TRENTON - The Jefferson City Post 5 Seniors pushed the American Legion AAA Zone 1 tournament to the limit Sunday, needing two wins against Washington Post 218 to advance to the Missouri state tournament.
Post 5 won the first game 12-5, handing Post 218 its first loss of the tournament. However, in the next game - a winner-take-all championship matchup - Washington returned the favor, winning 12-5 against Post 5 at Burleigh Grimes Field to win the title.
Post 218 will represent Zone 1 in the state tournament, which begins Thursday in Sedalia.
Post 5 lost its first game of the tournament Thursday to host Trenton 5-4. Facing elimination for the remainder of the tournament, Post 5 won four straight games, starting with an 11-4 win Friday against the Moberly 6ers.
On Saturday, Post 5 picked up a pair of wins to stay alive in the tournament, starting with a 15-4 win against Elsberry. The win was followed by an 18-5 victory against Trenton. Post 5 faced all four teams in the tournament, eliminating three of them.
Sunday's loss ends the season for the Post 5 Seniors.