Galesburg Post 285 opened the Illinois American Legion State Baseball Tournament with a 13-0 win over Carol Stream on Wednesday afternoon in Aviston.
Ian Leffler allowed just one hit, walked none and struck out nine over six innings on the mound, setting the tone for a lopsided win that improved Post 285 to 21-6 on the season.
The offense backed him with 12 hits, including six extra-base hits and a home run from Hayden Ralston. Ralston, Nicolas Ojeda, Owen Timmons and Noah Nalley had two hits each for Galesburg.
Post 285 broke the game open with a two-run fourth inning, then added three more in the fifth and seven in the seventh to pull away.
“Ian Leffler was everything we needed today—68 pitches in six innings with nine strikeouts set the tone for the whole day,” said Galesburg Coach Andrew Thomas. “I loved our approach offensively, with six extra base hits, including a home run by Hayden Ralston.”
Post 285 returns to action Friday at noon against Danville.
“Looking forward to competing against a great Danville team on Friday,” Thomas said.
The state tournament, hosted by Aviston Post 1239, runs through Sunday in Aviston, Illinois.
