ALTON - Jack Puent gave up four runs on six hits while striking out four in throwing a complete game, while his Alton Post 126 under-15 American Legion baseball team took a second-inning lead they would never relinquish in going on to an 8-4 win over Alton's under-17 team in a game played Monday night at Lloyd Hopkins Field in Gordon Moore Park.
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Both junior Legion teams have enjoyed success so far this summer and the game was scheduled as a fun tilt for both sides.
Both teams traded runs in the first inning, with the junior Legionnaires scoring another run in the top of the second to go ahead 2-1, then scored one in the fourth and two in the fifth to take a 5-1 lead. The young Legionnaires, serving as the home team, countered with two runs of their own in the bottom of the fifth to cut the lead to 5-3. The junior Legionnaires scored three more runs in the top of the sixth before the young Legionnaires scored a run in the bottom of the seventh to make the final score 8-4.
Both Joe Stephan and Blake Rensing had two hits and two RBIs each for the junior Legionnaires, while Reid Murray had two hits and an RBI, Puent had two hits, both Logan Hickman and Alex Pilger had a hit and RBI each and Jacob Flowers and Dagan Cordes each had a hit.
Mykal Taylor led the young Legionnaires with two hits and an RBI, while Nolan Parker, Caleb Handler, Carsen Bristow and Jackson Dorris also had hits.
Puent went all the way on the mound for the under-15 team, allowing the four runs on six hits while fanning four, while Drake Champlin threw five innings for the under-17s, giving up five runs, three earned, on nine hits while walking one and striking out five and Jackson Pruitt pitched the final two innings, giving up three runs on three hits, walking two and fanning two.
The junior Legionnaires are set to play at Trenton on Friday night in a game that starts at 7 p.m. The under-15 team then has Fourth of July weekend off and plays again July 5 in a doubleheader at Breese #2, with game times 6 and 8 p.m., then are at Valmeyer July 6 at 6 p.m., then play in a tournament in Ellisville, Mo., in west St. Louis County July 7-9.
The young Legionnaires host Piasa Southwestern High's summer team Wednesday night in a 5:30 p.m. first pitch, then play a doubleheader at Breese #1 Friday, with the first game starting at 6 p.m. The under-17s also have Fourth of July weekend off and next play July 5 at Highland in a 6 p.m. start, then play at Southwestern in their final regular season game in a 7:30 p.m. start.Dan Brannan also contributed to this story.
