CHAFFEE JR. LEGION FALLS IN TITLE GAME

BALLWIN -- Things were looking very good for Chaffee during the early stages of Tuesday night's championship game of the Junior American Legion State Tournament.

Chaffee jumped ahead of host Ballwin 3-0 in the top of the first inning and had ace pitcher Brian Obermann on the mound.

But Obermann became ill after pitching to only two batters. He stayed in the game long enough to give up a tying three-run homer before coming out.

Ballwin never let up after that, coasting to a 9-3 victory to advance to the regional tourney in Denver, Colo.

"We jump out 3-0 and have Brian on the mound and we're feeling good," said Chaffee coach Jeff Graviett. "But once we lost him, it was a big letdown."

Graviett said Obermann had given no indication of feeling ill before the game.

"But he just got real dizzy and his pulse was really racing," Graviett said.

Matt Stroup replaced Obermann and suffered the loss, allowing six runs and eight hits in 5 2/3 innings.

Chaffee finished with five hits, two by Brad Kolwyck. Three of Chaffee's hits came in the first inning.

Ballwin added another run in the bottom of the first after Obermann departed to go ahead 4-3. The hosts added one in the second, three in the fourth and one in the sixth of the seven-inning contest.

"They had a real good pitcher going and we didn't do much after the first inning," said Graviett.

Despite the loss, Graviett had nothing but praise for his team, which finished the season with a 36-16 record.

"We had a really good season," he said. "I told the kids I was real proud of them."