INDEPENDENCE, Mo. - There is another state championship trophy coming back to Jefferson City.
The Jefferson City Post 5 Juniors remained unbeaten in postseason play Saturday, winning 5-2 against Lee's Summit Bandits in the American Legion state tournament championship game at Crysler Stadium.
The Post 5 Juniors never trailed in the title game, taking the lead for good in the bottom of the second inning. Jefferson City hit three consecutive singles, including an RBI hit by Gavin Stricklan, to grab a 1-0 lead.
That lead grew to 4-0 in the third inning. Zach Woehr scored on an error and Gavin Bernskoetter drove in two more runs with a single to right field for Post 5.
Jefferson City extended its lead to five runs, adding another run in the fifth on a sacrifice fly by Stricklan.
Bernskoetter led Post 5, going 3-for-3 with three singles and two RBI. Stricklan also tallied two RBI and went 1-for-2 with a single. Jefferson City finished with nine hits.
Parker Bax allowed one hit through five innings for Post 5, but Lee's Summit collected five hits in the top of the sixth to finally break through. Josef Kielholz relieved Bax in the sixth and stranded the tying run on first base to get out of a bases-loaded jam.
Kielholz pitched a perfect seventh for his second save in as many days, striking out two in the inning.
Bax earned the win, going 5 innings. He allowed two runs on four hits with two walks and five strikeouts.
Woehr, Kielholz, Dakota Kemna and Jason Binkley each had one single for Jefferson City.
The Post 5 Juniors improved to 26-8 with Saturday's win.