ALTON - Cameron Hailstone had a big night at the plate with three hits and three RBIs, and Alton Post 126's senior American Legion baseball team hit Washington, Mo. with 10 runs in the opening inning as the Legionnaires won 14-9 in a game played Tuesday evening at Lloyd Hopkins Field at Gordon Moore Park.
It was the second win over Washington in four days for Alton, having won 4-2 on Saturday afternoon in the Firecracker Tournament in Fairview Heights, a tournament the Legionnaires would go on to win over Highland 10-7 on Sunday.
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The momentum Alton had from winning the tournament carried over into Tuesday's game as the Legionnaires put together a 12-hit attack. Washington scored three times in the top of the first to take the lead, but Alton came up with their 10-run inning in the home half to take a 10-3 lead, then scored twice more in the third to increase the lead to 12-3. Washington countered with a run in the top of the fourth, then scored five runs in the top of their half of the fifth to cut the lead down to 12-9. Alton then scored twice in the bottom of the fifth to take the 14-9 win.
Hailstone led the way with his three-hit, three-RBI game, while both Preston Schepers and Frank Goss each had two hits and two RBIs, Brady Salzman had two hits and drove in a run, Garrett Billingsley had a hit and RBI, Brendon Smith and Andrew Wieneke each had a hit and Owen Macias also drove in a run.
C.J. Frensko was the Legionnaires' starting pitcher, and he threw for three innings, allowing three runs on four hits, walking four and striking out four, Caden Laslie pitched for one inning-plus, giving up four runs on three hits while walking two, and Goss threw the final three innings, conceding two runs on five hits, walking two and fanning two.
The Legionnaires play at home again on Wednesday, taking on District 22 team Highland for the third time in the past four days in a 6 p.m. first pitch, then plays Maryland Heights, Mo. in a doubleheader at Bridgeton, Mo., with the first game starting at 1 p.m. Alton then plays at Highland in a Sunday matinee game starting at 12 noon and host Belleville next Monday in a 7 p.m. start.
