Back-to-back — The Central baseball team celebrates after winning the Class 2A Father McGivney Regional title with a 10-4 win over the host Griffins on Saturday in Glen Carbon. The Cougars won the Central Regional last season. They have 50 wins over the past two seasons and they now have eight regional titles and they are searching for their first-ever sectional title. PHOTO BY JEREMY CHAWGO For the second-straight season, the Central baseball team had the honor of raising a Class 2A Regional title plaque after defeating host Father McGivney on Saturday afternoon in Glen Carbon.
The Cougars took down the Griffins and Greenville en route to their schools’ eighth regional crown.
With the win over FM, Central will now play in the Class 2A Greenville Sectional semifinal when they take on St. Anthony on Wednesday at 2 p.m. in Bond County.
The Cougars will enter that contest with a 28-9 record while the Bulldogs will check in at 20-9. The Dawgs beat Central 9-3 back on March 28.
Gut it out — Central junior righty Alex Athmer sends in a curve in the Cougars’ 2-1 win over Greenville on Thursday in Glen Carbon. Athmer went the distance allowing one earned run on two hits and 11 strikeouts. PHOTO BY JEREMY CHAWGO Central 10, Father McGivney 4: The Cougars answered every response the Griffins had on Saturday in postseason play in Glen Carbon.
It was a lengthy contest where the teams combined for 20 hits, four fielding errors and 15 walks by the two staffs.
“I’m so happy for this coaching staff and group of players,” said Central head coach Ryan Meyer. “This group has put in a lot of hard work and time and we played really well today.”
The home squad hit Central starter Bryce Wieter with a run in the bottom of the first when Ty Etcheson singled and later scored on a double from Scott Phelps.
It stayed 1-0 with Central stranding two runners in the second inning and Father McGivney hitting into a inning-ending double play to move to the third inning.
The top of the order went to work for the Cougars in the third frame when Conlan Haar beat out an infield single before Miles Browne singled to left. Alex Athmer singled in Haar with a shot to center while Browne scored on a throwing error for a 2-1 lead.
Wieter followed with a single before Craig Schroeder added an RBI single in a seven-pitch at-bat and a 3-1 lead. Wieter stole second and scored on a grounder from Max Albers with CHS leading 4-1.
McGivney put their first two runners on base in the bottom of the inning, but they ran themselves out of the inning.
Central added another run in the fourth inning on a single from Landon Toennies who later scored on a double play for a 5-1 score.
Jack Hunter hit a double for the Griffins in the bottom of the fifth inning to get them within 5-2.
“This season has had it’s ups and downs for me on the mound,” said Wieter. “But with my defense, I believed in my stuff and battled through it. Our defense is one of the best in the state and I think our shortstop is the best defensively in the state.”
Quality win — Central senior catcher Miles Browne looks to turn on a ball in the Cougars’ 2-1 Father McGinvey Regional semifinal win over Greenville on Thursday. Browne was 1-for-3 with one run scored in the victory. PHOTO BY JEREMY CHAWGO Central answered in the sixth inning with an RBI single from Haar and another single from Athmer for a 7-2 lead. They added another run on a wild pitch for an 8-2 lead.
Father McGivney got two back in the bottom of the inning when Patrick Gierer singled and scored on a two-run bomb to left field from Etcheson for an 8-4 deficit, heading to the seventh inning.
Lincoln Radake was hit by a pitch to lead off the inning before a perfect bunt from Toennies and a fielding error by FM to chase Radake for a 9-4 lead. With two outs, Athmer singled to left field to score Haar for a 10-4 lead.
With Browne on in relief, FM got a leadoff single that was erased in a double play before Jack Rolves drew a walk. However Browne got Paddy Martin to ground out to end the contest and end the Griffins season at 27-10.
Athmer was 3-for-5 with three singles, three batted in and one run scored. Haar was 2-for-4 with a walk, two singles, one RBI and three runs scored.
Browne had three walks and two runs scored. Schroeder added two singles and an RBI. All 11 of the Cougars’ hits were singles.
Wieter was the winning pitcher as he went five innings and allowed two earned runs on six hits, six walks and four strikeouts in 113 pitches.
“Bryce didn’t have his best stuff, but that is a great hitting team and he made some real big pitches to keep us in the game,” said Meyer. “The reason I like him in this game is that he’s a senior and he has pitched in a lot of big games in four years here and we knew he would give us a great chance to win the game.”
Grant Reed took the loss as he went the first three innings and allowed four earned runs on seven hits, two walks and two punch outs.
Phelps had three hits while Etcheson was 2-for-4 with a homer, two runs scored and two batted in. FM walked seven batters and had three fielding errors.
Only blemish — Greenville runner Rowdy Sussenbach slides into second base, ahead of the tag from Central senior Conlan Haar. Sussenbach walked, stole second and later scored on a wild pitch for the Comets’ lone run of their 2-1 loss to Central on Thursday. PHOTO BY JEREMY CHAWGO Central 2, Greenville 1: Cougars had one good inning of offense in their semifinal win over the Comets on Thursday at the Class 2A Father McGivney Regional in Glen Carbon.
It was a pitching battle between Greenville’s Rowdy Sussenbach and Central junior Alex Athmer. Both teams played flawless defense and combined for five total hits on the day.
Greenville got their only run of the game in the top of the first inning when Sussenbach reached on an eight-pitch walk with one out. He stole second and moved to third on a wild pitch. He scored on an 0-2, wild pitch for a 1-0 lead.
Meanwhile, Sussenbach was dealing with a no hitter through the first three innings of the game.
After getting Conlan Haar to ground out to start the fourth, Miles Browne singled on a full count with a shot to the right side. Athmer grounded out before Bryce Wieter came up in the clutch.
Wieter took a 1-1 pitch and put it in the game to get an RBI double and a 1-1 game with two outs in the fourth inning. Craig Schroeder followed with the at-bat of the game as he fouled off four-straight pitches and ended the at-bat with a single up the middle to score Wieter with a 2-1 cushion for Athmer and CHS.
Athmer pitched around a two-out walk in the fifth inning before retiring the side in the top of the sixth inning.
Athmer hit Cannon Hamel leading off the top of the seventh inning before a sacrifice bunt put the tying runner in scoring position with one out. Christian Swalley struck out before Athmer got Drake Graber to ground out to end the contest with Sussenbach sitting in the on-deck circle.
All three of the Cougars’ hits came in the fourth inning against Sussenbach with singles from Browne and Schroeder and the double from Wieter.
Dominic Sanchez and Swalley had the lone singles against Athmer in the loss.
Athmer went the distance, allowing two hits and three walks while striking out 11 and giving up one earned run in a 112-pitch effort.
Sussenbach went the distance, allowing two earned runs on three hits, one walk and eight strikeouts in 87 pitches.
The loss for the Comets, ended an era in Greenville baseball as veteran head coach Todd Hutchinson coached in his final game.
Hutchinson has been the head coach of Greenville since the spring of 1994 and finished his stellar career with a 710-347 overall record. His 710 career victories is 21st all-time in IHSA history.
Hutchinson had a winning season in 27 of his 31 campaigns with at least 20 wins in a season 20 different times. They were third in Class 1A in 1998 and he was inducted into the Illinois Baseball Coaches’ Hall of Fame in 2022.
