward then worked a walk to give Hudson some base traffic with one out. Ryan Dillon then followed with an RBI single. An error brought home another run and moved Dillon to second base.
“It’s just a little bit different”: Marlborough’s Dillon wears Hudson jersey for summer baseball
Reese Brewer of Post 554 responded by hitting a home run to left field to increase Texas’ lead to 4-2. Brice Smith hit a single after two fly outs.
End of 4th (Texas leads 3-0)
Texas pitcher Tyler Ryden recorded two more strikeouts in the first half, giving him six. He made post 100 with a 1-2-3 record.
Scott Martinex hit a double into the gap between right and center with two outs. Hudson center fielder Marshall Kelhem caught the fly ball at first, but collided with the right fielder from post 100 and dropped him short to keep the inning alive. Matthew Novominsky then worked a walk to put two runners on the field. A wild pitch put the runners on second and third base. Austin Rawls brought them both home to make it 3-0. Alex Kudler followed with a looping single to center.
End of 3rd (Texas leads 1-0)
Marshall Kehlhem walked Post 100 with two outs. He was then thrown out while attempting to steal second base, ending the inning.
No. 9 hitter Alex Kudler opened the bottom half with a single to the left side of the infield. With two outs, the pickoff throw sailed off the Hudson first baseman’s glove into a deep corner, and Kudler ran to third base, where he stopped.
End of 2. (Texas leads 1-0)
Hudson’s Peter Ward hit a two-out single. Texas pitcher Tyler Ryden struck out another batter, bringing his total to four after two innings.
Texas’ Scott Martinez worked a two-out walk, then stole second base to get into good position. He hit a fly ball to center field that put Martinez in position to give Post 554 a 1-0 lead.
End 1. (0:0 draw)
Hudson went 1-2-3 in the top half when Texas starter Tyler Ryden struck out the team.
Post-100 pitcher Teddy McFarland responded with his own 1-2-3 inning in the bottom half, needing just six pitches to get through the inning.
Lineups
Hudson-Post 100
- 11 Marshall Kehlhem, CF
- 5 Bobby Long, 3B
- 28 Chase Barrett, 1B
- 15 Chase Donahue, SS
- 17 Dan Demirjian, DH
- 18 Peter Ward, RF
- 14 Matthew Gogan, LF
- 4 Ryan Dillon, C
- 2 Anthony Moura, 2B
- 9 Teddy McFarland, P
League City Post 554
- 16 Thomas Huang, SS
- 19 Reese Brewer, RF
- 12 Jackson Higgins, 3B
- 8 Asa Sampson, DH
- 2 Brice Smith, 1B
- 3 Scott Martinez, LF
- 18 Matthew Novominsky, CF
- 20 Austin Rawls, C
- 1 Alex Kudler, 2B
- 7 Tyler Ryden, P
Launcher
Post 100 turns to Teddy McFarland, a pitcher from Central Maine who played at Hudson High School. He was 1-0 in the Northeast Regional and posted a 3.00 end-run average, recording three strikeouts and zero walks.
He faces Texas Post 554’s Tyler Ryden, who was 2-0 in the West Regional with a 25-2 strikeout-to-walk ratio. His WHIP (walks plus hits divided by innings pitched) was 0.42. He allowed just three hits and one unearned run in 12 innings and was named regional MVP.
How they got here
Post 100 won its first Northeast Regional title, defeating Cumberland, RI, 15-9 in the championship game. Hudson trailed 9-8 in the sixth inning, but responded with seven runs in the second half to win the game.
The team’s first four wins were by one point. Post 100 trailed in all five regional games. Chase Donahue was named tournament MVP.
They will be there: Hudson Post 100 parents develop plan to participate in Legion World Series in North Carolina
Hudson lost its opening game 10-1 against Alabama.
League City Post 554 is the defending champion. Last year, the team won the state of Texas’ first American Legion World Series title, defeating Nebraska 1-0. Post 554 is the Western Region champion. Nine of its current players helped win the trophy last season.
Texas defeated Fargo Post 2 7-3 in the first game of the tournament.
How to watch
The game will be broadcast on ESPN 3, which is available on the Watch tab on ESPN.com. It can also be accessed on the ESPN app and Hulu.
