Senior Legion Finishes As District 13 Seasonal Champs

By Michael Boyd Jr.

herald sports editor

Winning pitcher Zach Boyer was a home run shy of hitting for the cycle and 8-9 batters Aaron Eftink and Rylan Fallert were clutch from the bottom of the lineup as all three powered Ste. Genevieve to victory, winning this rematch 13-4 over nondistrict foe Jackson Post 158 Friday night at Yanks Field.

Avenging a loss to Jackson a week earlier, Post 150 erased a 4-1 deficit by scoring 10 runs over the third and fourth frames and never looked back. The game was a possible American Legion Baseball Zone 4 preview.

“I like how we bounced back,” said Post 150 head coach Junie Basler. “We exploded for seven runs. When we decide to show up and mentally prepared, mentally into the game from pitch one, good things happen for us.”

The game saw eight extra-base hits, four apiece by either legion squad. The game went the scheduled seven innings.

The last time these two met was a week earlier when Jackson (23-6) rolled at home 14-4 over Ste. Genevieve.

Post 150, who has won three of their last four games, trailed 1-0 by mid-first inning, but tied it in their half of the frame.

Jackson, stationed in District 14, then plated three runs in the second for a 4-1 advantage.

Ste. Genevieve (15-7), which is housed in District 13, exploded for seven runs in the third to erase its debt, and added three more in the fourth for complete control.

Not done just yet, they pushed across two additional runs in the sixth.

In the first, Mason Nix hit a two-out comebacker to the pitcher but beat out the throw to reach first base safely, thus scoring Grant Fallert.

Ste. Genevieve’s rally started with Quentin Wittkopf’s single to left field to score Aiden Boyer, then Carter Klump scored on Nix’s ground out.

Clayton Drury then tied it at 4-all by doubling home Wittkopf.

Rylan Fallert then hit the eventual game-winning single to score both Drury and Eftink for a 6-4 lead.

Z. Boyer then tripled to the left-center field gap to score Rylan Fallert, but Z. Boyer also scored on the play as the centerfielder overthrew his cutoff man and none of the infielders managed to get the ball as it rolled to the backstop , therefore he sprinted home unchallenged. It could have been ruled as a double and a two-base error, or an inside-the-park home run.

With an 8-4 advantage in the fourth, R. Fallert singled home Nix and Klump, then with two outs R. Fallert scored when A. Boyer reached base safely via an errant throw to make it 11-4.

In the sixth, A. Boyer doubled to score his cousin Z. Boyer, then catcher Josh Bieser singled home A. Boyer for the eventual final score.

Z. Boyer allowed the four earned runs on five hits and two walks, while striking out one in four innings of work. Offensively, he reached base safely four times, going 3 for 4 with a triple, double, walk, two runs scored and a run batted in.

Eftink, the No. 8-batter was 3 for 3 with a run.

No. 9-batter R. Fallert (two runs, four RBI) was 2 for 4.

A. Boyer (triple, two runs, RBI), Bieser (two walks, RBI), Wittkopf (two walks, run, RBI), Drury (double, run, RBI) and pinch hitter Brandon Giesler each had one hit.

Grant Fallert (run) and Klump (two runs) also contributed to the win.

Klump also pitched in relief, striking out four in three innings of work.

First baseman Slade Schweiss was still out due to vacation, so A. Boyer, usually an outfielder and pitcher, played the spot this game. Schweiss is scheduled back this week.

Post 158 shortstop Quinton Borders (triple, run), Cecil Abernathy (double, walk RBI), Clayton Ernst (double, RBI) and Carson Birk (double, walk) each had hits.

Drew Hahs suffered the loss, allowing eight runs (seven earned) on seven hits and six walks, while striking out two.

Ste. Genevieve visits Perryville Post 133 at 7 p.m. Tuesday, then visit the Southeast Tropics (Chaffee’s Senior Babe Ruth club) at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, then wrap up the regular season visiting the Mineral Area Post 416 at 7 p.m. Thursday.

Post 150 will host the District 13 and the Zone 4 tournaments in the following weeks.

Rock 4, Ste. Gen 1

Post 150 suffered their first loss in District 13 play and saw its two-game winning streak end as well last Thursday night at Imperial.

Ste. Genevieve scored its only run in the top of the first inning, but host Post 283 scored three runs in the second and held on from there.