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5.0 years ago @ 8:13AM

Growing Redbirds fall to O'Fallon, but still "gotta turn the puppies into dogs." - The Telegraph - 4/26/2018

PREP BASEBALL: Growing Redbirds fall to O’Fallon, but still “gotta turn the puppies into dogs.”

Louie Korac For The Telegraph

 

Published 7:59 pm, Wednesday, April 25, 2018
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GODFREY — A young team that’s been trying to find its way through the first half of the season has seen a good share of ups and downs for the Alton Redbirds.

But for coach Todd Haug, he’s seen what has been a young group grow of late. And even though it didn’t result in a victory on Wednesday in a 3-1 loss to first-place in the Southwestern Conference and once-beaten O’Fallon, there seems to be that feeling that the uphill climb is seeing its peak.

“As young as we are, we’re starting to come of age; we’re right there,” Haug said after the Redbirds fell to 8-10 overall and 2-5 in the SWC. “We stayed right with them in terms of hitting, they just got the bigger hits.”

O’Fallon (21-1-1, 8-0) got the bigger hits and had the better results on the mound from a combined Brayden Arnold for 4 2/3 innings and Adam Drewry for the final 2 1/3 perfect innings. Both are seniors.

But it’s not to overshadow the pitching performance from sophomore Wesley Laaker, who worked six strong innings of five-hit ball but took the loss.

“Wesley Laaker, sophomore pitching to Owen Stendeback, sophomore, can’t say enough for them; they’re coming of age,” Haug said. “… Wesley’s done an outstanding job for just a sophomore. He has pitched in every single big game for us. He’s pitched against O’Fallon twice, we’ve played Edwardsville once and he’s pitched against them. He pitches against our best team that week and I think in the long run, it’s going to pay dividends.”

Even O’Fallon coach Jason Portz paid a nice compliment to the Alton starter, who walked four and struck out four.

“The sophomore righthander they threw against us tonight can work down in the zone,” Portz said. “If Charlie Erler ever gets right, then we feel like he’s going to be a pretty good arm, too. There’s no reason to not think that they can’t be a good postseason opponent if they can knock you off. They play you real tough and Todd always does a good job getting them ready to compete.”

Laaker, who finished with 106 pitches on the afternoon, only had trouble spots with the top of the O’Fallon order. The Panthers had six hits in the game, but five of them came off the bats of junior shortstop Josh Gibson (3-for-4 with two runs scored) in the leadoff spot and senior second baseman Nathan Martin (2-for-2 with two walks, a double and two RBI) in the No. 2 hole.

Combined, they were 5-for-6 with two walks, two runs scored, two RBI and reached base all eight plate appearances.

“Josh has had a hard go,” Portz said. “He’s been hitting around .300 or .310 and you know what, that’s not the expectations that he has in himself. He’s got higher expectations. I’ve said all along that we’re whatever, 21-1-1, and our best player has not really been himself just yet. Today I think he showed what type of player he is. I feel like he’s starting to come into his own a little bit.”

Alton’s problems came at the plate, leaving seven runners on base, including the bases loaded and two outs in the bottom of the fifth when Portz went and got Arnold (6-0) after he walked Riley Phillips.

“We’re in that scenario where he’s got some pressure and his pitch count is getting up,” Portz said. “You’re in the third time through the order and guys have seen him. They’re starting to get some better contact. … I was pretty happy with his effort.”

But Drewry came on and struck out Adam Stilts to squash that threat and Drewry would work 2 1/3 perfect innings.

“Timely hitting,” Haug said. “… We several times had, I don’t know how many we left on, but not only leaving guys on, but left the on in scoring position. But they did an outstanding job. The gentleman that came in’s done that to us twice this year. Has done an outstanding job in relief. It is such a premium to have a reliever that you can throw out there all the time that you can trust, just a bulldog, and that’s what that boy was.”

The Panthers struck for a run in the top of the first when Gibson lined a single to left to lead off and scored on Martin’s RBI double to right-center to make it 1-0.

Laaker got out of that inning without any further damage, and the Redbirds countered with their lone run in the home half of the first when Robby Taul singled with one out and moved to second on Jackson Brooks’ infield single. Both runners moved up on a passed ball and Taul scored on Phillips’ fielder’s choice groundout to short to make it 1-1.

