TRENTON - Drake Champlin had two hits and a RBI, while Logan Bogard threw a complete game on the mound, striking out six, to give Alton Post 126's senior American Legion baseball team a 4-1 win over Aviston Post 1239 to force a second championship game, then Joe Stephan delivered a clutch RBI single in the bottom of the seventh to give Alton a 2-1 win in the second game to give the Legionnaires the Illinois Fifth Division championship Sunday afternoon, July 27, 2025, at Trenton Community Park.
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The Legionnaires advanced to the state tournament with the double win, which takes place July 30-Aug. 3 in Rantoul, as Post 126 continues their campaign to win the state title and move on to the Great Lakes regional in Carol Stream.
Aviston had relegated Alton to the loser's bracket with a 6-5, eight-inning win on Thursday, but the Legionnaires advanced to the final with two forfeit wins over Steeleville and Harrisburg 7-0, in effect, making the finals a best-of-three series against Aviston, with the Express already leading 1-0.
In the first game, Dane Godar and Stephan led off the bottom of the first, with Godar stealing second and third, and one out later, Stephan stole second, and Godar scored on a wild pitch to give Alton a 1-0 lead with Stephan going to third. It stayed that way until the home half of the third, when Godar reached on an error, and scored on Stephan's RBI double to center, making the score 2-0. Ayden Calvert then doubled home Stephan to increase the Post 126 lead to 3-0. Champlin then singled home Calvert to up the advantage to 4-0.
Bogard kept Aviston off the scoreboard with very effective pitching, but in the top of the sixth, Ben Lehman led off with a single, and two outs later, Drake Curry tripled home Rowdy Sussenbach, who had forced Lehman on a fielder's choice grounder, to make it 4-1. Bogard shut down the Express the rest of the way to give Alton the win to force a second game for the title.
Champlin had two hits and a RBI to lead the Legionnaires, while Carsen Bristow had two hits, Stephan and Calvert both had a hit and RBI each, and Godar also had a hit. Bogard went all the way on the mound, giving up an earned run on four hits, walking two and striking out six.
The second game was a pitcher's dual, with the game being scoreless until the bottom of the fourth, with Champlin drawing a one-out walk, went to second on a ground out by Bristow, Ryan Lowis drew a walk, and Kadin Carlisle singled home Champlin to give Alton a 1-0 lead. The Express tied the game in the top of the fifth, starting with an Ethan Brinkmann double to right, and scored on a RBI double by Miles Browne to tie the game 1-1. Lehman singled Browne to third with one out, but a pop out to short, and a grounder to short ended the inning.
Carlisle led off the bottom of the seventh with a sharp single to center, was sacrificed to second by Godar, and Stephan hit a 2-1 pitch to left that fell for a single to score Carlisle and give Post 126 the 2-1 win and the Fifth Division championship.
Carlisle had two hits and a RBI for the Legionnaires, while Stephan had a hit and the game-winning RBI, and both Calvert and Lowis had a hit each. Nolan Parker started on the mound, going five innings, giving up an earned run on five hits, walking two and striking out none. Landon Sitze went the final two innings, getting credit for the win, allowing two hits, walking none and fanning two.
The Legionnaires are now 27-10, and advance to the Illinois state tournament in Rantoul on July 30-Aug. 3, 2025, with the winner going to the Great Lakes regional in Carol Stream at Lee Pfund Stadium Aug. 6-10, with the winner going on to the 100th Anniversary Legion World Series Aug. 13-18 in Shelby, N.C.
