The big inning has been Alton's forte this year.
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You can generally count on the Redbirds to break out one particular inning to break loose and score a good number of runs, which more often than not, has led them to victory.
AHS had that inning in the third against Collinsville Friday evening, scoring five runs on their way to a 6-2 Southwestern Conference win over the Kahoks at Arthur Fletcher Field.
Bryan Hudson got the win for the Redbirds, giving up just three hits and striking out 13 – the first four in a row, taking just 12 pitches to do so – while Matt Hopkins had a 2-for-4 day with three RBIs.
“It was a team effort for us today,” said Redbird coach Todd Haug. “We need guys to step up at times and make some contributions.”
Alton's five-run third was triggered by a Steven Nguyen fly ball that was dropped for an error and let Nguyen reach third. Derrick Allen, Hudson, Jacob Kanallakan, Aaron Bonnell, Brendan Phillips and Hopkins then put together a series of singles, along with a double and a walk, that brought home five runs before a double play ended the inning.
With a pitcher like Hudson on the mound, that was more than enough, and Kahok coach Pete Trapp knew it. “If you make a mistake, more often than not, it'll come back to bite you,” Trapp said, “especially in the Southwestern Conference. You do that against a pitcher like Hudson, they'll make you pay.”
The Redbirds picked up another run in the fifth when Bonnell drew a one-out walk, took second on a grounder to third by Phillips and came home on a Hopkins single. Collinsville got two runs back in the bottom of the seventh when, with Nick Cauley pitching, Sean Eddington got a leadoff walk and Cody Oberkfell singled. One out later, Mitch Reising singled in Edrington and an error on the play brought home Oberkfell. Cauley settled down after than, only giving up a single to Dylan McEwen before shutting the door on the Kahoks.
Nguyen, Allen, Hudson, Kanallakan and Phillips all had 1-for-4 days from the plate, with Hudson and Phillips also getting RBIs. Reising led the Kahok attack with a 2-for-4 game with a RBI.
The Redbirds took their record to 8-2 overall and 1-1 in the SWC, while the Kahoks fell to 7-13 overall, 1-2 in the league.
