Jackson Sr. Legion falls in zone final

The Jackson Senior American Legion Post 158 baseball team saw its season come to an end Saturday night with a 6-4 loss to host Festus in the championship game of the Zone 4 tournament.

Jackson rallied with three runs in the bottom of the ninth inning and had runners at second and third when the final out was recorded.

Post 158 coach Mark Lewis saw his team scored a run in the first inning to tie the game at 1-1, but his team stranded eight runners over the next three innings without plating a run. Jackson left the bases loaded in the second and third innings, and had runners at second and third with one out in the fourth but couldn't break the 1-1 deadlock.

"We just didn't cash in early offensively," Lewis said. "It was no one individual; we just didn't get the big hit when we needed it."

Festus scored two runs off losing pitcher Hayden Clark in the sixth inning and added three runs in the seventh for a 6-1 lead.

"We came back and gave them a game a game at the end," Lewis said. "We had our opportunities and we kept letting them off the hook."

Post 158 had advanced to the title game earlier in the day when it eliminated Ballwin with an 8-4 victory.

Steven Eddy pitched a complete game for Post 158.

Post 158 scored multiple runs in four innings in an 11-8 victory over Eureka on Friday.

Post 158 spotted Eureka with two runs in the bottom of the second inning but retaliated with nine unanswered runs.

Post 158 tied the scored in the third and moved ahead with a two-out rally in the fourth that plated two runs. Jackson moved ahead 3-2 on a wild pitch and Ryan O'Rear followed with an RBI double. Post 158 added four runs in the fifth and one in the seventh for a 9-2 lead.

Eureka scored the remainder of its runs in the seventh to climb within 9-5, but Post 158 added two insurance runs in the eighth.

O'Rear, Steven Porzelt and Lane Thompson all had three hits apiece for Post 158, which had 17 hits overall. Kelby Brown and Wyatt Eldridge both had two hits.

Cody Harris had a triple for Post 158, while O'Rear and Brown each had a double.

Avery Whiteside pitched all nine inning for Post 158, allowing seven hits and five runs -- two earned. He struck out four and walked four.

Staring pitcher Jarred Boyer, who allowed 15 hits over 6 2/3 innings, took the loss for Eureka.

Post 158 finished its season with a 38-9 record with the loss in the championship game.

"I was proud of this group, win or lose," Lewis said. "I couldn't be more proud of this group. It would have been nice to win [the title], but they were an outstanding group of kids to have."