Jr. Legion squad wins Jerseyville Tourney

Originally scheduled as a four-game event over the weekend of June 8-10, the Jerseyville Jr. Legion Tournament was cut short on the last day due to rain.

That left Vandalia in second place, but with a game scheduled against Quincy – the tournament champions – on Sunday at the Jerseyville Round-Robin, an idea was spurned.

Why not make that the tournament championship game?

Both coaches agreed, and despite losing to Quincy, 7-6, on June 8, Vandalia used a late surge to beat Quincy, 8-2, on Sunday and earn the championship trophy.

“We said, ‘Why not make it the championship, and make the game interesting?’”said Post 95 coach Jacob Riedle.

And interesting it was.

Vandalia scored in the top of the first inning, but that would be the only offense until the sixth, as both teams struggled to find a big hit.

Carson Smith opened his 3-for-3 day at the plate with an RBI single in the first, scoring Nate Ketchem, who had walked and stole second.

Quincy loaded the bases with one out in the bottom of the frame, but Derek Childress induced a pair of flyball outs to get out of the inning.

He would strand two runners in both of the next two innings before he was lifted for Zach Schaal, who fired the final four innings for Vandalia.

“The three innings Derek pitched, it didn’t matter if there were runners on base, he beared down and got out of it,” Riedle said. “Quincy left 15 runners on base and nine runners in scoring position (in the game), and that might be because we have been playing so many close games lately.”

Post 95 (8-8) finally added to its run total again in the sixth, getting three runs, and plated four more in the seventh. Quincy scored twice in the bottom of the sixth.

In the seventh, Vandalia got an RBI sacrifice fly from Colin Ledbetter as well as RBI singles by Smith, Schaal and Matt Korte.

“We have been playing well,” Riedle said. “We started off a little slow, but after three or four innings, they realized what they were playing for and the intensity picked up.”

Sunday, June 23
Vandalia 8
Quincy 2
V: 1-0-0-0-0-3-4—8-9-3
Q: 0-0-0-0-0-2-0—2-6-1
WP: Childress (1-2); 3 IP, 1 K
Post 95: Smith, 3-for-3, 2 RBI, run; Schaal, 2-for-4, RBI, run; Collin Nestleroad, 1-for-4, 2 RBI; Korte, 1-for-2, RBI, run; Ledbetter, 1-for-3, RBI, run, sac fly; Jake Bowen, 1-for-2, run; Dalton Crisman, 1-for-3; Ketchem, 2 runs.
Record: 8-8

***

VANDALIA – Carson Smith and Jake Bowen just kept delivering for Post 95 last Friday.

After going 5-for-6 in the first four innings from the Nos. 3 and 4 spots in the lineup, the dynamic duo had helped Vandalia storm out to an 8-3 lead against Salem in Jr. Legion action.

But their real damage came after Salem had rallied to tie the game at 9-9 in the top of the sixth.

Smith and Bowen hit back-to-back doubles in the bottom of the inning, driving home four runs that helped Vandalia to a 14-10 win in District action.

“When we needed that big middle-of-the-order hit, we came up short,” said coach Jacob Riedle of the last time the two teams met, which saw Salem win 2-1 and 12-1 in a doubleheader. “Tonight, with Carson and Jake, you knew it was going to go out there somewhere.”

Combined, they were 8-for-10, with three doubles, five RBI and six runs – though Smith was lifted for a courtesy runner in each of his at-bats.

Vandalia had just 11 hits as a team, but drew nine walks and took advantage of five Salem errors to produce one of its finest offensive performances of the summer.

“The way our guys are coming around with the bats, if anyone throws anyone but an ace, we should be able to jump all over them,” Riedle said. “Salem’s pitchers weren’t bad, but when one kid hit, it became contagious.

“If you put pressure on a pitcher, he’ll start walking people and losing his confidence,” he  said. “That allows big innings, because all of a sudden, the defense has to make that big play with runners on second or third, and that’s when errors happen.”

