“Shane did a nice job of controlling the strike zone early in the game. Being able to throw three pitches for strikes, he made it difficult for their hitters to get comfortable at the plate,” Columbia head coach Neal O’Donnell said. “He got a little tired at the end, and they were able to put a run across in the seventh. He was nearing his pitch limit, so I was happy for him that he was able to finish. He had to sit awhile in the bottom of the sixth while we hit, and that isn’t always the best for a pitcher.”

The Eagles improved to 9-3 on the season with a 16-3 blasting of Marquette on Monday. A nine-run second inning put the game away early.

Holmes went 3-for-4 with a triple and three RBIs. Drew Drabant, John Schoentag, Sam Spivey, van Breusegen and Wilhelm all collected two hits each.

Brandon Kuchinski struck out five in four innings for the mound victory.

Last Tuesday, Columbia posted a 10-0 conference win over Salem.

Dylan Hildebrand went 2-for-4 with three RBIs, with van Breusegen and Wilhelm adding two hits each.

Luke Watson struck out six over six shutout innings for the victory.

Wilhelm is hitting .512 with 10 RBIs and 14 RBIs to lead the Eagles offense, with Holmes hitting .474, Hildebrand hitting .444, and both van Breusegen (.368) and Spivey (.324) also hitting well.

Columbia’s Jake Heller is hit by a pitch during a recent win at home over Red Bud. (Corey Saathoff photo)

The Eagles host Valmeyer Wednesday and play at Freeburg Friday before traveling to Dupo on Monday.

Pirates keep sailing
Valmeyer (13-3) avenged a 3-2 defeat earlier this month at Waterloo by winning in walk-off fashion at home Friday over the Bulldogs, 3-2.

Waterloo scored two runs to tie the game at 2-2 in the sixth inning before Valmeyer freshman Jacob Rowold hit the game-winning single for the Pirates in the seventh.

Philip Reinhardt struck out eight in six strong innings on the mound for Valmeyer. Cole Juelfs pitched a scoreless seventh for the win.

Tyler Kempfer went 2-for-3 with an RBI and Jake Krekel went 2-for-4 with a run to lead the Pirates on offense.

Valmeyer won 9-2 at Dupo on Thursday. Juelfs went 5-for-5 with three runs and Drew Maus went 4-for-4 with four RBIs to go along with five solid innings on the mound.

Senior southpaw Michael Chism threw Valmeyer’s second no-hitter of the spring in a 13-0 win last Tuesday at home against Steeleville. Chism struck out nine and walked five in the five-inning shutout.

Reinhardt went 3-for-3 with three runs and Juelfs went 3-for-4 with two doubles to lead the way offensively.

Reinhardt threw a no-hitter against Steeleville on March 15 in a 3-0 victory.

On Monday at GCS Ballpark, the Pirates dropped a 4-3 contest to the St. Louis Patriots. Kempfer homered for Valmeyer, but it was not enough.

Valmeyer has a busy week, playing at Lebanon Thursday following Wednesday’s showdown with Columbia, then hosting Chester on Friday, Dupo on Saturday, and Gibault on Monday.

Kempfer leads the Pirates in hitting at .464 with two homers and eight doubles, followed by Reinhardt at .442 with 17 runs.

Reinhardt (2-1, 1.00 ERA), Juelfs (3-0, 1.94 ERA) and Maus (3-0, 2.38 ERA) lead a deep pitching staff.

Hawks take flight
Gibault (5-8) has won three straight following last Tuesday’s 11-5 loss at Waterloo. The Hawks scored 33 runs in the three victories.

Gibault picked up a 13-9 win over Okawville on Thursday. Cam Kincheloe went 2-for-5 with three RBIs and Mark Branz went 1-for-1 with four walks, four stolen bases and three runs.

Tim Reinholz went 1-for-2 with three walks and three stolen bases.

Gibault scored early and often in a 13-1 home win over Wesclin on Friday.
Branz went 3-for-3 with a home run and four RBIs. Reinholz also homered and threw five solid innings for the mound victory.

On Monday, the Hawks won 10-0 at Cahokia. A six-run first inning set the table early for Gibault.

Branz continued his hot streak by going 2-for-2 with a double and RBI. Jake Green and Wil Simonton added a hit and two RBIs apiece.

Will Janson and Ian Metcalf combined for a one-hit, five inning shutout on the mound.

Gibault hosts Belleville East on Wednesday and Freeburg for two games Saturday.

Branz leads Gibault at .457 with six stolen bases and 16 runs. Kincheloe is hitting .381 with seven doubles.

Bulldogs drop two of three
Waterloo posted an 11-5 win over Gibault last Tuesday, with Quentin Albrecht delivering a key two-RBI single for the Bulldogs. Collin Amann added a hit and three RBIs.

Waterloo lost in 11 innings at Highland last Wednesday, 6-5. Dustin Crawford went 2-for-5 with three RBIs and Albrecht hit a clutch RBI double in the sixth that gave Waterloo a 5-4 lead.

In Friday’s late-inning loss at Valmeyer, Crawford went 2-for-3 with an RBI and Danny Tharp added two hits and a run.

Brad Hausmann took the loss on the mound, pitching three and two-thirds innings and striking out four.

Waterloo (5-4) played at Triad on Tuesday. The Bulldogs host Jerseyville Wednesday and Collinsville Friday before traveling to Civic Memorial on Monday.
Tharp leads Waterloo in hitting at .464 with four stolen bases and eight runs. Albrecht is hitting .433 with nine RBIs. Ty Kueper is hitting .393 with 11 runs.

Lucas Goodsell is 1-1 on the mound with a 1.40 ERA and is hitting .304.

Up and down Tigers
Dupo trounced Lebanon last Tuesday, 16-1. Brady Beggs and Robbie Smith contributed a hit and three RBIs each and Robert Seager struck out nine over five innings for the Tigers.

In Thursday’s 9-2 loss at home to Valmeyer, Seager and Smith collected two hits each for the Tigers.

On Monday, Dupo lost a 17-14 contest to Madison.

Camden Biggs went 3-for-3 with three RBIs, Adam Bradshaw went 2-for-3 with three runs, and Smith went 1-for-1 with four runs.

The Tigers host Marissa on Thursday, play at Valmeyer on Saturday, and host Columbia Monday. Jacob Snider leads Dupo in hitting at .538, followed by Biggs at .545 and Smith at .333 with 10 runs scored.

Bradshaw is 1-1 with a 1.05 ERA on the mound.