EDWARDSVILLE – Adam Bilzing drove in three runs with a bases-clearing double during an eight-run third inning as Belleville West beat Edwardsville 12-2 in a Southwestern Conference baseball game Tuesday afternoon, April 21, 2026, at Tom Pile Field.
The loss ended Edwardsville’s six-game winning streak and was its first conference defeat this season. Belleville West has won four of its last six games and moved to 2-1 in the SWC, a game behind Edwardsville and even in the loss column.
“We didn’t play as well as we wanted,” Edwardsville coach Tim Funkhouser said. “I thought Belleville West always competes extremely well. They outcompeted us in every facet of the game. They pitched better, they fielded better, and hit better, and ran the basepaths well.”
Belleville West coach Todd Baltz pointed to Bilzing’s double as the turning point.
“That was a big hit,” Baltz said. “It kind of broke it open in the third. We’ve all been struggling with the bases loaded all year, we’ve been preaching be aggressive early in the count, drive the runs in, and we haven’t been able to do it up until today. He picked a good time to do it; he had a good swing right there.”
Belleville West scored first in the opening inning when Austin Weissert reached on an error, stole second and scored on Jack Harris’ RBI single for a 1-0 lead. Edwardsville tied it in the bottom half after back-to-back singles by Hunter Baugh and Tyson Wampler. Baugh stole third and scored on Jack Kirgan’s grounder to second to make it 1-1.
The Maroons broke the game open in the third, sending 13 batters to the plate and scoring eight runs. Jacob Schmidt and Harris reached on hit-by-pitches, and Braden Fournie’s single loaded the bases. A.J. Fultz forced Fournie at second as Schmidt scored to make it 2-1, and Parker Wells’ single drove in Harris for a 3-1 lead. After a walk loaded the bases again, Bilzing doubled to the right-center field gap to score three runs and make it 6-1. The inning continued with Weissert’s RBI single, an error that brought in another run, and Harris’ two-out double that made it 9-1.
Edwardsville answered in the bottom of the third when Baugh led off with a double and scored on Wampler’s RBI single to cut it to 9-2. The Tigers loaded the bases later in the inning, but a pitch that got away bounced back to the catcher, who threw out Wampler trying to score, and the threat ended with a strikeout and a flyout.
Belleville West added three runs in the fourth. Wells reached on an error, Caden Capell was hit by a pitch, and Bilzing singled to left. The ball was overrun by the left fielder, allowing Wells to score. Max Feazel followed with a two-run single to make it 12-2.
Baltz credited starting pitcher Chase Boente as a key to the win, who went the distance. Boente allowed two earned runs on seven hits, walked none and struck out four. Bilzing had three hits and three RBIs for Belleville West. Harris had two hits and two RBIs, and Feazel had a hit and two RBIs.
For Edwardsville, Wampler had two hits and an RBI, and Baugh had two hits. Dunnill took the loss, allowing eight runs, two earned, in 2 2/3 innings. Andrew McKey worked 2 1/3 innings in relief and allowed four runs, one earned.
Funkhouser said Edwardsville will look to respond in the next game of the series.
“We’re five games in, and it’ll go quick,” Funkhouser said. “So, every game matters, and we’ll try to get back on track in practice tomorrow, and see what we’ve got Thursday against them.”
Edwardsville hosts Parkway South on Saturday at 11 a.m., then meets Belleville East in a two-game series next Tuesday at home and next Thursday at East, with both games scheduled for 4:30 p.m.
