BILLINGS — Jakob Wilcox and his herculean effort on Sunday at Dehler Park characterizes this year’s Billings Scarlets American Legion baseball team.
Needing to defeat Eugene, Oregon (50-10), twice on Sunday to advance to the American Legion Baseball World Series in Shelby, North Carolina, Aug. 15-20, the Scarlets dug deep.
Wilcox was a fine example of that. The 6-foot-3, 215-pounder earned the victory by pitching the final two scoreless innings of Billings’ 5-4 win over Eugene that forced a second winner-take-all game Sunday afternoon during the American Legion Baseball Northwest Region 7 tourney.
The Game 1, 5-4, victory over Eugene celebration; and the fans acknowledged Game 1 and Game 2 winner Jakob Wilcox.
In that 5-4 victory, Wilcox also delivered the game-winning RBI when he drove in Colter Wilson in the top of the ninth inning.
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Wilcox was slated to be the Scarlets starter in the if-necessary game and he was still available to pitch and did. He went the first 5.2 innings of that contest, earning the victory in a 7-0 win that clinched the regional title and a spot in the World Series. After a double play to end the third, Wilcox exited the field pumping his fist, shaking his head and encouraging his teammates to succeed.
“Gutsy. It was super gutsy,” said Scarlets coach Adam Hust of Wilcox’ performance. “He’s a great competitor. And boy, he came in and gave us everything that he had and did an amazing job. He just kept throwing up zeroes and gave our team a chance. And he got up and hit the baseball. What a great game and great performance by him. You have to have players step up in big situations and he did a great job of it.”
The Billings Scarlets’ Jakob Wilcox tosses a ball to first base during the team’s 7-2 victory over Lakeside (Wash.) at the American Legion Baseball Northwest Region 7 Tournament Friday at Dehler Park.
On a beautiful day for baseball at Dehler, an estimated crowd of 1,800 witnessed the Scarlets do something no Montana team had done since 1962 — qualify for the American Legion Baseball World Series. In fact, the Scarlets are only the fifth club, all from Billings, to advance to the big dance. Billings Post 4 achieved this feat in 1958, 1960, 1961, and 1962.
Hust said a day later the magical feeling of winning the Northwest 7 tournament remained.
The Billings Scarlets celebrate after the final out of a 7-0 championship victory over Eugene, Ore., Sunday at Dehler Park.
“I got up this morning and it’s kind of funny, but you ask yourself is this really happening or not,” said Hust. “And you know, as you meet one person, you meet the next person, and you’re having all these conversations and all the planning, and you’re like, ‘Yeah, this is real.’ Now you know, this is happening. It’s real and these boys are going to get to experience something really, really awesome. And I am so proud of them. They get this opportunity and they’ll remember it for the rest of their lives.”
