ALTON – The Troy Post 708 junior American Legion baseball team jumped out to an early 12-0 lead, scoring six runs in both the first and third innings, but the Alton Post 126 junior team rallied back with nine unanswered runs in the third through fifth innings, with Troy eventually holding off Alton to gain a wild 16-13 win in the final game for both teams before the junior District 22 tournament this week in a game played Tuesday night at Lloyd Hopkins Field at Gordon Moore Park.
Both Troy and Alton will be competing in the opening tournament of the postseason in the District 22 playoffs, which run Thursday through Sunday in Valmeyer.
Troy jumped out to its early lead by scoring six runs in the first, then followed up with six more in the third to go ahead 12-0. In the bottom of the third, the junior Legionnaires scored four to cut the lead to 12-4, scored twice in the fourth, and three more times in the fifth to come within 12-9 of Troy. The visitors, however, bounced back with three in the sixth and one in the seventh, while Alton scored twice in each of the final two innings to make the final 16-13 for Troy.
Eli Lawrence led the junior Legionnaires with two hits and two RBIs, while Devon Barboza had two hits and drove in a run, Reece Girth had a hit and two RBIs, Camden Siebert and Jordon Short a hit and RBI each, Jackson Dorris came up with a base hit and Nolan Parker drove in a run.
Nathan Terhaar led Troy with three runs and four RBIs, while both Joe Chouinard and Caleb Conrad both had two hits and two RBIs, Reilly Sutberry. Justin Terhaar and Sam Strack all had two hits and an RBI each, Chase Kelley had a hit and drove in a pair of runs and both Sam Chouinard and Drew Douglas had a hit apiece.
Dillan Cowan, Barboza and William Frasier, Jr. all had one strikeout each on the mound for Alton, while Kelley fanned four and David Carroll struck out two for Troy. Douglas also threw on the mound for Troy.
Both Troy and Alton will have players in the District 22 junior All-Star Game, which will be played at Lloyd Hopkins Field Wednesday night before the start of the District 22 tournament on Thursday, concluding Sunday with the final.
The junior Legionnaires then play a doubleheader at Jerseyville on Monday, with the games starting at 5:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m, with the Fifth Division tournament set for Steeleville July 22-24 and the climax of the season will be the Illinois state junior tournament, which will be played July 28-31 at Pete Schumacher Field in Trenton.
