O’FALLON – Three players – Ty Hunt, Hunter Baugh, and Tyson Wampler – had two hits each, while Andrew McCutchen had two RBIs, and Miles Dunnill pitched five strong and solid innings, and it all combined to help give Edwardsville a 7-1 Southwestern Conference baseball win over O’Fallon Tuesday afternoon at Blazier Field.
The win was Edwardsville’s fourth straight, and kept the Tigers undefeated in the league at 3-0, and comfortably at the top of the Southwestern Conference standings.
O’Fallon scored first in the opening inning, starting with a lead-off walk to Anthony Perez, who stole second, and went to third on a ground out, then scored on a sacrifice fly by Brayden Robertson to give the Panthers a 1-0 lead. It turned out to be the only run Dunnill would allow the entire game.
The Tigers tied the game, then took the lead for good, in the third, starting with a one-out hit by Zane Maxwell, who stole second, and went to third on Hunt’s first hit of the day. Baugh singled Maxwell home on an infield single to the shortstop, with Hunt, who had also stolen second, advancing to third, tying the game 1-1. After a strikeout, Baugh stole second, and Jack Kirgan walked to load the bases, with Joel Fields reaching on an error, allowing two runs to score, Kirgan going to third, and Fields reaching second, putting Edwardsville ahead 3-1. McCutchen singled home Kirgan and Fields to give Edwardsville a 5-1 lead and control of the game before the inning ended.
In the Edwardsville fourth inning, Rhys Gierich started the inning by being hit by a pitch, was sacrificed to second by Maxwell, and scored on Wampler’s double to left, scoring Gierich, but Hunt, who singled in the infield to reach, was thrown out at third to end the inning, but the Tigers were up 6-1. Edwardsville got its final run in the seventh, starting with a lead-off double by Baugh, who took third on a Wampler single, and scored when Kirgan hit into a double play, giving the Tigers a 7-1 cushion.
It was more than enough for Dunnill and Hunt, who pitched the final two innings in relief, as the hurlers shut down the Panthers to give Edwardsville their 7-1 win.
Both Baugh and Wampler had two hits and an RBI each for Edwardsville, while Hunt came up with two hits, McCutchen had a hit and two RBIs, and Fields also came up with a hit. Dunnill threw five innings and was credited with the win, allowing an earned run on two hits, walking three and striking out three. Hunt threw the final two innings, and allowed only one hit, walked none and fanned one.
Carson Bauer, Cole Becker, and Liam Decker had the three hits for O’Fallon, while Dylan Jantz started on the mound, and went 2.2 innings, being charged with the loss, giving up five runs, one earned, on four hits, walking three and fanning none. Landon Dippel came on to pitch in relief of Jantz, and went the final 4.1 innings, conceding two earned runs on five hits, walking one and striking out two.
O’Fallon is now 11-5, 0-1 in the SWC, while Edwardsville is now 8-6, 3-0 in the league, and plays each other in the return game of their series Thursday afternoon at Tom Pile Field at 4:30 p.m. The Tigers then travel for a weekend trip to McCracken County of Paducah, Ky. for a cluster, first playing Owensboro, Ky. Apollo at 1 p.m., then against McCracken County at 4 p.m., then meet up with Belleville West for a conference series, the first game at home Apr. 21, and the return game at West Apr. 23, with both games starting at 4:30 p.m.
The Panthers play at CBC in Town and Country, Mo., in west St. Louis County, Saturday morning at 10 a.m. then play Belleville East in a series Apr. 21-23, the first game at home, and the second game at East, and in between, play at Columbia Apr. 22, all three games starting at 4:30 p.m.
