MONTGOMERY–The West Alabama American Legion Post 29 junior baseball team saw its postseason run come to an end Friday, but not before taking its supporters on one last hard-fought ride.

The Post 29 juniors lost a hotly contested–and just plain hot–4-3 game to hosts Montgomery Friday afternoon at Auburn University-Montgomery. With the loss, West Alabama was eliminated from the Legion juniors state championship tournament.

Post 29 Starting pitcher Chase Felts threw an excellent game despite sweltering temperatures and West Alabama having had to complete four innings of a postponed game earlier that day. But the potent West Alabama lineup was held to only three runs for the second game and Felts’s performance was not enough for him to pick up the victory.

West Alabama received no help from their draw in the bracket–their two losses came to Muscle Shoals and Montgomery, the same two teams that would go on to meet in the tournament finals.

West Alabama head coach Jonathan Lindsey was unable to coach his team Friday due to a personal commitment, deferring to Eddie Edwards (father of outfielder/pitcher Dustin Edwards). Lindsey says that despite the two-and-out exit from the state tournament, he and the team will still be able to look back with pride on their undefeated 4-0 sweep through the District tournament and many other high points throughout the season.

“We played well,” Lindsey said. “We just didn’t play as well as we could have during the state tournament. But I was pleased with how we played this summer…I had a good time. It was definitely a learning experience.”

Lindsey said that the commitment shown by the team during the course of the season–and its many far-flung road trips–was one of he things he has been especially pleased with.

“The players were great,” he said. “There were a few times we didn’t have everybody, but this is summer.”

Members of the Post 29 team hail from Marengo County and across West Alabama. They are Reed Gardiner, Dustin Edwards, Brett Vick, Brent Bonner, Robbie Smith, Chase Felts, Cameron Brister, Phillip Farmer, Kyle Thrasher, Patrick Castleman, Randy Martin, and Haygen Kaylor.