Weather leaves Tigers, Althoff fit to be tied
Edwardsville rallies from four-run deficit
Edwardsville Coach Tim Funkhouser and Althoff Coach Brett Isaacs ended the game by mutual agreement in the top of the eighth as the slippery field made it hazardous to continue play. At the time, the Tigers had the bases loaded with no one out.
For the Crusaders, the prospects look rosy just a few innings before, as Kyle Mertens drove a three-run homer over the left-center field wall to give Althoff a 9-5 edge.Edwardsville, however, picked up a run in the sixth and three in the seventh to tie the game at 9-9.
In the sixth, two walks, a fielder's choice and an error helped the Tigers score a run.
In the seventh, Edwardsville brought the tying run to the plate when Dane Opel doubled behind an Andrew Sertich walk. With the runners on second and third, a wild pitch scored Sertich and moved Opel to third. After Zach Frey walked and Elliot Frey fanned, Blake Conreaux's ground out scored Opel. A two-out single to right by Todd Baumgartner scored the tying run.
Hitting in its half of the seventh, confusion on the base paths cost Althoff the win.
With one out, Adam Gass and Andrew Siegel drew back-to-back walks. Greg Blome then hit a ball over Dane Opel's head in right field. Not sure if the ball would be caught or not, Isaacs instructed Gass to stay close to the second-base bag for a possible tag. The delay cost Althoff as Opel, shortstop Baumgartner and catcher Ted Messer connected on a perfect relay to cut down Gass at the plate. To make matters worse, Siegel tried to advance to third on the play and was gunned out as well.
"That was all my fault," said Isaacs. "I didn't think he got that much of the ball. I thought it was a fly ball. He got there late, because he saw it better than I did. I just didn't see it going that deep. He got a break to go. But when he had to back track it just took too long. They got the ball in the hands of their best player, Baumgartner and he threw a strike to the plate."
Edwardsville jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the top of the first when hits by Conreaux and Baumgartner set the stage for Messer, who singled both runners home.
The lead was short-lived; however, as a bases-loaded triple by Brett Huber made it a 3-2 contest. Scoring on Huber's triple were Josh Schaefer, who had singled; Rory Harrington, who walked; and Marcus Hustedde, who reached on an error. A sacrifice fly by Mertens extended the lead to 4-2.
Edwardsville made it a 4-3 game in the top of the third on an RBI single by Opel.
In the bottom half of the frame, Althoff reclaimed a two-run lead when a double by Hustedde and a single by Huber plated a run.
Baumgartner's, run-scoring single in the top of the fourth tightened the score at 5-4.
A double by Schaefer in the bottom of the fourth made it a 6-4 contest and set up the late-inning fireworks.
Both coaches said they hope to complete the game at a later date, but neither is sure that will be possible.
"We have so many games to make up, already," offered Isaacs.
The Crusaders (5-2) were scheduled to face Roxana and Breese Mater Dei before hosting Highland today.
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