Before leaving for Quakertown on Monday, Perkiomen's American Legion baseball team hit lima beans and cherry tomatoes for batting practice.

        Inside the batting cage next to Bonekemper Field, the players executed soft toss drills with the vegetables.  "We had a lot of fun," Indians catcher Jacob Breyer said. "It allowed us to stay loose, and it helped us barrel up the baseball."

        The unusual drill allowed the players to relax, according to Perkiomen's pitcher/shortstop Levi Stoudt.  "We play our best when we're not tense," Stoudt said.

        Manager Mike Fitzgerald's pre-game innovation paid immediate dividends. Post 184 scored five runs in the first inning against Souderton, then cruised to a 10-0, seven-inning victory and its first Bux-Mont League title since 1998.

        The Indians (24-8) played with poise and confidence, displaying flawless defense in support of Stoudt's seven-inning perfect game.  "This team comes through in pressure situations," Stoudt said. "We live for these kinds of moments."

        Excelling amid post-season adversity has become a theme for several members of the team, which opens play in the Region 2 Tournament on Saturday in Freemansburg at 4 p.m. against Lower Macungie.

        Nine players from Post 184 – Tom Aaron, Jacob Breyer, Josh Fell, Elias Gabel-Tripp, Zach Miller, Kacey Myers, Matt Schneider, Erik Stalford and Stoudt – played on the Upper Perk Braves team that finished second in the Jr. Legion state tournament in 2013.

        Two years earlier, as 13-year olds, six of those players – Aaron, Jacob Breyer, Gabel-Tripp, Miller, Stalford and Stoudt – helped lead the Upper Perk Warriors to the Jr. Legion Prep state title with consecutive victories over Uwchlan in the tournament's championship round.  

        "Everyone on this team is family," Stoudt said. "We have each other's back. But the six of us have a special bond."

        The sextet, which has played together since they were 9 years old, took the game seriously and were always willing to learn, according to Perry Breyer, who manages the Upper Perk Braves.

        "They have been standing next to each other on a baseball field since they were 9 years old," said Breyer, who coached the players for six of seven summers between 2007 and 2013. "They are all best friends. It's great that they have been able to stick together all these years."

        Following the loss in the 2013 Jr. Legion state title game, Perry Breyer told the players their hard work would eventually pay off.  "What they accomplished was phenomenal," he said. "In terms of accepting instruction, they were like sponges. They took the game so seriously."

        Last season, with the sextet getting significant playing time, the Indians finished the season 9-11. Fitzgerald called it a significant improvement over the previous season, in which they won only three games.

        This season, Perkiomen started strong by winning six of its first seven league games. When the team finished second in the league standings, Stoudt said he thought it might be poised for another special post-season performance.

        "I'm not surprised this team is coming together," Fitzgerald said. "They won't let each other quit. They work so hard at getting better."

        Though Jacob Breyer expects another deep run at regionals, he said the Indians have learned to focus on the task as hand.  "We need to focus on the next game," the catcher said. "We can't get where we want to go without taking care of business on Saturday."

        Fitzgerald said he expects the Indians to keep winning. He's not concerned with the players wilting under the pressure of a five-day, double elimination tournament.

        "Over the years, these kids have played on so many pressure situations," Perry Breyer said. "It seemed like every weekend, they were in a championship game. Now it's time for them to take care of business."