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  • John Hollingsworth throws during Mt. Vernon Post 141 Junior Legion's 8-7 loss to Farview Heights in the District Five championship game Sunday. Hollingsworth struck out four batters in five innings of work. Powell Latimer/Register-News

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July 25, 2010

Rolling to Champaign

Jr. Legion makes state tournament

Powell Latimer Powell Latimer/Register-News

PINCKEYVILLE — Mt. Vernon’s late rally fell just a few feet short in the Division Five Junior Legion Tournament in Pinckneyville, and Post 141 lost in the championship game, 8-7.

But the loss couldn’t fully dampen Post 141’s spirits — the team still gets to pack its bags for a road trip to Champaign and the Jr. Legion State Tournament.

“That game helps a lot,” Post 141 Coach George Xanders said. “If we’d have played that game and gotten beat 10-0, we’d have probably gone up there with our tails between our legs. We’re not going to do that now.”

Down 8-4 with the bases loaded in the bottom of the seventh inning, Post 141 No. 9 hitter Trevor Flota blasted a ground-rule double that only just failed to clear the outfield fence and tie the game.

“He almost had a childhood dream there,” coach George Xanders said. “Almost a grand slam in the bottom of the seventh. He missed that by about a foot.”

Flota’s double brought in two runs, and Landon Thomas’ sac fly to center field scored another run to bring Mt. Vernon within one.

But Post 141 couldn’t get any more runs across the plate and the one-run margin proved final.

Sunday’s loss, however, means only that Post 141 will have to settle for the afternoon game when it plays in the state tournament. As the No. 2 team coming out of Division Five, Mt. Vernon plays at 4:30 p.m. on Thursday at Champaign Centennial High School vs. the top team out of Division Four.

It completes a stunning turnaround for Mt. Vernon’s Junior Legion Team. Just a few weeks ago, the team sat at 13-9, but won six of eight games so far in postseason play to make the state tournament field with a 12-2 win against Alton on Saturday.

“We’ve gotten better,” Xanders said. “What more can you ask for when it goes down to your last batter and one of your best hitters on the team?”

And Mt. Vernon will feel even better given that one of its starting pitchers, Zane Xanders, had to sit out the final two games after suffering heatstroke early Saturday afternoon before the game against Alton.

But Xanders hopes his team will avoid any more early holes like the one it dug Sunday. Mt. Vernon fell behind 3-0 before even giving up a hit against Fairview Heights. Six walks and two errors put the Post 141 team under pressure, but Mt. Vernon took the lead in the third inning after Sawyer Harrison took his 18th bean of the season to jump-start a four-run inning.

“A lot of times, that starts a rally — somebody getting hit by a pitch,” Xanders said. “Especially in an 0-2 count. Sawyer’s been notorious for that.”

Flota followed Harrison with a single, Landon Thomas laid down a sac bunt to move the runners, and Joel Duncan reached on an error to load the bases. Box and Quinton Kehrer both registered RBI hits, and John Hollingsworth drove in another with a sacrifice fly to give Mt. Vernon the lead, 4-3.

Fairview Heights rallied in the next inning to take the lead for good with Billy Ferreri’s two-RBI double.

Hollingsworth took the loss for Post 141 on the mound. He threw five innings and struck out four batters on the day, while scattering seven hits.

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