No team summary for this season.
PREP SOFTBALL: Tigers shutout of Redbirds "a huge accomplishment" - The Telegraph - 4/11/2019
Updated on 06/10/2022
PREP SOFTBALL: Tigers’ shutout of Redbirds ‘a huge accomplishment’
Matt Kamp, mkamp@edwpub.net
Published
Photo:
Matt Kamp / Hearst Illinois
IMAGE 1 OF 5
Edwardsville’s Sydney Lawrence (right) scampers into third base to beat the throw to Alton shortstop Tami Wong on Wednesday at the District 7 Sports Complex in Edwardsville.
EDWARDSVILLE — The Edwardsville Tigers got the timely hit when they needed to Wednesday.
The Alton Redbirds didn’t.
Recommended Video
00:43
01:12
The Tigers went 5-for-9 with runners in scoring position, including a two-out, two-run homer from Maria Smith in a three-run fourth inning, en route to a 5-0 victory over the Redbirds in Southwestern Conference action inside the District 7 Sports Complex.
Alton went 0-for-11 with runners in scoring position, and it stranded the bases loaded in the fifth and seventh innings. It was its first shutout loss since losing 15-0 to Edwardsville on May 1, 2018.
“The timing of our hits really came together in crucial parts of the game. I’m really proud that we all came together,” said Smith, who went 2-for-3 with a double, home run and two RBIs.
It was the seventh straight win for the state’s 10th-ranked Tigers, who are now 10-2, including 3-0 in the SWC. The Redbirds are 9-4, including 3-1 in the SWC.
Entering Wednesday’s game averaging 10 runs per game, Alton couldn’t get the clutch hit. It stranded Abby Scyoc at third after a leadoff triple in the second and Lynna Fischer at third after a leadoff double in the sixth. It left 10 runners on base, including seven in scoring position.
“We didn’t get the big hit when we needed to,” Redbirds coach Dan Carter said. “Edwardsville played a very good ball game. They hit up and down the lineup, pitched well and played pretty good defense. All in all, it was two good softball teams that played a very good ballgame. Unfortunately, we came out on the bottom end of it today.”
While Alton couldn’t deliver in the clutch, Edwardsville did.
A two-out rally in the third started on a double by Smith, who struck out in her first at-bat. Katherine Bobinski-Boyd walked. Moe Kastens followed with a RBI single up the middle, making it 1-0. Lexi Gorniak then singled to right for the 2-0 lead.
“We hit the ball hard. The kids did a good job and it’s all about timing in this game,” Edwardsville coach Lori Blade said.
It was more of the same in the fourth.
A one-out double by pinch-hitter Sydney Lawrence pushed the lead to 3-0. After a groundout, Smith pounded a home run to center for the 5-0 lead.
“I saw a nice, fat softball. I knew I had to get the runner in and I took a swing. I felt it when I hit it,” said Smith of her second home run of the week.
Smith now leads the team with four home runs and is tied with Kastens with 11 RBIs. Edwardsville pitchers Kay Swanson and Ryleigh Owens took care of the rest.
Swanson started and went 4 1/3 innings. She allowed five hits with three strikeouts. Owens went the final 2 2/3 innings and struck out four. She allowed three hits.
“They did a great job. To shut that group out is a huge accomplishment,” Blade said.
Swanson worked out of her biggest jam in the second after giving up a leadoff triple to Scyoc. The Edwardsville pitcher retired Emma Kiger, Audrey Evola and Shelby Kulp via groundouts to get out of it.
“We had that leadoff triple and couldn’t do anything with it,” Carter said.
The Redbirds loaded the bases against Swanson in the fifth, but Owens came on and struck out Abby Sullivan and Ashlyn Betz. In the seventh, Owens struck out Fischer looking to end the bases-loaded threat.
“It was a battle from the first pitch to the last. Even though it was 5-0, it was one of those games that one pitch could have changed it. We hit the ball pretty hard,” Carter said.
Tami Wong and Sullivan each had two hits for the Redbirds, who finished with eight as a team. Edwardsville, which had 10 hits, got two hits from Mackenzie Owens and Kastens, along with Smith.
Alyson Haegele started for Alton and allowed five runs on seven hits with four strikeouts and a walk in 4 1/3 innings.
