“He stayed ahead and forced them to be aggressive at the plate,” said Post 27 head coach Tony Plothow. “He had his curveball and slider working today, and he was around the plate with it so they had to go after it... It was nice to see. It was the Tyler Shook of old.
“They’ve got everything up and down the lineup. They hit really well and looking up there going into that seventh inning and seeing that Tyler only had two hits and giving up two runs, that’s quite an accomplishment. We knew he was on and (Chase) Byerly did a good job the first game so we were happy with our pitching performances to-day.”
“For whatever reason, we struggled at the plate,” said Post 168 head coach Jim Robinson. “We came in hitting the ball really well. I thought this was one of the best hitting teams we’ve had in a number of years, and give their pitchers credit. They shut us down, especially that second game. We couldn’t do anything.”
Shook consistently worked ahead in the count, pounding his fastball in for first pitch strikes throughout the game. The Plymouth starter fanned five and walked five — including two as he wore down with over 100 pitches thrown in the top of the seventh — for the win in 6 2/3 innings in his longest outing yet this summer.
“Usually I try to overthrow,” Shook confessed. “I didn’t throw too hard today. I just sat back, tried to throw strikes instead of throwing too hard or throwing too much breaking pitches. Just trying to throw my fastball for first pitch strikes every time.
“I tried to get ahead of everybody. I did pretty well with that today; I was happy. (Marc) Bowers made a lot of great plays at third base. He played really good. He saved me from a couple hits, plays that normally people wouldn’t make.”
It was Plymouth’s third straight game without 2009 All-Star shortstop Brandon Elliott, but the defense didn’t miss a beat with just one error in the doubleheader.
While Joel Solis put in a solid turn taking over for Elliott at Short, it was Bower — filling in for Solis in his usual position at third — who really shined.
Bower recorded eight total assists and a put-out in the doubleheader, initiating two double plays — one in each game — and making several highlight-reel worthy plays in the process.
He made a perfect throw to first on a 5-3 double play off a hard grounder by TJ Hesimovich in the second inning of the nightcap, gloved a high bounce for the third out in the the fifth, and leathered a rocketing line shot by Hammond slugger Ryan Boss to hold Brett Keeler at third and maintain Plymouth’s 5-1 lead in the sixth.
“We made some great plays behind (Shook). Bowers made a couple big plays,” said Plothow. “That ground ball to third where he jumps and makes that play in that (fifth) inning was huge to keep runners on base.”
Plymouth also got a strong offensive performance throughout the order with 13 hits in the second game, including eight in the fourth and fifth innings as the hosts broke the game open with five runs.
Damon Howe led off the fourth with his second walk of the game, and Jay Badell followed up with a bunt that was mishandled by Hammond pitcher Eric Summers for a single. Designated hitter Brent Easterday lined a 2-2 pitch into left to load the bases, Cody Bucher drove in Howe with another line drive, this time into right, on the next at-bat. Bowers dropped a seeing-eye hit into shallow right to score Badell — although Easterday was thrown out caught between third and home on the play — number nine batter Jake Bloom — who cranked out two doubles Sunday — doubled into center right to score Bucher, and Steve Cornett sacrificed to right to score Bowers to give Post 27 a 5-1 cushion.
“That’s the story of the game,” said Robinson. “(Summers) didn’t throw enough strikes, and he had to come in with a fastball, and they’re a good hitting team, and they hit the fastball pretty well. He’s got to be better than that.”
Nate Wottring led of the fifth a single and stole second, and Easterday scored him with a two-out single into shallow right for Plymouth’s final run of the day. Matt Skura scored for after a lead-off single for Hammond in the top of the seventh, but Post 27 closer Brett Houlihan struck out Keeler with the bases loaded and the tying run at the plate for the save.
The opener was much tighter.
Hammond took the early lead off a first-inning solo homer from Boss, who went yard to put Post 168 up 1-0 in the first inning of both games Sunday.
Plymouth swapped leads with a two-RBI double to deep center from Bowers in the fourth, and Hammond responded with three runs in the fifth to retake a 4-2 lead over the hosts.
But it was Post 27 that laughed last with four hits for three runs in the fifth.
Cornett and Solis ripped back-to-back singles, and Wottring reached on a fielding error by pitcher Neil Koricanac. Howe took a 2-2 pitch to center-right to score both Cornett and Solis and Wottring scored on a costly throwing error to bring the margin to its final.
Byerly threw six innings, giving up nine hits and four runs while striking out six in the first game. Jordan Kistler got the save with two out and a runner on first in the top of the seventh, courtesy of a nice running catch by Cornett in deep center on a fly from Summers.
Plymouth improves to 14-3 with Sunday’s wins, while Hammond drops to 10-3. The teams have some history together after Hammond handed Post 27 its first loss at the Plymouth Regional last season en route to the tournament championship. Hammond was later pulled from the state series due to an IHSAA ruling that required the team to either drop seven Lake Central players from its roster or bow out of the state tournament, which Post 168 players, in a show of solidarity, opted to do. The regional rivals may see one another again this year if both win their respective sectional tournaments.
“It’s been fun to play them,” said Plothow. “Every year it could be a redemption game. If we get them one year they want to get us the next, so who knows what’ll happen in the tournament because we know they’ll be back.”
• PLYMOUTH POST 27 5,
  HAMMOND POST 168 4
(Game one)
At Bill Nixon Field
Hammond: 100 030 0 — 4 9 3
Plymouth: 000 230 x — 5 9 1
Neil Koricanac (L) and Brett Keeler; Chase Byerly (W), Jordan Kistler (7, Save) and Mo Weddington
2B: Keeler, Marc Bowers (P), Jake Bloom (P)
HR: Ryan Boss (H)
• PLYMOUTH 6,
  HAMMOND 2
(Game two)
Hammond: 100 000 1 — 2 4 0
Plymouth: 100 410 x — 6 13 0
Eric Summers (L), Jacob Harrison (5) and Kuroki; Tyler Shook (W), Brett Houlihan (7, Save) and Cody Bucher
2B: Brett Keeler (H), Jake Bloom (P), Steve Cornett (P)
HR: Ryan Boss (H)
Records: Plymouth Post 27 14-3, Hammond Post 168 10-3