Teutopolis, Effingham To Meet For Senior District Title

The District 23 Senior Legion Baseball Tournament opened play Saturday at Paul Smith Field, Community Park in Effingham.

Vandalia started the tourney with a 5-3 win over Robinson. Teutopolis then defeated Salem 6-1. Effingham Senior Legion Post 120 claimed a 12-2 win over Vandalia. Salem edged Robinson 7-6, Teutopolis then defeated Effingham 6-4. Vandalia bounced Salem 15-6 and Effingham came back through loser bracket play with a 13-1 win over Vandalia.

Teutopolis and Effingham will meet for the championship today at 5 p.m. If Effingham wins, a second game will take place around 7:30 p.m. If Teutopolis wins, the championship goes to Post 924.

Effingham beat Vandalia Legion Post 95 Saturday 12-2 in eight innings. Effingham scored four runs in the seventh to end the game on a pair of singles by Carter Hayes and Alex Hoelscher, a double by Tyler Zuber scoring Hayes and a RBI double by Braydon Bone. Zuber put himself in scoring position with two extra-base hits for Effingham. In addition, Nick Miller and Michael Woltman each added two hits.

Zach Gardewine kept contact to a minimum, striking out 10 Vandalia batters. Gardewine allowed one earned run, four hits and three walks over seven innings. Effingham easily handled Vandalia pitching as seven hitters combined for 13 hits, seven RBIs and 10 runs scored.

It didn't take long for Effingham to respond as it scored two runs of its own in the second. Effingham scored on a sacrifice fly by Kevin Daugherty and an RBI single by Reed Schafer. Effingham didn't relinquish the lead after scoring three runs in the fifth inning when it scored on two singles.

A tight game was decided in the seventh inning as Effingham fell to Teutopolis Post 924, 6-4 Sunday.

Hayes had a busy day at the plate, collecting two extra-base hits. He doubled in the fifth inning and homered in the seventh inning. Hudson Graham looked sharp on the rubber. Graham held Teutopolis Post 924 hitless over 2 1/3 innings, allowed no earned runs, walked two and struck out two.

Andy Borries recorded the win for Teutopolis Post 924. He allowed four runs over eight innings. Borries struck out 13, walked four and gave up seven hits.

Effingham jumped out to an early 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first. Effingham got things going when Miller singled. Graham singled, bringing home Reid Kocher.

Teutopolis never surrendered the lead after the seventh inning, scoring four runs on three singles. T-town was led by John Kreke with a single, double and two RBI and Borries with a single and double. Justin Roepke chipped in with two singles and an RBI and Devin Smith with two singles.

Effingham jumped out to an early lead on Vandalia Legion Post 95 and captured a 13-1 victory Sunday in loser bracket play. With seven runs in the first three innings, Effingham left no doubt about the eventual outcome.

An RBI single by Graham, an RBI single by Woltman, a sacrifice fly by Gardewine, and an RBI double by Schafer during the first inning and an RBI single by Hayes, an RBI double by Graham, and a fielder's choice in the second inning helped Effingham put some runs on the board early. Hayes racked up three RBIs on three hits including a two run homer.

Effingham Post 120 had five players with at least two hits including Hayes, Graham, Woltman, Gardewine, and Blake White.

Vandalia Legion Post 95 couldn't get anything going as long as Graham was pitching. Graham held Vandalia hitless over four innings, allowed no earned runs, walked none and struck out three.

District Senior Tournament

Game Three

Vandalia           110    000    00    --       2-  4-1

Effingham        020    030    43    --    12-15-2

WP -- Gardeine. LP -- Behrends.

Vandalia Legion Post 95 -- Linnabary, single; Sloan, 1  RBI; Hall, single; Korte, 2 singles

Effingham Legion Post 120 -- Miller, double, triple; Kocher, single; Hayes, single; Hoelscher, 2 singles; Zuber, double, triple, 1 RBI; Woltman, 2 singles, 1 RBI; Pease, 1 RBI; Daugherty, single, double, 2 RBI; Bone, single, double, 3 RBI; Schafer, single, 1 RBI

Game Five

Teutopolis           011    000    400    --    6-10-0

Effingham           100    200    100    --    4-  8-3

WP -- Hoelscher. LP -- Borries.

Teutopolis Post 924 -- Smith, 2 singles; Mette, single; Kreke, single, double, 2 RBI; Roepke, 2 singles, 1 RBI; Borries, single, double; Flach, single

Effingham Post 120 -- Miller, single; Kocher, single; Hayes, double, home run, 1 RBI; Graham, 2 singles, 1 RBI; Woltman, 2 singles; Burhmann, 1 RBI

Game Seven

Vandalia              100    000    0    --       1-  2-0

Effingham           430    204    x    --    13-15-1

WP -- Graham. LP -- Well.

Vandalia Post 95 -- Goodwin, 2 singles

Effingham Post 120 -- Miller, single; Zuber, single; Bourgeois, single; Hayes, 2 singles, home run, 3  RBI; Graham, single, double, 2 RBI; Woltman, 2 singles, 2 RBI; Gardwine, double, triple, 3 RBI; Schafer, double, 1 RBI; White, 2 singles, 1 RBI