ALTON - Both Nolan Pichee and Auggie Landuyt continued to swing hot bats for the Alton Post 126 junior American Legion baseball team, as Pichee had three hits and two RBIs, while Landuyt had two hits and four RBIs on the evening, and Kaden Witsken went all the way on the mound as the junior Legionnaires parlayed a five-run fourth into a 12-2 win over Jerseyville Post 492's junior team in a game played Monday night at Lloyd Hopkins Field in Gordon Moore Park.
Get The Latest News!
Don't miss our top stories and need-to-know news everyday in your inbox.
The junior Legionnaires were coming off a 2-2 showing at the Play 9 tournament over Fourth of July weekend, and have now won five of their last 10 games and are now 15-10-1 on the season with two regular season games left.
It was all Alton in the game on Monday night, as Post 126 scored twice in the first and three times in the second to go ahead 5-0, but Jerseyville scored single runs in the top of the third and fourth to cut the Alton lead to 5-2. Post 126 countered with a five-run bottom of the fourth, then scored twice in the bottom of the fifth to take the 12-2 win, the game ending due to the 10-run rule.
Pichee led the way for Alton with his three hits and two RBIs, while Zach Thornton also had three hits, Landuyt had a two-hit, four-RBI day at the plate, both Clayton McCormick and Max Laird had two hits and an RBI each, and both Fletcher Groppel and Triston Ferguson came up with a hit and two RBIs apiece. Witsken threw a five-inning complete game on the mound to pick up the win, allowing two earned runs on four hits, walking one and striking out two.
Both Brody Short and Logan Dabbs had a hit and RBI each for Jerseyville, while Jagger Young and Ian Kanalaken both had hits. Young also started on the mound for Post 492, and was tagged with the loss, going four innings, allowing 10 earned runs on 11 hits, walking three and fanning three. Liam Spencer pitched the final 0.1 inning and gave up two earned runs on three hits, walking none and striking out none.
The junior Legionnaires are now 15-10-1 on the season, and plays Patoka Post 543 Tuesday night at Lloyd Hopkins Field in a 6 p.m. start, then finish the regular season at Trenton Post 778's junior Gators at Trenton City Park Thursday at 7 p.m.
The District 22 playoffs are set for July 9-12 at the various district ballparks, with opponents, sites and start times to be announced. The Fifth Division tournament is set for July 16-19 at a site to be announced, with the Illinois state tournament set for July 23-26 at Pfund Stadium in Carol Stream in suburban Chicago.
