Essex Post 91 relied on its offense to return to the top, combining for 20 runs over two games on the final day of the 2026 Vermont American Legion baseball tournament at St. Peter's Field in Rutland on Friday, July 31.Essex Post 91 bested Ludlow Post 36, 9-5, in an elimination earlier in the day before hanging on for an 11-6 triumph over Lyndon Post 30 to claim the championship. It's Essex Post 91's first state title since wrapping a three-peat in 2023, and the program's 14th overall.Essex, which moves to 22-7 on the summer, advances to the Northeast Regionals, which will take place Aug. 5-9 in Worcester, Massachusetts. For how Essex carved out two wins to secure the legion crown on July 31, see below:Essex Post 91 9, Ludlow Post 36 5Trailing 3-2 in the bottom of the fifth inning, Essex pushed across three runs, with Jake Philbrick's two-run single breaking a 3-all tie. Ludlow drew level in the next frame before Essex countered with a four-run outburst in the home half of the sixth. During the rally, Chris Morgan (RBI single), Garret Carter (two-run double) and Owen Labor (RBI single) produced run-scoring hits.Philbrick picked up the win, going six full innings and allowing nine hits, five runs (four earned) and striking out six. Carter (2-for-3, three RBIs), Labor (2-for-3, 2 RBIs) and Nico Caiano (2-for-3, two runs) each had multi-hit games at the plate.Essex Post 91 11, Lyndon Post 30 6In a rematch of Lyndon's 11-8 win from earlier in the week during tournament play, Essex gained the upper hand in the championship showdown. The tournament's final game featured a combined 17 runs and 19 hits plus five Lyndon errors.Carter delivered the insurance with a two-run double in the bottom of the sixth inning, turning a three-run advantage into the game's final margin.Essex struck for three runs in the first and opened a 9-3 lead with a four-run fifth boosted by Labor's two-run hit. Lyndon got to within 9-6 on Ben West's single and Parker Thompson's sac fly in the sixth before Carter smacked his double to seal the title.Carter finished 1-for-4 with four RBIs. Caiano drove in three runs in a 1-for-3 day, Labor went 1-for-4 with a pair of RBIs and Alec Davis had two hits and scored three runs. Philbrick also doubled.ContactAlex Abrami ataabrami@freepressmedia.com. Follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter:@aabrami5.This article originally appeared on Burlington Free Press: Essex Post 91 wins Vermont American Legion Baseball state tournament