George knew more about the game than Abner Doubleday. His impact was especially significant with the American Legion Post 5 baseball teams --- as a coach, a manager, a teacher of the game, a huge financial booster ... and as an influential friend to every one of the hundreds and hundreds of players he came in contact with through the years.

"Over a long span of time," Ash said, "Jefferson City probably had the most dominant Legion program in the state, and a lot of that had to do with George and a few other guys behind the scenes.

"The thing I'll remember most about George is that he loved baseball, but he cared about the kids even more. He really took care of those boys. That's what all my guys always told me, about how well he took care of them."

George would certainly have had some thoughts about this affair between the top-seeded Jays (26-2) and fifth-seeded Tigers (19-8), who made it easy on the Jays with a series of sloppy plays.

"He loved watching good baseball and if you weren't playing good baseball, he'd let you know about it," Ash said. "George was brutally honest and he knew what he was talking about.

"He was one of those Mr. Baseball guys, it's sad to see him go. He'll be deeply missed."

This was no contest after the Jays blew it open with six runs in the third inning.

Jefferson City --- ranked No. 1 in the state and up to No. 26 in the nation in the MaxPreps Top 50 --- took a 1-0 lead in the second, the run scoring on an error. Then the first two runs of the third scored on an error and wild pitch, and the flood gates were open.

Williams --- after failing to get a bunt down with runners on first and second and nobody out in the second, before striking out --- had the game's first RBI on a single in the third to make it 4-0, and later added a two-run single in the fourth.

So much for the bunt sign.

"Brandon's a great bunter," Ash said, "I think nerves may have just gotten to him early in the game. For him to come back after that and get a couple base hits, that was big."

The Jays made it 9-0 after four innings, before ending it on the run-rule in the fifth, with run No. 10 scoring on an error, fittingly.

Besides Williams, three other Jays had two hits apiece to match the hit-total for the Tigers --- Wood, Payton Bodenstab and Gunnar See. Seven of the nine Jays had at least one hit, with the lone exceptions being two of the best hitters in this stacked lineup, leadoff man Jacob Weirich and clean-up hitter Gaven Strobel, although Strobel only had two official at-bats.

"Those two guys are as good as anybody," Ash said, "but everyone's going to have those days. We needed other guys in the lineup to pick them up, and they did."

While the Tigers fumbled away a few chances in the field, the Jays had the defensive play of the game in the fourth inning. After center fielder Tyler Bise chased down a double by Tristen Jackson, he threw a strike to cutoff man/shortstop Michael Skinner, who threw a strike home to Strobel to nail Gavin Jones at the plate.

"That was the play of the day," Ash said. "Every part of that played was executed perfectly, that's how it's done.

"Pitching and defense are always going to keep you in games and win games. If you can't play catch in district games and beyond, you're probably not going to win many games."

Wood took care of matters on the hill, facing just two batters over the minimum, striking out five and walking none.

"Grant did his job on the mound, because Sedalia's scary --- they can swing the bat," Ash said. "We had a game plan for every one of their hitters and he executed it almost flawlessly.

"To give up only two hits to that team, that's tremendous."

Call this winning one for George, who would probably say: "Just five more to go, boys." Five more consecutive wins, of course, would win a state championship for the Jays.

The program plans to pay tribute to Baker prior to Tuesday's 6 p.m. district championship with Hickman, which advanced with a 6-2 win over Rock Bridge.

It's a tribute and an honor that is well deserved, because it was certainly well earned.

Sedalia's Tristen Jackson swings and misses on a pitch from Jefferson City's Grant Wood during the second inning of Monday's game at Vivion Field. Wood and the Jays blanked the Tigers 10-0 on the same day the vistation was held for longtime Jefferson City baseball fixture George Baker, who died Thursday at the age of 71.