BASEBALL: Kurtz's single gives Pinckneyville a walk-off win

Tyler Rice beat out an infield single, stole second, advanced to third on a wild pitch, then scored the winning run on Bradley Kurtz's walk-off RBI base hit in the bottom of the seventh inning, giving Pinckneyville a 5-4 victory over Murphysboro in Thursday's Junior American Legion matchup at Rigdon Field.

Post 2504 starting pitcher Garrett Williams took a no-hitter and a 4-0 lead into the sixth inning, but Murphysboro was able to get to the left-hander with four runs on four hits to tie it up. Williams finished the game with four hits and two walks allowed with three strikeouts before Rice came in to work a scoreless inning, setting up the game-winning sequence bottom of the seventh.

After walks to Isaac Hardin and Kyle Kreger in the bottom of the third inning, Kurtz doubled, Hunter Clark singled, and Ethan Bowen reached on an error at first base resulting in a three-run inning for Pinckneyville. Post 2504 tacked on another run in the fourth when Jordan Koester and Colton Kling had base hits.

Post 127's first batter in the top of the sixth broke up the no-no for Williams en route to the game-tying four run frame that cost the Pinckneyville hurler a victory on the hill, but Rice worked around a pair of two-out walks in the top of the seventh inning to keep the game tied.

Koester (1-3, SAC), Rice (1-3), Kling (1-1), Kurtz (3-3, 2B, BB), Clark (1-3) and Dustin Bartnicki (1-2, HBP) accounted for Post 2504's eight hits against Murphysboro.

Pinckneyville also took the five-inning second game, winning 7-3 to improve their record on the season to 4-7 overall.

Post 2504 travels to Goreville on Saturday for another seven-inning/five-inning doubleheader.