Photo by Kim North / Brilliant first baseman Dakota Swearingen applies a pickoff throw from pitcher Shayne Christian to Barnesville’s Seth Gordon during Sunday’s American Legion game at Memorial Park in western Belmont County. Gordon was safe and Barnesville won both games of the doubleheader.

BARNESVILLE — After an 0-4 start, Barnesville has reeled off five consecutive victories. The latest two came Sunday.

Post 168 swept an American Legion doubleheader from visiting Brilliant Post 573 on the sun-soaked Memorial Park diamond by scores of 7-2 and 16-6, with the second game being halted by the 10-run mercy-rule in the bottom of the sixth inning.

“I think we’re starting to play really well as a team. Everyone is starting to understand their role and what we expect out of them,” Barnesville co-manager John Gordon said. ”They are starting to execute the way we expect them to and that has translated into some wins lately.”

After turning a double play to end the top of the second inning of the opener, Barnesville exploded for six runs on five hits in the bottom of the frame when 11 batters went to the plate.

Brady Treherne picked up a pair of runs batted in when his base-loaded smash to short kicked off Gabe Rejonis’s glove and trickled into shallow left. Zach Thompson followed with a two-run single up the middle and Seth Gordon, who jump-started the outburst with a single, knocked in the final two tallies with a opposite-field double to left.

“The boys started jumping on the best pitch they seen,” Coach Gordon added. “We’re getting runners on base and getting them across the plate.

Post 168 made it 7-0 in the third on a Thompson groundout scored Ty Kildow, who had doubled to deep left.

Brilliant avoided being blanked when Rejonis smashed a two-run, two-out double down the left field line in the fifth.

Lefty Jagger Jefferis was brilliant on the hill. He struck out six, walked two, scattered half-a-dozen hits and hit a batter in going the distance. He threw 104 pitches, with 65 being strikes. Four of his Ks were looking.

“Jagger had a great game … a really good outing there,” Coach Gordon praised. “He didn’t allow many basehits and he kept them off balance at the plate. He kept them guessing the entire game.”

The complete-game was something that pleased the head coach, as well.

“We’ve got plenty of pitching for the second game.”

Brilliant manager Keith Rejonis gave credit to Jefferis.

“We knew he is a good pitcher. He’s very crafty and did a good job of taking the bat out of our hands,” he said. “Hats off to him.”

In the second game, Barnesville scored twice in the first and added five in the second for a 7-0 lead, but Brilliant tallied six times in the fourth to make it a game. However, half-a-dozen runs in the fifth and three in the sixth put an end to the contest.

Gage Hannahs picked up the victory in relief of Alex Meade. Hannahs fanned three and walked four. Meade struck out two and passed seven.

Cade Hannahs led the winners’ 13-hit attack with two singles, a double and three RBI. Kildow knocked in a run with a single and double. Thompson laced two singles and finished with two ribbies, while Gordon had a pair of RBI.

Both teams are on the road Tuesday as Brilliant treks to Toronto for a Jefferson County clash and Barnesville heads west to Cambridge.

Coshocton Tournament

Wheeling 8, Post 76 Sixers 7

COSHOCTON — Trevor Thomas had three hits and drove in three runs including the walk-off winner as Post 1 captured the Jim Jadwin Memorial Tournament by knocking off the Post 76 Sixers.

Dom Gorrence picked up a victory in relief, going five innings and striking out two while allowing one earned run.

Isaac Rine had a pair of hits and plated a run for Post 1 while Logan Wells doubled and drove in two more. Butter Murray and Zach Kahle had an RBI each.

Wheeling 5, Blissfield, Md. 4

COSHOCTON — In the semifinals, Murray drove in two runs while Rine and Ryan Hummel plated one each to lead Wheeling to victory.

Thomas and Jacob Shia evenly divided four hits for Post 1. Ben Taylor and Issac Hines combined to allow eight hits with the former pitching three hitless innings of relief to earn a victory.

St. Clairsville 7, Coshocton 5

COSHOCTON — Post 159 improved to 8-4 in the rain-shortened Coshocton Tournament Sunday. Action was postponed Thursday, Friday and Saturday.

Highlighting the come-from-behind victory was a triple play turned in the bottom of the first. With the bases loaded, shortstop Matt Busby ran down a bleeder in shallow left near the line. He then relayed to Mason Ramsay for the force at second, with Ramsay firing to Kaden Blomquist at first to complete the defensive gem.

Jacob Johnson singled three times to drive in two runs for St. Clairsville, while Billy Johnson added two singles, a double and run batted in. Kyle Storer knocked in a run with a pair of one-base raps. Blomquist singled and doubled. Jake Probst and Logan Tonkovich had run-scoring base hits.

Dom Wallace, the fifth Post 159 hurler, earned the win. He came on in the sixth and finished up with three strikeouts and no walks.

St. Clairsville hosts Wheeling Post 1 Wednesday and Jefferson Teramana Post 33 a day later. Both games have 6 p.m. first pitches.