PREP SOFTBALL: No slugfest, but Piasa Birds hold off Redbirds, 5-3 - The Telegraph - 4/7/2019
Updated on 06/10/2022
PREP SOFTBALL: No slugfest, but Piasa Birds hold off Redbirds, 5-3
No slugfest, but Birds hold off Alton
Greg Shashack, gshashack@thetelegraph.com
Updated
Photo:
Greg Shashack / The Telegraph
IMAGE 1 OF 4
Alton shorstop Tami Wong (right) applies the tag on Southwestern’s Josie Bouillon, who his caught stealing in the fourth inning Saturday morning at Alton High in Godfrey.
GODFREY – It could not have been an easy admission for Southwestern junior Bailee Nixon.
“Our hitting,” she said, “has been what’s kept us in games.”
Recommended Video
00:00
00:00
On Saturday morning, it was Nixon’s pitching that carried the Southwestern Piasa Birds to a 5-3 prep softball victory over the Alton Redbirds at Alton High.
Southwestern had five successive games rained out since beating Brussels 32-0 on March 26. And with the Birds’ home field in Piasa still unplayable, the date with the Redbirds was shifted to Godfrey and Southwestern pushed its record to 8-1 and its winning streak to seven in a row after going 11 days between games.
Alton had its four-game win streak snapped and drops to 8-3. Both teams had been thriving on offense, with Southwestern averaging 13.3 runs per game and the Redbirds scoring 9.9 runs a game.
But after the Birds broke fast with four runs in a four-hit first inning, Nixon and Alton starter Alyson Haegele were in command.
“Nixon came out on a mission today,” Southwestern coach Peg Mitchell said. “Nixon has a look. And when she as that look, I don’t worry about her pitching. She had that look today when she came into the dugout.”
Nixon limited the Redbirds to one run on three hits through six innings before the Alton threatened with two runs on three hits in the seventh. Abby Sullivan’s home run in the third inning accounted for the Redbirds’ first run.
“We’re going to have to make some adjustments at the plate,” Alton coach Dan Carter said. “We did not swing the bats very well today. We didn’t adjust to the strike zone. … We’ve got to do a better job of putting the ball in play. We had too many strikeouts today.”
Nixon struck out 10 and walked four in the complete-game win. She came in at 4-0 with a 1.83 ERA, but was expecting better.
“I’ve struggled a little bit in games this season,” Nixon said. “So it was definitely nice to get back to it. … It was a very good day.”
Southwestern hinted at a fifth straight game scoring in double digits when it came out with a flurry of line drives in the first inning. Leadoff hitter Mayci Wilderman lined a first-pitch shot to right field that was scored a three-base error and she came home on a throwing error to give the Birds an immediate lead they would not relinquish.
“That’s what this team does,” Mitchell said. “We’re aggressive at the plate. We’re aggressive on the bases. That’s what we have to do to win ballgames.”
The Birds tacked on singles from Molly Novack and Hannah Nixon before Josie Bouillon’s RBI single and Bailee Nixon’s two-run double put the Redbirds down 4-0 after one inning. Haegele would settle in to retire nine of the next 10 Birds she faced before Wilderman, who lined out hard to left in her previous at-bat, homered to lead off the fifth inning.
“Mayci’s been in a little bit of a slump,” Mitchell said. “But Wilderman is not going to stay in a slump very long.”
Haegele went five innings, allowing five runs (one earned) on five hits and one walk while striking out five.
“Alyson did a really nice job,” Carter said. “She gave us a good five innings. … The bottom line is, we just didn’t do anything offensively. We’ve been scoring runs and we didn’t today.”
Sullivan, a sophomore whose third homer ties Ashlyn Betz, Lynna Fischer and Tami Wong for the team lead, and Shelby Kulp both had two hits to lead the Redbirds. But Nixon disarmed the heart of the Redbirds lineup, with the Nos. 3-4-5 hitters combining to go 0-for-11 with four strikeouts. The three runs were the fewest in a game for Alton this season.
Despite the loss, Carter welcomed the test for his Redbirds. And if schedules allow, the Alton coach said he would embrace another opportunity to play Southwestern.
“If we get rainouts, we’d be glad to play them again,” Carter said. “We’re in each other’s backyard. You’re going to see good pitching, good defense and good hitting. Southwestern’s a quality team, very good.”
PREP SOFTBALL: Wong's slam caps Redbird's comeback in 16-11 win over East - The Telegraph - 4/3/2019
Updated on 06/10/2022
PREP SOFTBALL: Wong’s slam caps Redbirds’ comeback in 16-11 win over East
Greg Shashack, gshashack@thetelegraph.com
Published
Photo:
Greg Shashack | The Telegraph
IMAGE 1 OF 13
Alton’s Lynna Fischer (middle) gets a hug from Shelby Kulp while heading back to the dugout with Tami Wong (left), Abby Scyoc (12) and Ashlyn Betz (right) after Fischer’s home run in the third inning
GODFREY – Tami Wong was unsure immediately after the softball left her bat. But certainty would come soon after she left the batter’s box.
“Just a couple steps,” Wong said with a smile. “Yeah, it felt good off the bat.
Recommended Video
00:54
01:12
Wong’s first-pitch grand slam with two outs in the fifth broke a 10-10 tie and provided the final four runs in an eight-run inning that launched the Alton Redbirds to a 16-11 Southwestern Conference victory over the Belleville East Lancers at Alton High.
“Sometimes, you’ve got to score 16,” Alton coach Dan Carter said. “And tonight was that night.”
Twelve would have done it, but Wong’s slam and Shelby Kulp’s two-out, two-run single in the sixth provided some comfort in a victory that pushed the Redbirds’ record to 7-2. Alton is 3-0 in the SWC for the first time since 2013.
Coming off a 4-1 victory over previously unbeaten O’Fallon (9-1), the Redbirds are atop the standings for a conference in which they have never won a championship.
“We’ve always been an underdog team,” said Wong, the lone senior in the Redbirds’ lineup. “No one is ever been saying, oh, Alton’s at the top of the conference. … We’ve been working four years just for that one title. This year, it could be so close.”
The Redbirds are scheduled to play at five-time defending SWC champion Edwardsville on Thursday. Alton’s coach will concede excitement over 3-0 in the league, but he is quick to pump the brakes on title talk.
“I’m not going to deny that, we do feel good about the start,” Carter said. “Let’s keep in mind that it is just three games.”
The defeat dropped East to 3-7 and 0-3 in the SWC following leagues losses to Collinsville (1-0) and Belleville West (9-6). The Lancers have lost four games in a row for the first time since 2015 when they dropped six straight in a 1-6 getaway.
The Redbirds had lost nine of their last 10 games vs. East since last beating the Lancers at AHS in 2013. And Alton had to power up Tuesday to put away East, which outhit the Redbirds 12-10.
Five of Alton’s 10 hits went for extra bases, including home runs from Wong, Lynna Fischer and Ashlyn Betz. Betz hit a solo shot in the first inning , Fischer hit a two-run homer in a five-run third before Wong’s slam in the fifth. It was the third home run for each of those three Redbirds.
East had leads of 2-1 and 10-6, but could not put away the Redbirds. “There wasn’t panic,” Carter said.
Wong said, “We’ve always been a hard-hitting team, we’re really good at hitting. It was fine that we went down a little bit, because we know we can get it back. Everyone in the lineup can hit.”
The biggest blast for Alton before Wong’s slam came from freshman Emma Kiger. With runners at first and third and two outs in the third inning, East opted to intentionally walk Betz to load the bases. Kiger responded with a drive to the fence in left field to drive in three runs. She then scored on Fischer’s homer.
“That was a great at-bat for her,” Carter said of Kiger. “For us, emotionally, that was the play that we needed to get things going.”
Betz, Fischer and Abby Scyoc had two hits apiece for the Redbirds. Kiger pushed her team-leading RBI total to 15 while matching Fischer in driving in three runs. Kiger, working in relief of starter Alyson Haegele, picked up the win. Abby Scyoc closed with a scoreless seventh.
East got three hits from Taylor Sparks and leadoff hitter Abby Gray had two hits and drove in four runs. Lexi Williams homered for East, while relief pitcher Brooklyn Thouvenot took the loss working in relief of starter Stephanie Bigham.
PREP SOFTBALL: Alton's Carter sees SWC as "a six-team race" - The Telegraph - 3/27/2019
Updated on 06/10/2022
PREP SOFTBALL: Alton’s Carter sees SWC as ‘a six-team race’
Redbirds hoping to contend for first title
Greg Shashack, gshashack@thetelegraph.com
Published
Photo:
Greg Shashack / The Telegraph
IMAGE 1 OF 4
Alton sophomore Alyson Haegele delivers a pitch to the plate during her one-hit shutout of the Roxana Shells on Thursday at Roxana Park.
The results from a 3-2 start suggests 2019 could bring a step back for an Edwardsville Tigers softball program that has averaged more than 30 wins a season over the past dozen years.
Alton coach Dan Carter remains skeptical.
Recommended Video
00:05
01:12
“You might say that,” Carter said of a Tigers’ regress. “But until I get to see them on the field, I wouldn’t say that.”
The Alton Redbirds have never won a Southwestern Conference championship. They have not won a regional championship since 2006. But if Edwardsville, which has won the last five SWC titles while going 64-6 in league play, comes back toward the pack, a conference crown could be in play for the Redbirds.
They will not, however, be alone with those aspirations.
“I see this conference as, maybe, a six-team race,” said Carter, presumably omitting only East St. Louis as a contender. “There are teams that could win this conference and those same teams could turn around and be sixth. But like I say every year, until you knock off the reigning champ – and Edwardsville is back right at the top – they’re the team to beat. Edwardsville, I’ll say it every year, I pick them first until somebody knocks them off.”
The Tigers have won the SWC eight times in the past 10 years, with that string interrupted only by O’Fallon’s back-to-back titles in 2011-12.
And the Panthers are the most likely late-March pick to be the team that may knock off the Tigers. O’Fallon opened SWC play Tuesday with a 3-1 win over Belleville West to improve to 8-0. But the 5-2 Redbirds, who beat East Side 18-0 Tuesday at AHS, hope they have the pitching to stay relevant in the race.
“All in all, I’m very pleased with where things are going,” Carter said. “We’ll find out where we are when we get going in conference play.”
Carrying the pitching load for the Redbirds will be sophomore Alyson Haegele, freshman Emma Kiger and junior Abby Scyoc. Haegele has earned the No. 1 role with a 3-0 record and 2.85 ERA from a staff-high 19 2/3 innings. Her best outing came in a 12-0 five-inning shutout Thursday at Roxana.
“I thought Alyson had a little growth out there today,” Carter said after her one-hitter against a Shells lineup that came in hitting better than .400. “She did a nice job.”
The Redbirds are young, but do have experience. The lone senior starter will graduate in May as one of the program’s greatest players. Tami Wong hit .496 last season after hitting .509 as a sophomore. Those averages rank Nos. 1-2 all-time for Alton.
“Great experience there,” Carter said of his senior shortstop.
Wong (.524) is one of six Redbirds that started the week hitting better than .400, with Haegele at .538 leading a group including Abby Sullivan (.471), Kiger (.450), Ashlyn Betz (.412) and Lynna Fischer (.400). Catcher Audrey Evola is flirting with .400 at .389.
Betz, a junior first baseman who hits third, has two homers and eight RBIs, while cleanup hitter Kiger has a team-leading 10 RBIs. Betz and Scyoc are juniors that both have started since they were freshmen. The rest of the lineup is filled by underclassmen, including freshmen Kiger and Evola.
“Sophomores who all started last year, for the most part,” Carter said of Haegele, Fischer, Sullivan and Olivia Ducey, “and two freshmen that I know from having played for me in middle school.”
The Redbirds finished 17-17 last season, halting a string of five consecutive 20-victory seasons. Getting back to 20, its coach believes, is a reasonable goal for Alton.
“I definitely think so,” Carter said.
SATURDAY'S SOFTBALL ROUNDUP: Alton splits with Jersey - The Telegraph - 3/24/2019
Updated on 06/10/2022
SATURDAY’S SOFTBALL ROUNDUP: Alton splits with Jersey; Krumwiede hits walk-off HR for Hawks
Greg Shashack, gshashack@thetelegraph.com
Published
Photo:
Greg Shashack / The Telegraph
Alton shortstop Tami Wong, shown throwing to first for an out Thursday at Roxana, had five hits Saturday in the Redbirds’ doubleheader split with Jersey at Alton High in Godfrey.
A first-game victory and a quick 4-0 lead in the second game put Alton Redbirds softball in prime position for a doubleheader sweep Saturday.
But a seven-run third inning saved the Jersey Panthers and salvaged their split in Godfrey.
Recommended Video
00:38
01:12
The Panthers rapped out six hits, including four doubles, in their big inning that accounted for all Jersey’s runs in a 7-5 victory after the Redbirds won the opener 7-4. Alton is 4-2. Jersey is 2-3.
