S. Central, Altamont Square Off In Sectional Baseball Championship

The two squads picked up victories Wednesday in games heard on 979XFM.

In the opener, South Central edged Windsor/Stew-Stras, 3-2.

The two squads struck quickly. Windsor/Stew-Stras led off the bottom half of the first with two runs. With one out, Ben Bridges was hit by a pitch. Blayzz Verdeyen then followed with a home run.

But South Central came right back to knot the score in the second inning. With one out, five players singled in a row. Coen West led off with a single followed by Brody Markley. Zane Montes singled to load the bases. Evan Hoover followed with an RBI single and Max Magnus singled home the tying run.

South Central rumbled in the fifth, drawing two walks but both didn't reach past first base.

Windsor/Stew-Stras had a runner on in each of the next four innings. The Hatchets' Jackson Gurgel singled in the fifth, was sacrificed over by Bridges and stood on third but was left stranded.

Kendall Morris singled in the sixth for the Hatchets but was thrown out.

Hoover drew a walk in the sixth for South Central but was left stranded.

The Cougars then tallied what would prove to be the winning run in the seventh. Trevan Sidwell drew a walk and Colton Smith was hit by a pitch. Maddox Robb singled to load the bases. With one out, an error on a ball hit by Brody Markley provided the run for South Central.

Windsor/Stew-Stras then went up and down in the seventh to end the contest.

South Central finished wtih seven hits led by Robb with two singles. Markley, Hoover and Magnus had a single and an RBI each.

West went the distance on the mound. He gave up two runs on four hits, allowed one walk while striking out nine.

Windsor/Stew-Stras was led by Verdeyen with a home run and two RBI.

In the second game, Altamont broke a 2-2 tie with three runs in the fifth and went on to beat Okaw Valley by an 11-2 count.

The Indians moved into a 2-0 lead in the top of the first inning. With one out, Dillan Elam doubled and took second on a wild pitch. A fly ball to left field by Nathan Stuemke brought Elam home. Keegan Schultz then followed with a solo home run.

Okaw Valley came right back in the bottom of the frame to tie the score. Seth Forlines, Gibson Dickens and Braden Montgomery drew back-to-back-to-back walks off pitcher Aiden McManaway. Kade Milleville came on in relief. Okaw Valley's Aiden Williams singled home a run. The Indians got out of the frame when Okaw Valley hit into a double play and Milleville struck out the final batter, but the score stood knotted at 2-2.

Altamont put a runner on in the third as Nathan Stuemke singled but was left stranded.

Then in the fifth, the Indians broke free. Milleville reached base on an error as did Kaden Davis. Elam then knocked out a home run and Altamont held a 5-2 lead.

That lead blossomed to 8-2 in the sixth as Eli Miller drew a walk and Milleville doubled. Davis then hit a three-run shot.

Altamont finished off with three more in the seventh. Schultz led off with a home run. Ethan Robbins followed with a single. Kaidyn Miller reached on a fielder's choice as Robbins was thrown out at second. A fly ball was the second out on the board. E. Miller drew a walk and Milleville singled home a run. When the dust had cleared, the Indians held an 11-2 lead.

Milleville gave up a leadoff single in the seventh but the runner was caught off base for the first out. The next two came on a ground out and a strikeout.

Milleville finished allowing two hits, one walk while striking out 10 for the pitching win.

Meanwhile, Altamont's bats were blazing with 11 hits led by Schultz with two home runs and two RBI, Elam with a double, home run and three  RBI, Milleville with two singles, a double and an RBI and Davis with a home run and three RBI.

Class 1A South Central Sectional

Game One

South Central                   020    000    1    --    3-7-1

WSS                                  200    000    0    --    2-4-1

WP -- West. LP -- Verdeyen.

South Central -- Robb, 2 singles; West, single; Markley, single, 1 RBI; Montes, single; Hoover, single, 1 RBI; Magnus, single, 1 RBI

Windsor/Stew-Stras -- Gurgel, single; Verdeyen, home run, 2 RBI; Morris, single; Friese, single

Game Two

Altamont                    200    033    3    --    11-11-0

Okaw Valley               200    000    0    --      2- 2-2

WP -- Milleville. LP -- Forlines.

Altamont -- Davis, home run, 3 RBI; Elam, double, home run, 3 RBI; Stuemke, single, 1 RBI; Schultz, 2 home runs, 2 RBI; Robbins, single; E. Miller, single; Milleville, 2 singles, double, 1 RBI

Okaw Valley -- Wililams, single, 1 RBI; Vanausdoll, single