Jackson Senior Legion defeats Cape to win third straight district title

The Cape Ford and Sons Senior Legion Post 63 baseball team had the bases loaded with two outs in the top of the seventh in a one-run game.

Grant Dix, who was 3 for 4 at that point, worked a full count but grounded out to second to end the inning and Post 63's last real chance to tie or go ahead in the Senior Legion District 14 tournament championship on Friday at Notre Dame High School.

"If we had made plays earlier in the game we wouldn't be in that situation," Post 63 coach Justin Lieser said. "There were chances there for us to go ahead, and we just couldn't push across the run we needed."

Jackson Senior Legion Post 158 retired Post 63's final six batters in order to emerge with a 10-9 victory and its third consecutive district championship. Post 158 (34-7) will play in the zone tournament which begins on Thursday in Festus.

Post 158 had seven hits in the win and were aided by five Post 63 errors. Jackson jumped out to an early lead in the first inning, something that's been a constant this summer.

"You feel better when you score runs early, momentum-wise and everything," Post 158 coach Mark Lewis said. "Everybody seems to be a little more relaxed, but in a good way. That's been a theme for us as of late, and I'd like to see it continue."

Post 158's Ryan O'Rear led off the bottom of the first with a walk and scored during the next at-bat when Steven Porzelt tripled to the right field corner.

Jackson Post 158's Landon Mills scores against Cape Post 63 during the third inning of the District 14 Senior Legion championship Friday, July 18, 2014 at Notre Dame Regional High School. (Fred Lynch)

Ryan Harvey followed with a single, which scored Porzelt for a 2-0 advantage. Hayden Clark's groundout later in the inning scored another run and Landon Mills doubled with two outs to make it 4-0.

Post 63 (16-13) scored one in the second inning. Three consecutive hits from Dix, Matt Chism and Tyler Essner loaded the bases for Trevor Propst, who put a well-placed bunt down the first base line. The sacrifice scored Dix to cut in to the lead 4-1.

Post 158 scored two more in the second.

O'Rear, who walked three times, was hit by a pitch and scored two runs, walked again to lead off the inning and advanced to third on a single by Harvey.

"That's my job at the top, to get on base," O'Rear said. "That's all I'm looking for just to help my team and let the big bruisers hit me in."

Harvey went to second after James was hit by a pitch to load the bases.

James hit a routine grounder to second baseman Hayden Lynn, who made an errant throw to first. O'Rear and Harvey scored to make it 7-1.

"That's a play you have to make, and there were plenty of things like that," Lieser said. "You could go up and down the score book and see the mistakes we had, but I was proud of my guys for fighting back."

Jackson added a run in the third after Mills tripled to start the inning and scored on a sacrifice fly by Lane Thompson, but Post 63 answered with five runs in the fourth.

Dix, Chism and Essner all singled to load the bases with no outs before Trevor Propst's RBI single.

With the bases still loaded, Justin Vaught walked to score another run, and Ryan Tegel grounded into a fielder's choice during the next at-bat, allowing Chism to score.

Seth Ressel followed with his only hit of the game, a two-run double that scored Propst and Vaught to put Post 63 within a run at 7-6.

"I credit them with a solid inning that really kept us on our toes," Lewis said. "They could have bowed out and said 'Game over,' but a couple of loud hits later and we really had to wake up quickly."

Post 158 answered with three runs in the fifth. Mills reached on an error to begin the inning and Thompson followed with a walk. Kelby Brown laid down a sacrifice bunt and two batters later Porzelt hit into a fielder's choice that scored Mills for a 8-6 lead. Harvey doubled for his third hit of the game to score Thompson and Porzelt extending the lead to 10-6.

"We're clicking right now," Harvey said. "I saw the fastball really clearly all night, everyone did. We're all hitting good and peaking at the right time."

Harvey finished 3 for 4 with two singles, a walk and three RBIs.

In the seventh, Essner got things going for Post 63, hitting a one-out single to right field. Vaught walked with two outs, and Ryan Tegel singled and scored Essner to make it 10-7.

After Ressel walked to load the bases, Calvin Lovig recorded his second single of the game to cut the lead to 10-8. Josh Haggerty reached on an error that scored Tegel and put Post 63 within one before Dix grounded out to end Post 63's rally.

"I don't pin this on one guy at all," Lieser said. "There's nothing I can tell these guys to make them feel better after a loss like that. We played a really good, solid Jackson team. I just told the guys even though we've won some games where I have been happy, there hasn't been a night that I've been more proud of a group of guys."

Post 158 will now try to win the zone title that has eluded the team. Jackson lost 4-3 to Eureka in the championship a year ago.

"I feel the same way I always do -- it's just another tournament" Lewis said. "If we play well we'll have a real chance."

Post 63 eliminated Pemiscot County

Calvin Lovig struck out 10 and only gave up four hits in eight shutout innings as Cape Ford and Sons Senior Legion Post 63 beat Pemiscot County Post 88 7-0 in the loser's bracket final of the District 14 Legion tournament on Friday at Notre Dame High School.

Lovig also had two singles and an RBI for Post 63, which avenged a loss to Pemiscot County in the tournament opener and advanced to the championship game.

Josh Haggerty, Grant Dix and Tyler Essner each went 2 for 4 with two singles. Haggerty and Essner had two RBIs each.

Seth Ressel had one single, an RBI and pitched one hitless inning of relief.

Cape Post 63 010 500 300 -- 9 15 5

Jackson Post 158 421 03 000 -- 10 7 1

WP -- Steven Eddy. LP -- Matt Chism. 3B -- Steven Porzelt (J), Landon Mills (J). 2B -- Tyler Essner (C), Ryan Harvey (J). Multiple Hitters -- Post 63: Calvin Lovig 2-5, Grant Dix 3-5, Matt Chism 2-5, Tyler Essner 4-5. Post 158: Ryan Harvey 3-4, Landon Mills 2-5. Records -- Post 63: 16-13, Post 158: 34-7.

Post 63 102 201 100 -- 7 10 0

Post 88 000 000 000 -- 0 4 3

WP -- Calvin Lovig. LP -- Shaeen Perkins. Multiple Hitters -- Post 63: Josh Haggerty 2-4, Calvin Lovig 2-4, Grant Dix 2-4, Tyler Essner 2-4.