The Alton Redbirds landed a first-inning knockout punch Thursday at Babe Champion Field.

Alton scored 11 runs in the first inning and pounded the Granite City Warriors 20-0 in a five-inning Southwestern Conference baseball game in Granite City.

The victory is the third in a row for the Redbirds, who improve to 8-3 and 3-1 in the SWC. Alton joins O’Fallon, Edwardsville and Belleville West at 3-1 in the conference. Granite City is 2-10 and 1-3 in the league.

The Redbirds made their 20 runs on 12 hits and nine walks. Mikey Hampton had two doubles, and joined Marcus Schomburg, Noah Rathgeb, Matt McDonald and Steven Nguyen with two RBI. Rathgeb also had two hits for Alton.

Four Redbirds pitchers combined on a one-hitter, with sophomore Gary Volz striking out two and walking one in a hitless inning for the win. Max Hunter worked two hitless innings before Nguyen and Jon Witt each pitched an inning to close out the rout.

In other SWC games Thursday, O’Fallon defeated Belleville East 4-0 behind Bradley Harrison’s shutout with 12 strikeouts, Edwardsville beat Belleville West 7-3 in eight innings, and Collinsville blanked East St. Louis 13-0.