Valmeyer was searching for its first baseball regional title since 1971 on Saturday, but it was just not in the cards. The Pirates dropped an 11-5 contest to Okawville in the Class 1A regional title game played at Marissa.

Things looked promising for the Pirates in the first. A single by freshman shortstop Cole Juelfs plated two runs and Valmeyer led 3-0 after one inning.

Okawville catcher Brad Fuhrhop answered in a big way, however, smacking a grand slam in the second inning as the Rockets took a 5-3 lead.

Easton Wallace hit an RBI single in the third inning to draw Valmeyer closer at 5-4, but the Rockets proved too strong in the end and pulled away late for victory.

Wallace had three hits for the Pirates, who ended their season at 17-17 and with a share of the Kaskaskia Conference crown.

Season ends for Hawks, Tigers

Gibault’s baseball season ended much sooner than it had hoped. Playing in the Class 2A Red Bud Regional, the Hawks dropped a 7-4 contest to Chester on Friday.

The Hawks finished with a record of 16-17. Chester scored five runs in the second inning and held on from there.

Senior infielder Chandler Purcell went 1-for-4 with a home run and three RBIs in his final game for Gibault. Dylan McCoy took the loss on the mound for the Hawks.

In the Class 2A Dupo Regional, the host team Tigers dropped a 3-2 nailbiter to Althoff on Thursday. Dupo was held to two hits the entire game. Drake Harvell took the tough-luck loss on the mound. Dupo played Steeleville on Friday in a make-up game to determine if the Tigers will share the Kaskaskia Conference title with Valmeyer.

Waterloo, Columbia prep for regional

It’s playoff time for other area baseball teams, but Columbia and Waterloo are preparing for next week’s regional by playing tune-up games. On Thursday, the Eagles and Bulldogs battled at WHS in what could be a Class 3A regional final preview. In a tense rivalry showdown that featured two coaches and a player ejected on Waterloo’s side, Columbia prevailed 4-2.