by Steve Dunford 

HARRISBURG, IL –The West Frankfort Redbird baseball team ended up their season with a 10-12 record, bowing out to the Harrisburg Bulldogs 8-2 on Thursday.  Harrisburg advances to the championship game of their own regional playing the Benton Rangers today.  Because of rain, the game has been rescheduled to 4:30 Monday afternoon.

In the first two pitches of the ball game, it looked like Harrisburg hurler Dalton Lambert was going to have a rough afternoon.  The first pitch of the ball game SS Noah Vance knocked the ball over the LF wall for a home run.  Redbird catcher Peyton Overturf picked up a base hit and scored on a throwing error.  Lucas Wolfe helped himself with a base hit.

The crooked number on the scoreboard for West Frankfort after one half inning was the only runs they would pick up on the afternoon as they led 2-0.

Lambert mowed down the Redbirds as he pitched a complete game, only allowing two hits the rest of the way, striking out eight and walking no one.  He hit four batters on the afternoon.  He helped his own cause going 3-3 from the plate.

Harrisburg put up four runs in the bottom of the first on six base hits.  Lambert, catcher Isaac Crabb, and LF Jack Martin doubled.  Center fielder Jordan Gould, 1B Presley Gauch, and RF Jack Martin picked up base hits.

Brendan Russell picked up a base hit with one out in the top second inning.  A double play erased a potential rally.

Harrisburg put up two more runs in the bottom of third on three singles in a row from Lambert, Gauch, and Crabb.  After three it was 6-2 Harrisburg.

The Redbirds stranded two runners in the top of the fourth.  Wolfe was hit by a pitch and stole second.  Bryson Dorris reached on an error.  Lambert strkes out the side as WF could not get anything going.

Harrisburg tacks on two more in the bottom of the fourth as the fire balling sophomore Brendan Jonson comes out of the pen to give up a couple base hits.  He had three errors committed behind him allowing two unearned runs.  Dorris makes a diving stop at second to field a screaming line drive to bail the Redbirds out.  After four it was an 8-2 Harrisburg.

Johnson had a perfect fifth and sixth inning, and the Redbirds strand two runners in the top of the seventh as Dorris was hit by a pitch to lead off the inning.  Pinch hitter Andrew Strugil picks up a one out single. The Redbrids could not capitalize, as it was an 8-2 Final in favor of the Bulldogs.

Harrisburg improved to 14-18.  They will square off against the Benton Rangers 27-6 in the Harrisburg Class 2A regional, Monday at 4:30 p.m.

BOX SCORE

WEST FRANKFORT 

HR: Vance  SB Overturf, Wolfe

HARRISBURG

2B Lambert, Crabb, Martin

LINE SCORE

by Steve Dunford

WEST FRANKFORT, IL – The Nashville Hornettes advance to face the Harrisburg Lady Bulldogs tomorrow afternoon in the Championship game of the West Frankfort Class 2A regional by downing the hosts 9-4.

The Hornettes hung a three spot on the scoreboard in the bottom of the first.  The big blow was a one out 2RBI double for Sophie Heck  The bleeding could have been much worse, as Redbird SS Allie Herron gunned down two Nashville runners at third.

The Redbirds put up two runs in the top of the third as Herron drives in 3B Maddy Britton, and P Stephanie Tucker with a two out two RBI triple.  Herron’s glove then robs heck of a base hit up the middle and ends up turning a 6-3 double play after three innings it was 3-2 Nashville.

The Redbirds tie it up in the top of the fifth.  Cather Kylie Prather leads off with a lead off double.  She then swipes two bags, and Maddy Britton drives her in with a sac fly to center.  After 4 1/2 it was a tie ball game.

The wheels fall off for WF in the bottom of the inning as Karly Stanowski hits a deep HR at least 30 feet over the fence in the left center field power alley.  Left fielder Jordan Stegiman picks up a base hit.  Right fielder Brooke Burchman then reaches on a three base error scoring Stegman, then 1B Allie Lisk picks up an RBI single, follwed by Jenna Harris with an RBI double.  After five innings the score was Nashville 7 West Frankfort 3

Nashville added on two more runs in the sixth as Stanowski singles and Stedman hits a 2 run shot over the left field fence.

West Frankfort added a run on in the top of the seventh as 2B Mccayla Bowers had a leadoff single and Stephanie Tucker drove her in with a one out single.  Pitcher Kieley Gunzy worked out of the jam and picked up the complete game.

Talking with West Frankfort coach Jim Piersol about the season, he said it was an up and down one.  The team is still young, and he looks forward to the future.