Effingham Post 120 Juniors Nab Altamont Wooden Bat Tournament Title

American Legion Effingham Post 120 claimed the championship of the Altamont Wooden Bat Tournament during the weekend.

Lane Koenig went 2-for-3 as American Legion Effingham Post 120 took home a 4-2 victory over Newton Post 20 in seven innings in opening round play at the Altamont Wooden Bat Tournament Friday.

Koenig singled in the first and fifth innings. Will Clausius looked sharp on the mound. Clausius gave up just two hits, allowed one earned run, walked two and struck out seven during his seven innings of work. Bryan Spitzer took the loss for Newton Post 20. He pitched six innings, walked two, struck out two, and allowed four runs.

The top of the first saw Newton Post 20 take an early lead, 2-0. A single by Mitchell Jansen, bringing home Mitchell Bierman and Tim Weber, started the inning. Effingham answered Newton's inning with two runs of its own in the first. Effingham scored on an RBI single by Michael Woltman and an RBI single by Drew Gibson. Effingham never trailed after scoring one run in the fifth on an RBI single by Koenig.

An ace performance by Koenig carried Effingham Post 120 17U to a 4-1 win in seven innings over Altamont Post 512 Saturday at Altamont High School. Koenig struck out 11, paving the way for an Effingham win. Koenig allowed no earned runs, four hits and two walks over seven innings.

Bryar Jansen was hot from the plate for Effingham. Jansen went 3-4 and scored two runs. He singled in the second, sixth, and seventh innings. C. Miller ended up on the wrong side of the pitching decision, charged with the loss. He lasted just seven innings, walked two, struck out six, and allowed four runs.

The lone run of the game for Altamont Post 512 crossed the plate in the first inning on an error. Effingham never surrendered the lead after the second inning, scoring two runs on a two-run error. After posting one run in the fifth, Effingham again scored one in the sixth. In the fifth, Effingham scored on an RBI double by Woltman, scoring Colby Utz.

Gibson held up his end of the bargain, but could not will American Legion Effingham Post 120 past Shelbyville Post 289 as Effingham lost 3-2 in seven innings at Altamont High School Saturday.

Gibson was a workhorse on the rubber for Effingham. He allowed three earned runs, four hits and two walks while striking out five over six innings of work. Nic Hutchinson got the win for Shelbyville Post 289. He allowed two runs over six innings. Hutchinson struck out three, walked three and gave up four hits.

Post 120 jumped out to an early 2-0 lead in the top of the first. Effingham got things going when Jansen singled advancing Blake White to third. Woltman got an RBI scoring White and Post 120 added another run by Jansen, who scored on an RBI single by Koenig.

Shelbyville Post 289 answered Post 120's top inning with two runs of its own in the first. Shelbyville scored on a bases loaded walk by Gibson and a hit by pitch. The win was determined in the fifth, as Shelbyville scored one run on an RBI single by Trevor Easton. Effingham Post 210 managed to load the bases in the final inning, but was unable to score the tying run.

Pitcher Woltman led the way over Centralia Post 446 Sunday 10-0 at Altamont High School in five innings. Woltman only faced 17 batters in five innings.

American Legion Effingham Post 120 scored five runs in the fifth on an RBI single by James Kabbes, a passed ball, and a two-run double by Koenig. Koenig racked up two RBIs on two hits for Effingham Post 120 juniors. Woltman was in control on the hill. Centralia Post 446 managed just one hit off of the Effingham Post 120 pitcher, who allowed no earned runs, walked three and struck out five during his five innings of work.

Matt Williams took the loss for Centralia Post 446. He allowed 13 hits, and 10 runs in 4 1/3 innings, walked one and struck out four.

Effingham pounded out 13 hits, with Kabbes, Koenig, Jansen, and Gibson all getting two hits each. The lead stayed with Effingham Post 120 after the second, when it scored three runs on an error and a two-run single by White. White ended the game with three RBI.

Effingham Post 120 juniors pushed across one run in both the third inning and the fourth. In the third, they scored on an RBI single by Gibson, plating Koenig. With the victory, the Effingham Post 120 Junior team clinched the Altamont Wooden Bat Tournament title.

Their next game is doubleheader Tuesday at Vandalia with a 6 p.m. start.

Wooden Bat Tournament

Game One

Newton              200    000    0    --    2-2-2

Effingham          200    110    x    --    4-8-4

WP -- Clausius. LP -- Spitzer.

Newton Post 20 -- Jansen, 2 singles, 1 RBI

Effingham Post 120 -- Kabbes, single; Woltman, single, 1 RBI; Koenig, 2 singles, 1 RBI; Gibson, single; Jansen, single; Clausius, single; Buhrman, single

Game Two

Effingham         020    011    0    --    4-9-1

Altamont          100    000    0    --    1-4-2

WP -- Koenig. LP -- Miller.

Effingham Post 120 -- White, single; Woltman, single, double, 1 RBI; Koenig, single; Jansen, 3 singles; Pease, single; Utz, single

Altamont Post 512 -- N. Miller, 2 singles; Guerrettaz, single; Caravello, single

Game Three

Effingham            200    000    0    --    2-4-1

Shelbyville          200    010    0    --    3-4-2

WP -- Hutchinson. LP -- Gibson.

Effingham Post 120 -- Jansen, single; Woltman, single, 1 RBI; Koenig, single, 1 RBI; Utz, single

Shelbyville Post 289 -- Overbeck, single; Hutchinson, 2 singles; Easton, single, 2 RBI; Deremiah, 1 RBI

Game Four

Effingham         031    15    --    10-13-0

Centralia           000    00    --       0-  1-0

WP -- Woltman. LP -- Williams.

Efifngham Post 120 -- Kabbes, 2 singles, 1 RBI; White, single, 3 RBI; Woltman, single; Koenig, single, double, 2 RBI; Jansen, 2 singles, 1 RBI; Martin, single; Buhrman, single; Gibson, 2 singles, 1 RBI; Clausius, single

Centralia Post 446 -- Rowcliff, single