Post 39 Wins With Help From the Sun

Sometimes all it takes is another chance.

With Monday's game tied 5-5, the bases empty, and two outs in the top of the sixth inning, Post 39's Rob Caggiano hit a routine groundball at Malden's pitcher, Alfred Saia.

Saia's teammates started running off the field, and Caggiano slowly trotted down the base path in anticipation of the out. However, the sun was setting behind third base at Malden's Devir Park, and the team's first baseman, Marc Woodman, lost the ball in the glare, extending the inning and allowing Caggiano to reach second base on the error.

Two batters later, with the bases loaded, Saia hit Post 39's Alex Finigan with a pitch to put Caggiano across for what would be the difference in the team's 6-5 win, as the Post 39 American Legion baseball team improved to 10-8 overall and 5-1 in its last six games.

"We're on a little bit of a mini-roll here," said Post 39 coach Joe Sancinito with one game left on the schedule. "We're playing better defense than we did at the beginning of the season, and our bats have always been there, we're just finding more holes."

First baseman Dan Csaplar has been absolutely pounding the ball as of late.

With two hits and a run already in Monday's game, Csaplar was up with runners at the corners and two outs in the pivotal sixth inning. Malden (7-9) had seen enough from the rising-junior slugger at the Belmont Hill School; they decided to intentionally walk him and take their chances with Finigan.

"I've never had a player intentionally walked if it meant putting another runner in scoring position," Sancinito said. "[Csaplar] is dialed in right now; he's really hitting the ball well."

Arlington High's Mitch Coiley also had a solid day at the plate for Post 39.

With his team down 4-2 in the fifth inning, Coiley hit a two-out, two-run double before scoring the go-ahead run on a Josh Balder single. Balder also had an RBI single in the second inning.

Caggiano, who pitched a complete game for the win, allowed Malden to tie the game at 5-5 in the bottom of the fifth inning, but he was lights out in the final two innings, allowing only one base runner on a walk.

The one-run victory was Post 39's third in its last four wins.

"At the beginning of the season, there was a stretch where we lost a few close ones," Sancinito said, "but lately, we've been able to pull them out."

Despite leading Zone C in American Legion's 20-team Division 6, Post 39 has already been mathematically eliminated from the playoffs, as four team's in the division's other two zones have better records.

Post 39 will conclude its season at 4:45 p.m. Thursday at Medford's Playstead Park.