BASEBALL: Jr. Legion #1 sweeps Steeleville
</element><element id="paragraph-1" type="body"><![CDATA[Posts 2504 & 647 picked up a pair of victories over Steeleville in Junior American Legion baseball action on Sunday, winning 3-2 in game one before coming from behind to win the five-inning nightcap 9-6 at Rigdon Field.
2504/647 Junior team No. 1's A.J. Smith stole home for the first run of game one in the bottom of the first inning, then scored on a passed ball in inning three to give Pinckneyville-Du Quoin a 2-0 lead that lasted until the top of the sixth.
Cole Bigham had pitched out of several jams already, but a two-out walk allowed the sixth inning to continue for two Steeleville hits and an error by the Pinckneyville-Du Quoin defense. Bigham got a strikeout to prevent further damage and kept the game tied at 2-2.
An error, a stolen base, and a passed ball brought home the go-ahead run for 2504/647 in the bottom of the sixth, however, and Smith closed out the ninth for the save.
P-DQ had just four hits in the first game, two by Kody Hess (2-3). Smith (1-4) and Joey Burris (1-3) had the other base hits.
Bigham, the winning pitcher, allowed six hits and three walks, hit a batter and struck out nine.
In game two, Steeleville jumped ahead 6-0 after the top of the second before Pinckneyville-Du Quoin mounted their comeback. A six-run fourth provided enough for Nolan Luke, who threw two-and-a-third scoreless innings of relief to get the win.
2504/647 again had just four total hits, this time getting a pair of triples from Brayden Cowley (2-3, 3 RBI), the second of which cleared the bases in the fourth. Smith (1-1, 2 BB, RBI) and Caleb Dahn (1-2, RBI, HBP) also had hits.
The #1 Juniors are at Dowell on Monday while the #2 team hosts Steeleville. The P-DQ Senior group plays at Steeleville.
<element id="paragraph-1" type="body"></element><element id="paragraph-1" type="body"><![CDATA[</group><group id="10349C9D-CB12-43AC-9EC9-CF352DC50234" type="seoLabels">