The Aviston Senior Express took part in the Metro-East Play 9 Tournament last weekend with a top four finish in the 28-team field.
The Express dropped their first and last game while being victorious in their middle four games.
They are currently 7-2 on the season and they played at Smithton against the 18U Bandits on Monday before playing at Alton on Wednesday. The Express will play this weekend at the Trenton Gator Classic.
Off the barrel — Aviston utility player Miles Browne sends a ball to the left side in the Express’ 6-3 loss to the Granite City Tribe in the opening round of the Play 9 Tournament. Browne is hitting .389 on the season with six of his seven hits being singles. St. Louis Legacy 6, Aviston 3: The Express outhit the Legacy, but couldn’t come up with the big hits in the semifinal in Edwardsville on Sunday.
After a scoreless first inning, the Express got on the board in the bottom of the second inning when Miles Browne singled with two outs before scoring on a Bryce Wieter triple for a 1-0 lead after two innings.
STL got two runs in the top of the third inning when Chase Zurliene hit a batter and the next two singled and doubled for a 2-1 lead.
Aviston regained the lead in the bottom of the inning when Conlan Haar tripled with one out while scoring on a double from Rowdy Sussenbach. Sussenbach scored on a single from Craig Schroeder for a 3-2 lead after three innings.
Legacy took the lead for good in the top of the fourth inning when they put the first three runners on with two walks and a hit batter. Two singles and another walk made it 6-3.
Aviston managed just three singles the rest of the way as they were eliminated in the semifinal.
Wieter was 2-for-3 with a triple, a single and an RBI while Haar was 1-for-4 with a triple. STL Legacy drew four walks while the Express had no free passes.
Zurliene was saddled with the loss as he went three innings and allowed six earned runs on five hits, three walks and no punch outs. Brady Ceto tossed four shutout innings with two hits, a walk and three strikeouts.
Win in relief — Aviston righty Ethan Wheelan picked up a victory on Sunday in the quarterfinal of the Play 9 Tournament in Edwardsville. The Express are 7-2 on the season after Wheelan pitched 1-2/3 in relief. Aviston 6, Xtreme Baseball 5: The Express walked it off with a run in the bottom of the seventh inning to advance to the semifinal in Edwardsville on Sunday at The Plummer Family Park.
The Express were victorious despite getting out hit 10-5 and committing four fielding errors.
Craig Schroeder stayed hot as he went 2-for-4 with a single and two RBI. Benny Lehman was 1-for-3 with a triple, a walk, two runs scored and two batted in. Conlan Haar doubled, walked and scored twice.
Ethan Wheelan was the winner in relief with 1-2/3 innings of shutout ball with two hits and a walk allowed.
Aviston got on the board in the bottom of the first inning when Rowdy Sussenbach singled and scored on an RBI double from Schroeder for a 1-0 lead.
After the Xtreme tied the game in the top of the fourth inning, the Express took advantage of an error in the bottom of the fifth inning to take the lead.
Haar doubled with two outs before Sussenbach reached on an error in front of a two-run triple from Lehman. Lehman scored on a Schroeder single for a 4-1 lead.
The Xtreme got a big break on a bases loaded double down the left-field line to tie the contest 4-4. They added an unearned run to take a 5-4 lead.
Aviston tied things up in the sixth inning when Drake Curry walked before pinch runner Clayton Gaetti swiped second base. Gaetti scored on a grounder from Max Albers for a 5-5 game entering the seventh inning.
After the Xtreme stranded one runner in the top of the inning, the Express won it in the bottom of the inning. Haar led off with a walk before Sussenbach sacrificed him to second base. After Lehman was intentionally walked, Schroeder reached on a fielding error as Haar scampered home with the game winner.
Aviston 6, St. Louis Naturals 4: The Express never trailed in their second win on Saturday in Edwardsville.
The Express scored two times in the first and never looked back with a single tally in the third inning and three more in the fifth inning for the win.
Benny Lehman had a strong game with a triple, a homer, two runs scored and four batted in. Conlan Haar was 2-for-4 with a triple and a single with two runs scored. Max Albers walked twice.
Miles Browne was the winning pitcher with 5-2/3 innings of work where he allowed three earned runs on three hits, six walks and three punch outs.
Haar tossed a perfect seventh inning to preserve the win with the save.
Aviston got two tallies in the first inning when Rowdy Sussenbach singled with one out and scored on a triple from Lehman. Lehman scored on a ground out from Craig Schroeder for a 2-0 lead.
