BY JEFF FALK MYERSTOWN – It’s never too late. Especially in the Lebanon County American Legion Baseball League, it ain’t over till it’s over. So, at the top of the regular season’s home stretch – in a summer circuit where every club qualifies for the postseason – members are in the process of fine-tuning their skills, bolstering their rosters and getting their pitching houses in order. And most importantly, seeking to get on a roll. On Monday night at old Post 55 field, Myerstown edged Richland 2-1, in a battle of squads searching to build some continuity for hopeful playoff pushes. Myerstown’s Andy Bogdanovich scored the winning run in the bottom of the seventh inning, on an infield error. With one out, a hard-hit ball found its way under the glove of a drawn-in Richland second baseman, allowing Bogdanovich to score from third. Bogdanovich had drawn a lead-off walk, moved to second on Hunter Witters’ single and was sacrificed to third by Kyle Rosengrant. “The runner on third base wasn’t going,” said Richland manager Travis Thome. “It was a routine ground ball, but he came up on it a little bit, and he (Bogdanovich) walks home. The game’s on the line, and you’re worried about not messing up, instead of just making the play.” The triumph was the second straight for a Myerstown outfit which had opened the regular season with seven straight setbacks, after winning last year’s league championship for the second consecutive summer. Richland fell to 3-6. “With Fredericksburg and Campbelltown, they’re playing well,” said Thome. “You know regardless you’ve got to go through them if you’re going to advance. We have to sharpen up. If you don’t have your A-game, it’s going to be a long night. “We only play 16 games or so, so every game is important,” continued Thome. “We’re 3-6, and with that kind of record, we’re going to be near the bottom. We’ve got to keep playing. We’re playing a little bit better.” It was also a lead-off walk – this one coaxed by Austin Douple – which helped Myerstown erase the 1-0 deficit it faced in the bottom of the sixth inning. Douple was sacrificed to second by two-hole hitter Cole Miller, before Vinnie Vittelli lined an RBI-single to right field. “(Travis) Weaver threw well,” said Thome of his starter. “He threw well enough to win. We just didn’t hit the ball. We didn’t get anything going.”

Richland broke up a scoreless game in the visitor’s half of the fourth inning, mostly on the strength of the hustling legs of Travis Zimmerman. Zimmerman led off the frame by legging out a double, and when the hurried Myerstown right fielder bobbled the ball, the fleet T.Z. took third. Richland’s next batter, Clay Hain, lifted a sacrifice fly to center field that scored Zimmerman and gave his side a 1-0 edge. “He threw well,” said Thome of Myerstown starter and winner Tyler Price. “He was around the zone. The umpire was calling strikes. We had to swing the bats.” Both Price and Weaver faced the minimum batters through three innings, but each needed a little help.  Price picked a runner off base in the opening frame, while Weaver benefited from M-town botching a suicide-squeeze bunt attempt in the third. Richland also threw out a runner at the plate to end the fourth inning, to protect its one-run lead. “I think it’s a rebuilding year for them,” said Thome of Myerstown. “They have some good ball players. They’re scrappy. But we’ve got to take every team the same way. We’ve got to pitch well, play good defense and get some timely hitting.” To purchase images in this article email jkfalk2005@yahoo.com, or to view more go to www.http://lebanonsportsbuzz.com/gallery-ten/.                         2016 Lebanon County  American Legion Baseball Standings

                    2016 Richland Results

                                                                        2016 Myerstown Results