ALTON – The Alton Redbirds delivered a dominant performance Tuesday, rolling to a 15-3 victory over East St. Louis behind a huge day from Logan Hickman.
Hickman led the offensive surge, driving in four runs on three hits. He came through in key moments, ripping a bases-clearing double in the second inning before adding another RBI double in the third to help break the game open.
Alton set the tone early, getting on the board in the first inning when Anderson Kaufmann drew a walk to force in a run. After East St. Louis briefly tied the game at 1-1 in the top of the second on a base hit to center, the Redbirds quickly responded.
Alton flipped the momentum in the bottom half of the second, plating five runs to take control. Hickman delivered the biggest blow of the inning with a double that drove in three runs, putting the Redbirds firmly in front.
The offense continued to pour it on in the third inning, when Alton erupted for eight runs. The inning featured contributions throughout the lineup, including an RBI double from Hickman, a run-scoring triple by Jack Puent, and a sacrifice fly from Alex Pilger.
The Redbirds also capitalized on an East St. Louis error that brought in three runs, while Nathanael Rich was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded and Fletcher Groppel drew a walk to add to the outburst.
On the mound, Amari Raglin earned the win for Alton, allowing just one run on two hits over two innings while striking out three. Blake Rensing added a strong relief appearance, tossing a scoreless inning with three strikeouts.
Alton showed patience at the plate all game, drawing 11 walks, with Kaufmann leading the way with three. The Redbirds were also aggressive on the basepaths, racking up 13 stolen bases. Hickman, Donavon Ducey, and Rensing each swiped multiple bags as Alton consistently applied pressure.
Defensively, Alton was flawless, committing no errors. Hayden Schepers handled a team-high eight chances in the field.
For East St. Louis, Company and Hill each drove in a run, while Hill collected two hits in two at-bats. Company also added two stolen bases in the effort.
