SOFTBALL: Offense carries Falcons to second place at ASA State Tournament

Sporting a lineup with four legitimate tournament MVP candidates, the Pinckneyville Falcons stormed into Sunday's ASA Mens Fast-pitch Softball State Tournament finals coming off five games where they had averaged over a dozen runs per contest, but were shut down by the tournament's Most Valuable Pitcher, Jose DeLeon, as the Central Illinois Knights won a tightly fought 3-1 decision to claim the first place trophy in Forsyth, Ill.

DeLeon held a lineup that had at least ten hits in every game of the weekend up to that point to just three hits, striking out nine Falcons in Sunday's championship.

"That was just an old-fashioned softball game there," said Falcons player-coach Eric Saunders. "Jose was bringing it. They made some nice defensive plays, four or five of them. We hit the ball hard, they made the routine plays, and they got the best of us this time."

DeLeon's counterpart, Pinckneyville's Troy Downen, also pitched well in the finale, giving up three earned runs on seven hits and no walks with a pair of strikeouts. A two-out, two-run homer surrendered in the fourth inning made the difference in the end.

"Troy pitched a heck of a game as well," said Saunders. "Usually when he holds a team to three runs, the way we've been swinging the bats, that would probably be enough. This time it wasn't, give the Knights credit."

The Falcons trimmed the lead in half in the top of the next inning on a solo homer by tournament Co-MVP Hayden Hicks, but didn't get another runner past first base.

Hicks (2-3, HR) and Matt Mason (1-3) had the only hits for Pinckneyville.

Hicks' dazzling numbers from the six-game tournament read 11-for-18, 9 R, 8 RBI, 2 HR, 2 2B, 2 3B, 6 BB, SAC and the Falcons first baseman shared Most Valuable Player honors with teammate Daniel Eisenhauer, who finished the weekend with a stat line of 12-for-20, 10 R, 13 RBI, 4 HR, 2B, 2 3B, BB, HBP, 2 SAC.

Two other Falcons - Mason (9-19, 8 R, 14 RBI, 4 HR, 2B, 2 BB, SAC) and Bryant Shute (11-22, 12 R, 2 RBI, 6 2B, 3B, 3 SB, 3 BB) - also put up numbers worthy of MVP consideration.

"We had four guys have a great tournament," said Saunders. "Bryant once again set the table for us out of the leadoff spot, Matt came through with some bit clutch hits, and Hayden and Daniel continue to drive in runs for us as well. Those four guys have been pretty much the backbone of our team all year. We go as they go, and I'd put those four guys up against anybody. When they get locked in, they're just tough outs at the plate."

Pinckneyville kicked off their tournament on Friday night with a 10-3 five-inning short-game win over Donnewald Budweiser as Downen allowed just four hits and two walks with six Ks. Eisenhauer (3-3, 2 R, 2 RBI) and Hicks (3-3, 2 R, 3 RBI, HR, 3B, SAC) each went 3-for-3 at the dish. Shute (1-4, R, SB), Mason (2-3, 2 RBI), Drew Dudek (2-4, 2 R, RBI, 3B, SB), Lyle Winter (2-4, R, RBI) and Steve Linton (1-1, R, BB, HBP) also had hits for the Falcons.

Up next was a dramatic 9-8 extra-inning loss to Franny's on Saturday, a game the Falcons led at one point 7-3 with six outs to go. Mason gave Pinckneyville that four-run lead with his grand slam home run in the bottom of the fifth.

But Bryant Hale ran into some trouble in the sixth, and Downen entered the circle trying to minimize the damage, but did so only after allowing Franny's to go up by a run at 8-7.

With one out in the bottom of the seventh, Mason forced extra innings with a solo homer, but a pair of doubles gave Franny's the winning run in the top of the eighth.

Shute (4-5, 2 R, 2 2B, SB), Eisenhauer (1-3, HR, BB, HBP), Hicks (1-5, 2 RBI, 3B), Mason (2-4, 2 R, 5 RBI, 2 HR), Garrick Hale (2-4, 2B) and Daniel Alstat (2-3, BB) supplied hits for the Falcons in the loss.

Up next, Pinckneyville had their backs to the wall down 3-0 in an elimination game against Cerro Gordo and tough right-hander T.J. Dobson, but took advantage of some control problems in the top of the third inning to change the complexity of the ball game.

Dudek was hit by a pitch in front of walks to both Shute and Mason, setting the table for a grand slam by Eisenhauer to give the Falcons the lead. Hicks and Alstat added hits later in the inning to put Pinckneyville up 5-3 on their way to a 10-5 victory.

Shute (3-3, 2 R, RBI, 2 2B, BB), Eisenhauer (2-3, R, 5 RBI, HR), Saunders (1-1, HR), Hicks (1-2, 2 R, 2B, 2 BB), Winter (1-4, R, SB), Alstat (1-4, 2 RBI) and Dudek (1-2, 2 R, HBP, 2 SB) each hit safely in the win over Cerro Gordo.

In their third Saturday game, the Falcons again rode their hot bats to a decisive victory, this one a 15-8 win over Donnewald Bud to knock them out of the tournament. Shute (2-3, 4 R, 3 B, 2 BB), Mason (1-2, 2 R, 2 B, 2 BB, SAC), Eisenhauer (4-4, 2 R, 3 RBI, 2B, 3B, SAC), Hicks (1-2, 2 R, RBI, 3 BB), Winter (1-4, R, 2 RBI, 2B, HBP), Saunders (1-3, 2 RBI), Alstat (1-4, HR), Linton (1-1, R), C.J. Opp (1-1, 2 RBI) and Alan Engelhardt (1-3, R) all had hits for Pinckneyville.

The offense continued to sizzle on Sunday morning as Pinckneyville got some revenge on Franny's with an 18-2 rout. B. Hale picked up his second win in as many games in the circle and Mason (3-4, 3 R, 7 RBI, 2 HR) drove in seven runs.

Shute (1-4, 3 R, RBI, 2B, SB), Eisenhauer (2-4, 3 R, RBI, HR), Hicks (3-3, 2 R, RBI, 2B, BB), Winter (1-4, 2 RBI, 3B), Alstat (3-4, 2 R, RBI, HR), G. Hale (1-2, R), Opp (2-2, R, RBI, 2B), Engelhardt (1-2, R) and Dudek (1-3, 2 R) had the Falcons' 18 hits against Franny's on Sunday.

Up next for Pinckneyville is a trip to the NAFA "A-Major" World Series, beginning Thursday, August 7 at 5:00 p.m. against Mac's Fast-Pitch (Kansas) in Rock Island, Ill.