INDEPENDENCE, Mo. - The Jefferson City Post 5 Juniors need one more win for a state championship.
Bryce Bond and Josef Kielholz combined to pitch a three-hitter Friday, leading Jefferson City to the title game with a 3-1 win against Ste. Genevieve Post 150 in the American Legion state tournament at Crysler Stadium.
The game was scoreless until the bottom of the fourth inning, when Post 5 drew three consecutive walks to open the frame. Ste. Genevieve then induced a double play, but Gavin Bernskoetter followed with a two-run double to score Gage Bax and Dakota Kemna, giving Jefferson City a 2-0 lead.
Post 5 added another run in the fifth to extend the lead to three runs. Gavin Stricklan started the inning with a pinch-hit single and later scored on an RBI single by Kielholz.
Bond, who only allowed two batters to reach base in the first five innings, picked up the win for Jefferson City. He allowed Ste. Genevieve's only run in the top of the sixth on a wild pitch with two outs, but he finished with five strikeouts while allowing one walk.
Ste. Genevieve started the seventh with a single off Bond, but Kielholz came in to close the game and get the save, striking out two of the three batters he faced.
Braden Hickey and Kemna each had one single for Post 5, which finished the game with five hits.
The Post 5 Juniors (25-8) will play in the state championship game at 1:30 p.m. today. Their opponent is still to be determined.