Edwardsville 6-5-2011 Varsity

06-05-2011 vs. Edwardsville Tigers (Sectional Championship)

 

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Wildcats Fall to Edwardsville in Sectional Championship

The Normal West Wildcats lost to the Edwardsville Tigers 10-6 on a sweltering Saturday afternoon at Jack Horenberger Field in the Bloomington Sectional Championship.  The Wildcats got on top early, but couldn’t hold on as the Tigers took advantage of a couple of Wildcat mistakes to build a big lead and hold on.  The Wildcats finish the season with a school record-tying 31 wins against 8 losses.

The Wildcats scored first when Kyle Vaughn walked to lead off the game against Tiger starter Javon Boyd.  Alex Jefferson sacrificed him to second and Wes Sery drove him in with a sharp single to right.  After falling behind 4-1, the Wildcats climbed back to 4-3 in the 4th when Adam McGinnis singled and Trey Rogers singled to put two men on.  Matthew James drove in McGinnis with a base hit down the line, and then stole second to put runners in second and third.  Erik Sipes drove in Rogers with a base hit to center to make it 4-3, but got caught by the Tigers trying to take second on the throw in.

06-04-11 v Edwardsville Varsity
Wes Sery (click on photo to see full set)

Dustin Detweiler started on the mound and got through a quick first inning, but three walks and three hits led to four runs in the 2nd.  After a couple of strikeouts, two singles had the Tigers threatening again.  Adam Seifert relieved and got a strikeout to end the threat.  Leading 4-3 going to the bottom of the 5th, the Tigers had a big inning, sandwiching a walk and three doubles around two errors to plate six and take a 10-3 lead.

The Wildcats fought back in the top of the 6th when Seifert led off with a single, went to second on a wild pitch and scored on a Matthew James single to right.  Sipes then walked and both he and James scored on Vaughn’s double to right center, making it 10-6.  The Wildcats didn’t threaten again, though, as Edwardsville brought in 6’ 8” Zach Sedlacek to close out the game.

Kyle Vaughn, Trey Rogers and Matthew James each had two hits to lead the Wildcats as everyone in the lineup got at least one.  Vaughn and James both had two RBI as well.

Dustin Detweiler look the loss for the Wildcats, going 2 2/3 innings with four runs on five hits and four walks with four strikeouts.  Adam Seifert went 2 1/3 innings, giving up six runs on five hits with a walk and two strikeouts.  Kyle Vaughn finished up with an inning of work, giving up two hits and getting a strikeout.

The five seniors – Nolan Caldwell, Trey Rogers, Adam Seifert, Erik Sipes, and Kyle Vaughn – had great careers and will be missed for the leadership and play.

Moline 6-2-2011 Varsity

6-02-2011 vs. Moline Maroons (Sectional Semi-Final)

 

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Wildcats Beat the Maroons in Sectional Semi-Final 2-0

Matthew James continued his stellar tournament pitching, shutting out the Moline Maroons in a 2-0 victory, sending the Wildcats into Saturday’s Sectional Championship against Edwardsville.  The game was locked in pitcher’s duel between James and Moline’s Seth Fuller through four and a half innings, until the Wildcats broke loose for the two runs they needed.  Kyle Vaughn had the key double to break the ice.  The Wildcats improve to 31-7 on the year, tying the school record for wins in a season.

06022011 Moline Varsity
Mathew James (click on photo to see the full set)

James faced only one over the minimum through the first four innings, but faced a threat in the 5th when Moline got a one-out single and a walk.  James struck out the next hitter for the second out and got a lazy fly to left to end that inning.  After a quick 6th inning, the Maroons threatened again in the 7th.  A leadoff single to center was followed by a shallow fly to center by Fuller.  Another single just past shortstop Kyle Vaughn’s glove put two men on before a ground ball to second base for an out moved them into scoring position.  James struck out a pinch hitter, though, on a 1-2 curve ball to end the game.  James gave up five hits over seven innings, walking only one and striking out nine.

The Wildcats bats were not frightened by hard throwing Western Illinois recruit Seth Fuller.    The Wildcats only managed five hits, but only struck out three times and produced a lot of good battles at the plate.  An Alex Jefferson single and Wes Sery walk in the first did not produce anything and a Matthew James leadoff double in the second did not break the ice when he was cut down on a nice play by Fuller on a squeeze attempt.  In the 5th,  James led off with a single up the middle before Erik Sipes sacrificed him to second.  Garrett Cook’s ground ball to short was thrown away for a key play in the game to put runners on the corners.  Vaughn then doubled into right center to score courtesy runner Ryan Speller and move Cook to third.  Jefferson drove a sacrifice fly to right to score Cook and make it 2-0.

James led the Wildcats with two hits while Vaughn, Jefferson and Seifert had the other.  Vaughn and Jefferson had the runs batted in.

The Wildcats face Edwardsville in the Sectional Championship at Jack Horenberger Field at IWU on Saturday at noon.