EDWARDSVILLE — Sutton Leas piled up four hits and drove in five runs as Edwardsville withstood multiple O’Fallon rallies for a 15-10 Southwestern Conference baseball win Friday evening at Tom Pile Field.
Edwardsville built an 8-1 lead after two innings and led 12-4 after three. The teams combined for 25 runs on 24 hits, and each committed seven errors, including four by O’Fallon. The Tigers won their sixth game in a row, while the Panthers lost their third game in their last 10.
O’Fallon struck first in the top of the first. Anthony Perez reached on an error to lead off the game, Carson Bauer singled, and Brayden Robertson’s RBI single to right made it 1-0. A pop-up and a double play ended the inning.
Edwardsville answered with three runs in the bottom of the first. Ty Hunt singled and stole second, Tyson Wampler walked, and Jack Kirgan reached on an error that allowed Hunt and Wampler to score. Kirgan moved to third and scored when Joel Fields reached on an error on a bunt back to the third baseman, making it 3-1.
The Tigers added five more in the second. Zane Maxwell drew a leadoff walk and went to third when Hunt reached on a dropped third strike. Hunter Baugh doubled home Maxwell, Wampler’s RBI single scored Hunt, and Fields’ single scored Baugh. After an error by the pitcher allowed Fields to go to third, Wampler scored, and Andrew McCutchen’s RBI single brought home Fields for an 8-1 lead after two.
O’Fallon closed the gap in the third when Perez and Bauer drew walks and Robertson hit a three-run homer to straightaway center to make it 8-4. Edwardsville responded in the bottom half with a Fields sacrifice fly and Leas’ bases-clearing double to left, pushing the lead to 12-4.
The Panthers added a run in the fourth on Perez’s RBI single, then mounted a bigger push in the sixth. Perez singled home two runs to make it 14-8, and Trey Hrasky’s RBI single and a wild pitch cut it to 14-10.
Edwardsville got one back in the bottom of the sixth when Maxwell singled, stole second, and scored on Wampler’s RBI single to right. O’Fallon went down in order in the final inning.
Leas led Edwardsville with four hits and five RBIs. Wampler had two hits and two RBIs. Baugh and McCutchen each had two hits and an RBI, Hunt had two hits, and Fields had a hit and three RBIs.
Tony Eberlin earned the win for Edwardsville, pitching five innings and allowing seven runs, six earned, on six hits with four walks and three strikeouts. Andrew McKey threw 1 1/3 scoreless innings, and Hunt worked the final 2/3, allowing three unearned runs on three hits.
Robertson led O’Fallon with two hits, including the three-run homer, and four RBIs. Perez had two hits and three RBIs, and Hrasky had a hit and an RBI. Bauer, Cole Becker, and Andrew Cantu each had a hit.
Will Vanderheyden took the loss for O’Fallon, allowing eight runs, four earned, on seven hits in two innings, with three walks and two strikeouts. Hrasky went two innings and allowed two earned runs on three hits. Landon Decker threw one inning and allowed an earned run on two hits with two strikeouts. Aiden Dunlap gave up four earned runs on three hits with two walks.
O’Fallon is 11-6 and plays at CBC on Saturday at 10 a.m. The Panthers then have a two-game series with CBC, Tuesday at home at Blazier Field and Thursday at East, with a game at Columbia next Wednesday. Those games are scheduled to start at 4:30 p.m.
Edwardsville is 9-6 and plays two games at Paducah, Kentucky, on Saturday, facing Owensboro, Kentucky, Apollo at 1:30 p.m. and hosting McCracken County at 4:30 p.m. The Tigers also play Belleville West in a two-game set, first at home and then at West, with both games scheduled for 4:30 p.m.
Dan Brannan also contributed to this story.
