St. Charles Wins First Round Game Of Senior Legion Ball Zone Tournament

LOU BROCK SPORTS COMPLEX – Sam Chambers and Zach Jones might have been two of the smallest guys on the field for Thursday’s opening game of the Senior American Legion Zone 1 playoffs, the St. Charles Post #312 standouts were some of the game’s biggest stars.

Chambers, a senior-to-be at, was 4-for-4, got on base five times, and scored three runs, while Jones went 2-for-3 with a home run and two RBIs to lead St. Charles to a convincing 7-2 win over District 1-2 champ Moberly Post #6 at

“Sam’s been playing terrific,” Post 312 head coach Kurt Denningmann said. “And Zach Jones is following suit too. Both those guys are such good players.”

Another standout on Thursday for Post 312 was pitcher and No. 3 hitter Connor Brett of .

He drove in the first run of the game in the bottom of the first, after Chambers singled, then moved to second on a wild pitch, and took third after a Jones sacrifice bunt.

Later, Brett drove in the clinching runs, when Chambers and Matt Glanzner both scored on a would-be double-play ball. But Brett beat out the throw, allowing both runners to reach home safely.

“It’s been all three things,” Denningmann said. “The pitching’s been great. The defense has been excellent. And we’re really starting to swing the bats. There have been games where we went nine innings and only had four of five hits. But our hitting is starting to come around.”

Brett did his best work on the mound though, going 8 1/3 innings, and allowing just two runs on eight hits.

The St. Charles defense helped him out as well, with two plays in the outfield, two successful double play turns, and a runner caught stealing, after reaching on a basehit.

“(Those) two double plays were key,” Denningmann said. “They really got us out of trouble. And the guys are starting to take pride in turning them double plays. They’re really looking for those situations and being really aggressive about getting them.”

Samuel Melliere, a senior-to-be at , came in in the ninth to get the final two outs, and send Post 312 to the next round of the Zone Tournament, where it will face its old nemesis, the West O’Fallon Jaguars.

The two teams meet just days ago, in the District 9 North championship game, to claim its first District Championship since 2004.

West O’Fallon had the best record during the regular season, was the No. 1 seed for the District Tournament, and received the No. 1 seed and first-round bye for the Zone Tournament as well.

“And don’t forget Washington (MO), which is sitting right there too,” Denningmann said. “I’ve always thought we were the best three teams in the area, and I think it’s only right that it come down to one of us three for the title.”

Washington, the No. 2 seed, defeated No. 3 seed Jefferson City 13-3, in the late game at Lindenwood on Thursday, earning themselves a trip to the winner’s bracket final on Saturday, where they will await the winner of Friday’s St. Charles-West O’Fallon contest.

That game will serve as Friday’s opening ballgame, and is scheduled for a 5 p.m. first pitch.

Jefferson City and Moberly will play an elimination game to close out Friday’s action, with an approximate 8 p.m. start time.

The winner of the St. Charles-West O’Fallon game will play Washington in the opening game of Saturday’s action at 1 p.m., while the losing team will play an elimination game against the Jefferson City-Moberly winner at 4 p.m.

Those two ballgames will send one team to the finals on Sunday, and leave two remaining teams to play one last elimination game, at 7 p.m. on Saturday, to determine who else advances to Championship Sunday.

The Zone 1 Championship will be played at 1 p.m. on Sunday.