ALTON – Eli Lawrence had three hits and drove in three runs, while Logan Bogard also came up with three hits as Alton Post 126’s senior American Legion baseball team came back from a 9-5 deficit to score three times in the fifth and twice more in the sixth to take a 10-9 win over Highland Post 439 in an Illinois District 22 game played Tuesday evening at Lloyd Hopkins Field in Gordon Moore Park.
The Legionnaires had only eight hits in the game, but took advantage of three Highland errors to go on to the win.
Alton took a 1-0 lead at the end of the first, with both teams trading a pair of runs each in the second, but Highland scored three times in the third to go on top 5-3, with the Legionnaires tying the game at 5-5 with two runs in the bottom half of the third inning. Highland immediately scored four times in the fourth to go on top 9-5, but Alton came back with their three-run fifth and two-run sixth to take the crucial district win.
To go along with Lawrence’s three-hit, three-RBI game, Bogard also drove in a run with his three hits, Caden Laslie had a hit and RBI, Will Fahnenstock came up with a hit and both Hayden Garner and Scott Vickrey also drove in runs.
Garner started out on the mound and went three innings, allowing five runs, three of them earned, on two hits, walking five and striking out three. Lucas Moore next came on and pitched one inning, giving up four runs on three hits while walking two and Vickrey threw the last three innings to pick up the win, allowing four hits while walking one and fanning one.
The Legionnaires are at Carlyle on Wednesday for a game that starts at 6:30 p.m., then play at the Trenton tournament this weekend, playing Friday through Sunday, then are at Aviston #2 next Tuesday in an 8 p.m. start and return home to play East St. Louis June 21 in an 8 p.m. first pitch. Alton then plays a doubleheader at Aviston June 25 at 1 and 3 p.m., then are set to play Edwardsville at home June 27 at 8 p.m. and the Piasa Southwestern High summer team June 28 in a game that starts at 7:30 p.m. Post 126 then plays at East St. Louis June 29 at 6 p.m., then plays in a Fourth of July holiday tournament in Washington, Mo. June 30-July 2.
Highland Breaks Open Game With Five Runs In Fourth, Three In Fifth, Defeat Alton Under-17 Team 9-2
ALTON – Highland Post 439’s under-16 American Legion baseball team broke open the game in the fourth and fifth innings, scoring five runs in the fourth and three more in the fifth to go ahead 9-1 and went on to defeat the Alton Post 126 under-17 team 9-2 in an Illinois District 22 game played Tuesday night at Lloyd Hopkins Field at Gordon Moore Park.
The under-17 team and Highland were tied 1-1 after both teams traded runs in the first, but Highland then went on to score their eight unanswered runs in the fourth and fifth, with Alton scoring a run in the home half of the fifth, but that would be all the scoring as Highland went on to their win.
Nolan Parker led the way for Post 126 with three hits and an RBI, while Devon Barboza, Scott Bartow and Carsen Bristow all had hits and Drake Champlin drove home Alton’s only other run.
Camden Siebert started out on the mound and pitched 4.2 innings, giving up nine runs on seven hits while walking one and striking out two, while Bristow came on in relief and threw the final 2.1 innings, conceding a hit while also walking one and fanning two.
The under-17 team is scheduled to play at Valmeyer on Thursday in a 6 p.m. game, then play at Maryland Heights, Mo., in northwest St. Louis County, in a 1:30 p.m. start. Alton is then at Jerseyville next Tuesday in a 7:30 p.m. first pitch, play against East St. Louis at home June 21 at 6 p.m., then play in a tournament in Carlyle June 23-25. The under-17s then meet up with the Alton under-15s June 26 at 6 p.m. and conclude June with games against the Piasa Southwestern High summer team at home June 28 at 5:30 p.m and then play a doubleheader at Breese #1 June 30, with the first game starting at 6 p.m.
