Getting their 'Phil'

An eclectic mix of American Legion Class B, Class AA, and even a few international ballclubs met in Jamestown for the three-day Phil Brown Classic, held at Jack Brown Stadium July 5-7.

Action from the tournament was cancelled on the second day, moving the tournament straight to championship bracket play on Sunday.

The Carrington Post 25 Redbirds won two of three at the Phil Brown, advancing to the title game and taking second place following their 4-1 loss to Wyoming "AA" side Gillette.

Following play, the Redbirds' record sat at 10-3 overall, stopping a nine-game winning streak.

Carrington 12, Cando 5

Post 25 took the field in Jamestown against Post 79 of Cando, and jumped on the Bearcats early with a six-run fifth inning.

Grady Shipman blasted two home runs in the game, and the VCSU commit scored four times and had three RBIs in the win. Hudson Schmitz also homered against Cando and went 2-for-4 with five driven home.

At the bottom of the Redbird lineup, Josh Bickett had two hits and a pair of runs on the bases, and Jack Erickson, Owen Hagel and Kael Kovar had run-scoring singles in the win.

Kyle Johnson and Max Whitman also finished with hits in Post 25's column.

All that offense was more than enough for Shipman on the mound. Even while walking five, Shipman whiffed 11 Post 79'ers, and was nicked for four hits over six innings. Of the five runs Shipman gave up, just one was earned.

Bickett would end up pitching a scoreless seventh to finish up the victory.

Cando cleanup hitter Parker Simon was 3-for-3 with two doubles, but was battered around in his brief pitching stint of one inning with six runs, all earned. Post 25 scored six more runs off relievers Miles Weber and Alec Peyerl.

Dane Hagler and Peyerl had the Bearcats' other hits, and Hagler would score twice.

Carrington 5, Jamestown 4

Now down to just one Legion program after several years of fielding developmental teams alternating between Classes A and B, the Eagles of Post 14 have committed to AA competition for 2024.

In their recent tussles with Post 14's top program, the Redbirds have struggled against the big boys, but battled back from a 4-0 second inning deficit to shock the tournament hosts in the top of the seventh.

Consecutive singles by Shipman and Schmitz set up Hagel's game winning groundout to send Shipman home.

Post 25 got on the board in the top of the fourth on Johnson's RBI grounder, scoring Schmitz, who got into that position following a Hagel double.

The 'Birds hit the comeback trail in the sixth when Shipman's leadoff double paid off with an RBI single by Schmitz, making it 4-2. Two straight Eagle errors allowed Schmitz to score and cut the Jamestown lead to one, and Kovar tied the game with a run-scoring single, scoring Johnson.

Jamestown got off to their big early lead with three RBI singles in the second, those coming from Kaiden Hakanson, Tyson Jorissen and Jaxon Kolpin. A Redbird error also allowed another run to come across for Post 14.

While the Eagles got to Schmitz early in his two innings on the bump, Bickett's five innings of one-hit scoreless relief was one of the storylines of the victory. In spite of five walks, Bickett navigated the potential danger, and got the win with the late offensive support.

Adam Sortland pitched a complete game for Jamestown, taking the loss with five runs allowed, three earned. He walked one and struck out four.

Carrington vs. Elmwood, MB

(canceled)

Saturday's entire schedule was lost to rain, spoiling a chance for Post 25 to play a rare international matchup.

The Redbirds were slated to take on Elmwood, a suburb of roughly 17,000 on the southeast side of Winnipeg.

The Giants were one of two Canadian teams in attendance at the Phil Brown, the other being the Bonivital Black Sox.

Gillette, Wyo. 4, Carrington 1

Championship

One of the top "AA" programs in the state of Wyoming, one with over 60 games under their belt due to the fact that the state does not sponsor a high school season, met Post 25 for all the marbles Sunday, July 7.

The Gillette Roughriders improved to 41-21 for the 2024 campaign with a 4-1 win over the Redbirds, thanks to a near no-hitter thrown by the Riders' Karver Partlow.

Schmitz's seventh inning single was Carrington's only hit, and he would come around to score on Johnson's RBI groundout.

Johnson pitched well against Gillette, as the boys from Post 42 managed to get eight hits and nick the Grace City hurler for three earned runs. He largely let his defense play behind him, throwing strikes and getting one strikeout and walk each.

Eight of the Riders' nine total hits came from four players. Riley Schilling provided the big blow with a two-run double in the first inning to put Gillette ahead to stay, finishing with three RBIs. Mason Kuhbacher drove in the third run for the champs with a single in the fourth, and Seth Petersen (double) and Mason Drube (two runs) were the other players with a hit apiece.

Phil Brown Classic, Jamestown

Pool Play

Post 25 12, Cando 5

Cgtn. 150 004 2 - 12 11 3

Cando 101 021 0 - 5 5 2

Grady Shipman, Josh Bickett (7) and Hudson Schmitz; Parker Simon, Brody Svir (2), Miles Weber (4), Alec Peyerl (6) and Garrett Westlind. W - Shipman. L - Simon.

Carrington: Shipman 6 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 5 BB, 11 K; 2-3, 2 HR, 4 runs, 3 RBI; Schmitz 2-4, HR, run, 5 RBI; J. Bickett 2-3, 2 runs; Jack Erickson 1-3, 2 runs 2 RBI; Johnson 1-3, double, run; Kael Kovar 1-3, run, RBI; Max Whitman 1-4; Owen Hagel 1-5, RBI; Ryder Bickett run.

Cando: Simon 3-3, 2 doubles; Dane Hagler 1-2, SB, 2 runs; Peyerl 1-3, run.

Post 25 5, Jamestown 4

Cgtn. 000 103 1 - 5 8 1

Jmstn. 040 000 0 - 4 8 2

Schmitz, J. Bickett (3) and Whitman; Adam Sortland and catcher not listed. W - J. Bickett. L - Sortland.

Carrington: J. Bickett 5 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 5 BB, 2 K; Schmitz 2-3, 2 doubles, 2 runs, RBI; Shipman 2-4, double, 2 runs; Hagel 2-4, double, RBI; Kovar 1-3, RBI; Kyle Johnson 1-4, run, RBI.

Jamestown: Sortland CG, 8 H, 3 ER, BB, 4 K; Tyson Jorissen and Jaxon Kolpin 2-3, RBI; Preston Gall 2-3, 3 SB, run; Kaiden Hakanson 1-2, run, RBI; Bennett Goehner 1-3, SB, run.

Gillette (Wyo.) 4, Post 25 1

Championship

Gillette 200 110 0 - 4 9 0

Cgtn. 000 000 1 - 1 1 1

Johnson, Kovar (7) and Schmitz; Karver Partlow and Riley Schilling. W - Partlow. L - Johnson.

Carrington: Johnson 6 IP, 8 H, 3 ER, BB, K; RBI; Schmitz 1-3, run.

Gillette: Partlow CG, 1 H, 1 ER, BB, 9 K; run; Schilling 2-4, double, 3 RBI; Seth Petersen 2-3, double, run; Mason Drube 2-3, SB, 2 runs; Mason Kuhbacher 2-3, RBI; Cason Loftus 1-3.