ALTON — Auggie Landuyt, Max Laird and Chris Rayfield each collected three hits and three RBIs Tuesday as Alton Post 126’s junior American Legion baseball team closed its home regular season with a 15-5 win over Patoka Post 543 at Lloyd Hopkins Field in Gordon Moore Park.
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The victory on July 7, 2026, moved the junior Legionnaires to 16-9-1 and capped a 6-4 finish over their final 10 home games as Alton turns its attention to the postseason.
Alton took control early, scoring five runs in the first inning and two more in the second for a 7-0 lead. Patoka scored once in the top of the third to make it 7-1, but Post 126 answered with five runs in the bottom half of the inning to extend the lead to 12-1. Patoka scored four times in the fourth to trim the deficit to 12-5 before Alton added two runs in the bottom of the fourth and one in the sixth. The game ended by the 10-run rule.
In addition to the three-hit, three-RBI performances from Landuyt, Laird and Rayfield, Nolan Pichee had two hits and three RBIs. Will McCormick finished with two hits and an RBI, Zach Thornton had two hits, and Clayton McCormick added a hit.
Clayton McCormick earned the win, pitching three innings and allowing one unearned run on five hits. He walked two and struck out four. Laird worked 2.2 innings, allowing no runs on two hits with two walks and no strikeouts. Triston Ferguson pitched the final one-third of an inning, allowing four runs, two earned, on two hits while walking two and striking out one.
Alton has one regular-season game remaining, scheduled for Friday against Trenton Post 778’s Gators junior team at Trenton City Park. First pitch is set for 7 p.m.
The District 22 playoffs, a double-elimination tournament, are scheduled for July 9-12 at various parks in the district. The winner advances to the Fifth Division tournament, set for July 16-19 at a site to be announced. Division champions then move on to the Illinois state tournament July 23-26 at Pfund Stadium in Carol Stream, suburban Chicago.