O’Fallon got the tiebreaking runs in the third when Laaker walked Jeremy Reno to lead off the inning, he moved to second on Gibson’s single to center and scored on Martin’s ground ball up the middle that made its way into the outfield for a 2-1 lead. After a strikeout, Matthew Albritton’s sacrifice fly to right plated Gibson to make it 3-1.

That was enough for the O’Fallon duo of Arnold, who walked three and struck out five, and Drewry, who struck out three.

“They’re effective with all their pitches, and not just because they’re ahead in the count,” Portz said. “They’re able to get the breaking ball over in maybe fastball counts and keep the hitters off-balance. Brayden’s been really good this year. Today was a pretty normal effort for him. [Drewry’s] our go-to guy. Him and Jaysn Miller are two guys we really, really believe in. I feel like he was who he is again today.

“… Today can be comparable to like a postseason game. You go out, you swing the bat really well and you don’t get any results out of four, five, maybe six balls that we struck very well. Now frustration can set in, but our pitchers kept going out there and doing well, our defense continued to make plays and offensively, we scrapped when we needed to and got some knocks when we had to. I’m happy with the win and happy with the guys. That’s a good team.”

Alton, which lost 6-3 at O’Fallon on April 19, will keep plugging away until the dam breaks.

“We’re getting better. We’ll be there,” Haug said. “Gotta turn the puppies into dogs.”

O’FALLON 3, ALTON 1

O’Fallon 102 000 0 — 3 6 0

Alton 100 000 0 — 1 5 2

O’Fallon (21-1-1, 8-0) — Gibson 3-4, Martin 2-2 2B RBI-2, Albritton 0-3 RBI, Dreyer 1-2. WP-Arnold (6-0) IP-4 2/3 H-5 R-1 ER-0 BB-3 K-5.

Alton (8-10, 2-5) — Taul 1-3, Brooks 2-3, Phillips 0-2 RBI, Nguyen 1-2, Erler 1-3. LP-Laaker (1-3) IP-6 H-5 R-3 ER-3 BB-4 K-4.

PREP BASEBALL: Growing Redbirds fall to O’Fallon, but still “gotta turn the puppies into dogs.”

Louie Korac For The Telegraph

 

Published 7:59 pm, Wednesday, April 25, 2018
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GODFREY — A young team that’s been trying to find its way through the first half of the season has seen a good share of ups and downs for the Alton Redbirds.

But for coach Todd Haug, he’s seen what has been a young group grow of late. And even though it didn’t result in a victory on Wednesday in a 3-1 loss to first-place in the Southwestern Conference and once-beaten O’Fallon, there seems to be that feeling that the uphill climb is seeing its peak.

“As young as we are, we’re starting to come of age; we’re right there,” Haug said after the Redbirds fell to 8-10 overall and 2-5 in the SWC. “We stayed right with them in terms of hitting, they just got the bigger hits.”

O’Fallon (21-1-1, 8-0) got the bigger hits and had the better results on the mound from a combined Brayden Arnold for 4 2/3 innings and Adam Drewry for the final 2 1/3 perfect innings. Both are seniors.

But it’s not to overshadow the pitching performance from sophomore Wesley Laaker, who worked six strong innings of five-hit ball but took the loss.

“Wesley Laaker, sophomore pitching to Owen Stendeback, sophomore, can’t say enough for them; they’re coming of age,” Haug said. “… Wesley’s done an outstanding job for just a sophomore. He has pitched in every single big game for us. He’s pitched against O’Fallon twice, we’ve played Edwardsville once and he’s pitched against them. He pitches against our best team that week and I think in the long run, it’s going to pay dividends.”

Even O’Fallon coach Jason Portz paid a nice compliment to the Alton starter, who walked four and struck out four.

“The sophomore righthander they threw against us tonight can work down in the zone,” Portz said. “If Charlie Erler ever gets right, then we feel like he’s going to be a pretty good arm, too. There’s no reason to not think that they can’t be a good postseason opponent if they can knock you off. They play you real tough and Todd always does a good job getting them ready to compete.”

