Altamont Lutheran Advances to SIJHSAA Class S Title Game

COULTERVILLE -- Altamont Lutheran will be playing for a state championship. The Rockets took on Steeleville Wednesday in semifinal round play of the SIJHSAA Class S State Baseball Tournament and came out a 3-2 winner in nine innings.

Altamont Lutheran took a 2-0 lead in the second inning but Steeleville came back to knot the score at 2-2 in the sixth. Then in the ninth, Noah Kopplin pulled off a sqeeze bunt scoring Kaleb Whitt from third base for the deciding run.

Kopplin also started on the pitcher's mound for the Rockets and went 5 2/3 innings while Whitt pitched 3 1/2 innings to finish the contest. Whitt picked up the pitching win.

Austin Kile had two singles, a double and drove in the first two runs for the Rockets.

In the first game, Valmeyer downed Bluford 6-1. Altamont Lutheran will now take on Valmeyer at 3 p.m. Friday for the state championship. Bluford and Steeleville will square off for third place at 1 p.m.

At Coulterville

Altamont Lutheran          020    000    001    --    3-6-0

Steeleville                          000    002    000    --    2-6-0

WP -- Whitt. LP -- Wilson.

Altamont Lutheran -- Kile, 2 singles, double, 2 RBI; Whitt, triple; Kopplin, 1 RBI; Duckwitz, single; Reardon, single

Steeleville -- no hits listed.