Post 120 goes 4-1 at Champaign Tournament

CHAMPAIGN — After more or less giving one away to open the Champaign Wooden Bat Tournament, Effingham Post 120 pulled off four straight victories at the Senior American Legion baseball meet and essentially finished up in fifth place.

Effingham (21-6) began play Friday at Illinois Field on the University of Illinois campus, committing three errors in the fifth inning to give Champaign three runs in a 4-3 loss.

Shifting to St. Thomas More High School, Post 120 came from behind to knock off Decatur 7-3 in Friday evening action and handled Northbrook, Ind., 9-6 at the same site Saturday.

Saturday's final pool play game was at Central Park, and Post 120 battered Logansport, Ind., 7-2 to set up a Sunday meeting with Wilmette at the U of I.

Post 120 erased a 7-2 deficit with five runs in the bottom of the seventh inning and after each team scored a run in the first extra inning, Effingham got one across in the home half of the ninth thanks to Derek Meinhart's walk-off RBI single.

Friday

Champaign 4, Effingham 3

"We were making less than an error a game going into this one," said Post 120 manager Kenny Miller of the tournament opener. "Alex Wright should've had a win — he pitched his butt off — but we gave them six outs and anyone is going to score on you with that many extra opportunities."

Miller said his club was in control early, scoring twice in the first inning and another in the second to lead 3-0. Champaign got one back in the third and took advantage of Effingham's generosity to get three in the fifth.

A dropped third strike got the leadoff man on base, leading to a hit and run single to put runners on the corners. After Wright managed to get an out without the runners moving, a liner to first base was misplayed into a two-run play. A throwing error on the infield allowed that run to score and broke a 3-3 tie.

"We outplayed them the entire game and gave it away in one inning," said Miller. "We did hit the ball pretty well and moved runners, but this was definitely the one that got away."

Jeremy Jansen and Jordan Amlong had two singles apiece for Effingham. Jansen recorded an RBI, while Ben Mehl and John Logan Zink each singled with an RBI.

Effingham 7, Decatur 3

Alex Westendorf tossed a gem and Austin Mahaffey hit a three-run double in the top of the seventh to bust open a 4-3 game that Effingham trailed 3-2 after four innings.

"Westendorf made them put the ball in play," commented Miller. "The left side of the infield (third baseman Cody McCollum and shortstop John Logan Zink) had an amazing 15 assists.

"That also tells you Alex was throwing ground ball after ground ball."

Jansen had another productive game with three base hits and a couple RBIs, while Ben Mehl and Derek Meinhart each hit a single and a double.

"Our hitting all weekend was really good considering it was done with wooden bats," said Miller, whose club has been fairly inconsistent at the plate all summer.

Westendorf didn't walk anybody, struck out only one and needed just 65 pitches to take care of his part.

Saturday

Effingham 9, Northbrook 6

Tyler Ohnesorge went the distance and earned his first win of the legion season in the first of two Saturday games. His statistics indicate he struggled, but Miller assured it wasn't as dicey as the six runs on 11 hits suggest.

"The score doesn't dictate how well Tyler pitched," said Miller, who figured a handful of defensive gaffes at one position on the field cost Ohnesorge several of those scores.

Regardless, Post 120 never trailed as four of Northbrook's tallies came across in the seventh. Effingham never trailed, breaking a scoreless tie with three runs in the top of the third.

Meinhart doubled home three runs in a four-run fifth, while Zink singled and tripled with a pair of RBIs.

Mahaffey and McCollum each dropped perfect squeeze bunts to bring home Effingham's third and fourth runs.

Effingham 7, Logansport 2

Ben Sherrick, who recorded two RBIs in Saturday's first game, drove in three more in the second game of the day on a pair of doubles and Jeremy Jansen overcame nine walks to improve his pitching mark to 4-1 on the summer.

"Jeremy only gave up four hits, and luckily our defense was very good to make up for all the walks," said Miller. "He was getting pinched a little, but you don't get many wins walking nine.

"We moved from one field to another to play the second game, and Jeremy may not have gotten as much warmup as he needed."

It helped that Logansport had one runner picked off and another thrown out at the plate on a great relay, while McCollum deked a hitter out of a triple in the seventh inning.

Manning the hot corner once again, McCollum watched as a Logansport hitter threaded the right field gap and tried to leg out a three-bagger; the runner pulled up without sliding into third as he watched McCollum act as if the ball wasn't coming in, only to be tagged out.

"The whole team loved that one," said Miller. "It was a heads-up play on Cody's part."

Zink singled twice with an RBI and Mahaffey hit an RBI double, while Ohnesorge singled with an RBI along with Meinhart. McCollum and Mehl each had a base hit as well.

Sunday

Effingham 9, Wilmette 8

The Post 120 players were fired up for their tourney finale back at Illinois Field as Wilmette won the coin toss and chose to be the visiting team.

"It was a bold and brash move," said Miller of the opposition turning down the decided advantage of batting last.

"They thought they were going to run-rule us, and we considered it a lack of respect."

For most of the game, however, it didn't look like Wilmette was in any trouble as it scored three runs off Effingham starter Amlong in the first inning and led 7-2 going into Post 120's last raps.

Only two of the four runs Amlong surrendered were earned, and McCollum eventually earned a win in relief.

"We got our first six runners of the seventh inning on," said Miller of the game-tying frame. "We had first and third and one out, but I overmanaged and tried to lose it for us."

Miller called for a squeeze with Meinhart at the plate and two singles to his credit already. It didn't work and Effingham's rally came up a run shy of winning in regulation.

