BASEBALL: Red hot Du Quoin tops Carlyle 8-5

Du Quoin baseball stayed hot on Tuesday, winning 8-5 at Carlyle for their sixth straight victory behind an eleven-hit attack on offense. Dalton Day picked up the win on the mound with a complete game effort, allowing four earned runs on seven hits and six walks with six strikeouts.

"We played a complete game today," said DHS head baseball coach Tim Craft. "We had some good at bats with runners in scoring position. Dalton struggled a little in the second inning, but he got dialed in and did a great job. We just have to keep improving and getting ourselves ready for the postseason."

The DHS Indians took an early 2-0 lead, plating a pair in the top of the first inning after a single by Ethan Keller, a walk by Jacob Valier and an RBI double by A.J. Smith.

Carlyle cut the lead in half with an RBI single in the bottom of the first by Grant Carman, then jumped ahead 4-2 in the second with a three-run, three-hit inning including an RBI base hit by Adam Alexander.

But Day would find a groove from there and didn't allow another hit until the sixth, which allowed his offense to mount a comeback.

Keller and Valier singled to start Du Quoin's third, then Levi Brening walked in front of an RBi grounder by Brock Bullar. Braden Lee was then hit by a pitch - again - allowing one of the team's hottest hitters, Ryne O'Rourke, to drive in a run with a base hit. Ashton Smith followed with another RBI single, and Valier later singled as well in a four-run frame for the road Indians, who led 6-4.

More Du Quoin offense came in the fifth in the form of four base hits from Brening, Bullar, Lee and Cole Hopkins, giving DHS an 8-4 advantage.

The home Indians put the tying run on base in the seventh, but Day got Reid Smith to pop out to the catcher Bullar to end the game.

Every hitter in Du Quoin's lineup had at least one hit - Keller (2-4, 2 R), Valier (2-3, 2 R, BB), A.J. Smith (1-4, RBI, 2B), Brening (1-2, 2 R, 2 BB), Bullar (1-4, RBI), Lee (1-3, 2 R, RBI, HBP), O'Rourke (1-4, RBI), Ashton Smith (1-3, RBI), and Hopkins (1-3, RBI).

For fans of coincidences and flashbacks, DHS accomplished a similar feat exactly four years ago, beating Z-R-C on May 12, 2011 for their sixth victory in a row.

That winning streak didn't end until the IHSA State Semifinals.

Du Quoin (19-10) will host - who else? - Z-R-C on Wednesday in their regular season finale.