SEDALIA -- It took 19 innings Thursday to decide the champion of the Missouri American Legion AAA State Tournament at Liberty Park.
The first 12 innings were an instant thriller that went in favor of the Jefferson City American Legion Post 5 Seniors, forcing an “if necessary” game.
During the final seven innings, St. Joseph Post 11 needed just one big inning to capture the state title.
“We had our backs against the wall,” Post 5 Seniors coach Curt Vaughan said after his team’s 7-6 win in 12 innings against St. Joseph in the championship game. “We’ve faced elimination in three straight games. That was just one where there were so many ups and downs, our guys had to really focus on getting back to even-keeled.”
St. Joseph scored seven runs in the top of the fifth inning in Game 2, the “if necessary” game, to beat Jefferson City 8-5.
However, both teams will advance to the Mid-South Regional Tournament, which begins next Wednesday at Bobby Hayes Stadium in Pelham, Ala. St. Joseph moves on as the Missouri state champion, while runner-up Jefferson City will take the place of the Oklahoma state champion in the bracket.
“At our first practice, we talked about our goals,” Vaughan said. “We always consider state as one of our goals, but the main thing is we wanted to go wherever regionals was.”
Gallery: Jefferson City American Legion Post 5 Seniors vs. St. Joseph Post 11
Jefferson City, which won elimination games Wednesday against Festus Post 253 (5-4) and Washington Post 218 (1-0), began Thursday’s action by scoring two runs in the top of the first inning against St. Joseph.
Both runs scored on infield grounders that turned into plays at the plate, as errant throws home allowed Calen Kruger and Jaden Kolb to score for a 2-0 lead for the Post 5 Seniors.
“This year, the top half of our order has been pretty consistent,” Vaughan said.
However, Jefferson City would be held scoreless in the game’s next nine innings.
“Their pitcher really settled in,” Vaughan said. “He did a really good job. It was just a battle for 12 innings.”
The two teams combined to make 13 outs on the basepaths -- six for Post 5, seven for Post 11. Three of Jefferson City’s out were made between third base and home plate, but the Post 5 Seniors turned two double plays and catcher Jack Robertson threw out three runners attempting to steal second base.
Both inning-ending double plays stranded a St. Joseph runner on third base.
“We had some big double plays and good defensive plays, but the key is to get that leadoff guy (out),” Vaughan said. “If we can get the leadoff guy, we like our chances of putting up a zero.”
St. Joseph tied the game at 2 in the bottom of the third inning, as Brock Steggall hit a two-out single down the right-field line to score Keaton Mudd and Matthew Caudill.
Post 5 Seniors pitcher Billy Underwood struggled early, walking six batters in the first three innings, but he finished his outing of 6⅔ innings by retiring 10 of the final 12 batters he faced for a no-decision.
Vaughan said Underwood figured out his offspeed pitch after the third inning.
“I think teams know that if you can throw that offspeed pitch for a strike in any count, it just puts that little bit of doubt in the batter’s head,” Vaughan added. “Guys have been struggling with it this week.”
Hunter Berendzen, who relieved Underwood on the mound, got a strikeout to end the bottom of the seventh to force extra innings. He followed that with three scoreless frames to keep the game going.
“That was just a grind of a game,” Vaughan said. “You could tell there was a lot at stake, both teams just really wanted it.”
Kruger opened the 11th inning with a double to the right-center field gap. He later scored on a two-out single to right field by Jacob Schulte to put Jefferson City back in front 3-2.
St. Joseph answered in the bottom half to extend the game another inning. Logan Miller drew a leadoff walk, moved to second on a wild pitch and third on a balk, then scored on a groundout by Caudill.
Jefferson City plated four runs in the 12th while producing just one hit.
Trevor Jordan walked, Holden Brand was hit by a pitch and both runners advanced a base on Luke Cavender’s sacrifice bunt. Jordan then scored on a balk by St. Joseph pitcher Conner Bell to give the Post 5 Seniors the lead.
After Kruger drew a walk, Jefferson City went back to small ball, as Nick Jeffries bunted home Brand. Kruger advanced to third on the bunt, then scored easily on an overthrow into the outfield to extend the lead to 6-3.
Kolb followed with an RBI single to left field, scoring Jeffries. But even with a four-run lead with three outs to go, Vaughan wasn’t breathing a sigh of relief just yet.
“I’m always nervous,” he said with a laugh.
St. Joseph got three runs back in the bottom of the 12th on an RBI groundout from Mudd and a two-run double by Bell. With the tying run on second base and two out, Nate Roark closed the game for Jefferson City by getting the next batter to pop up on the infield for the final out.
Underwood struck out four batters and Berendzen, who got the win, had one walk and six strikeouts in five innings of relief.
Kruger, Schulte and Jordan each finished with two hits for the Post 5 Seniors.
In the “if necessary” game, Jefferson City took a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the third inning on a two-run single by Kolb, scoring Kruger and Jeffries.
St. Joseph scored its first run in the fourth on a balk. Then, in the fifth, Post 11 began the inning with seven consecutive singles off Roark, who started Game 2 on the mound for Jefferson City. All seven batters came around to score to make it 8-2.
“We just kind of lost our focus for about a 15-minute period,” Vaughan said.
Jordan pitched three hitless innings of relief to keep St. Joseph from extending its lead.
Jefferson City answered with two runs in the bottom fifth, as Cavender scored on a wild pitch and Jeffries scored on a single by Schulte.
In the seventh, Jace Kesel’s RBI single scored Kolb for the game’s final run.
“They were very good about passing the bat,” Vaughan said of the late-game rally.
Kolb and Kesel each had a pair of hits for Jefferson City.
Miller had three hits for St. Joseph (22-7), while Steggall struck out five and walked four in 5⅔ innings to get the win.
The Post 5 Seniors (25-5-1) will play the Arkansas state champion in the first round of the regional tournament.
“This past 24-hour period, our guys have shown a lot of grit,” Vaughan said. “They deserve this opportunity to go to Alabama.”