MARINETTE – If there was any rust on the bats or gloves of the Marinette Post 39 Legion baseball team, it was difficult to find Sunday afternoon at Pedersen Ball Park.
Backed by a veteran core, strong pitching and a handful of momentum-changing defensive plays, Post 39 opened its summer season with a doubleheader sweep of Wausau, winning 6-0 and 16-0.
“I was expecting a little bit of rust, first two games of the year. Some guys haven’t played ball since last summer,” head coach Brian Lesandrini said. “But they put the time in. I was surprised we hit the ball really well today and our defense played tremendous.”
Cooper Smith set the tone in the opener, tossing a complete-game shutout while receiving support from a defense that repeatedly shut down scoring opportunities before they could develop.
One of the biggest moments came in the fifth inning with Wausau threatening and a runner in scoring position. First baseman Maveric Williamson snagged a hard-hit line drive and immediately pivoted to tag the runner who had strayed off first base to turn an inning-ending double play that brought the home crowd to its feet and preserved Smith’s shutout.
Lesandrini said those kinds of plays were a product of the experience throughout the roster.
“We do have nine seniors, four graduated last year and five this year, so we’re a very veteran group,” he said. “They’re very heads up. They’ve been playing baseball a long time. Three double plays really got us out of some jams. That was huge.”
Post 39 gradually pulled away offensively.
Jake Farley ripped a double to the fence in the fifth inning before Ethan Doubek followed with a two-run double that stretched the lead to 5-0. Marinette added another run in the sixth and Smith closed the door in the seventh to secure the opening-game victory.
The offense found another gear in the nightcap.
Jackson Schramm got the start and worked around early trouble in the first inning. After a leadoff walk and a hit batter put two runners aboard, Schramm responded with back-to-back strikeouts to escape the inning unscathed.
Marinette scored twice in the bottom half and never looked back.
The lead grew to 6-0 before Post 39 broke the game open in the third inning. After several runners reached base, Teagan Anderson stepped to the plate and unloaded on a grand slam that turned a comfortable lead into a rout.
Schramm was dominant throughout, allowing just one hit while benefiting from more solid defense behind him.
“Our pitchers threw strikes and we came up with two wins. It’s a good start to the season,” Lesandrini said.
Smith, who starred on the mound in game one and contributed offensively in game two, said the performance reflected both the team’s chemistry and preparation.
“We thought there’d be some rust with the bats, but the bats were hot today,” Smith said. “The defense made no errors and that’s what we need. We’re having fun playing the game we love so much.
“The team chemistry is through the roof. Hopefully we win a lot more games after this and build off what happened today.”
While Post 39’s veteran leadership was evident throughout the afternoon, Marinette also received contributions from younger players, giving the roster a blend of experience and emerging talent as the summer season gets underway.
The combination proved more than enough on opening day as Post 39 outscored Wausau 22-0 to begin the season 2-0.
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