Junior Blue Sox win District V American Legion tournament

UTICA - Utica's Junior Blue Sox completed the comeback from a loss on the first day of District V's junior American Legion tournament with a pair of victories over Utica Post in the championship round Saturday at Murnane Field.

The Junior Blue Sox, 3-1 through the tournament's first four days with a 16-3 overall record and 15-1 district mark in the regular season, needed to win twice against Utica Post which had swept it way into the final round, adding four tournament wins to its 10-3 district record and 12-4 overall mark.

More: 2024 American Legion baseball scores

The Junior Blue Sox built an 8-0 lead through the middle of the fifth inning in the first game on the way to a 10-5 win. A coin flip gave the Junior Blue Sox home field for the second game and they broke a 2-2 tie in the third inning on the way to an 11-2 victory in the winner-takes-all finale.

Utica Post scored first, the Junior Blue Sox took a 2-1 lead in the second, and Utica Post tied the score when Michael Olivadoti stole third base and scored on an overthrow in the top of the third.

Logan Plows broke the tie with his two-out, two-run single in the bottom of the third. Matthew Helmer relieved Junior Blue Sox starter Dan Helfert to start the fourth inning and allowed two hits while striking out six batters over the final four innings.

The Junior Blue Sox (21-3) added four runs in the fourth inning, one in the fifth and two in the sixth, and finished the game with runs in all but the first inning. Plows went three-for-three with a sacrifice fly and four runs batted in, Jake Cenname singled, walked twice and was hit by a pitch, and scored three runs, and Andrew Witchley and Jakob Ortiz each had two hits.

Olivadoti had two of the five hits for Utica Post (16-6) and also drew a walk.

The district tournament championship earns the Junior Blue Sox a spot in the four-team state tournament starting Thursday in Binghamton.

Smith Post seniors at state tournament

The six-team senior division tournament for the Department of New York started Sunday and District V champion Smith Post of Rome defeated the Clinton County Mariners 4-3 in extra innings in its first game at Conlon Field in Binghamton.

Playing the second of three games on the Sunday schedule, Smith Post (24-3) scored in the top of the first inning and took a 3-0 lead with two runs in the third.

The 3-0 lead held until the sixth inning when Clinton County rallied to tie the score. The Mariners had left the bases loaded in fifth and loaded them again with two out in the sixth when Donnoven Mitchell drew a walk to force the tying run home. The next batter grounded out the bases were left loaded again.

Neither team scored in the seventh but Clinton County stranded two more runners at second and third, sending the game to an eighth inning. Smith Post's PJ Summa doubled with one out and scored the go-ahead run on another double by Jacob Premo one out later.

Dom Tallarino retired the first two Clinton County batters in the bottom of the eighth before walking Mitchell. The next batters grounded out after Mitchell had advanced, and Smith Post walked away with a win in its first game of double-elimination play and its seventh consecutive victory.

Smith Post's opponent for Monday's nightcap will be Jurek Post from East Amherst, beaten 10-4 in Sunday's opener by Greece Post. The Orange County Outlaws defeated Endicott Post 11-3 in Sunday's final game. Smith Post and Jurek Post are scheduled for a 7 p.m. start.

Smith Post earned its spot at the state tournament by winning the District V tournament last week; Smith Post completed that 5-0 playoff run with a 3-1 win over Utica Post at Murnane Field July 22.

The state tournament concludes Tuesday with games scheduled for 10 a.m., and 1 and 4 p.m. The tournament winner advances to regional play in Maryland.

This article originally appeared on Times Telegram: Junior Blue Sox win District V American Legion tournament