Boise wins St. George American Legion baseball tourney; local teams went 6-6

Alec Flemetakis of the St. George Sentinels hit this pitch over the left field fence for a three-run home run during a 12-0 win over Springville, St. George, Utah, June 22, 2018 | Photo by Jeff Richards, St. George News

ST. GEORGE — St. George area teams finished the American Legion Summer Classic baseball tournament with a collective record of 6-6.

The St. George Sentinels, after dropping their first game Wednesday night, went on to win their next three contests, the last two of which were shutouts.

St. George Sentinels pitcher Nate Horseley attempts to pick off a runner at first base during 7-0 win over East Idaho, St. George, Utah, June 23, 2018 | Photo by Jeff Richards, St. George News

“We played better as the tournament progressed,” said Sentinels coach Shane Johanson.

As pool play wrapped up Friday night, here’s how each of the teams finished heading into the seeded matchups Saturday:

  • Liberty Pool: 1. Boise (3-0); 2. Westlake (2-1); 3. Dixie (1-2); 4. Caldwell, Idaho (0-3).
  • Veterans Pool: 1. Nevada Jays (3-0); 2. St. George (2-1); 3. Springville (1-2); 4. Mountain Range, Colorado (0-3).
  • Freedom Pool: 1. Lone Peak (3-0); 2. East Idaho (2-1); 3. Sky View (1-2); 4. Pocatello, Idaho (0-3).
  • Service Pool: 1. Jackson, Wyoming (3-0); 2. Grand Junction, Colorado (2-1); 3. Snow Canyon (1-2); 4. Burley, Idaho (0-3).

The four undefeated teams then faced off in Saturday’s semifinals, with Nevada edging past Lone Peak 3-1 and Boise, Idaho defeating Jackson, Wyoming 11-0. In the championship game that followed right after, the Boise Gems beat Nevada in a high-scoring affair, 17-8, to capture the tournament trophy.

Each of the other teams in the tournament played a single consolation game Saturday against an opponent that had finished with a matching record in pool play.

Snow Canyon faced Sky View at Snow Canyon Saturday morning, but lost to the Bobcats, 6-5. Snow Canyon had edged past Burley, Idaho, by that same score on Friday before losing later that evening to Grand Junction, 15-7. Dixie, also playing on its home field Saturday morning, shut out Springville 7-0 to finish 2-2 in tournament play. Dixie had rolled past Caldwell, Idaho 11-1 late Friday night.

Alec Flemetakis of the St. George Sentinels is congratulated by coach Shane Johanson after hitting a three-run home run during a 12-0 win over Springville, St. George, Utah, June 22, 2018 | Photo by Jeff Richards, St. George News

Friday night at Pine View High School, the St. George Sentinels scored seven runs in the fourth and final inning to defeat Springville 12-0. The game ended early due to the mercy rule. Weston Sampson hit a two-run double during the rally. Other highlights included Alec Flemetakis’ three-run homer in the bottom of the third, which gave the Sentinels a 5-0 lead. Dal Turner picked up the shutout win on the mound for the Sentinels.

The following evening at Dixie State’s Bruce Hurst Field, the Sentinels blanked East Idaho 7-0, with pitchers Blake Milne and Nate Horseley combining for the shutout.

“Jagun Leavitt was back from injury and provided a great spark plug, including hitting a triple,” coach Johanson said, adding that Sampson added two key hits, a double and a two-RBI single in the win over East Idaho.

Following are the results for Friday and Saturday. For the first two days’ results, see St. George News’ previous story here. The American Legion season schedule runs for about another month, with the state playoffs scheduled for late July.

Friday’s results

  • East Idaho 3, Pocatello, Idaho 2
  • Snow Canyon 6, Burley, Idaho 5
  • Lone Peak 10, Sky View 1
  • Nevada Jays 13, Mountain Range, Colorado 2
  • Jackson, Wyoming 11, Burley, Idaho 1
  • Springville 11, Mountain Range, Colorado 5
  • Boise, Idaho 8, Caldwell, Idaho 4
  • East Idaho 11, Sky View 1
  • Grand Junction, Colorado 15, Snow Canyon 7
  • Boise, Idaho 18, Westlake 2
  • Dixie 11, Caldwell, Idaho 1
  • St. George Sentinels 12, Springville 0

Saturday’s results

  • Sky View 6, Snow Canyon 5
  • Grand Junction, Colorado 17, Westlake 2
  • Dixie 7, Springville 0
  • Pocatello 14, Mountain Range, Idaho 2
  • Burley, Idaho 12, Caldwell, Idaho 0
  • St. George Sentinels 7, East Idaho 0
  • Nevada Jays 3, Lone Peak 1 (semifinals)
  • Boise, Idaho 11, Jackson, Wyoming 0 (semifinals)
  • Boise, Idaho 17, Nevada Jays 8 (finals)

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