Haar tripled to start the third inning before scoring on a sacrifice fly from Sussenbach for a 3-0 lead after three innings of action.
The Express got three more in the fifth inning when Browne and Haar each singled before scoring on a three-run homer from Lehman for a 6-0 lead.
The Naturals were handed six walks in the sixth inning and made a game of it with a four-run frame.
Haar got a pair of ground outs and a fly out to secure the save for the win.
Just out of reach — Aviston third baseman Bryce Wieter elevates and just misses a first-inning single in the Express’ 6-3 loss to the Granite City Tribe on Thursday in Chesterfield. The Express will play in Trenton this weekend. Aviston 7, PSA Knights 2: Drake Curry pitched a gem in the first of two wins for the Express in Edwardsville.
Aviston scored single tallies in the first and second innings before blowing it open with a four-run third inning.
That was all Curry needed with a complete-game victory where he allowed one earned run on seven hits, three walks and six strikeouts.
Clayton Gaetti led the offense with two singles, two walks, an RBI and a run scored. Bryce Wieter also had two singles to go with two RBI, a walk and a run scored.
Curry and Rowdy Sussenbach each added doubles. Conlan Haar walked twice and stole a base.
Aviston got a run in the first inning with three walks and a hit batter with Wieter getting an RBI for a 1-0 lead.
Max Albers led the second inning off with a walk and later scored on a sacrifice fly from Miles Browne for a 2-0 lead.
They put the game away in the third inning when Craig Schroeder and Haar each walked to start the inning. Wieter singled in a run before Haar scored on a grounder from Schroeder for a 4-0 lead. Rowdy Sussenbach followed with an RBI triple before Gaetti singled in Sussenbach for a 6-0 lead.
PSA got an unearned run in the bottom of the fourth inning before Curry tripled and scored on a grounder from Max Albers for a 7-1 lead.
PSA got another single tally in the bottom of the seventh inning before Curry got a strikeout to end the contest.
Aviston 8, USA Nationals 0 (6 innings): It was a clinic on pitching from Rowdy Sussenbach in the Express’ win on Friday in Edwardsville.
Sussenbach tossed a complete-game shutout where he allowed three hits and two walks while striking out seven in a 93-pitch effort.
Aviston stole the win with two runs in the fourth inning, four in the fifth inning and two more in the sixth inning.
Benny Lehman had a double, two singles, two stolen bases, two runs scored and three batted in to lead Aviston. Craig Schroeder added two hits with a single and a double. Bryce Wieter had two RBI. Miles Browne added two walks and two runs scored.
With a scoreless game in the fourth inning, Lehman singled and Sussenbach walked. Wieter cashed in the lead with a sacrifice fly to center. Schroeder singled in Sussenbach for a 2-0 lead.
Max Albers led off the fifth inning with a walk before Browne walked with one out. The Express scored on a passed ball before Lehman singled in Browne for a 4-0 lead. Lehman later scored on a wild pitch before they got an RBI single from Wieter for a 6-0 lead.
They ended it in the bottom of the sixth inning when Johnny Hilmes reached on an error and Browne drew a two-out, four-pitch walk. Lehman ended things with a two-run double to the gap for an 8-0 victory.
Granite City 6, Aviston 4: The Express blew an early lead in their first loss of the season coming on Thursday in Chesterfield, Missouri.
The Express trailed 1-0 early on before scoring three times in the bottom of the first inning.
The Tribe answered with a four-run third inning for a 5-3 lead that Aviston never could catch.
Ethan Wheelan gave up an unearned run in the top of the first inning, before the Express went to work in the bottom of the inning.
Rowdy Sussenbach singled to lead off the inning before moving to third on an error and scoring on a passed ball to tie the game.
Benny Lehman smashed a solo, inside-the-park homer to center for a 2-1 lead. Miles Browne followed with a single before Bryce Wieter chased him home with a two-out single the other way for a 3-1 lead.
The Aviston offense went silent from there, scoring just one more time on another inside-the-park homer from Lehman in the bottom of the seventh inning.
The Tribe took the lead in the third inning with three singles, two walks and a double in a four-run frame for a 5-3 lead. They added a single tally in the sixth inning on two singles.
Aviston never threatened after the Lehman seventh-inning homer with two outs as Drake Curry flew out to short to end the contest.
Lehman was 3-for-4 with two homers, a stolen base, a single, two runs scored, a walk and two batted in. Conlan Haar added a pair of doubles and was stranded both times.
The Express out hit the Tribe 10-8, but stranded nine runners on base with six of those in scoring position.
