ALTON – The Alton High baseball team fell 11-3 against Lockport Saturday morning. This was the first game of Alton’s double-header on a brisk March morning.
The temperatures in the low 40s at first pitch gave the Redbirds’ starting pitcher junior Ashton Schepers some trouble.
Get The Latest News!
Don't miss our top stories and need-to-know news everyday in your inbox.
Lockport got runners on base early in the first. After a ground-rule double, the Porters took a 1-0 lead. Soon after that Schepers found himself in a jam with the bases loaded and two outs. He pitched three straight walks, each one scoring a runner as the lead grew to 4-0.
Lockport tacked on two more the next inning making it 6-0 and after a two-run homer from Niko Mastoras in the third, his team earned an 8-0 lead. Just for good measure, they tacked on another run to make it 9-0 after four innings.
The Redbirds did have some fight left in them though. In the bottom of the sixth senior Jack Das hit an RBI single that scored two runners. And after a wild pitch, sophomore Austin Rathgeb reached home plate to make it 9-3.
It wasn’t much, but it still gave Alton something to cheer for and boost morale.
Unfortunately for Alton, the Porters still weren’t done. They piled on two more runs in the seventh just to be sure and went on to win it 11-3.
Alton got out hit 9-2, the other hit coming from senior Caden Laslie. Alton’s bats were swinging, but they weren’t coming up with much, a testament to Lockport’s pitching.
Alton’s four pitchers allowed a total of nine walks; four of those walked in runs when the bases were loaded.
The Porters also allowed a decent number of walks with seven, however, Alton couldn’t take advantage with runners in scoring position.
Alton will head to Jerseyville on Monday, March 21. The game against the Panthers starts at 4:30 p.m. The Redbirds’ home-opener is the following afternoon against Granite City, also at 4:30 p.m.
GALESBURG 11, ALTON 1: In the Redbirds' second game of the day, Galesburg scored 10 unanswered runs after the two teams traded scores in the first inning in the Silver Streaks' win.
Galesburg scored two in the second inning, one in the fourth, three in the fifth and sixth and one more in the seventh to give them the 11-1 final score.
Laslie had a hit and drove home the only run of the game for Alton, while James Vambaketes, Ashton Schepers and James Stendebeck had the other hits. Max Ortis struck out six on the mound, while both Austin Rathgeb and Logan Bogard fanned two batters apiece.
The Redbirds are now 1-2 on the young season.
More like this:
