ALTON - John Kunz led Alton Post 126's Senior American Legion baseball team with two hits and two RBIs, while Tate Powell struck out six to gain the win as the Legionnaires went off for nine runs in the bottom of the sixth to defeat Jerseyville Post 492 13-3 in a game played Monday night at Lloyd Hopkins Field in Gordon Moore Park.
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Alton had dropped two of three in a Fourth of July weekend tournament in Steeleville, and bounced back nicely from the showing, and have now won five of their last 10 games to go to 14-10 overall on the season.
Jerseyvillle scored single run in the first, third, and fourth innings to take a 3-0 lead, but after that, Alton took control of the game, scoring four runs in the bottom of the fourth to go up 4-3, then going off for its nine-run sixth inning to take the 13-3 win, the game being stopped by the 10-run rule.
Kunz led the Legionnaires with two hits and two RBIs, while Dagen Cordes, Joe Stephan, Ryan Lowis, and Nolan Bowsher all had a hit and an RBI each, and Jayce Steinkuehler, Hayden Schepers, and John Kodros all had RBIs in the game. Hayden LaPlant started on the mound and threw 3.1 innings, allowing three earned runs on three hits, walking five and striking out two, while Powell pitched the final 2.2 innings to pick up the win, allowing no runs on only one hit, walking two and fanning six.
Hudson Schannot, Ethan Hughes, and Caden Cummins all had hits and RBIs for Post 492, while Brody Short had the other Jerseyville hit. Short also started on the mound, as was tagged with the loss, going 5.1 innings, allowing five runs, one earned, on five hits, walking five and striking out three, Dylan Niemeyer pitched did not complete an inning, but gave up five earned runs on no hits, walking two and striking out none, and Logan Dabbs also didn't record an out on his time on the mound, giving up three earned runs on one hit, walking three and fanning none.
Post 126 goes to 14-10 on the season, and winds up the regular season Tuesday at Wednesday, playing at Trenton Post 778's Gators at Trenton City Park Tuesday at 5:30 p.m., then finishes the regular season against Glen Carbon Post 439 Wednesday at home in a 6 p.m. start. The District 22 playoffs, a double-elimination tournament, are set for the various ballparks around the District July 10-13, with the Fifth Division tournament set for July 15-19 at a site to be announced, and the Illinois state tournament will be played in Aviston July 22-26.
The state champion advances to the Legion Great Lakes Regional Aug. 5-9 in Lexington, Ky., with the regional winner going to the 101st Legion World Series at Keeter Stadium in Shelby, N.C. Aug. 13-16.
