Can G-burg carry state Legion dominance to regional stage?

"I'm really excited," Post 295 second baseman Kyle Judson said. "I think we have a good chance. Everyone thought we would have a tough time at states, but we didn't."

Post 295 (39-3) rolled through both the Montgomery Division and Maryland State American Legion tournaments without a blemish, and has dropped just one game to a Maryland opponent all season (4-1 to Sandy Spring Post 68 in June). Gaithersburg's other two losses came at a tournament in New York.

It beat its three Montgomery Division tournament foes by a combined 32-3 score, and its five state opponents by a combined 62-33.

Gaithersburg's vaunted pitching staff was roughed up at times during state play, but the team's potent lineup continued to pound opposing pitching. They enter Thursday's opener against the Pennsylvania champion with a team batting average of .358 with 31 home runs and 414 runs, or 9.8 per contest.

"In the state tournament, everything went real well for us," manager Rick Price said. "We pitched well. We played good defense and we hit the ball extremely well. We can't cut any corners in the regional."

That means a return to consistency for a staff that has produced a season earned-run average of 1.65 in 284 innings, allowing 193 hits with 288 strikeouts. Division I college pitchers Charlie Cononie (Towson) and Matt Sliwiak (Davidson) anchor the staff, combining for 13 wins, two saves and 107 strikeouts in 99 1/3 innings. Mike Loeb is 7-0 on the season and left-hander Mike Ryan was the state tournament's Most Valuable Player.

Catcher Gary Schneider and pitcher Dominick Vattuone appear ready to return from injuries that sidelined them at states, adding reinforcements.

"We've just had a couple of weeks off and a couple of [exhibition] games with the Columbia Reds, a college team, and they're good competition so I think we'll be more ready than we were for states," Ryan said. "We're confident but we know there are a lot of other good teams out there. It's going to be tough [but] we're healthy enough to make it through."

Team chemistry, Price said, is also a key component to this summer's success.

"It's one of those years everyone gets along," he said. "Everybody likes each other. We were doing really well [at the start of the season] and it looked like it was going to be a fun summer. That's most important thing. If you're doing that, you're going to have a good season."

Looking to end Post 295's run of eight-straight postseason wins includes host Colonial Heights Post 284 (18-8), Virginia state champion South Richmond Post 137 (28-4), Delaware champion Newark (24-10) and West Virginia champion Morgantown Post 2 (29-11). Three qualifiers —from Pennsylvania, New Jersey and New York — were not yet determined at press time.

The tournament runs from Thursday through Monday, with the winner heading to the 2008 World Series Aug. 22-26 at Keeter Stadium at Veteran's Field in Shelby, N.C.