Legion Team Remains Winless

WARWICK – According to South Kingstown Post 39 Legion baseball head coach Mark Hutchins, it is a transition year for his team.

“It’s a young team, and they’re still feeling their oats,” he said. “I’m trying to get them to develop that killer instinct … I want them to fight until the end. I think right now, they’re more afraid of making a mistake.”

The inexperience has shown up on the scoreboard, as Post 39 is 0-10 to start the Legion season. However, Hutchins stresses that his team has been in all but two of their games.

The pattern repeated itself on Tuesday afternoon, as Post 39 fell 6-3 against New England Frozen Lemonade Shields Post 43 at Warwick Veterans High School.

After the first inning, Post 39 outscored Post 43 by a 3-2 margin. Unfortunately, they gave up four runs in the bottom of the first inning, which was a lead they couldn’t surmount the rest of the game.

Tom Kazounis, a South Kingstown freshman, settled down after the first. Post 43 batted around, and scored the four runs on five hits and two walks.

“I felt like he didn’t warm up enough,” Hutchins said, noting that because he was short an assistant coach on Tuesday, he wasn’t able to monitor Kazounis warming up.

However, Kazounis followed up the first with three scoreless innings, and Post 43 only nibbled at him in the last two innings for two scratch runs. He finished with a gritty complete game.

“He’s been gutsy for a freshman,” Hutchins said.

Hutchins said Post 39 has a lot of talent, but unfortunately for the present, a lot of it is raw, young talent. The standouts Tuesday were South Kingstown sophomore and catcher Nathan Vandemoer, and South Kingstown sophomore and first baseman Connor Barrett.

Both reached base three times. Barrett had a RBI, and Vandemoer had a run scored. South Kingstown’s Sean Healy also reached base twice, stroking a long double to the wall in the seventh. However, he was stranded at second.

The team has one player from Narragansett High School, sophomore Jimmy Kershaw. Although he had a pinch-hit groundout to end the game, Hutchins said he liked what he had seen so far from him this season.

“He plays all over,” Hutchins said. “He’s been a good addition. He’s a little raw, but I like him a lot.”

Weather permitting, Post 39 is scheduled to host Upper Deck Post 86 at 7:30 p.m. tonight at Old Mountain Field in Wakefield. For a full schedule of games, click here.

Post 39’s playable roster on Tuesday night:

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