Rockdale Post 77 continues its dominance in the American Legion baseball League.
Eastside and Newton High School's contributors to the team are also continuing their excellence, helping lead Post 77 to a 5-0 record in the POW/MIA tournament and the event's championship.
Randy Loew, formerly of the Eagles, pitched a complete game during the final, giving up just two runs. Rockdale defeated Loganville 6-2 in the championship game on Sunday to win the Douglasville hosted tournament.
"Randy had a really good weekend with the bat and defensively, too," Post 77 coach Jack Murphy said.
Loew also had a couple of hits Saturday to help propel Rockdale over Douglasville 7-0 in its second game of the tournament.
Loew may have taken the lead from former teammate Keith Buckhault, who hit a home run in Post 77's opening game against Alpharetta. Rockdale won that game 8-0 behind a complete game, two-hit performance from pitcher Cole Hamilton.
In Rockdale's third game of the tournament, against Canton on Saturday, it won 13-0 behind former Newton standout Tripp Loftin.
Loftin walked the first batter he faced, but then put on an excellent performance going perfect throughout the rest of the five-inning 13-0 victory for Rockdale. Offensively, Loew again led the way for Post 77, but it was Loftin who provided the biggest spark keeping Canton off the bases.
"I don't care if he goes five innings, seven innings or nine innings, he's done a good job," Murphy said. "He was in control. He got ahead pretty much all day and dominated their offense."
Following the landside win over Canton, Rockdale beat Peachtree City Post 50 in the play-in game, 7-4.
Matt Anderson pitched three scoreless innings before getting into a little bit of trouble in the fourth and fifth innings. Craig Preston relieved Anderson, locking down a spot for Rockdale in the championship game.
The five victories improved Rockdale to 13-0 before facing Douglasville on the road Tuesday night.
"The longer you win they start feeling like ‘Hey we got to win all of them,'" Murphy said. "Baseball is a game of percentages and sooner or later you're going to show up and things aren't going to go your way."