But despite all of that offense, it still almost wasn’t enough.

Post 95 (7-8) scored four runs in the first, and two runs in the second and fourth to take a five-run lead, but it never felt as if the pesky Salem squad was actually out of reach.

Salem scored six times in the top of the sixth inning on four hits, three walks and two Vandalia errors to tie the game.

“With a team like Salem, it goes to the final out,” Riedle said.

But Vandalia responded with a five-run sixth of its own to secure the win, the biggest hit being Smith’s three-run double to center.

“Right now, he is very confident at the plate,” Riedle said. “He knows Sr. Legion is short (players) a lot of times, so he knows that if he plays better down here, he may get some chances with them.”

In front of Smith and Bowen, Colin Ledbetter – the leadoff hitter – reached base in all five of his plate appearances and scored four times.

He had a single in the second, and walked four times, seeing 20 pitches in those four plate appearances.

“You have to come at him,” Riedle said. “He works the count and sets the tone. If he doesn’t get on, then Carson and Jake don’t get the opportunity to drive in runs.”

The second game of the doubleheader was canceled, because the field lights were not all working.

Friday, June 21
Vandalia 14
Salem 10
S: 0-2-1-0-0-6-1—10-13-5
V: 4-2-0-2-1-5-X—14-11-3
WP: Drake Hall; 2 IP, 1 K
Post 95: Smith, 4-for-5, 2 2B, 3 RBI; Bowen, 4-for-5, 2B, 2 RBI, 2 runs, SB; Ledbetter, 1-for-1, 4 runs, 4 BB; Ryne Dangbar, 1-for-3, run, BB; Dalton Crisman, 1-for-4, 2 RBI, BB; Nate Ketchem, 4 runs; Collin Nestleroad, RBI, run, sac bunt, BB, SB; Zach Schaal, RBI, run, BB; Noah Murray, run; Hall, BB; Matt Korte, HBP.
Record: 7-8

***

Zach Schaal fired a complete game, striking out nine last Wednesday in a 4-1 District win at South Central.

“It’s to the point know where if I need a pitcher to throw all seven innings, I toss him the ball,” said Vandalia Jr. Legion coach Jacob Reidle. “You want to see someone lock in and be focused, and he is giving us the type of outings that an ace should.”

Schaal allowed just three hits in the game, two coming off of the bat of Dylan Smith, who hit a solo home run in the fourth for South Central’s only run.

Tylor Knisley scored for Vandalia to tie the game in the top of the fifth, and Post 95 added three additional runs in the seventh, with Carson Smith, Dalton Crisman and Jake Bowen each scoring.

Bowen and Collin Nestleroad each collected three hits for Vandalia and both drove home a run.

In game two, South Central’s Brett Harmeier hit a grand slam and Smith also homered to help the team to a 16-1 victory.

Wednesday, June 19
Vandalia 4
South Central 1
V: 0-0-0-0-1-0-3—4
S: 0-0-0-1-0-0-0—1
WP: Schaal; 7 IP, 9 K
LP: Powless; 3 IP, 6 K
Post 95: Nestleroad, 3-for-4, RBI, run, 3 SB; Bowen, 3-for-4, RBI, run; Crisman, 1-for-3, run; Smith, 1-for-3, 2B, run.
South Central: Smith, 2-for-2, HR, RBI, run, BB.
Record: 6-7

Wednesday, June 19
South Central 16
Vandalia 1
V: 0-1-0-0-0—1
S: 1-6-0-9-X—16
WP: Ross; 5 IP, 15 K
LP: Hall; 1 2/3 IP, 2 K
Post 95: Derek Childress, 1-for-2; Noah Murray, run, BB.
South Central: Smith, 3-for-4, HR, 2B, RBI; Harmeier, 1-for-3, HR, 4 RBI, 2 runs.
Record: 6-8