If there's one thing Edwardsville knows well this season, it's simply this:
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The Big Inning.
The Tigers certainly had two of them at Granite City's Babe Champion Field Tuesday afternoon, scoring four times in the second and then riding a grand-slam home run from Matt Zielonko to an eight-run fifth as EHS defeated the Warriors 13-0 in five innings in a Southwestern Conference contest.
The win put the Tigers at 27-1 overall and 12-0 in the SWC, clinching a tie for the league title with two games to go. The Warriors fell to 8-20 overall, 1-11 in the league.
“Those big hits with two out will kill you every time,” said Warrior coach Scott Smallie. “They kept getting the big hit and they're so strong up and down the lineup. They stole a run early, we walked a couple of guys and they got a big hit, then the grand slam – they got eight runs with just three swings of the bat.
“We battled all day, we just need to get out there and play more and get some experience. Edwardsville's a great team, but we'll find a way to get back on track. Our kids just need some experience.”
Despite their success this season, the Tigers aren't about to rest on their laurels; in coach Tim Funkhouser's eyes, there are still challenges to be met. “We can still get better,” Funkhouser said. “There's still some challenges out there for us; we just want to keep working and getting better every day.
“We've got guys who keep stepping up when they get a chance; we're showing patience at the plate and having good at-bats.”
The Tigers got that first run without benefit of a hit; Dylan Burris opened the game with a walk and stole second and third, and then, with two out, Aaron Jackson drew a walk to put runners at the corners. Then, with Zielonko up, EHS executed a double steal, with Burris scoring without a play to give Edwardsville a 1-0 lead.
The next inning up, Fahd Shakeel and Joe Wallace drew one-out walks, which brought up Mitchell Krebs; Krebs delivered a two-run single to score Shakeel and Wallace and put EHS up 3-0. One out later, with Krebs on second after a wild pitch, Jordan Hovey delivered a two-run homer to right-center just to the left of the scoreboard to put the Tigers up 5-0.
Edwardsville was retired in the third and fourth, but exploded in the fifth, which started when Hovey doubled and Collin Clayton singled to put runners at the corners. A walk to Jackson loaded the bases, bringing up Zielonko. He worked the count to 2-2, then unloaded a blast that cleared the fence and the bases for a grand slam.
“I got a good pitch to hit and got it over the fence,” Zielonko said. “That was fun, but it's not possible without the three guys ahead of me getting on base. We've got strong hitters all up and down the lineup as well as our bench; we've got guys who can pick each other up.”
Two outs after the Zielonko slam, Wallace drew a walk, Krebs singled and Hovey walked to load the bases again. One run came in when Clayton was hit by a pitch and a Jackson walk and Bailey Zimmer single brought in two more runs. The Warriors did get a man on base, but advanced him only to second before EHS retired the side to end the game.
Zielonko was 1-for-3 with the home run and four RBIs, while Krebs was 2-for-3 with two RBIs and two runs scored, Wallace was 1-for-2 with two runs scored and Hovey was 2-for-3 with the homer and a double, with two RBIs and two runs scored. Daniel Lloyd got the win, giving up just two hits and striking out four.
The Tigers travel to O'Fallon for a rematch of an 11-inning thriller with the Panthers in April that saw EHS winning. Game time is set for 4:30 p.m. at Blazier Field.