Laaker, who finished with 106 pitches on the afternoon, only had trouble spots with the top of the O’Fallon order. The Panthers had six hits in the game, but five of them came off the bats of junior shortstop Josh Gibson (3-for-4 with two runs scored) in the leadoff spot and senior second baseman Nathan Martin (2-for-2 with two walks, a double and two RBI) in the No. 2 hole.

Combined, they were 5-for-6 with two walks, two runs scored, two RBI and reached base all eight plate appearances.

“Josh has had a hard go,” Portz said. “He’s been hitting around .300 or .310 and you know what, that’s not the expectations that he has in himself. He’s got higher expectations. I’ve said all along that we’re whatever, 21-1-1, and our best player has not really been himself just yet. Today I think he showed what type of player he is. I feel like he’s starting to come into his own a little bit.”

Alton’s problems came at the plate, leaving seven runners on base, including the bases loaded and two outs in the bottom of the fifth when Portz went and got Arnold (6-0) after he walked Riley Phillips.

“We’re in that scenario where he’s got some pressure and his pitch count is getting up,” Portz said. “You’re in the third time through the order and guys have seen him. They’re starting to get some better contact. … I was pretty happy with his effort.”

But Drewry came on and struck out Adam Stilts to squash that threat and Drewry would work 2 1/3 perfect innings.

“Timely hitting,” Haug said. “… We several times had, I don’t know how many we left on, but not only leaving guys on, but left the on in scoring position. But they did an outstanding job. The gentleman that came in’s done that to us twice this year. Has done an outstanding job in relief. It is such a premium to have a reliever that you can throw out there all the time that you can trust, just a bulldog, and that’s what that boy was.”

The Panthers struck for a run in the top of the first when Gibson lined a single to left to lead off and scored on Martin’s RBI double to right-center to make it 1-0.

Laaker got out of that inning without any further damage, and the Redbirds countered with their lone run in the home half of the first when Robby Taul singled with one out and moved to second on Jackson Brooks’ infield single. Both runners moved up on a passed ball and Taul scored on Phillips’ fielder’s choice groundout to short to make it 1-1.

O’Fallon got the tiebreaking runs in the third when Laaker walked Jeremy Reno to lead off the inning, he moved to second on Gibson’s single to center and scored on Martin’s ground ball up the middle that made its way into the outfield for a 2-1 lead. After a strikeout, Matthew Albritton’s sacrifice fly to right plated Gibson to make it 3-1.

That was enough for the O’Fallon duo of Arnold, who walked three and struck out five, and Drewry, who struck out three.

“They’re effective with all their pitches, and not just because they’re ahead in the count,” Portz said. “They’re able to get the breaking ball over in maybe fastball counts and keep the hitters off-balance. Brayden’s been really good this year. Today was a pretty normal effort for him. [Drewry’s] our go-to guy. Him and Jaysn Miller are two guys we really, really believe in. I feel like he was who he is again today.

“… Today can be comparable to like a postseason game. You go out, you swing the bat really well and you don’t get any results out of four, five, maybe six balls that we struck very well. Now frustration can set in, but our pitchers kept going out there and doing well, our defense continued to make plays and offensively, we scrapped when we needed to and got some knocks when we had to. I’m happy with the win and happy with the guys. That’s a good team.”

Alton, which lost 6-3 at O’Fallon on April 19, will keep plugging away until the dam breaks.

“We’re getting better. We’ll be there,” Haug said. “Gotta turn the puppies into dogs.”

O’FALLON 3, ALTON 1

O’Fallon 102 000 0 — 3 6 0

Alton 100 000 0 — 1 5 2

O’Fallon (21-1-1, 8-0) — Gibson 3-4, Martin 2-2 2B RBI-2, Albritton 0-3 RBI, Dreyer 1-2. WP-Arnold (6-0) IP-4 2/3 H-5 R-1 ER-0 BB-3 K-5.

Alton (8-10, 2-5) — Taul 1-3, Brooks 2-3, Phillips 0-2 RBI, Nguyen 1-2, Erler 1-3. LP-Laaker (1-3) IP-6 H-5 R-3 ER-3 BB-4 K-4.

