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Vandals tie season record mark

By beating Roxana on Monday, the Vandalia Vandals both tied the record for wins in a season in more than 50 years and clinched at least a share of the South Central Conference crown.

Now, on Thursday, the Vandals will shoot to become the lone conference champion when they travel to Gillespie.
The Vandals scored two runs in the first inning and three in the second on their way to a 7-2 home win over Roxana, improving to 19-6 overall.
The 19 wins tie the school record set by the 1995-96 team, which was coached by Rich Well, the father of Tuesday’s winning pitcher, Richie Well. Well now has a perfect 5-0 on the mound this season.
The win also gave the Vandals a 7-1 record, which guarantees them at least a share of the conference title. A win against Gillespie in a road contest this Thursday will give them an outright share.
While the Vandals were beating Roxana on Tuesday, Roxana was defeating Greenville, leaving both of those teams with a 7-2 record in the SCC.
Staunton has a 6-2 record and the Vandals’ Thursday opponent, Gillespie, is 5-2. Carlinville is 2-5, Pana is 2-6, Roxana and Litchfield is 2-7 and Hillsboro is 1-7.
In Tuesday’s win, Marcus Zimmerman got the Vandals started in the first inning with a triple. He scored on a double by Well, who scored on a passed ball.
In the second inning, Blake Morrison led off with a single, followed by singles by Garett McNary, Preston Ruckman and Zimmerman, with the final run scoring on an error.
Kelly Jones singled to start the third inning and came around to score on two ground outs and a single, and Nathan Casey closed out the scoring with another blast over the center field fence.
Well struck out six, walked one and gave up just three hits in 3 2/3 innings to pick up the win. Alec Schroeder and Jones followed Well on the mound.
Vandalia – Zimmerman 2/3, 2 runs, 1 RBI, triple; Austin, 0/1; Well 2/3, 1 run, 1 RBI, double; Slater 0/1; Casey 1/3, 1 run, 1 RBI, home run; Jones 1/3, 1 run; Schroeder 1/3; Morrison 1/3 1 run; McNary 1/2; Ruckman 1/2, 1 run, 1 RBI; Phillips 0/1; Ritchey 0/2.
Last Friday, the Vandals put 12 runs on the board in the second inning on their way to an 18-2 win over Litchfield in a five inning contest.
Alec Schroeder led the Vandals offensively, going 3-for-4 with four runs batted in and two runs scored.
Well was 3-for-3 with two RBI and two runs, and Cody Phillips and Ruckman each went 2-for-3, with Ruckman having four RBIs and Phillips two.
Zimmerman tripled and drove in three runs.
Kelly Jones got the start and pitched only one inning. Schroeder got the win, giving up just one hit and striking out four in three innings of work, and Well threw just 16 pitches in the fifth inning.
Vandalia – Zimmerman 1/2, 3 RBI, triple; Lotz 0/1; Well 3/3, 2 RBI, 2 runs, double; Casey 1/1, 3 runs, 1 RBI; Jones 1/2, 2 runs, 1 RBI; Schoreder 3/4, 4 RBI, 2 runs, double; Morrison 1/2, 1 run; Slater 0/0, 1 run; McNary 0/0, 2 runs; Austin 0/0, 1 run, 1 RBI; Phillips 2/3, 2 runs, 2 RBI; Ruckman 2/3, 1 run, 4 RBI, double.
The Vandals will host three games in the ninth annual “Ish” Smith Baseball Classic on Saturday.
Vandalia and Salem play at 10 a.m., Pinckneyville faces Salem at noon, and Vandalia meets Pinckneyville at 2 p.m. Three games are being played in Greenville, with Nashville and Flora joining the host team.

Brownstown/St. Elmo was held hitless by Altamont on Tuesday, a day after losing on a seventh-inning comeback by Mulberry Grove.
On Tuesday, Altamont notched single runs in the first, third, sixth and seventh innings in recording the 4-0 win.
Lewis Brown took the loss for BSE (8-12-1), giving up four runs and six hits while striking four and walking three in going the distance.
On Monday, Mulberry Grove edged the Bombers, 7-6, with a three-run seventh, taking the win on just three hits while taking advantage of six BSE errors.
Zane Belcher got the win for the Aces, giving up one run and three hits while striking out four and walking four. Dalton Denton took the loss, allowing three runs in one-third of an inning as the Aces jumped out to a 4-1 lead in the first.
For Mulberry Grove, Belcher was 2-for-3 with a double and Tompkins was 1-for-4.
Brownstown/St. Elmo – Atwood 1/3; Brown 2/3, double, 2 RBI; Denton 1/3, RBI; Ireland 1/3, double, RBI; Strauch 1/3; Kelly 1/3, double, RBI; Pruett 3/4, double, RBI.

A two-run third inning gave South Central enough runs to top Effingham St. Anthony, 3-1, on Monday at Kinmundy.
Trent Geiler led the Cougars, going 2-for-3 with two RBIs and one run scored. Trevor Markley also went 2-for-3. Ryan Matheny got the team’s other RBI.
Matheny got the win, giving up just two hits, striking out four and walking three in three innings of work. Geiler was on the hill for the final four innings, allowing one run and three hits while striking out six in recording a save.
South Central – Markley 2/3, 1 run; Brandt 0/3; Geiler 2/3, 2 RBI, 1 run; Matheny 1/2, 1 RBI, 1 run; Harpster 0/3; Davis 1/3; Roberts 0/0; McCown 0/2; Blomberg 0/3; Lotz 1/3.

 

Vandalia shortstop Thomas Ritchey throws out a Roxana batter in Monday’s win at Vandalia Mutual Field.

Richie Well

Marcus Zimmerman

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