Boys SIRR Baseball: Du Quoin's title bid falls short
</element><element id="paragraph-1" type="body"><![CDATA[Anna-Jonesboro claimed sole possession of the River-to-River Conference's Mississippi Division baseball title Tuesday, rolling past Du Quoin 7-1.
The Wildcats (18-4) swept through league play with an 8-2 record.
Du Quoin, Nashville and Pinckneyville ended up in a three-way tie for second place with 6-4 marks.
Now 15-8 overall, the Indians visit Benton Wednesday and Waltonville/Sesser-Valier Thursday before facing Marion Friday at 4 p.m. to start the Centralia Baseball Tournament.
A-J touched Du Quoin starter Brandon George (4-2) for three unearned runs in the first inning and never looked back.
The visitors managed just four hits-but had built a 5-0 lead against Georrge-by the fifth inning.
In the seventh, a pair of suicide squeeze bunts accounted for the final two tallies.
Sophomore pitcher Brady Wright whiffed five and gave the Indians just three hits, all singles.
George, Tyler Shelton and Jake Stanhouse managed the safeties.
In third, Shelton scored the lone Indians' tally. After a leadoff single, he moved to second on an errant pickoff try.
Two outs later, he scored after a Wildcats' error.
George pitched into the seventh inning, giving seven hits while striking out six. Trent Bigham relieved to finish things.
All totalled, A-J had just two earned runs.
Wright didn't allow an earned run. He had two hits and two RBI at the plate.
Du Quoin 6, Nashville 4
Du Quoin High School's baseball team kept its chances of repeating as River-to-River Conference champions in the Mississippi Division alive early Friday evening, rallying for a 6-4 win at Nashville.
The Indians (14-7) are 6-3 overall and gain a share for the title with a win over league-leader Anna-Jonesboro (7-2) Monday.
First pitch time- weather permitting-is 4:30.
"I am really proud of our kids," Du Quoin coach Tim Craft said. "We fell behind early but bounced right back. Our intensity was high throughout the game and that's how we have to play every single time out."
Nashville led 3-0 after a second inning home run by Brett Warchol before the Indians scored five times in the third to go ahead for good.
The rally started with hits by Kegan Robbins and J.C. Davis. Tyler Shelton's RBI grounder brought home Robbins and Bryant George lifted a sacrifice fly to score Davis.
Trailing 3-2, Du Quoin tied things on a single from Trent Bigham and then went ahead on consecutive RBI hits by Drew Bennett and Sam Gossett.
George added the final tally for the Tribbe with a basehit in the sixth.
Davis and Seth Baxter each had two hits with all nine spots in the batting order contributing at least one safety.
Bigham (4-1) worked all seven innings, scattering nine hits and striking out six.
Du Quoin was then rained out of Saturday's doubleheader with Harrisburg and O'Fallon.
"Things are starting to go our way a little more," Craft said. "We are starting to learn how to win these close games."
The Indians are riding a four-game winning streak and are also scheduled to play Benton and Waltonville/Sesser-Valier this week before challenging Class 3A Marion to open the Centralia Tournament Friday night.
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