Brendan Feldmann scattered five hits as the Washington Post 218 Seniors captured the Post 218 Wood Bat Showcase Pool D title Thursday afternoon at Borgia.
Post 218 (12-5) shut out Ste. Genevieve 5-0 to win the pool title and advance to Friday’s 7:30 p.m. quarterfinal against Elsberry at Rotary Recreational Complex - Ronsick Field.
Washington and Elsberry have split league games this season with each team winning at home.
“Now we get a chance to avenge an earlier loss we had against Elsberry,” Post 218 Manager Mike Gardner said. “Hopefully we will swing the bats like we have the last couple of games and continue to move forward in the bracket.”
Other pool winners were West, St. Charles and Eureka. Runners-up were Manchester, Creve Coeur, Elsberry and Ste. Genevieve.
Jackson, Springfield Kickapoo, Daniel Boone and Ballwin moved to the consolation bracket.
Feldmann held Ste. Genevieve to just four hits, but pitched out of trouble in each of the first three innings.
“Brendan Feldmann pitched one of his best games ever,” Gardner said. “Ste. Genevieve had runners in scoring position a couple of times but he was able to make some really good pitches. He had great command of all his pitches as 75 percent were strikes. I thought his changeup was the pitch that kept them off balance and guessing a little at the plate.”
In the first base, Ste. Genevieve put a runner on third base, but escaped the jam when a grounder led to a rundown and an out.
In the second inning, Ste. Genevieve loaded the bases and in the third, a line drive to Jack Kopmann at third base started an inning-ending double play.
In the fifth inning, Ste. Genevieve had the bases loaded with one out. Feldmann struck out the cleanup batter and got a fly ball to center field to end the threat.
Post 218 made all three errors in the game and that helped Ste. Genevieve in the early stages, but Feldmann was able to get out of trouble.
Feldmann also walked one batter while striking out four.
Washington outhit Ste. Genevieve in the game, 8-4, and that paid off with two runs in the bottom of the third, two in the fourth and one in the fifth.
In the third inning, Grant Eckelkamp singled and Sam Deschenes was hit by a pitch. Trent Leimkuehler cleared the bases with a double.
“We got a big two-out double by Trent to put us up 2-0,” Gardner said. “He really hit the ball well going 3 for 3.”
In the fourth inning, Cody Gardner delivered a clutch single to score Dustin Howard. Dilan Bollmann then hit into a fielders’ choice which plated Kopmann.
In the fifth, courtesy runner Luke Hasenjaeger came home when Howard hit into a fielders’ choice.
That proved to be enough to lift Post 218 to the pool title.
Offensively, Leimkuehler led the way with three hits, including the double. Eckelkamp had two hits while Matt Jones, Mike McGilvray and Gardner each added one hit.
Eckelkamp, Deschenes, Howard, Kopmann and Hasenjaeger scored runs.
Leimkuehler drove in two while Howard, Gardner and Bollmann each had one RBI.
Howard and Kopmann drew walks. Bollmann stole a base. Deschenes was hit by a pitch.