PREP BASEBALL: Growing Redbirds fall to O’Fallon, but still “gotta turn the puppies into dogs.”

Louie Korac For The Telegraph

 

Published 7:59 pm, Wednesday, April 25, 2018
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GODFREY — A young team that’s been trying to find its way through the first half of the season has seen a good share of ups and downs for the Alton Redbirds.

But for coach Todd Haug, he’s seen what has been a young group grow of late. And even though it didn’t result in a victory on Wednesday in a 3-1 loss to first-place in the Southwestern Conference and once-beaten O’Fallon, there seems to be that feeling that the uphill climb is seeing its peak.

“As young as we are, we’re starting to come of age; we’re right there,” Haug said after the Redbirds fell to 8-10 overall and 2-5 in the SWC. “We stayed right with them in terms of hitting, they just got the bigger hits.”

O’Fallon (21-1-1, 8-0) got the bigger hits and had the better results on the mound from a combined Brayden Arnold for 4 2/3 innings and Adam Drewry for the final 2 1/3 perfect innings. Both are seniors.

But it’s not to overshadow the pitching performance from sophomore Wesley Laaker, who worked six strong innings of five-hit ball but took the loss.

“Wesley Laaker, sophomore pitching to Owen Stendeback, sophomore, can’t say enough for them; they’re coming of age,” Haug said. “… Wesley’s done an outstanding job for just a sophomore. He has pitched in every single big game for us. He’s pitched against O’Fallon twice, we’ve played Edwardsville once and he’s pitched against them. He pitches against our best team that week and I think in the long run, it’s going to pay dividends.”

Even O’Fallon coach Jason Portz paid a nice compliment to the Alton starter, who walked four and struck out four.

“The sophomore righthander they threw against us tonight can work down in the zone,” Portz said. “If Charlie Erler ever gets right, then we feel like he’s going to be a pretty good arm, too. There’s no reason to not think that they can’t be a good postseason opponent if they can knock you off. They play you real tough and Todd always does a good job getting them ready to compete.”

Laaker, who finished with 106 pitches on the afternoon, only had trouble spots with the top of the O’Fallon order. The Panthers had six hits in the game, but five of them came off the bats of junior shortstop Josh Gibson (3-for-4 with two runs scored) in the leadoff spot and senior second baseman Nathan Martin (2-for-2 with two walks, a double and two RBI) in the No. 2 hole.

Combined, they were 5-for-6 with two walks, two runs scored, two RBI and reached base all eight plate appearances.

“Josh has had a hard go,” Portz said. “He’s been hitting around .300 or .310 and you know what, that’s not the expectations that he has in himself. He’s got higher expectations. I’ve said all along that we’re whatever, 21-1-1, and our best player has not really been himself just yet. Today I think he showed what type of player he is. I feel like he’s starting to come into his own a little bit.”

Alton’s problems came at the plate, leaving seven runners on base, including the bases loaded and two outs in the bottom of the fifth when Portz went and got Arnold (6-0) after he walked Riley Phillips.

“We’re in that scenario where he’s got some pressure and his pitch count is getting up,” Portz said. “You’re in the third time through the order and guys have seen him. They’re starting to get some better contact. … I was pretty happy with his effort.”

But Drewry came on and struck out Adam Stilts to squash that threat and Drewry would work 2 1/3 perfect innings.

“Timely hitting,” Haug said. “… We several times had, I don’t know how many we left on, but not only leaving guys on, but left the on in scoring position. But they did an outstanding job. The gentleman that came in’s done that to us twice this year. Has done an outstanding job in relief. It is such a premium to have a reliever that you can throw out there all the time that you can trust, just a bulldog, and that’s what that boy was.”

The Panthers struck for a run in the top of the first when Gibson lined a single to left to lead off and scored on Martin’s RBI double to right-center to make it 1-0.

Laaker got out of that inning without any further damage, and the Redbirds countered with their lone run in the home half of the first when Robby Taul singled with one out and moved to second on Jackson Brooks’ infield single. Both runners moved up on a passed ball and Taul scored on Phillips’ fielder’s choice groundout to short to make it 1-1.

