JACKSON - The Jackson and Edgerton American Legion teams picked up sub-district championships on Saturday, earning them a chance to play for state.
As a No. 3-seed, Jackson defeated No. 2 Windom 7-4 in its opening game and then knocked off fourth-seeded Welcome 17-2 in the championship bout. Windom saw its season come to an end with a 7-1 loss to Springfield in an elimination game.
The home team fell in Pipestone when Post 6 dropped the championshp game to Edgerton. Luverne took the second spot out of the west sub-district when it defeated Pipestone after knocking out Heron Lake-Okabena.
Central sub-district
Welcome shocked top-seeded Springfield in the first game of the day Saturday, but its luck ran out against Jackson.
The No. 4-seed scored two runs in the top of the first, but that was it. Jackson scored 17 unanswered - 10 in the first - to claim the sub-district crown.
Ryan Christopher, Avery Henderson, Darius Johnson and Nate Monson all cracked doubles in the bottom of the first. Easton Bahr and Christopher scored twice each as Post 130 sent 15 men to the plate en route to a 10-2 lead.
The floodgates opened again in the fourth. A Keegan Klontz double highlighted a frame during which the home team scored seven runs despite tallying only two hits. That brought the game to its final.
Christopher finished the game 2-for-3 with two doubles and three runs scored. That helped earn him the victory on the mound. He went the first four innings, allowing two runs - neither earned - on two hits and five strikeouts.
Klontz was 3-for-4 with two doubles and two runs with Bahr going 1-for-1 and scoring three times.
Two runs in the first gave Windom the lead for most of the first round contest between it and Post 130, but Jackson sent six runners home in the sixth to get the win.
Bahr, Ryan Christopher, Scott Christopher all delivered run-scoring singles for Jackson in the big sixth. Windom came back with two runs of its own in the bottom of the inning. Matt Theesfeld and Jeff Pfeffer both scored to make it a three-run game. But that was all it came up with.
Chris Gumto went the distance for Jackson, allowing four runs on six hits while striking out three. Luke Gilbertson was stuck with the loss. He also surrendered six hits, striking out one and walking six.
Bahr and Ryan Christopher both went 2-for-4 with a run. Klontz was 2-for-3 and scored once. Pfeffer led Windom by going 3-for-4 with a run.
Windom’s season came to a close later in the afternoon with a loss to Sprinfield.
The No. 3-seed struck first with one in the top of the first, but Springfield plated five in the third. Two more in the fifth put it away.
R H E
Wel. 200 00 - 2 2 2
Jack. (10)00 7x - 17 10 1
R H E
Jack. 010 006 0 - 7 6 2
Win. 200 002 0 - 4 6 2
R H E
Win. 100 000 0 - 1 4 3
Spring 005 020 x - 7 5 1
West sub-district
PIPESTONE - Luke Drooger helped fourth-seeded Edgerton keep its postseason magic rolling Saturday.
In the sub-district title game, he pitched Post 42 to a 2-1 victory over Pipestone, the No. 2-seed and tournament host. That dropped Post 6 into a true second place game for the last spot at districts against the winner of Luverne and Heron Lake-Okabena.
Luverne, the top-seeded team in the tournament, recovered from a loss to Edgerton Friday in a big way. In its first game in the elimination bracket, Connor Crabtree threw a no-hitter against Post 608. It was his third of the year between school ball this spring and legion in the summer.
During the no-no, he struck out 12 and walked only two. Trey Cranston gave Heron Lake-Okabena a strong performance as well. He went all seven in the loss.
Connor Sandbulte finished with two hits, one of which was a double, and a run scored with Ryan Gonzalez tabbing too hits with a run and an RBI.
That set up a win-or-go-home contest between Luverne and Pipestone. It didn’t disappoint.
Post 123 kept its season alive in walk-off fashion, clinching a 7-6 win in the bottom of the seventh.
The score was tied at 6-6 when Crabtree drew a leadoff walk. He stole second and was sacrificed to third by Cole Bosch. After an intentional walk to Nick Harder, Ryan Gonzalez squared for a suicide squeeze bunt as Crabtree broke for home. He got it down and Crabtree scored the game-winner.
“I had it in the back of my mind earlier in the day,” Luverne coach Barry Shelton said of the play. “I actually had it on with Ryan at the plate against Heron Lake but our runner at third missed the sign.”
Gonzalez got the win in relief, pitching two innings after taking over for Bosch. Justin Rops went 6 1/3 and took the loss.
Harder had a stellar game at the plate. He was 2-for-2 with a grand slam home run and six RBIs. Gonzalez also had a pair of hits.
Blake Wolter cracked a double as one of his two hits for Post 6. James Zollner, Reid Homann and Rops all had two hits.
“The day went much better than I expected after Friday,” Shelton said. “We’ll have some guys back for districts, too.”
The district tournament begins on Friday in St. James. Luverne will open play at 11 a.m. against Wells. That will be followed by Edgerton against Welcome before Jackson takes on Truman. St. James will cap the night off against Springfield.
The losses ended the season for Pipestone and HL-O.
R H E
HL-O 000 000 0 - 0 0 1
Luv. 001 002 x - 3 7 0
R H E
Pipe 300 030 0 - 6 10 0
Luv 402 000 1 - 7 8 1
