Steeleville gets big first win in District Tournament
</element><element id="paragraph-1" type="body"><![CDATA[The Steeleville Senior Legion baseball team got off to a strong start in the District 25 Tournament last Saturday. Steeleville defeated Carbondale 11-2 in the nine inning game, all playoff games are nine inning affairs, behind solid all around play.
Steeleville took a 1-0 lead in the top of the second inning when Keith Kettner scored from second base when Carbondale's catcher over threw the first basemen following a dropped third strike.
Steeleville added two more runs in the top of the third. David Winters came home on a wild pitch and Mitchell Huseman scored when Ben Vogt grounded out to the second basemen.
Carbondale managed to get one run back in the bottom of the inning when Steeleville had its only mishap in the field. With runners on first and second and one out Lustman hit a potential double play ball to Winters at short. Winters, though, had the ball go right through his legs allowing the runner on second to score. Peter Zobel was able to retire the next two batters to escape without further damage.
With the score 3-1 Steeleville expanded the lead once again in the fourth. After one out walks to Daniel Bunselmeyer and Clinton Hawkins, Winters drove a double to the fence that scored both runners.
Carbondale got a run back in their half of the fifth, but that is all they would manage.
In the top of the sixth Huseman hit an RBI groundout to make the score 6-2. Steeleville then broke it wide open in the eighth when they scored five runs on only three hits. The inning was highlighted with a two RBI Vogt double.
Kettner relieved Zobel after eight strong innings and struck out the side in the ninth to end the game.
Zobel went eight innings, struck out five, walked three and allowed seven hits in the victory while only giving up one earned run. Jason Becker, Winters, Huseman, Vogt, Kettner, and Hawkins all collected one hit apiece and scored a combined nine runs. Vogt drove had three RBIs and Winters had two, while Kern also scored two runs and Zobel collected two hits.
Steeleville outdone by Murphysboro
In Steeleville's second round game of the District 25 Tournament in Steeleville, they fell 6-3 to Murphysboro.
Murphysboro took a 1-0 lead in the top of the second inning on an unearned run. They expanded the lead to 3-0 in the third when Cody Wheaton drove in a run with a ground out and Caleb Luttrell hit an RBI double against pitcher Jason Becker.
Steeleville got one back in the bottom of the inning when David Winters scored on a Ben Vogt fly ball that the left fielder could not handle.
In the bottom of the fourth inning Steeleville cut the lead in half when Mitchell Huseman came home on a bases loaded passed ball.
Nobody scored again until the seventh when Becker was lifted for relief pitcher Keith Kettner. Murphysboro was able to get a clutch two out RBI single to open up a 4-2 lead. It stayed that way until the top of the ninth when Murphysboro picked up a couple of insurance runs, thanks in part to the lead off hitter reaching on a Chris Kern error which lead to two unearned runs later in the inning.
In the bottom of the ninth Winters and Peter Zobel drew walks to put runners on first and second with two outs. Becker then hit a slow roller up the third base side which and reached first when the third baseman through the ball in the dirt. Hustling around third, Winters scored when the first basemen overthrew the catcher and Zobel and Becker each moved up a base. Kettner grounded out, though, to end the inning and the game.
Becker threw six solid innings and Kettner only allowed one earned runs in his three innings on the mound for Steeleville. Vogt was 2-4, Becker and Matt Bunselmeyer each collected a hit, Winters scored 2 runs and Huseman scored a run. Steeleville plays Pinckneyville in an elimination game on Tuesday, July 14.