Bulldogs Upset Cougars, Altamont Edges Neoga to Advance To Title Game In NTC Tourney

Effingham St. Anthony High School moved into the championship game of the National Trail Conference Baseball Tournament by downing top-seeded South Central 5-3 Wednesday.

The victory was an exciting one with both teams fighting the whole way. The Cougars took a 2-0 first inning lead as they batted around. With one out, Hill drew a walk. Smith followed with a single and a ball hit by Powless produced an error. Geiler reached base on a fielder's choice and Harmeier followed with a single. When the dust cleared, the Cougars held a 2-0 lead.

The Bulldogs came back in the second inning to take a 3-2 lead. Jansen singled and Braden Puckett followed with a double. Brandon Puckett drew a walk and Kyle Bourgeois singled.

That lead lasted until the sixth when the Cougars knotted the score at 3-3. Smith doubled with one out and would later score.

In the seventh, Braden Puckett drew a walk with one out and Brandon Puckett followed with a single. Greg Utz doubled home the runs.

St. Anthony advances to meet Altamont, a 1-0 winner over Neoga in the second contest at Paul Smith Field. No other information was turned in on this contest. The championship game is scheduled for Friday at 7 p.m.

South Central drops into the third place contest at 4:15 p.m. Friday at Paul Smith Field.

At Paul Smith Field

St. Anthony              030    000    2    --    5-6-2

South Central          200    001    0    --    3-5-7

WP -- Gardewine. LP -- Powless.

St. Anthony -- Jansen, single; Brad. Puckett, double; Bran. Puckett, single, double; Bourgeois, single, 1 RBI; Utz, double, 2 RBI

South Central -- Hill, single; Smith, single, double; Harmeier, single; No. 20, single, 1 RBI

At Evergreen Hollow Park

In the consolation bracket of the NTC Tourney, Dieterich beat Beecher City/Cowden-Herrick 14-4 and Windsor/Stewardson-Strasburg won over Brownstown/St. Elmo 12-3.

Dieterich stepped out to a 2-0 first inning lead and tacked on two runs in the second, three in the third and six in the fourth before a final run in the sixth. BCCH tallied all four of its runs in the third.

The Movin' Maroons had 11 hits in the contest led by Poe with three singles and four RBI, Campton with two singles and three RBI, Thoele with two singles, Radloff with two singles and two RBI and Bohnhoff with a double.

Thoele picked up the pitching win on a three-hitter with three walks and nine strikeouts.

In the second contest, Windsor/Stewardson-Strasburg claimed a 12-3 win over Brownstown/St. Elmo. W/SS stepped out to a 3-0 first inning lead but B/SE came back to tie the score in the top of the second. W/SS then moved ahead 5-2 in the bottom of the second and never looked back.

Deremiah had a triple for the winners while Hutchinson, Armes, Thies and Overbeck had two singles each. Kramer had a single and a double.

Landon Feezel led B/SE with a single and double while Noah Flowers added two singles. B/SE drops to 6-11 while Windsor/Stew-Stras improves to 10-6.

Windsor/Stew-Stras will now face Dieterich at 4:15 p.m. Friday at Evergreen Hollow Park for the consolation championship.

At Evergreen Hollow Park

BCCH                 004    000    --      4-   3-1

Dieterich          223    601    --    14-11-3

WP -- Thoele. LP -- Giles.

Beecher City/Cowden-Herrick -- Grove, single; Shelton, single, 1 RBI; Sandifer, single

Dieterich -- Bohnhoff, double; Campton, 2 singles, 3 RBI; Poe, 3 singles, 4 RBI; C. Thoele, 2 singles; Shoemaker, single; Schmidt, 1 RBI; P. Thoele, 1 RBI; Radloff, 2 singles, 2 RBI

B/SE            030    000    0    --      3-  9-6

W/SS          322    050    x    --    12-13-3

WP -- Kemper. LP -- Flowers.

Brownstown/St. Elmo -- Austin, single, 1 RBI; Flowers, 2 singles; Hall, single; Brown, single; Feezel, single, double; Kroll, single; Maxey, single, 1 RBI

Windsor/Stewardson-Strasburg -- Jones, single; Deremiah, triple; Hutchinson, 2 singles; J. Kramer, single; Armes, 2 singles; Thies, 2 singles; Overbeck, 2 singles; I. Kramer, single, double