Back-to-back walkoffs propel Collinsville baseball to two wins
by Mark Jurgena
COLLINSVILLE — Collinsville’s baseball squad had a pair of wild walk-off wins last week to beat SWC rival Belleville West and also Alton (Marquette).
CHS had an 8-9 record heading into the week with a 1-1 mark in conference play.
Marquette walk-off
Walk. It. Off. Again!
For the second day in a row, Collinsville recorded a walk-off win thanks to Adam Bovinett’s two run walk-off blast over the left field fence in the bottom of the seventh to give CHS a 3-2 win over Alton (Marquette) on April 13.
The Explorers tallied a run in the top of the seventh for a 2-1 lead but Collinsville had other ideas and took advantage of their opportunity in the bottom half.
With one out, Kris Alcorn doubled to left and moved to third on Carter Harrington’s fly ball to center field to set up Bovinett’s shot.
Marquette took an early lead and held on until Collinsville knotted it at 1-1 in the bottom of the fifth.
With Blaine Martinez on second, Harrington singled to right field to tie the game.
For the contest, Alcorn, Harrington, Bovinett, Darren Pennell and Martinez all had hits on the day.
Alcorn picked up the win in the contest as the fourth pitcher of the contest for CHS.
West walk-off
Blaine Martinez smacked a two-run walk-off single in the bottom of the tenth inning on Feb. 12 to propel Collinsville to a 15-14 SWC win at home over Belleville West.
Bryce Lemp got things going with a one out single before Darren Pennell was hit by a pitch before Keaton Call singled to load the bases.
Martinez singled on an 0-1 pitch to score both the tying and winning runs for Collinsville.
The Kahoks took an 8-1 lead through four innings before the Maroons exploded for eight runs to go up 9-8 but CHS answered back with two in the bottom half to retake the lead at 10-9. West added a run in the sixth to tie the game and eventually send the game into extra innings.
The Maroons plated three in the top of the eighth before Collinsville answered with three of their own in the bottom half to keep the game going.
CHS used three walks, a hit-by-pitch and an error as the inning progressed to tie the contest and set up the 10th and final frame.
Martinez and Alcorn had three hits each while Carter Harrington and Darren Pennell both had two.
Adam Bovinett, Ethan Bagwell, Bryce Lemp, Keaton Call, Carson Parrill and Luke Robinson all singled.
Pennell had two doubles and was hit by pitches on three occasions while Harrington and Robinson added one each. Bagwell added a triple.
Seven pitchers went to the mound for Collinsville with Jace Madura picking up the win.
Collinsville pitchers threw 231 pitches during the marathon contest while West hurlers tossed 197.
West defeat
On April 9, Collinsville traveled to Belleville West for their SWC opener and fell to the Maroons 9-4.
The Kahoks scored single tallies in the first, third, fifth and seventh innings.
In the first, Alcorn tripled to right and came home on Harrington’s single to center to give CHS a 1-0 lead.
But the Maroons answered back in the bottom of first with a pair of tallies.
Collinsville tied the game a 2-2 in the third when Bovinett singled and was chased home by Bagwell’s double to center.
West registered a big inning in the bottom half to make it 5-2 before CHS scored in the top of the fifth.
Bovinett singled home Harrington to make it 5-3 but once again the Maroons answered back to make it a 7-3 game and tacked on a pair in the sixth to make it 9-3.
CHS got a run in the seventh when Pennell brought home Harrington on a sacrifice fly to left field.
For the game, Alcorn, Harrington and Bovinett all had two hits.
Bagwell, Pennell, Lemp and Call all had one hit.
Harrington, Bovinett, Bagwell and Pennell all had RBI.
Upcoming Schedule
Collinsville played at home against Edwardsville on Tuesday and hosted Breese (Mater Dei) on Wednesday.
They play at Edwardsville today and at Waterloo on Friday.
