Hard-Hitting Sparta Jumps to Flying Start
</element><element id="paragraph-1" type="body"><![CDATA[ Sparta (Post #396) advanced with a 22-7 rout over Pinckneyville (Post #2504) in the early contest. Host Murphysboro (Post #127) held back Orient (Post #1961) 13-10 in the late game on Chep Kessel Field at Riverside Park Stadium.
Pinckneyville falls into the elimination round to battle Carbondale (Post #514) at 8 p.m. Tuesday—weather permitting—and was coming off a pair of thrilling victories over Du Quoin and top-seed Marion.
Post #2504 is 5-12 and jumped ahead 2-0 in the opening inning.
Garrick Hale reached on a one-out fielders choice, moving to second base after Michael Rakers' single. Thomas McConnell's ground ball advanced Hale to third before Sparta pitcher Wesley Craig balked the run home.
Drew Dudek, who finished 3-for-3 at the plate, then scored Rakers with an RBI double.
The 2-0 lead didn't last long as Sparta sent 17 batters to the plate against Pinckneyville hurlers Taylor Beninati and Dylan Hagene.
When the frame ended, Sparta had 10 hits and 11 runs.
Trailing 15-3, Post #2504 rallied briefly with four runs in the fifth.
Jeff Thornton and Matthew Nichols each socked two-run singles during the fray, which Pinckneyville within eight runs.
Sparta closed things out, plating the final seven tallies as Thornton worked in relief.
Pinckneyville managed 14 hits, three each by Rakers and Dudek.
Gill, Thornton and Christian Shopinksi all had two safeties.
Sparta's 24-hit effort was paced by shortstop Ethan Lesperance, who went 6-for-6 with two doubles and four RBI.
Tyler Jeffers and Zach Miller had long home runs for Post #396 (15-7), which battles Murphysboro at 5 p.m. Wednesday.
Sparta (Post #396) 22,
Pinckneyville (Post #2504) 7
Post #2504 210 040 0—7 14 3
Post #396 (11)13 043 x—22 24 3
Craig and Peck. Beninati, Hagene (1), Thornton (4) and Rakers. WP-Craig. LP- Beninati.
TOP HITTERS-Post #396: Miller 3-5 (HR, 3 RBI), Lesperance 6-6 (2-2B, 4 RBI), Peck 1-5 (2 RBI), Jeffers 3-4 (HR, 2 RBI), Schaffner 1-3 (2B, RBI), Walters 2-4 (2-2B, 3 RBI), Bert 3-5 (RBI), Willison 4-5 (3B, 3 RBI).
Post #2504: Gill 2-4, Hale 0-3, McConnell 1-4, Rakers 3-4 (2B), Dudek 3-3 (2B, RBI), Thornton 2-4 (2 RBI), Chandler 0-4, Shopinski 2-2, Winter 0-1, Nichols 1-4 (2 RBI).