Brooke Tuttle went 4-for-4 in the second-game win for Jersey, which got two hits and three RBIs from Grace Sharich and three hits, including a pair of doubles, from Ryleigh Jones. Shelby Koenig went the distance for the win, yielding five runs on 12 hits, one walk and six strikeouts.
Alton’s Lynna Fischer and Emma Kiger both had three hits, and Abby Sullivan and Tami Wong added two hits apiece in the second game. Kiger took the loss, with six of the seven runs she allowed coming unearned. Abby Scyoc was strong in relief with 4 1/3 shutout innings, but the Redbirds offense could not rally to bail out a defense that committed six errors.
In the opener, Alton scored four runs in the fourth inning to go up 5-2. The Panthers got within 5-4, but could not regain a lead. Lauren Brown and Lauren Rexing both hit homers and drove in two runs for the Panthers, who got two hits from both Tuttle and Melissa Weishaupt. Four errors hurt Jersey pitcher Claire Anderson, who allowed seven runs (three earned) on eight hits, two walks and three strikeouts.
Alton picked up three hits from Wong and two hits and three RBIs from Sullivan. Alyson Haegele got the win, while Kiger turned in two scoreless innings for a save.
SATURDAY’S SOFTBALL ROUNDUP: Alton splits with Jersey; Krumwiede hits walk-off HR for Hawks
Greg Shashack, gshashack@thetelegraph.com
Published
Photo:
Greg Shashack / The Telegraph
Alton shortstop Tami Wong, shown throwing to first for an out Thursday at Roxana, had five hits Saturday in the Redbirds’ doubleheader split with Jersey at Alton High in Godfrey.
A first-game victory and a quick 4-0 lead in the second game put Alton Redbirds softball in prime position for a doubleheader sweep Saturday.
But a seven-run third inning saved the Jersey Panthers and salvaged their split in Godfrey.
Recommended Video
00:38
01:12
The Panthers rapped out six hits, including four doubles, in their big inning that accounted for all Jersey’s runs in a 7-5 victory after the Redbirds won the opener 7-4. Alton is 4-2. Jersey is 2-3.
Brooke Tuttle went 4-for-4 in the second-game win for Jersey, which got two hits and three RBIs from Grace Sharich and three hits, including a pair of doubles, from Ryleigh Jones. Shelby Koenig went the distance for the win, yielding five runs on 12 hits, one walk and six strikeouts.
Alton’s Lynna Fischer and Emma Kiger both had three hits, and Abby Sullivan and Tami Wong added two hits apiece in the second game. Kiger took the loss, with six of the seven runs she allowed coming unearned. Abby Scyoc was strong in relief with 4 1/3 shutout innings, but the Redbirds offense could not rally to bail out a defense that committed six errors.
In the opener, Alton scored four runs in the fourth inning to go up 5-2. The Panthers got within 5-4, but could not regain a lead. Lauren Brown and Lauren Rexing both hit homers and drove in two runs for the Panthers, who got two hits from both Tuttle and Melissa Weishaupt. Four errors hurt Jersey pitcher Claire Anderson, who allowed seven runs (three earned) on eight hits, two walks and three strikeouts.
Alton picked up three hits from Wong and two hits and three RBIs from Sullivan. Alyson Haegele got the win, while Kiger turned in two scoreless innings for a save.
SATURDAY’S SOFTBALL ROUNDUP: Alton splits with Jersey; Krumwiede hits walk-off HR for Hawks
Greg Shashack, gshashack@thetelegraph.com
Published
Photo:
Greg Shashack / The Telegraph
Alton shortstop Tami Wong, shown throwing to first for an out Thursday at Roxana, had five hits Saturday in the Redbirds’ doubleheader split with Jersey at Alton High in Godfrey.
A first-game victory and a quick 4-0 lead in the second game put Alton Redbirds softball in prime position for a doubleheader sweep Saturday.
But a seven-run third inning saved the Jersey Panthers and salvaged their split in Godfrey.
Recommended Video
00:38
01:12
The Panthers rapped out six hits, including four doubles, in their big inning that accounted for all Jersey’s runs in a 7-5 victory after the Redbirds won the opener 7-4. Alton is 4-2. Jersey is 2-3.
Brooke Tuttle went 4-for-4 in the second-game win for Jersey, which got two hits and three RBIs from Grace Sharich and three hits, including a pair of doubles, from Ryleigh Jones. Shelby Koenig went the distance for the win, yielding five runs on 12 hits, one walk and six strikeouts.
