Effingham Post 120 Juniors Fall From Tourney

Effingham Post 120 picked up its second loss at the Fifth Division Junior Legion Baseball Tournament and fell from further tourney action Saturday.

Post 120 dropped a 5-4 loss to Valmeyer and with that second loss exited the tournament. Valmeyer Post 901 took a 2-0 first inning lead then went scoreless until the fourth with two more for a 4-1 lead. Post 120 scored its run when Ryan Sandifer led off with a single. He stole second base and then came home on a double by Joe Kabbes.

Effingham came back with three runs in the top of the fifth to tie the score at 4-4. Brett Koester singled to start the action and Alec Morrissey drew a walk. Sandifer then doubled Koester home. Morrissey scored on a wild pitch and Sandifer moved up and scored on a sacrifice fly by Parker Seachrist to knot the score.

Valmeyer then tallied what would prove to be the winning run in the bottom of the fifth.

Sandifer pitched six innings, allowing seven hits, four walks and striking out five.

Post 120 ended the season with a 12-10-2 mark.

"I am very proud of the way the team fought through difficult conditions over the weekend and improved throughout the year," said Coach Chris Koester. "I'm very thankful for all the work Coach Carl Koester put in, the Post 120 American Legion officers, the parents and most of all the players."

In other tourney action Saturday, Salem downed Valmeyer 14-4, Olney edged Pinckneyville 9-8 in eight innings, Olney downed West Frankfort 16-6 and Alton won over Steeleville 5-2.

At Metropolis

Effingham Post 120           000    130    0    --    4-6-2

Valmeyer Post 90              200    210    x    --    5-7-1

WP -- Reinhardt. LP -- Sandifer.

Effingham Post 120 -- B. Koester, single; Morrissey, double; Sandifer, single, double, 1 RBI; Seachrist, 1 RBI; Kabbes, double, 1 RBI; Strullmyer, single

Valmeyer Post 901 -- Krekel, single, triple, 1 RBI; Juelfs, single, 1 RBI; Ea. Wallace, double; Kempfer, 1 RBI; Whipple, single; Maus, single, 1 RBI; Er. Wallace, single