Saturday’s Monroe County Baseball Tournament featured Columbia, Waterloo, Gibault and Valmeyer battling it out for bragging rights with the regular season winding down and regionals about to start.

The tournament, played at Waterloo High School and SPPS Field this year after two years at GCS Ballpark in Sauget, featured four close games between the Eagles and Pirates, Bulldogs and Hawks, Bulldogs and Eagles and Hawks and Pirates — plus a coaching milestone to boot.

When the dust settled in the afternoon, Waterloo took home the trophy.

With Waterloo’s win over Gibault in the first game at WHS, longtime Bulldogs head coach Mark Vogel earned his 400th win. The Hawks are no stranger to having Vogel earn a coaching milestone against them.

“Oddly enough in 2004, win 200 and in 2010, win 300 came against them as well. They have a heck of a program and they are awfully good,” he said.

Vogel said he won’t spend much time reflecting on the win until season’s end, but it does carry special meaning.

“It makes me think back to all the great kids I’ve coached over the years and all the people I’ve had the pleasure of getting to know,” he said.

Back-to-back home runs in the fourth inning gave Waterloo a 6-3 lead after they trailed by three runs early to the Hawks.

Ryan Aycock connected for a two-run homer, which was followed immediately by Tyler McAlister’s solo blast. Devin Rice came on in relief to hold the Gibault bats at bay as the ‘Dogs held on for the 6-4 win.

Auggie Ward and Jordan McFarland started things off right for Gibault with RBI hits to build up the 3-0 lead, but Gibault could only muster an RBI single from Chase Dugan later in the game.

“We struggled offensively over the weekend,” Gibault head coach Andy Skaer said.

In the other morning contest, Columbia’s Josh Fleming pitched a complete game as the Eagles edged Valmeyer, 3-2, at SPPS Field. Jacob Hill — who made an amazing catch in the outfield earlier in the game — hit a bases loaded single for the Eagles in the bottom of the sixth to break a 1-1 tie. That was followed up by an RBI groundout from Kyle Gudeman.

Fleming scattered four hits, and Valmeyer starter Dakota Maus only allowed six hits. Easton Wallace doubled home Griff Seidler in the seventh to make it 3-2, but the Pirates just couldn’t get the tying run home.

In the tourney title game, Waterloo received solid pitching from ace Austin Nunnery, who allowed only two hits

against Columbia as the ‘Dogs won 4-0.

“That was the Austin Nunnery we’ve been accustomed to seeing this spring,” Vogel said.

Kane Osterhage was the offsensive star for Waterloo, Vogel added.

Waterloo’s coach welcomed the Saturday wins after having lost one-run games Thursday against Althoff and Friday against Granite City.

“We are just trying to get on a roll… we can’t seem to get out of our own way sometimes,” Vogel said. “I’m hoping this will kind of kickstart us a bit.”

Columbia coach Keith Jany is hoping his offense will kick into gear come playoff time.

“We are getting decent pitching, just having a hard time scoring runs,” he said.

The Bulldogs and Eagles will meet again in the Class 3A Waterloo Regional at WHS on May 29 with much more at stake.

Gibault defeated Valmeyer in the third place game of the county tourney at SPPS Field, 6-5.

The Hawks only managed four hits against Valmeyer (two by McFarland), but were able to take advantage of Pirate miscues.

“We outhit them eight to four, but made way too many errors to deserve the win,” Valmeyer head coach Greg Reinhardt said.

Hunter Brewer had two hits  and Maus doubled for Valmeyer, each scoring two runs.

Monday, the Hawks opened regional play on fire against Dupo, getting a walk from Mitch Meyer, a double from Chandler Purcell, a triple from Wes Degener, and a two-run homer from McFarland to start the game. Meyer also hit a three-run double in the first en route to a 13-3 win over the Tigers.

Austin Beccue allowed just four hits and struck out nine for  the Hawks, who will play Wednesday against Nashville for the right to play in Saturday’s regional final.

Valmeyer, meanwhile, plays Okawville Thursday in the Class 1A New Athens Regional. If the Pirates should advance, the championship game is Saturday.