The Gloucester American Legion Post 75 Junior Baseball players were the runners-up in the American Legion State Tournament last week after climbing out of the loser’s bracket.

The team similarly broke out of the loser’s bracket to win the American Legion District 3 Tournament earlier this month. That championship earned the Gloucester boys the state tourney berth. 

In the state event, Gloucester first downed the Colonial Heights Post 284 Pirates, 8-4. Post 75 scored six first-inning runs, highlighted by a two-run double from Wesley Kellum. Tanner Payne had three of the team’s nine hits and Nick Brandt pitched a complete game, giving up four hits while striking out six.

Gloucester suffered its first defeat, 4-3, at the hands of Oscar Smith Post 280. Post 75 took a 3-0 lead but Post 280 rallied in the late innings, scoring a run in the sixth to tie it and one in the seventh for the win. Tristen Spears had two hits for Post 75 and Ridge Motley and Jay May had an ...