TUESDAY’S PREP BOYS ROUNDUP: Stilts strong, but Redbirds fall at West, 2-1

Greg Shashack, gshashack@thetelegraph.com

 Published 9:56 am CDT, Wednesday, May 15, 2019

Photo:

Greg Shashack / The Telegraph

Alton senior Adam Stilts, shown pitching earlier this season at Alton High, took the tough-luck loss Tuesday against Belleville West in a Southwestern Conference baseball game in Belleville.

No baseball pitcher in the Southwestern Conference with more than 20 innings worked boasts an ERA lower than Alton’s Adam Stilts’ 0.73.

But another strong start from the Redbirds senior went unrewarded Tuesday.

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An infield error with two outs in the third inning gifted a tiebreaking run that Belleville West turned into a 2-1 victory over the Redbirds in a SWC matchup in Belleville. West is 23-5 and 8-3 in the league. Alton is 12-15 and 5-6 in the SWC.

Stilts saw his record dip to 3-3 with the loss. He got through six innings on 77 pitches, yielding two runs (one earned) on six hits, one walk and three strikeouts. West scored a run in the first inning on a double steal before Alton drew even with a run in the third. Riley Phillips, who had one of the Redbirds’ five singles, drove in Alton’s lone run off West ace Joey Kossina.

Kossina, who threw a no-hitter in a 1-0 win over Edwardsville on May 1, moved to 5-1 while lowering his ERA to 2.22. He struck out five Redbirds and walked none in a 96-pitch complete game.