Alton’s Lynna Fischer and Emma Kiger both had three hits, and Abby Sullivan and Tami Wong added two hits apiece in the second game. Kiger took the loss, with six of the seven runs she allowed coming unearned. Abby Scyoc was strong in relief with 4 1/3 shutout innings, but the Redbirds offense could not rally to bail out a defense that committed six errors.
In the opener, Alton scored four runs in the fourth inning to go up 5-2. The Panthers got within 5-4, but could not regain a lead. Lauren Brown and Lauren Rexing both hit homers and drove in two runs for the Panthers, who got two hits from both Tuttle and Melissa Weishaupt. Four errors hurt Jersey pitcher Claire Anderson, who allowed seven runs (three earned) on eight hits, two walks and three strikeouts.
Alton picked up three hits from Wong and two hits and three RBIs from Sullivan. Alyson Haegele got the win, while Kiger turned in two scoreless innings for a save.
SATURDAY’S SOFTBALL ROUNDUP: Alton splits with Jersey; Krumwiede hits walk-off HR for Hawks
Greg Shashack, gshashack@thetelegraph.com
Published
Photo:
Greg Shashack / The Telegraph
Alton shortstop Tami Wong, shown throwing to first for an out Thursday at Roxana, had five hits Saturday in the Redbirds’ doubleheader split with Jersey at Alton High in Godfrey.
A first-game victory and a quick 4-0 lead in the second game put Alton Redbirds softball in prime position for a doubleheader sweep Saturday.
But a seven-run third inning saved the Jersey Panthers and salvaged their split in Godfrey.
Recommended Video
00:38
01:12
The Panthers rapped out six hits, including four doubles, in their big inning that accounted for all Jersey’s runs in a 7-5 victory after the Redbirds won the opener 7-4. Alton is 4-2. Jersey is 2-3.
Brooke Tuttle went 4-for-4 in the second-game win for Jersey, which got two hits and three RBIs from Grace Sharich and three hits, including a pair of doubles, from Ryleigh Jones. Shelby Koenig went the distance for the win, yielding five runs on 12 hits, one walk and six strikeouts.
Alton’s Lynna Fischer and Emma Kiger both had three hits, and Abby Sullivan and Tami Wong added two hits apiece in the second game. Kiger took the loss, with six of the seven runs she allowed coming unearned. Abby Scyoc was strong in relief with 4 1/3 shutout innings, but the Redbirds offense could not rally to bail out a defense that committed six errors.
In the opener, Alton scored four runs in the fourth inning to go up 5-2. The Panthers got within 5-4, but could not regain a lead. Lauren Brown and Lauren Rexing both hit homers and drove in two runs for the Panthers, who got two hits from both Tuttle and Melissa Weishaupt. Four errors hurt Jersey pitcher Claire Anderson, who allowed seven runs (three earned) on eight hits, two walks and three strikeouts.
Alton picked up three hits from Wong and two hits and three RBIs from Sullivan. Alyson Haegele got the win, while Kiger turned in two scoreless innings for a save.
SATURDAY’S SOFTBALL ROUNDUP: Alton splits with Jersey; Krumwiede hits walk-off HR for Hawks
Greg Shashack, gshashack@thetelegraph.com
Published
Photo:
Greg Shashack / The Telegraph
Alton shortstop Tami Wong, shown throwing to first for an out Thursday at Roxana, had five hits Saturday in the Redbirds’ doubleheader split with Jersey at Alton High in Godfrey.
A first-game victory and a quick 4-0 lead in the second game put Alton Redbirds softball in prime position for a doubleheader sweep Saturday.
But a seven-run third inning saved the Jersey Panthers and salvaged their split in Godfrey.
Recommended Video
00:38
01:12
The Panthers rapped out six hits, including four doubles, in their big inning that accounted for all Jersey’s runs in a 7-5 victory after the Redbirds won the opener 7-4. Alton is 4-2. Jersey is 2-3.
Brooke Tuttle went 4-for-4 in the second-game win for Jersey, which got two hits and three RBIs from Grace Sharich and three hits, including a pair of doubles, from Ryleigh Jones. Shelby Koenig went the distance for the win, yielding five runs on 12 hits, one walk and six strikeouts.
