HIGHLAND - Carsen Bristow drove home three runs, while Nolan Parker added two RBIs as Alton Post 126's senior American Legion baseball team advanced to the championship series of the Illinois District 22 baseball tournament with an 8-6 win over Highland Post 439 in the winner's bracket final Saturday morning at Glik Park in Highland
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Bristow led the way for Alton with two hits and three RBIs, while Parker had two hits and two RBIs, Jack Kaylor had two hits and a RBI, Tyler Mills had a hit and RBI, and Marcus Payne, Ayden Calvert, Brayden Hogle, Scott Bartow, and Mykai Taylor all had hits.
The win put the Legionnaires' record at 14-16 for the season, and moves the team into Sunday's final, where Alton will need to win only one game to take the title. Highland is relegated to the loser's bracket final, which was to be played at 4:30 p.m. on Saturday, and would have to win three games in a row over 26 hours to take the title.
Alton scored four times in the second to take the lead, while Highland countered with one run in the home half to cut the lead to 4-1. Highland then came up with four runs in the bottom of the third to take a 5-4 edge, but Post 126 countered with two runs in the top of the fourth to take back the lead at 6-5. Post 439 hit with a single run in the bottom of the fourth to tie the game 6-6, and that's where the score stood until the top of the sixth, where the Legionnaires scored twice to take the 8-6 win and move on to the final.
Logan Bogard was the starting pitcher, and went five innings to be credited with the win, allowing six runs, three earned, on 11 hits, walking three and striking out four, while Scott Bartow pitched the final two innings and earned the save, conceding only a hit, while walking one and fanning three.
Of note for Highland was Nathan Terhaar of Father McGivney Catholic, who had three hits, and also went five innings on the mound, allowing eight runs on 10 hits, walking four and striking out five His brother, Justin, pitched the final two innings, giving up two hits, while walking two and fanning one.
The Legionnaires will play the loser's bracket winner in the championship series on Sunday, the first game starting at 2 p.m., with a second game, if needed, starting at 4:30 p.m. The District champion, along with the Legionnaires as host team, will go through to the Fifth Division tournament, set for July 24-28 at the Bethalto Sports Complex. The division champions goes to the Illinois state tournament, July 31-Aug. 4 in Barrington, in northwest suburban Chicagoland.
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