Strangely, Arlington game on hold

Lloyd Meyer would figure to have seen almost everything in more than a half-century of leading Arlington's American Legion baseball team.

But Wednesday afternoon's opener of the state tournament against Edwardsville was something new even for Meyer at Whitey Herzog Field in Belleville.

Arlington's protest of the game was upheld and prevented what would have been an 8-4 loss in the six-team, double-elimination tournament. The game will resume at approximately 1 p.m. today with the two-time defending state champions leading 4-2 as Edwardsville has runners at first and third with one out in the bottom of the seventh inning.

It was at that point where assistant coach Eric Porter went out to take out starting pitcher Kyle Gaedele and bring in Dan Kelley. Gaedele was going to stay in the game and went to the dugout to get his first baseman's mitt.

But before play resumed, one of the three umpires said Arlington didn't announce a double switch and ruled Gaedele had to leave the game. Meyer and Porter felt otherwise because a double switch wasn't made.

"Everybody was kind of confused about what the rule was," Porter said.

"I said, 'I don't think he has to come out of the game,'" Meyer said. "The first base umpire agreed with me from the start and said he didn't think he has to come out of the game."

But Gaedele did come out and Arlington (36-9) made its protest before the next pitch was made. A couple of errors led to a 6-run inning that gave Edwardsville (30-9) the lead.

The Illinois American Legion commissioners met after the game to discuss the protest and Porter said First Division (Cook County) chairman Don Torgersen battled on Arlington's behalf. Meyer said there was nothing about the situation in the major-league rule book and the American Legion rule book said a pitcher can leave and go to another position.

Porter said the umpires finally called a major-league umpire "and he said all you guys are wrong and Arlington is right."

Gaedele, who had 3 walks and 2 strikeouts in 6 innings, had an RBI single in the third. In the fifth, Mike Toljanic singled and came around on an errant pickoff and John Coen's fielder's choice grounder to third. Shane Uhle hit a one-out homer in the sixth and Brett Kay had an RBI single in the seventh.

If Arlington beats Edwardsville it would play its second-round game at approximately 5 p.m. If it loses it would come right back and play at about 2 p.m.

Heavy rains Tuesday night forced the postponement of the tourney opener between Moline and Decatur to 10 a.m. today.