O’Fallon got the tiebreaking runs in the third when Laaker walked Jeremy Reno to lead off the inning, he moved to second on Gibson’s single to center and scored on Martin’s ground ball up the middle that made its way into the outfield for a 2-1 lead. After a strikeout, Matthew Albritton’s sacrifice fly to right plated Gibson to make it 3-1.

That was enough for the O’Fallon duo of Arnold, who walked three and struck out five, and Drewry, who struck out three.

“They’re effective with all their pitches, and not just because they’re ahead in the count,” Portz said. “They’re able to get the breaking ball over in maybe fastball counts and keep the hitters off-balance. Brayden’s been really good this year. Today was a pretty normal effort for him. [Drewry’s] our go-to guy. Him and Jaysn Miller are two guys we really, really believe in. I feel like he was who he is again today.

“… Today can be comparable to like a postseason game. You go out, you swing the bat really well and you don’t get any results out of four, five, maybe six balls that we struck very well. Now frustration can set in, but our pitchers kept going out there and doing well, our defense continued to make plays and offensively, we scrapped when we needed to and got some knocks when we had to. I’m happy with the win and happy with the guys. That’s a good team.”

Alton, which lost 6-3 at O’Fallon on April 19, will keep plugging away until the dam breaks.

“We’re getting better. We’ll be there,” Haug said. “Gotta turn the puppies into dogs.”

O’FALLON 3, ALTON 1

O’Fallon 102 000 0 — 3 6 0

Alton 100 000 0 — 1 5 2

O’Fallon (21-1-1, 8-0) — Gibson 3-4, Martin 2-2 2B RBI-2, Albritton 0-3 RBI, Dreyer 1-2. WP-Arnold (6-0) IP-4 2/3 H-5 R-1 ER-0 BB-3 K-5.

Alton (8-10, 2-5) — Taul 1-3, Brooks 2-3, Phillips 0-2 RBI, Nguyen 1-2, Erler 1-3. LP-Laaker (1-3) IP-6 H-5 R-3 ER-3 BB-4 K-4.

PREP BASEBALL: Growing Redbirds fall to O’Fallon, but still “gotta turn the puppies into dogs.”

Louie Korac For The Telegraph

 

Published 7:59 pm, Wednesday, April 25, 2018
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  •  
  •  
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  •  
  •  
  •  
  •  
  •  
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  •  
  •  

GODFREY — A young team that’s been trying to find its way through the first half of the season has seen a good share of ups and downs for the Alton Redbirds.

But for coach Todd Haug, he’s seen what has been a young group grow of late. And even though it didn’t result in a victory on Wednesday in a 3-1 loss to first-place in the Southwestern Conference and once-beaten O’Fallon, there seems to be that feeling that the uphill climb is seeing its peak.

“As young as we are, we’re starting to come of age; we’re right there,” Haug said after the Redbirds fell to 8-10 overall and 2-5 in the SWC. “We stayed right with them in terms of hitting, they just got the bigger hits.”

O’Fallon (21-1-1, 8-0) got the bigger hits and had the better results on the mound from a combined Brayden Arnold for 4 2/3 innings and Adam Drewry for the final 2 1/3 perfect innings. Both are seniors.

But it’s not to overshadow the pitching performance from sophomore Wesley Laaker, who worked six strong innings of five-hit ball but took the loss.

“Wesley Laaker, sophomore pitching to Owen Stendeback, sophomore, can’t say enough for them; they’re coming of age,” Haug said. “… Wesley’s done an outstanding job for just a sophomore. He has pitched in every single big game for us. He’s pitched against O’Fallon twice, we’ve played Edwardsville once and he’s pitched against them. He pitches against our best team that week and I think in the long run, it’s going to pay dividends.”

Even O’Fallon coach Jason Portz paid a nice compliment to the Alton starter, who walked four and struck out four.

“The sophomore righthander they threw against us tonight can work down in the zone,” Portz said. “If Charlie Erler ever gets right, then we feel like he’s going to be a pretty good arm, too. There’s no reason to not think that they can’t be a good postseason opponent if they can knock you off. They play you real tough and Todd always does a good job getting them ready to compete.”

