After losing its first game, fifth-seed Arlington Post 1995 bounced back strongly to finish second in the District 17 American Legion baseball tournament, including four straight victories in the competition.
Arlington (13-11) finished with a 4-2 record in the eight-team, double-elimination event, losing to second-seed and three-time champion Vienna Post 180 by a 16-5 score July 23 in the championship game at Waters Field in Vienna.
By finishing second, Arlington, third in last year’s tourney, qualified for the state tournament for the fourth straight summer, held in Chesapeake this year.
“This isn’t the way we wanted the tournament to end,” first-year Arlington manager Jason Moccia said. “But we battled back after our first game and hit well the whole tournament against the toughest schedule and we beat higher seeds. But it’s a little bitter sweet right now.”
Arlington’s four tournament victories came against each of the top four seeds.
In the final, Arlington fell behind 2-0 in the first inning, rallied to take a 5-2 lead, then Vienna fought back to take a 6-5 lead in the fifth, then scored 10 runs on six hits in the sixth to take control.
In the loss, Sean Guffey had two hits and two RBI for Arlington, Jake Guffey had two hits and an RBI, and Bradley Labant, Jackson Wiley and Thomas Koomey (RBI) had singles.
Arlington was hurt by four errors, nine walks and two hit batters. Plus, the last 14 Arlington batters were retired in order, including six of the last seven on strikeouts.
In its first game, Arlington led 5-0 but lost to fourth-seed Kingstowne District 17 by a 17-14 score.
The comeback began with a 14-3 win over top-seed Fairfax Post 177, followed by a 13-1 victory over third-seed Falls Church Post 130, a 9-1 triumph over Vienna, then a 9-6 win over Kingstowne in the losers’ final to avenge that first loss.
Arlington’s bats were productive throughout the tourney. The team scored 59 runs in its first five games.
“We can hit one through nine in the order,” Moccia said.
In the losers’-bracket final at Waters July 22, Arlington rallied from a 3-0 deficit to win over Kingstowne. Wiley had two hits, including a three-run triple and also pitched the final two innings, striking out four. Will Thompson got the win in two innings of relief work. He fanned two.
Bradley Labant bunted four times, resulting in two hits, one sacrifice and reached on a throwing error. He also threw out a runner at home from left field. Sean Guffey, Jake Guffey (double) and Koomey had RBI singles, and Bryan Slattery had an RBI and made multiple good plays at shortstop.
The Guffey brothers, Koomey, Slattery, Wiley and Labant, along with George Thompson, Luke Harnishfeger, Sam Abramowicz, John Sharkey and Sam Jackman all had big hits throughout the tournament, many with extra-base hits. Koomey, Slattery and Jack Guffey homered.
Good pitching also was a big key after the first game. James Pilot, Alex Devens, D.J. Reichert, Will Thompson and Kai Trentin also had strong performances on the mound.
Pilot fanned nine in his win against Fairfax. Reichert threw a 98-pitch, two-hit, eight-strikeout complete game to get the win against Falls Church, retiring the final six batters in order. Devens started and went eight innings to get the victory in the 9-1 win over Vienna and Will Thompson closed.
Arlington initially had planned not to play in the state tournament, concerned it could not get enough players for the competition. Then after a meeting among parents of the players following the losers’ bracket win over Kingstowne, the plans changed.
“We have enough,” Moccia said.
All of Arlington’s top pitchers will play in the state tournament. Leadoff batter Wiley will not participate. He will be attending a tryout instead, hoping to make the roster for a Division III college team.
“He has been one of our best players and we will miss Jackson. But that’s very important for him. I told him to go,” Moccia said.
NOTES: Including its 4-2 record in the district tournament, Arlington won eight of its last 10 games entering the state competition. Post 1995 won its final four regular-season contests and just missed earning the top seed in the district tournament . . . After being an Arlington assistant coach for many years under two different managers, Moccia took over the head job this summer, with all of the additional responsibilities. “I learned how all the behind-the-scenes things work now,” he said. “It’s a lot, but this has been a good group to work with.” . . . Arlington last won the district tournament back in 2021, then finished second the next season, following that with a third last summer. The team also finished second in the tournament during the abbreviated 2020 COVID campaign . . . Arlington has had winning season for four straight summers now, giving the squad the second-best number of victories during that time among district participants behind only the Vienna Post 180 team.
