WASHINGTON, Mo. - A young Alton Post 126 junior American Legion baseball team made its 2020 season debut on Sunday but lost twice in a doubleheader at Washington, Mo., losing to the host team 11-0 in five innings, due to the 10-run rule, and 13-5 to Hannibal, Mo.
Like their senior counterparts the day before, the junior Legionnaires hadn't played a game on been on a practice field in about a year, and it definitely played a big factor in the results.
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"The scores reflect that we haven't been on the field at all," Alton manager Doug Booten said. "This hasn't been a typical year, so we're just trying to figure out who can play where. The effort was there."
Alton was held to just three hits in the first game, all singles from Andrew Wieneke, Graham McAfoos and Seth Slayden. Washington scores six times in the fourth inning and five more times in the fifth to end the game early due to the 10-run rule, but Wieneke stood out on the mound, allowing only two hits and four runs in 3.2 innings, while striking out four and walking only two.
Tyler Stiefelmann, Dane Eckhoff and Gavin Mueller each had two hits for Washington, while Eckhoff drove home four runs, and Stiefelmann, Jacob Baldwin and Mitch Meyer also had RBIs for Washington. Owen Struckhoff allowed only two hits and fanned five to gain the win.
In the second game, Hannibal jumped out to an 8-0 lead with three run each in the first and third innings, and two more in the fourth. Both teams traded runs in the fifth before the junior Legionnaires exploded for four runs in the top of the sixth, but Hannibal also scored four times in the bottom of the inning to make the 13-5 final.
"The bright spot today was when the kids were down by eight runs," Booten said, "and they battled back to make a game of it."
