Effingham Post 120 Juniors Claim Doubleheader

American Legion Effingham Junior Post 120 and Vandalia Post 95 exchanged the lead six times Tuesday, but Effingham ended up on top with a 6-4 win in seven innings over Vandalia Post 95 in the opening game of a doubleheader.

Effingham pulled out the win thanks to a strong fifth inning. A walk by Eli Buhrman scored Caleb Martin and gave Post 120 the lead for good. Will Clausius reached base three times. He scored one run and had one RBI. He also doubled in the fourth inning. Michael Woltman and Blake White had two hits each for the game.

Woltman got it done on the rubber on the way to a win. He pitched 3 2/3 shutout innings. He struck out one, walked one and surrendered one hit. The Post 120 juniors jumped out to an early 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first. Effingham got things going when Bryar Jansen singled. A single by Woltman then moved Jansen from first to second. Both runners stole their respective bases and advanced one more base on an overthrow.

It didn't take long for Effingham to answer a Vandalia run as it scored one run of its own in the third. Post 120 scored on an error. Effingham brought home one run in the fourth inning, and matched that run total in the sixth. In the fourth, Effingham brought home Clausius. Effingham never surrendered the lead after the fifth inning.

In the second contest, Effingham shut the door early on Vandalia, capturing a 12-2 victory. With 10 runs in the first three innings, Effingham left no doubt about the eventual outcome. A two-run single by Drew Gibson during the first inning and an RBI single by Jansen and an error in the second inning supplied the early offense for Effingham.

Jansen was hot from the plate going 3-for-4, driving in one and scoring two runs. White and Gibson both had two hits apiece in the second contest.

Martin had an impressive outing against Vandalia Post 95's lineup. Vandalia managed just one hit off the Effingham's pitcher, who allowed one earned run, walked one and struck out eight during his three innings of work. Martin and White combined to allow Vandalia only one hit in the game.

Effingham Junior Post 120 built upon its lead with six runs in the third. The inning got off to a hot start when Kyle Pease singled, bringing home Martin.

At Effingham

Game One

Vandalia Post 95             001    300    0    --    4-8-4

Effingham Post 120        101    121    x    --    6-7-3

WP -- Woltman. LP -- Dangbar.

Vandalia Post 95 -- Hoene, single, double, 2 RBI; Schaal, 2 singles, 2 RBI; Stewart, single; Horner, 2 singles; Radamachier, single

Effingham Post 120 -- Buhrman, 2 RBI; Jansen, single; Woltman, 2 singles; Bateman, double; White, single, double, 1 RBI; Clausius, double, 1 RBI

Game Two

Vandalia Post 95             100    10    --      2-  1-2

Effingham Post 120        226    02    --    12-10-0

WP -- Martin. LP -- Huber.

Vandalia Post 95 -- Dangbar, double

Effingham Post 120 -- Jansen, 3 singles, 1 RBI; Woltman, single; Gibson, 2 singles, 3 RBI; White, 2 singles, 2 RBI; Martin, single, 1 RBI; Pease, single, 1 RBI