Laaker, who finished with 106 pitches on the afternoon, only had trouble spots with the top of the O’Fallon order. The Panthers had six hits in the game, but five of them came off the bats of junior shortstop Josh Gibson (3-for-4 with two runs scored) in the leadoff spot and senior second baseman Nathan Martin (2-for-2 with two walks, a double and two RBI) in the No. 2 hole.

Combined, they were 5-for-6 with two walks, two runs scored, two RBI and reached base all eight plate appearances.

“Josh has had a hard go,” Portz said. “He’s been hitting around .300 or .310 and you know what, that’s not the expectations that he has in himself. He’s got higher expectations. I’ve said all along that we’re whatever, 21-1-1, and our best player has not really been himself just yet. Today I think he showed what type of player he is. I feel like he’s starting to come into his own a little bit.”

Alton’s problems came at the plate, leaving seven runners on base, including the bases loaded and two outs in the bottom of the fifth when Portz went and got Arnold (6-0) after he walked Riley Phillips.

“We’re in that scenario where he’s got some pressure and his pitch count is getting up,” Portz said. “You’re in the third time through the order and guys have seen him. They’re starting to get some better contact. … I was pretty happy with his effort.”

But Drewry came on and struck out Adam Stilts to squash that threat and Drewry would work 2 1/3 perfect innings.

“Timely hitting,” Haug said. “… We several times had, I don’t know how many we left on, but not only leaving guys on, but left the on in scoring position. But they did an outstanding job. The gentleman that came in’s done that to us twice this year. Has done an outstanding job in relief. It is such a premium to have a reliever that you can throw out there all the time that you can trust, just a bulldog, and that’s what that boy was.”

The Panthers struck for a run in the top of the first when Gibson lined a single to left to lead off and scored on Martin’s RBI double to right-center to make it 1-0.

Laaker got out of that inning without any further damage, and the Redbirds countered with their lone run in the home half of the first when Robby Taul singled with one out and moved to second on Jackson Brooks’ infield single. Both runners moved up on a passed ball and Taul scored on Phillips’ fielder’s choice groundout to short to make it 1-1.

O’Fallon got the tiebreaking runs in the third when Laaker walked Jeremy Reno to lead off the inning, he moved to second on Gibson’s single to center and scored on Martin’s ground ball up the middle that made its way into the outfield for a 2-1 lead. After a strikeout, Matthew Albritton’s sacrifice fly to right plated Gibson to make it 3-1.

That was enough for the O’Fallon duo of Arnold, who walked three and struck out five, and Drewry, who struck out three.

“They’re effective with all their pitches, and not just because they’re ahead in the count,” Portz said. “They’re able to get the breaking ball over in maybe fastball counts and keep the hitters off-balance. Brayden’s been really good this year. Today was a pretty normal effort for him. [Drewry’s] our go-to guy. Him and Jaysn Miller are two guys we really, really believe in. I feel like he was who he is again today.

“… Today can be comparable to like a postseason game. You go out, you swing the bat really well and you don’t get any results out of four, five, maybe six balls that we struck very well. Now frustration can set in, but our pitchers kept going out there and doing well, our defense continued to make plays and offensively, we scrapped when we needed to and got some knocks when we had to. I’m happy with the win and happy with the guys. That’s a good team.”

Alton, which lost 6-3 at O’Fallon on April 19, will keep plugging away until the dam breaks.

“We’re getting better. We’ll be there,” Haug said. “Gotta turn the puppies into dogs.”

O’FALLON 3, ALTON 1

O’Fallon 102 000 0 — 3 6 0

Alton 100 000 0 — 1 5 2

O’Fallon (21-1-1, 8-0) — Gibson 3-4, Martin 2-2 2B RBI-2, Albritton 0-3 RBI, Dreyer 1-2. WP-Arnold (6-0) IP-4 2/3 H-5 R-1 ER-0 BB-3 K-5.

Alton (8-10, 2-5) — Taul 1-3, Brooks 2-3, Phillips 0-2 RBI, Nguyen 1-2, Erler 1-3. LP-Laaker (1-3) IP-6 H-5 R-3 ER-3 BB-4 K-4.


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