The WW-P American Legion team found success throughout the postseason with several comeback wins, but its run came to an end against Washington Township Post 521 in the District 3 losers’ bracket semifinal on July 24.
WW-P did, however, put up a valiant effort before finishing its season with a 20-8 record — the first time the team has finished with 20 wins since 2003.
Against Washington, WW-P had been down by 11 in the third inning when it began its comeback effort with help from Ralph Aurora, who hit an RBI triple and Casey Litwack, who hit an RBI single. WW-P also got help from Pat Boyle, who hit a two-run triple to help WW-P score five runs by the fifth inning.
Coach Don Hutchinson said he thought the team had a great season, despit the unknown expectations heading into the season. “We tried to base it on how the high school season went,” he said. “We brought the two groups together (from High Schools North and South), and it was better than expected.”
“Everyone contributed,” he added. “That’s what made the season as spcial as it was. We didn’t have a superstar, but we had a lot of people who made different contributions. Individuals stepped up on different days.”
The good news for WW-P is that there are quite a few players who are eligible to return to play for the American Legion team next year, including a few of this year’s high school seniors who will meet the age requiremnts.
While WW-P has never won the Mercer County league, this was one of the most successful seasons. “I don’t think it was expected, based on the talent in the rest of the league,” Hutchinson said of the team’s second place finish. “We surprised ourselves a little bit, even some others in the league.”
