For the third time in seven years, Altamont baseball is the Sectional Champion as the Indians just got by South Central, 5-4, in the South Central 1A Sectional on Saturday. The Cougars got the first base runner of the game aboard in the top of the first, but an inning ending double play had the game scoreless through a half inning. The Indians were able to get their first two hitters aboard but South Central got out of the jam as the game would remain scoreless after the first inning. Maddox Robb led off the top of the second inning with a single and Coen West followed up with a single of his own to put runners at first and second and they were moved over on a groundout by Brody Markley to put both runners in scoring position. Zane Montes then ripped a line drive to right field to score one run as South Central got themselves on the scoreboard first for a 1-0 lead. The lead would only hold until the bottom of the inning though as Altamont was able to get two runners aboard after a hit by pitch and a walk before Kade Milleville stroked a line drive to right field to score Clayton Arnold as the Indians tied the game up at 1-1. Altamont would take their first lead of the game an inning later in the bottom of the third as Keegan Schultz drew a one out walk and with two outs, Schultz advanced to second on a passed ball before Kaidyn Miller would single to left field and Schultz would score from second to give the Indians the 2-1 lead. Again, the lead didn’t hold long as South Central answered back in the top of the fourth. Markley reached base on an error and went to second on the same error before Montes again came through with a RBI single to bring Markley in and tie the game up at 2-2. The tie held until the bottom of the fifth inning as the Indians got their offense moving again with a leadoff single from Dillan Elam and a walk from Nate Stuemke had runners at first and second. A line drive to centerfield by Schultz would allow the courtesy runner Aden McManaway to score for a 3-2 Altamont lead and after a flyout for the first out of the inning, K. Miller grounded into a fielder’s choice that brought in courtesy runner Justin Magelitz to push the Indians lead to 4-2. In the top of the sixth, South Central took advantage of a rough start to the inning and three consecutive Altamont errors that saw Markley and Montes reach base before Evan Hoover became the third Cougar in a row to reach on error as both Markley and Montes came around to score as South Central tied the game up at 4-4. Altamont again threatened in the bottom of the sixth putting runners on at first and second before a fly out and a strikeout looked to cut the threat down. But, a walk from Schultz loaded the bases before Ethan Robbins got his first hit of the day with a single to right field to score Milleville for a 5-4 Altamont lead before a fielder’s choice groundout ended the inning. Down to three outs left in the game in the top of the seventh, South Central got a one out single from Markley but a line out and a ground out would close out the 5-4 win for Altamont to give them their third Sectional Championship in program history and bringing the South Central season to a close. Altamont senior Dillan Elam got the win on the mound, tossing 112 pitches across seven inning work, allowing just 4 runs on 7 hits, tallying 2 walks and 5 strikeouts in the game. Altamont moves to 29-9 on the season and advances on to the Super-Sectionals on Monday at Southern Illinois University Carbondale where they will meet up with Hardin County who was a winner of Waltonville/Sesser-Valier on Saturday. South Central will end their season with a record of 18-14-1.
