Sports Round-Up: Handler Paces Legion Under 15 Squad To Win, 17 and Under Team Also Wins

MARYLAND HEIGHTS, Mo. - Four players had two hits each in the under-15 game, while Caleb Handler led Alton Post 126 with three hits in the under-17 game as Alton swept Maryland Heights, Mo., Post 213 in a junior doubleheader on Saturday in Maryland Heights.

The under-15 team defeated Maryland Heights 16-1, while the under-17 side defeated the hosts 12-7 in the second game of the twin bill.

In the under-15 game, the junior Legionnaires struck for eight runs in the opening inning, with Maryland Heights getting one of the runs back in the bottom of the second to cut the lead to 8-1. Post 126 then scored eight unanswered runs, starting with three in the third, then added one in the fourth and four more in the fifth to take a 10-run rule win over Maryland Heights.

Jacob Flowers came up with two hits and three RBIs to lead the junior Legionnaires, while both Alex Pilger and Joe Stephan had two hits and two RBIs each, Jack Puent had two hits and an RBI, Blake Rensing came up with a hit and two RBIs, Parker Cannon had a hit and RB and both Dane Godar and Dagen Cordes each had an RBI.

Reese Bohlen started on the mound and gained the win, throwing two innings and allowing an unearned run without a hit, walking one and striking out five, Logan Hickman also threw two innings, allowing two hits while fanning six and Grant Ipanis pitched the fifth, striking out three.

In the under-17 game, Alton started out with three runs in the first and four more in the second, while Maryland Heights scored once in the first and twice more in the second to give Alton a 7-3 lead after two. Both teams traded runs in the fourth before Alton scored three times in the fifth to up the lead to 11-4, Maryland Heights scored three runs of their own in the sixth, but Alton scored once in the eighth to take their 12-7 win.

Handler led the young Legionnaires with his three hits and RBI, while Scott Barlow had a hit and three RBIs, Nolan Parker and Jackson Dorris each had a hit and RBI and both Carsen Bristow and Camden Siebert had hits. Parker pitched six innings to get the win, giving up seven runs on seven hits, walking four and striking out four, while D. Nation pitched the last three innings, walking two and striking out five.

Both teams enjoy Monday off, with the junior Legionnaires playing at Jerseyville on Tuesday at 5:30 p.m, then have a doubleheader on Saturday, June 24 at Breese number two at 1 and 3 p.m., host Highland on June 27 at 6 p.m. and finish the second month of the season June 30 at Trenton in a 7 p.m. contest.

The young Legionnaires play at Jerseyville Tuesday night at 7:30 p.m., then host East St. Louis at Lloyd Hopkins Field in Gordon Moore Park in a 6 p.m. start, play in a tournament at Carlyle June 23-25, then meet up with the junior Legionnaires Monday, June 26, in a 6 p.m. start. Alton then winds up its June slate with a home game against Piasa Southwestern High's summer team at 5:30 p.m., then play a doubleheader at Breese number one, with the first game starting at 6 p.m.

More like this: