The Sedalia Travelers might have played forever if not for the 10-run rule.
In a 13-3 victory over the Lee’s Summit Outlaws, the Post 642 offense warmed up slowly and peaked in a six-run seventh inning, punctuated by a Mason Sanders RBI single. There’s no telling what the eighth inning held.
Lee’s Summit kept pace with Sedalia early — they trailed 5-3 in the fifth — but had few answers for Gavin Jones, Jake Kindle and Sanders through the later innings. The trio had three hits apiece, and were involved in 12 of the 13 Sedalia runs.
Christian Jones, who was 2-for-4 and scored twice, said the game never felt like a blowout.
“We were just trying to put quality at-bats together and score runs,” Christian Jones said. “Just never taking our foot off the throttle.”
Chase Plymell lasted five innings for Sedalia, allowing six hits and four walks — but limiting the damage to three runs. Double plays ended the first and second innings in Plymell’s outing, and the Outlaws stranded nine batters on the game.
Baxter Mays allowed a pair of baserunners in two scoreless relief innings. He entered the game with a 5-3 lead.
Gavin Jones put on a base-running clinic in the sixth and seventh innings. He singled home Mays in the sixth, and later scored from second on a wild pitch. In the seventh, the Sedalia shortstop stretched a double into a triple, and advanced home on a wild throw. The sequences collected five total runs.
Lee’s Summit starter Gunnar Gronberg pitched six innings, allowing 11 hits and seven runs. John Stewart recorded two outs and surrendered six runs in relief. Cade Ragland faced two batters before the game’s conclusion.
Post 642 Sedalia plays for the zone championship Saturday at 4 p.m. The Lee’s Summit Outlaws face the winner between Blue Springs Rod’s A’s and Blue Springs Fike 1 p.m. Saturday.
JUNIOR LEGION ADVANCE TO STATE FINALS
Sedalia Rick Ball Ford walked-off on Post 63 Cape Girardeau in the Junior Legion State Tournament in Washington, Missouri.
Brant Gideon singled home Braiden McEachern to break a scoreless tie in the bottom of the seventh.
Corbin Reese pitched a four-hit shutout, striking out two and walking three.
Sedalia advances to a state championship bid 3:30 p.m. Saturday.
