BALLWIN - The Jefferson City Post 5 Freshmen extended their season Thursday with a commanding 19-6 win in five innings against Elsberry Post 226 in an elimination game in the Missouri American Legion A State Tournament.
Post 5 finished the run-rule contest with 24 hits in four innings, as 12 of the 14 players who batted had at least one hit.
Jefferson City scored three runs in each of the first two innings, as Matthew Robertson had a two-run triple in the first and Jake Hagner had a two-run double in the second. Post 5 led 6-4 entering the top of the third.
Elsberry closed the gap to one with a run in the third, but Jefferson City answered with an eight-run frame, followed by five more runs in the fourth.
Colten Bryan highlighted the bottom of the third with a bases-clearing double. Ty Kiesling, Easton Stuckenschnieder, Kase Winegar and Easton DeMilia also had RBI hits in the inning.
Stuckenschnieder added a two-run single in the fourth. He led the Post 5 hitting attack, going 4-for-4 with two singles, two doubles and four RBI.
Robertson finished 3-for-4, a home run shy of hitting for the cycle, to go with three RBI. Bryan had two doubles and three RBI in the win.
Hagner had two singles, a double and two RBI, while Winegar finished with a single, a double and two RBI. DeMilia and Kiesling each had two hits and one RBI, while Conner Bax had a pair of singles.
Bax was also the winning pitcher for Jefferson City. In 2 1/3 innings of relief, he allowed one run on two hits with three strikeouts.
Kiesling was the starting pitcher, giving up four runs on six walks with one strikeout. Winegar pitched the final 12/3 innings, allowing one run on three hits with one strikeout.
In Thursday's winner's bracket games, Kirkwood Post 156 won 11-3 against Ste. Genevieve Post 150, while Jackson Post 158 won 5-1 against Eureka Post 177.
The Post 5 Juniors (12-5-1) will play Ste. Genevieve in another elimination game at 12:30 p.m. today. The winner advances to play either Eureka or Washington Post 218 at 5:30 p.m. Eureka and Washington open today's action with an elimination game at 10 a.m.
Kirkwood and Jackson will meet in the winner's bracket at 3 p.m.