Alton gets past Milan, advances in Legion State Tournament

EDWARDSVILLE – Alton American Legion Post 126 found a way to stay alive in the rain-delayed Illinois state American Legion baseball tournament Monday morning, thanks to scoring a run without getting a hit.

Elijah Dannenbrink led off the top of the seventh by reaching on an error, getting to second on a groundout and going to third on a pair of walks before Dannenbrink scored after Bryce Parish was hit by a pitch by Justin Bost, who came in for Jake Reusch after he had reached the maximum pitch count to end the sixth.

The win put Alton into another elimination game that was rescheduled for 4 p.m. today at SIU-Edwardsville’s Roy Lee Field, where the tournament was shifted to after Sunday’s rainout and more rain Sunday evening and early Monday morning against Newton, who lost to Mount Prospect in a midday game Monday.

The schedule was shifted to include games at 4 and 6 p.m. today, with one more elimination game and the championship round set for Tuesday. The championship round teams will both advance to the Aug. 8-12 Legion Great Lakes Regional tournament in Napoleon, Ohio.

Both teams scored twice in the top of the first before Wesley Laaker for Alton and Reusch kept both teams at until the seventh. “It’s like we tell them; we’re at the state tournament now, you’re not going to get those teams that you show up and you walk in there like, ‘OK, we’re going to win this game easily,’” said Alton manager Nick Paulda. “Every game is going to be a battle – we know we can win it easily, but it’s still going to be a battle.”

Once Laaker got past the first inning, he settled in and kept Milan’s bats quiet, retiring nine batters in a row at one point. “I think we saw the same things we saw with Adam (Stilts) the other day (in Alton’s loss to Danville),” Paulda said. “He was kind of nervous at first – these kids have never been in a situation like this; it is the state tournament for them at the senior level. They are happy to be here, but they’re a little nervous.

“He got behind in hitters, but as the game went on, he went back to his normal self and pounded the zone and I think he stayed under 90 pitches (he wound up with 82 pitches on the day).”

Alton went ahead in the top of the first thanks to an error on an attempted double play that allowed Dannenbrink and Stilts to score to put Post 126 on top; Milan countered with a pair of runs themselves in the bottom of the first on a Brandon Skovronski single that brought in Jaden Dellitt and A.J. Hatestad to tie it up.

Things stayed even despite Alton having several opportunities to go ahead, only to be denied thanks to some timely defensive plays or strikeouts when Milan needed them. Laaker, meanwhile, shut the door tight on Milan, retiring nine in a row from the third to the sixth innings before Milan got Hatestad and Michael Hinerichsen on base; Laaker answered with getting Skovronski to ground out to short to end the inning.

Alton’s seventh inning started Dannenbrink reached on an error to begin the inning and went to second when Jayce Maag walked to put runners at first and second; Ethan Kopsie then drew a walk with two out to load the bases and bring up Parish.

A Bost pitch then struck Parish to send home Dannenbrink with what proved to be the winning run; Laaker then retired the bottom of the Milan order to send Alton to the next round.

Dannenbrink was 1-for-3 with two runs scored for Alton, with Stilts 1-for-2 with a run scored, Cullen McBride and Parish each had RBIs and Gage Booten went 2-for-3 on the day for Post 126; Laaker struck out six and conceded two runs (both earned) and five hits on the day.