WASHINGTON, Mo. - In the semifinal, Cullen McBride scattered six hits and struck out six in a 3-0 semifinal win over Valmeyer, then a bases loaded double by Adam Stilts in the bottom of the sixth keyed a four-run rally that gave Alton Post 126's American Legion baseball team a 6-3 win over Highland in the final and the championship of the Washington, Mo., tournament on Sunday at the hosts' park.
The title climaxed a five-game sweep of the tournament by the Legionnaires, who battled throughout the whole weekend to bring home the championship.
Get The Latest News!
Don't miss our top stories and need-to-know news everyday in your inbox.
"They earned it," said Alton manager Doug Booten. "The kids worked hard for it. We've got a lot of guys who have played together before, and they know the grind. We added some pieces, and we all came together as a team this weekend."
In the semifinal against Valmeyer, the Legionnaires scored all three of their runs in the fifth inning, as Stilts and Gage Booten collected the RBIs. Alton had only two hits in the game, from Stilts and Blaine Lancaster, but got a complete game from McBride, who scattered the six hits while fanning the six batters and walking only two. He threw 105 pitches, 73 for strikes.
"Another great pitching performance from Cullen," Booten said. "Unfortunately, we didn't hit, and we got all the runs in one inning. Cullen was great. That's three great pitching performances in a row, and he was just as dominant as the first two."
In the final against their District 22 rivals, Highland jumped out to a 3-0 lead on the strength of a three-run third inning. But Alton scored single runs in the fourth and fifth innings to cut the lead to 3-2, then came up with the four-run sixth to take the game and championship. The big blow was a bases-clearing double down the left field line by Stilts that eventually won the game for the Legionnaires.
Gage Booten went three-for-three with a RBI to help lead the Alton offense, while McBride went two-for-four, Stilts' only hit produced the three RBIs, while Preston Schepers had a hit and RBI, starting pitcher Owen Macias had a hit in two times up, and Lancaster also had a hit and RBI.
Macias threw three innings and gave up six hits and the three Highland runs while walking two and striking out two. Ryne Hanslow came on in relief in the fourth and kept Highland off the board, allowing only two hits while fanning two.
It was a combination of executing the little things again, along with timely hitting, that did the trick for Alton.
"Highland put three runs on us early," Booten said, "but we found a way to move runners over, put pressure on their defense, and got timely hitting."
A lot of the Legionnaire batters had been working very hard in their at-bats during the early part of the season, and they were rewarded for the patience and perseverance in the final.
"We had guys who were working hard at the plate, but didn't have anything to show for it," Booten said. "And today, the kids finally came through."
The fact that three of the last four teams in the tournament were from District 22 speaks well of the competition in the district, and the talent among the clubs.
"Oh yeah, it's always good for that," Booten said. "It worked out that three of the four teams left were from District 22. You look around at all the tournaments we go to, and the best competition is right there in our own backyard."
And of course, Booten is very proud of his club and the way they worked all weekend to bring home the championship. The players have improved since a rough start, and are now starting to hit their strides.
"It really is, and by leaps and bounds," Booten said. "I just can't say enough good things about it. The guys battled hard all weekend, and nothing came easy to us."
The Legionnaires have won eight straight games, and nine of their last 10, and now have a well-deserved week off before getting back into action on Saturday in a junior-senior doubleheader at Warrenton, Mo., with the junior game starting at 1 p.m, while the seniors play at 3 p.m. And Booten is a very happy man, indeed.
"I couldn't be prouder of the guys," Booten said.
