Laird Has Only RBI, Post 126 Held To Five Hits, Carrier Mills Wins Junior Legion Matchup 9-1 Over Alton

HARRISBURG - Max Laird had the only RBI on a third-inning base hit, as Carrier Mills Post 346 gave up a first-inning run, then scored nine unanswered runs to defeat Alton Post 126 in the winner's bracket final of the Illinois Fifth Division junior American Legion baseball tournament Saturday morning at Southeastern Illinois College in Harrisburg.

The loss relegates the junior Legionnaires to the loser's bracket final, where they will now have to win three games in a row to advance to the state tournament next week in Carol Stream.

The first two innings were scoreless, before Alton broke through with a run in the bottom of the third to go on top 1-0. After that, it was all Carrier Mills, as Post 346 scored once int the top of the fourth to tie the game, then plated four runs in the fifth, and two runs each in the sixth and seventh to win the game 9-1 and advance to the championship series.

Laird led the way for Post 126 with a hit and the team's only RBI, while Nolan Pichee, Fletcher Groppel, Kadin Witsken, and Zach Thornton also had hits. Groppel started on the mound, and went 3.1 innings, while being charged with the loss, allowing five runs, three earned, on five hits, walking one and striking out three. Triston Ferguson came on in relief, and pitched 2.2 innings, giving up four earned runs on five hits, walking none and fanning three.