SOFTBALL: Tigers pound Redbirds

EDWARDSVILLE -- That well-oiled machine known as the Edwardsville Tigers offense was back at it again on Tuesday.

And this time, another offensive outburst helped the Tigers clinch a tie for the Southwestern Conference softball championship.

Nicole Ritzheimer's four-hit effort and Becca Strope's three-run home run sparked the Tigers, who banged out 14 hits in routing Alton 14-1 in five innings at the District 7 Sports Complex. The Tigers batted around in the first two innings of the Southwestern Conference game.

Edwardsville (23-3, 11-0), which has won 16 straight games, shot ahead 13-0 after two innings. That outburst came on the heels of a championship at the Triad Tournament in which the Tigers outscored their opponents 22-0 in three games.

"I just want the kids playing well every day and I thought they really did a good job at the plate today," Edwardsville coach Lori Blade said. "Good pitch selection and they hit the ball hard up and down the lineup, which is good to see. We're just still trying to do our job day-in and day-out offensively and defensively both."

The Tigers are averaging 8.3 runs-per-game on the season and they are giving up an average of 1.4 runs. During their current 16-game winning streak, they have outscored the opposition 140-11, with six of those runs allowed coming in one game.

Lauren Francis and Erin Greenwalt combined to limit Alton (18-9, 6-5) to five hits on the day, with Francis (17-2) working the first three innings before Greenwalt finished up.

"Lauren threw well. Erin threw well, too," Blade said. "We gave up the run (in the fifth inning), but that's OK."

The Tigers wasted little time against Alton starter Alexis Wagner (5-1). The first six Tiger batters reached base, with Rachel Coonrod, Sophie Berman, Strope, Julie Davis and Ritzheimer all providing RBI hits as the Tigers led 7-0 after one inning. Berman knocked in two with a triple and Ritzheimer's single also drove in a pair.

"Once we get five, six runs up on the board, it's just so much fun," said Berman, who leads the team with 34 RBIs. "You still have that worry in the back of your head that any team can come back and beat any team on any given day, but it's just so much fun to watch everyone have such a good time more than anything."

The Tigers sent 11 batters to the plate in each of the first two innings, as Strope provided the big hit in the second with a three-run blast to left that made the score 10-0.

"They're good. They're a very good team," Alton coach Dan Carter said of Edwardsville. "I'm going to give Alexis credit. She threw strikes today and because she was throwing strikes, they kept their weight back and once they got the timing, they hit her. That's good for them as hitters.

"In hindsight, it probably would have been better to start Tiffany (Brakeville) and bring Alexis in, the slower pitcher after the faster pitcher," he said.

Wagner lasted 1 1/3 innings before Brakeville worked well in relief, tossing 2 2/3 innings of two-hit ball. Brakeville, who reached base three times, also broke Edwardsville's shutout in the fifth off Greenwalt with a single that plated Stephanie Mormino.

"She went out there with a smile on her face and did her job," Carter said of Brakeville. "She stepped out there and was well-rested. She did a nice job and went out there and mopped up for us."

Wagner got the start Tuesday in favor of freshman Hayley Woszczynski, who worked three games on Saturday as Alton took fifth place at the Triad Tournament. It was also one less chance for the Tiger hitters to not see the freshman should the two teams meet for a regional championship.

"(Wagner) deserves to pitch more than we use her sometimes," Carter said. "I know she probably would have been just as happy if we used Hayley. But we used Hayley quite a bit at the Triad Tournament. She pitched three games and won all three of them.

"We decided Saturday that we were going to use Hayley as much as we needed to do down there and she was a little sore (Monday) at practice and she said she felt better today, but there's more important games for us than this one here," Carter said.

"They've got the conference locked up," Carter said. "For us winning Saturday was more important than maybe winning today. Plus, I'm hoping we play them again. Obviously, we've got to get by Collinsville, but I'm hoping to see them in a regional championship. This is one less time they got a chance to see Hayley."

As well as Edwardsville is hitting and pitching it these days, it may not matter who is on the mound. The confidence from the Tigers is noticeably high.

"I just don't want them to lose focus and try to get better every day and not take it for granted," Blade said. "The kids are doing a great job right now."

SWC

EDWARDSVILLE 14, ALTON 1, 5 innings

Alton 000 01 -- 1 5 2

Edwardsville 760 1x -- 14 14 0

Alton (18-9, 6-5) -- Mormino 1-3, Brakeville 2-2 RBI, Campbell 2-2. LP-Wagner (5-1) IP-1 1/3 H-12 R-13 ER-12 BB-0 K-0.

Edwardsville (23-3, 11-0) -- Ritzheimer 4-4 2B RBI-3, McConnell 2-3 RBI, Coonrod 2-2 2B RBI, Bruggeman 0-0 RBI, Berman 1-3 3B RBI-2, Strope 1-2 HR RBI-4, Greenwalt 2-3 2B, Honegger 1-1 RBI, Davis 1-2 RBI. WP-Francis (17-2) IP-3 H-2 R-0 ER-0 BB-2 K-3.