Wilmette got a go-ahead run off Mahaffey in the eighth and had the bases loaded when McCollum took the hill.

"Cody came in and threw strikes to get us out of that jam," said Miller. "Jeremy Jansen scored on a wild pitch in the bottom of the inning to tie it up and Cody threw a scoreless ninth."

Marty Jansen hustled out a single in the ninth and got the Wilmette pitcher to balk him to second, and Meinhart laced his fourth hit of the game into center field as Jansen beat the throw home from center.

"Derek bailed my butt out," Miller admitted. "I'm glad we played with a chip on our shoulder and the kids did a nice job of not giving up. It shows me this club cares. Playing that kind of emotional game at the U of I has to get you pumped up."

Thursday

At Strasburg

Effingham 17, Stew-Stras 6

Chad Green hit two home runs at Stewardson-Strasburg High School, two-run shots in the first and fifth innings to do his fair share of the damage in a blowout win for Post 120 against Post 211/689.

Sherrick contributed a three-run shot in the fourth and Mehl added a solo bomb in the fourth, while Austin Miley contributed a grand slam in the fifth to actually get Stew-Stras within a 7-6 count.

Kyle Helmuth also homered for the home team, a solo shot in the second.

McCollum singled twice with two RBIs and Chase Green took the hill after the grand slam in the fifth to earn a save despite the 11-run margin.

Most of the pitching staff got some work heading into the Champaign tourney, with Amlong earned a win despite also allowing the Miley slam.

"That was my fault," said Miller. "I should've gotten him out a batter sooner. I could tell he was tired, but I was trying to let him finish the inning."

Luke Rincker singled twice for Stew-Stras, while Steven Thomas hit an RBI single.

Champaign Wooden Bat Tournament

Pool Play

Friday

Game One

At Illinois Field

Effingham----210---000---0---—---3-9-3

Champaign---001---030---x---—---4-4-1

WP — Krigel. LP — Wright (3-2).

Effingham Post 120 — Meinhart, single; McCollum, single; J. Jansen, 2 singles, RBI; Mehl, single, RBI; Zink, single, RBI; M. Jansen, single; Amlong, 2 singles

Champaign — Flessner, single; Krouval, single; Van Quale, single; Hoss, single, RBI

Game Two

At St. Thomas More H.S.

Effingham---002---020---3---—---7-12-1

Decatur-----010---200---0---—---3--3-2

WP — Westendorf (2-0). LP — Webb.

Effingham Post 120 — Meinhart, single, double; McCollum, 2 singles; J. Jansen, 3 singles, 2 RBIs; Mehl, single, double, RBI; Amlong, single; Ohnesorge, single; Mahaffey, double, 3 RBIs

Decatur —Quisenberry, single; Nieblor, single; Taylor, single, 2 RBIs; White, RBI

Saturday

Game Three

At St. Thomas More

Effingham---------003---140---1---—---9--6-3

Northbrook, Ind.---000---200---4---—---6-11-1

WP — Ohnesorge (1-0). LP — Baker.

Effingham Post 120 — Meinhart, double, 3 RBIs; McCollum, RBI; J. Jansen, singl;e Mehl, single; Zink, single, triple, 2 RBIs; Mahaffey, RBI; Westendorf, single, RBI; Sherrick, 2 RBIs

Northbrook, Ind. — Kowski, single; Brand, 3 singles, 2 RBIs; Synek, single; Tralmer, single, RBI; Baker, single, double, 2 RBIs; Ericson, single; Confiero, single; Slavi, single, RBI

Game Four

At Central Park

Logansport---000---010---1---—---2-4-0

Effingham----020---230---x---—---7-9-0

WP — J. Jansen (4-1). LP — Bixler.

Logansport, Ind. — single; Zartman, single, RBI; Ely, single; McKay, double, RBI

Effingham Post 120 — Meinhart, single, RBI; McCollum, single; Mehl, single; Zink, 2 singles, RBI; Mahaffey, double, RBI; Sherrick, 2 doubles, 3 RBIs; Ohnesorge, single, RBI

Sunday

Fifth Place Game

At Illinois Field

Wilmette----301---000---310---—---8-12-2

Effingham---001---001---511---—---9-12-3

WP — McCollum (2-0). LP — Tilson.

Wilmette — Campbell, 2 singles; Clark, single; Tilson, single; McHitt, single, double, 3 RBIs; Asina, single; DiCesare, 2 singles, RBI; Rosefield, 2 singles, 3 RBIs; Belmuller, double, RBI

Effingham Post 120 — Meinhart, 4 singles, 2 RBIs; Mehl, single, double; Zink, single, RBI; Mahaffey, 2 singles, RBI; Wright, RBI; Westendorf, single, RBI; M. Jansen, 2 singles, RBI

Thursday

At Knop Field

Effingham----200---325---5---—---17-12-1

Stew-Stras---020---040---0---—----6-10-2

WP — Amlong (3-1). LP — Suckow. S — Cs Green (1).

Effingham Post 120 — Cs Green, double; J. Jansen, single, RBI; Cd Green, single, 2 home runs (1st, 1 on; 5th, 1 on), 4 RBIs; Mehl, home run (4th, none on), RBI; Amlong, single; Sherrick, home run (4th, 2 on), 3 RBIs; M. Jansen, single; McCollum, 2 singles, 2 RBIs; Ohnesorge, double, 3 RBIs

Stewardson-Strasburg Post 211/689 — Thomas, single, RBI; Brandt, single; Widdersheim, single; L. Rincker, 2 singles; Helmuth, single, home run (2nd, none on), RBI; Miley, double, home run (5th, 3 on), 4 RBIs; Mechling, single

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