NEW ORLEANS - The Jefferson City American Legion Post 5 Seniors scored at will in their previous two games. It turns out runs were hard to come by Thursday night.
The Post 5 Seniors were held to four hits in 8 1/3 innings by Ty Elliott, who led Ada (Okla.) Post 72 to a 3-1 win against Jefferson City in the second round of the Mid-South Regional Tournament.
Thursday's game was scheduled to be played at Krisch-Rooney Stadium, but it was moved to the all-turf playing surface at John Ryan Stadium due to wet field conditions.
Ada scored one run in first, third and fourth innings against Post 5. All three runs were unearned.
Post 5 scored its only run in the bottom of the fourth inning. Trailing 3-0 with two outs, Thomas Verslues hit a double to left-center field, which scored Kade Franks from first base to make it a two-run game.
Elliott halted Jefferson City's momentum, finishing with 10 strikeouts and throwing 84 of his 119 pitches for strikes.
Drew Boessen scattered seven hits in seven innings for Post 5, finishing with one walk and three strikeouts. Logan Bexten pitched the final two innings in relief, retiring all six batters he faced to keep the score 3-1.
Jefferson City tried to stage a rally in the bottom of the ninth. With one out, Zach Stiles singled into center field and Verslues reached on an error, putting the tying run on base.
Ada then brought in Mekhi Edwards to close the game. Edwards induced a pair of groundouts to pick up the save.
Franks had a single in the second inning and Skyler Dickneite, who entered the game in the fifth inning, doubled down the left-field line in his first at-bat in the bottom of the sixth.
Post 5 stranded 10 runners on base, leaving runners on second and third base in both the second and third innings.
The Post 5 Seniors (30-9) will play Columbia (Tenn.) Post 19 (27-14-1) in an elimination game at 4:30 p.m. today. Columbia topped Ottawa (Kan.) Post 60 by a score of 8-3 on Thursday to stave off elimination.
In today's other elimination game, Amory (Miss.) Post 25 (19-7) will face Desrehan (La.) Post 366 (27-7) at 12:30 p.m. In the winner's bracket, Ada (36-9) will play the regional's other unbeaten team, Bryant (Ark.) Post 298 (35-6), at 7:30 p.m.