High school baseball teams are taking to local diamonds whenever they are dry enough, playing to mostly favorable results.

Rainouts have played tricks on the regular season schedule, but there are enough teams willing to get a game in when the sun is shining.

Gibault and Columbia are flying the highest of the local squads at 18-5 and 17-4, respectively.

The Hawks won 4-2 over Alton on Monday. Cole Buckner went 1-for-3 with a double and two RBIs and Mark Branz struck out five in five sharp innings for the victory. 

Gibault split two games against St. Louis squads on Saturday. The Hawks downed Lutheran South, 11-2, but dropped an 8-3 contest to Vianney. 

Austin Sweeney went 3-for-4 with two RBIs and Tim Reinholz struck out 10 in six innings pitched against Lutheran South. 

Reinholz went 2-for-4 with a double against Vianney. 

The Hawks, winners of seven of their past nine games, play at Mater Dei on Wednesday, host Nashville on Thursday and battle Belleville West and Althoff on Saturday.

Branz leads the team in hitting and pitching with a .463 average, 16 doubles, 22 RBIs, 28 runs and 12 stolen bases to go along with a 4-0 record and 3.10 ERA.

Buckner is hitting .435 with 28 RBIs, followed by Sweeney at .408 with 28 runs and 21 RBIs.

Tate Schilling (.357, 15 stolen bases) and Reinholz (.342, 16 stolen bases, 3-1,  3.32 ERA) have also been key performers.

Columbia edged Cahokia Conference rival Freeburg last Tuesday, 3-2.

Nic Horner went 2-for-3 and Shane Wilhelm struck out nine in six and two-thirds innings for the Eagles, who host Breese Central on Thursday.

Sam Horner is hitting .450 to lead Columbia with 25 runs and 18 RBIs.

AJ Mueller is next at .435 with four home runs and 31 RBIs.

Nic Horner is hitting .404 with 19 runs and seven stolen bases.

Josh Marion is hitting .368 with 31 runs and 13 stolen bases.

Leading the Columbia pitching staff is Wilhelm at 5-1 with a 1.32 ERA. Logan Denison is 4-0 with a 2.27 ERA.

Waterloo (12-6) won 6-0 at home Saturday morning against Morrisonville. Ty Kueper, Trey Kueper and Nathan Albrecht all had two hits in the game and Dustin Crawford picked up the pitching win for the Bulldogs.

On Monday, Waterloo lost 5-3 in a Mississippi Valley Conference matchup at Highland. Waterloo plated two runs in the seventh to make the game interesting.

Weather permitting, the ‘Dogs play at Triad on Wednesday and battle Mt. Vernon at GCS Ballpark in Sauget on Friday.

Ty Kueper is hitting .548 with a .661 on base percentage, 13 RBIs and 12 runs.

Josh Wittenauer is hitting .392 with 16 runs and six stolen bases. Marcus Heusohn is hitting .390 with 15 RBIs.

Drake Downing (4-0, 1.65 ERA) and Crawford (6-2, 2.63 ERA) lead Waterloo’s pitching staff.

Valmeyer (12-14) won 7-5 at Alton on Saturday. Philip Reinhardt threw five shutout innings and Sam Fitzwilliam went 2-for-3 with a pair of RBIs for the Pirates.

 Last Tuesday, Valmeyer lost 10-7 at Red Bud. Riley McCarthy led the Pirates with two hits.

The Pirates host Father McGivney on Friday and host Chester on Monday.

McCarthy continues to lead Valmeyer’s offense at .440 with 29 RBIs and 24 runs.

Logan Seidler is hitting .390 with 27 RBIs and 20 runs.

Reinhardt is hitting .338 with 22 runs and is 4-1 on the mound with a 1.60 ERA.

Jacob Rowold is 4-2 with a 2.60 ERA for the Pirates.

Dupo (4-10) will battle Gillespie at GCS Ballpark on Wednesday, host Herculaneum on Friday and host Red Bud on Monday.

Tyler Kyle leads the Tigers in hitting at .340 with 11 runs, followed by Devin Similey (.333) and Noah Chism (.325).

Nik Houston is 2-0 with a 1.91 ERA in 11 innings pitched.