Five Bears on victorious Illinois team in Legion All-Star game

Jun 27, 2017 2:34 PM

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SAUGET – Five Metro East Bears were on the Illinois District 22 team Monday night as the Illinois side defeated Missouri District 10 4-0 in the annual American Legion Gateway Border War all-star baseball game at GCS Ballpark.

Since the game began in 2008, Illinois has won all but one of the games played in the series; last year's game was not held due to rain.

The Bears, a combined team between Alton Post 126 and Edwardsville Post 199, included Storm Coffman, Steven Pattan, Cole Hansel, Blake Vandiver and Tate Wargo; players on the Illinois side also represented Belleville, East St. Louis, Highland and Smithton.

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“It's just a matter of trying to get all the kids in, get them to play and have a good time,” Bears manager Ken Schaake said. “They seem to do it and have a good time in the dugout too, and to come out winning on the scoreboard, that's even better. The kids played hard, they don't want to embarrass themselves – they want to do the best they possibly can.”

That the game was held at the Gateway Grizzlies' home park was a bonus. “A lot of them don't get to play on something like this,” Schaake said. “It's an experience they'll remember.”

Illinois got their first run in the bottom of the fourth of the nine-inning game when Belleville's Jack Lanxon singled and went around on a series of walks for the first run, with East St. Louis' Dartavus Boey drawing the walk that brought Lanxon in. Illinois scored three more times in the seventh thanks to a series of walks and Missouri errors; the runs were scored by Smithton's Landon Touchette, Valmeyer's Easton Wallace and Lanxon.

Nine different pitchers worked an inning for the Illinois team, with the Bears' Coffman working the second inning and giving up a hit and striking out one.

The Bears return to regular-season play Tuesday when they host Belleville at 8 p.m. today and Trenton at 8 p.m. Wednesday at SIU-Edwardsville's Roy Lee Field before visiting Jerseyville at 7 p.m. Thursday. The Bears have Friday off before taking part in this weekend's Firecracker Classic tournament, with their group-play games set for Fairview Heights at 10 a.m. and 7:30 p.m. Saturday and Sunday; the semifinals and final are set for July 3, with Independence Day set aside as a rain date.