Crunch time arrived just as the rain went away.The host South had one last chance to capture the bragging rights, as the tying run was on third base, with the winning run on second.It was not meant to be.The South’s late rally fell short, and the North held on for a 9-8 victory in the 2014 Ninth District Junior Legion All-Star Game on Saturday at New Haven.Featuring players from Union, Pacific, New Haven and Warrenton, the South All-Stars were without the services of the Washington players selected to the game. Still, the hosts made things interesting late by nearly overcoming a six-run deficit.The North had a 7-1 lead in the fifth inning only to see the South charge back late in the rain-plagued contest. But in the end, the North All-Stars hung on, recording the final two outs as the South stranded the bases loaded.“I was pretty proud of our boys,” South Manager Scott Breeden of Union said after the game. “We were down six runs and nearly tied it. We had the bases loaded with only one out so we should have scored. But that’s all right. It was a lot of fun. We came back and made it a respectable game.”Coming off a 33-9 season, Union Post 297 had 10 players on the South roster — Kendall Sheler, Nick Eads, Blake Pickard, Nick Kretzler, Dillon Breeden, Drew Reed, Jerod Mattingly, Chris Griffin, Ethan Hughes and alternate Mike Wachter.“We had a good season and we had a good showing here,” Coach Breeden said. “We were glad we were able to represent Union here in this game. And it was nice to play with the kids from New Haven, Pacific and Warrenton. We had 10 kids from Union here, so it was just a great way to end the season.”Pacific Post 320 was represented by Tyler Warren and Brandon Lindemann, while New Haven had Conner Lane and Corey Bean selected. Warrenton Post 122 was represented by Chris Garrett, Brandon Purkaple, Austin Dixon, James Dotson and Ryan Adams.Washington players selected to the game were Gus Kleekamp, Matt Miller, Zach Marquart, Kody Halmich, Kyle Tuepker, Trey Hunter, Adam Gauzy and Chris Schweissguth. They were unable to participate because Post 218 was still alive in the postseason.“It’s too bad the Washington kids weren’t able to play today,” Breeden noted, adding they likely would have made a big impact on the game.For the South, Dixon of Warrenton had two hits and two RBIs while playing shortstop.“I fought pretty hard to get Austin Dixon into the All-Star Game, and he knocks in a triple right off the bat to score the first run for us,” said Warrenton Coach Ken Dildine. “He had a big day, not only for himself, but for the team as well. He had a phenomenal day at shortstop. He had a really good outing.”Eads of Union drove in two runs on one hit, Lane of New Haven had two hits and one RBI, while Union’s duo of Kretzler and Reed had one RBI apiece. Lindemann of Pacific also recorded one RBI.“I thought we played pretty well overall,” Breeden said. “The boys hit the ball well and for the most part, our pitchers threw pretty well, too.”The South used seven pitchers in nine innings. Union’s Mattingly was solid in two innings, striking out five and allowing just one hit and one walk. Bean of New Haven looked right at home, striking out four in two innings. Breeden of Union struck out one, walked one and allowed one run in one inning of work, while Dotson of Warrenton gave up two hits and struck out one in his lone inning on the bump. Union’s Griffin didn’t allow anything in his one inning while striking out one. Adams of Warrenton took the loss, allowing seven runs on five hits and three walks in the third inning.“After having a bad inning of pitching, Adams was able to come out and work his magic at shortstop, making two outstanding plays,” said Dildine.Union’s Mattingly held the North in check for the first two innings as the South’s starting pitcher.“Jerod started off really strong for us,” Breeden said. “It was nice to see.”The South got on the board in the bottom half of the second. Warrenton’s Dixon tripled to left with one out and then Union’s Pickard drew a walk. Next, New Haven’s Lane slapped an RBI single to left for a 1-0 lead.But the North got going in the top of the third against Adams of Warrenton. Adams walked two of the first three batters he faced — Jake Freeman of Daniel Boone and Zach Richardson of Elsberry. Brandon Bennett of Elsberry singled to load the bases. Michael Looney of St. Charles drove in a run with a bloop single to tie the game, 1-1. Next, Elsberry’s Dave Dietz lined a three-run double to right to give the North a 4-1 lead. Another run crossed the plate on a wild pitch. Bailey McMillen of Hannibal and Freeman then drove in runs on back-to-back base hits for a 7-1 advantage.The score held up until the bottom of the fifth, when the South got the bats going a bit, rallying with two outs. Warrenton’s Dotson was hit by a pitch, with Griffin of Union pinch-running. Sheler of Union and Garrett of Warrenton both drew walks to load the bases. Union’s Eads then came up with a big clutch hit, lining a two-run double to left to make it 7-3. Dixon followed suit, driving in two runs with a double to left to cut the North’s lead to 7-5.The North added a run in the sixth against Dillon Breeden, using a single, a walk and a wild pitch to plate a run.But the South responded in the bottom half against Elsberry’s Zach Rimel.Lane reached on an error and then Kretzler of Union hit an RBI double. After an out, Union’s Reed hit a sac fly to make it 8-7.Warrenton’s Dotson worked out of trouble in the seventh, as the North stranded runners on the corners. Dotson was able to strike out Elsberry’s Austin Bargen to end the threat.Dotson was scheduled to be the designated hitter but wound up catching the first five innings before taking the mound in the seventh.“He was pretty much lights out,” said Dildine.But the North added a key insurance run in the top of the ninth against Sheler. After a double, a walk and a ground out, Freeman came home on a wild pitch for a 9-7 cushion.That run was huge.That’s because the South rallied in the bottom of the ninth against Wentzville’s Gary Alcorn. With one out, and with the rain letting up, Pacific’s Warren drew a walk, with Breeden pinch-running. Breeden immediately stole second to get into scoring position. Garrett and Adams then both drew walks of their own to load the bases with just one out.Pacific’s Lindemann then was hit by a pitch to bring a run in, making it 9-8.The bases were still loaded, with the tying run on third and the winning run on second. But Alcorn worked out of trouble. New Haven’s Lane struck out and then Union’s Sheler popped out on a 3-2 count to end the game.For the North, Dietz of Elsberry drove in three runs on one hit, while Looney of St. Charles, McMillen of Hannibal and Freeman of Daniel Boone all had one RBI apiece.Payton White, Brandon Bennett and Colby Martin of Elsberry, Bret Powell of Wentzville, Jake Martin of Daniel Boone and Dusty Spengel of St. Peters all recorded one hit apiece.The North used nine pitchers in the game. Martin of Daniel Boone, Matt Hebisen of St. Charles, Evan Johnson of St. Peters, Martin of Elsberry and Richards of Daniel Boone all threw scoreless innings. Braydon Hampton of Hannibal and Alcorn of Wentzville both allowed one run apiece, while Rimel of Elsberry gave up two runs. Miles Sommer of St. Charles allowed four runs.The game signaled the end to the Junior Legion season, as the players got to suit up one last time.Notes: Assisting Breeden were Union’s Mike Bunch, Warrenton’s Dildine and Pacific’s Joe Elking. Washington coaches Phillip Kleekamp and Kent Getsee were chosen but unable to participate. Union’s Ryan Bailey was selected as manager, but could not participate due to a lack of summer contact days.Greg White of Elsberry was the North’s manager. Assistant coaches were Ryan McCann of Elsberry, Sean Hampton and Dennis McMillen of Hannibal, Jay Ricks of St. Charles, Gary Alcorn of Wentzville, Wayne Farley of Daniel Boone and Tim Weber and Tony Spengel of St. Peters.

Austin Dixon recorded a double and a triple in the Ninth District Legion All-Star Game on Saturday.

Jason Peake photo.