MISSOURI FINALS
INDEPENDENCE, Mo. — The Jefferson City Post 5 Juniors (26-8) remained unbeaten in postseason play, winning 5-2 against Lee’s Summit Bandits in the American Legion state tournament championship game at Crysler Stadium.
Jeff City hit three consecutive singles, including an RBI hit by Gavin Stricklan, to grab a 1-0 lead. Zach Woehr scored on an error and Gavin Bernskoetter drove in two more runs with a single to right field for Jeff City's 4-0 lead.
Jefferson City extended its lead to five runs, adding another run in the fifth on a sacrifice fly by Stricklan.
Bernskoetter led Jeff City, going 3-for-3 with three singles and two RBI. Stricklan also tallied two RBI and went 1-for-2 with a single. Jefferson City finished with nine hits.
Parker Bax allowed one hit through five innings for Post 5, but Lee’s Summit collected five hits in the top of the sixth to finally break through. Josef Kielholz relieved Bax in the sixth and stranded the tying run on first base to get out of a bases-loaded jam.
Kielholz pitched a perfect seventh for his second save in as many days, striking out two in the inning.
Bax earned the win and pitched five innings. He allowed two runs on four hits with two walks and five strikeouts.
Woehr, Kielholz, Dakota Kemna and Jason Binkley each had one single for Jefferson City.
MISSOURI SEMIFINALS
INDEPENDENCE, Mo. — The Jefferson City Juniors (25-8) need one more win for a state championship.
Bryce Bond and Josef Kielholz combined to pitch a three-hitter, leading Jefferson City to the title game with a 3-1 win against Ste. Genevieve in the American Legion state tournament at Crysler Stadium.
Jeff City drew three consecutive walks to open the fourth. Ste. Genevieve then induced a double play, but Gavin Bernskoetter followed with a two-run double to score Gage Bax and Dakota Kemna, giving Jefferson City a 2-0 lead.
Jeff City added another run in the fifth to extend the lead to three runs. Gavin Stricklan started the inning with a pinch-hit single and later scored on an RBI single by Kielholz.
Bond, who only allowed two batters to reach base in the first five innings, picked up the win for Jefferson City. He allowed Ste. Genevieve’s only run in the top of the sixth on a wild pitch with two outs, but he finished with five strikeouts while allowing one walk.
Ste. Genevieve started the seventh with a single off Bond, but Kielholz came in to close the game and get the save, striking out two of the three batters he faced.
Braden Hickey and Kemna each had one single for Post 5, which finished the game with five hits.
MISSOURI FIRST ROUND
INDEPENDENCE, Mo. — The Jefferson City American Legion Post 5 Juniors (24-8) suffered half their losses this season to Sedalia Post 642. Their luck changed when the stakes were the highest Tuesday night.
Jefferson City, which had lost 4-of-5 games to Sedalia, won in walk-off fashion to win 2-1 at Crysler Stadium.
Josef Kielholz reached base to lead off the bottom of the seventh and Gage Bax and Parker Bax each drew a walk to load the bases with one out. Jackson Voss reached on an infield single, which scored Kielholz from third to give Jeff City the win.
The game was scoreless until the bottom of the sixth, when Gavin Bernskoetter had an RBI single to give Jefferson City a 1-0 lead.
Sedalia was down to its final out in the top of the seventh, but Sedalia collected three consecutive singles off Gage Bax to tie the score at 1.
Gage Bax earned the win in a complete-game effort. He had a one-hitter entering the seventh inning and allowed three walks while striking out two.
Voss and Dakota Kemna each had two hits to lead Jeff City.
LEGION A MID STATES REGIONAL
FARGO, N.D.
WILLIAMS STADIUM
RED POOL—Edina, Minn. 32-7; Jefferson City, Mo. 26-8; Moorhead, Minn.
BLACK POOL—Great Bend Braves 31-15; Fargo, N.D. 22-19; Sioux Falls, S.D. 49-12
THURSDAY’S GAMES
Game 1—10 a.m.—Fargo vs. Moorhead
Game 2—12:30 p.m.—Fargo vs. Sioux Falls
Game 3—3 p.m.—Edina, Minn vs. Sioux Falls
Game 4—5:30 p.m.—Edina vs. Moorhead
Game 5—8:30 p.m.—Great Bend Braves vs. Jefferson City
FRIDAY’S GAMES
Game 6—10 a.m.—Moorhead vs. Jefferson City
Game 7—12:30 p.m.—Edina vs. Jefferson City
Game 8—3 p.m.—Great Bend vs. Sioux Falls
Game 9—5:30 p.m.—Great Bend vs. Fargo
SATURDAY’S GAMES
Game 10—9 a.m.—No. 1 Black vs. No. 2 Red
Game 11—11:30 a.m.—No. 1 Red vs. No. 2 Black
Game 12—2 p.m.—Championship game