Alton’s Lynna Fischer and Emma Kiger both had three hits, and Abby Sullivan and Tami Wong added two hits apiece in the second game. Kiger took the loss, with six of the seven runs she allowed coming unearned. Abby Scyoc was strong in relief with 4 1/3 shutout innings, but the Redbirds offense could not rally to bail out a defense that committed six errors.
In the opener, Alton scored four runs in the fourth inning to go up 5-2. The Panthers got within 5-4, but could not regain a lead. Lauren Brown and Lauren Rexing both hit homers and drove in two runs for the Panthers, who got two hits from both Tuttle and Melissa Weishaupt. Four errors hurt Jersey pitcher Claire Anderson, who allowed seven runs (three earned) on eight hits, two walks and three strikeouts.
Alton picked up three hits from Wong and two hits and three RBIs from Sullivan. Alyson Haegele got the win, while Kiger turned in two scoreless innings for a save.
PREP SOFTBALL: Haegele makes Roxana bats go hush, Redbirds roll 12-0 - The Telegraph - 3/22/2019
Updated on 06/10/2022
PREP SOFTBALL: Haegele makes Roxana bats go hush, Redbirds roll 12-0
Greg Shashack, gshashack@thetelegraph.com
Published
Photo:
Greg Shashack / The Telegraph
IMAGE 1 OF 12
Alton pitcher Alyson Haegele delivers to the plate during her one-hit win over Roxana on Thursday at Roxana Park.
ROXANA – The Roxana Shells were averaging 11.6 runs per game and hitting .406 as a team in a 4-1 start from five roads games.
Alton pitcher Alyson Haegele proved immune to those numbers.
Recommended Video
00:29
01:12
The sophomore left-hander faced one batter over the minimum while tossing a one-hitter to lead the Redbirds to a 12-0 five-inning victory over the Shells at Roxana Park.
“Obviously, it’s early in the year,” Alton coach Dan Carter said. “But that’s a well-rounded game that we just played. We did everything right today. And Alyson pitched an extremely good game against a team that has been hitting the ball very well.”
Alton has bounced back from a season-opening 6-5 defeat at Quincy to pound small schools East Alton-Wood River (11-1), Bunker Hill (11-0) and Roxana to improve to 3-1. The Shells are 4-1.
Roxana, coming off a rousing come-from-behind 15-12 victory at Civic Memorial on Wednesday, saw its bats go suddenly quiet after a 20-hit afternoon in Bethalto included nine doubles and two home runs.
“Alyson did a wonderful job,” Roxana first-year coach Wade Stahlhut said of Haegele. “Our girls had a very emotional game last night and coming into this afternoon, we knew we were going to have to battle against Alton. They’ve been playing some good ball. It just didn’t turn out in our favor today. We’re going to come out and compete against Breese Central tomorrow.”
Stahlhut conceded the possibility of a letdown for his team after hitting two homers in a six-run seventh inning to beat CM, but saw no warning signs until the Redbirds started swinging in the first inning.
“In the warmup, our girls seemed fairly centered and ready to play ball,” Stahlhut said. “Our expectations were to come out and play, we just got outhit.”
The Redbirds scored in every inning and used solo home runs from Ashlyn Betz and Lynna Fischer in the fourth inning to put their lead at 9-0. That set up the early close in the fifth when Haegele’s single, Tami Wong’s double and an intentional walk to Betz loaded the bases for Emma Kiger’s three-run double.
Betz and Kiger both finished with four RBIs, and Betz joined Wong with three hits. Fischer drove in two runs and Haegele had two hits in Alton’s 10-hit, zero-errors performance.
“We had a good approach at the plate against their pitching,” Carter said. “We did a nice job of putting runs on the board and we ran the bases very well. … I couldn’t be happier with this game today this early in the season.”
Olivia Stangler started and took the loss for the Shells. She departed after the Redbirds’ two homers in the fourth and Taylor Nolan worked the final 1 2/3 innings.
Roxana’s lone hit came in the first inning when Abi Stahlhut lined an outside pitch to the outfield for a single. Haegele retired the next seven Shells before opening the fourth by walking Kiley Winfree to lead off the fourth.
That brought Stahlhut, a senior signed with Indiana, back to the plate and the 6-foot shortstop who was hitting .667 blistered a line drive that Alton second baseman Abby Scyoc snared and threw to first to double off Winfree.
“I’ve been around a while, seen some balls hit hard,” Carter said. “But that line drive to second base is about as hard as a ball can be hit. Lucky for us, it was right at our second baseman and we doubled her up.”