Ryan Quigley
Illinois Scouting Director

BLOOMINGTON, IL – Edwardsville head coach Tim Funkhouser credited his entire pitching staff in preparing his hitters for the IHSA Playoffs with daily inter-squad scrimmages.  No. 12 Edwardsville (32-7) routed Moline (22-13) 10-1 in the championship game of the Illinois Wesleyan Sectional on Saturday afternoon at beautiful Jack Horner Stadium thanks to a 16-hit barrage up and down the lineup. 

The Tigers started the scoring in the top of the second with a five-hit, four-run outburst.  Junior third basemen Aaron Jackson led off with a double to left center, the first of three consecutive hits.  Jackson scored on junior outfielder Fahd Shakeel’s RBI-single up the middle.  Senior second baseman Jacob Fisher dropped down a 2-out bunt single down the third base line to score Jake Garella, who reached earlier on a single, to make it 2-0 Edwardsville.  The Tigers 2-out rally wasn’t done yet; junior shortstop Jordan Hovey drove in Firsher with line drive shot back up the middle, and junior first basemen Bailey Zimmer (who also singled in the inning) eventually scored on a Moline wild pitch to cap the inning.

In the meantime, Edwardsville senior right-hander Alex Meyers was twirling a gem, with one hiccup in the bottom half of the third thanks to Moline centerfielder Braden Mosley’s towering homer to left center field.  Mosley’s homer was all that the Maroon’s offense could muster against Meyers and his late breaking slider.  The Concordia (Ill.) bound righty scattered seven hits, striking out six, while walking only two in 6.1 innings.

After answering in the fourth with two more runs to make it 6-1, Edwardsville exploded for four more runs in the fifth to cushion the lead.  Mitchell Krebs started off the inning with a pinch-hit leadoff drag bunt down the first base line, and Hovey’s double to right put runners on second and third with no outs.  A throwing error by Moline’s pitcher loaded the bases for junior catcher Brock Weimer who provided the knockout punch with a 3-run double into the right center gap.  Jackson followed up Weimer with another RBI-double to make the final 10-1.

Moline loaded the bases in the seventh off a tiring Meyers, but came in cool and collected from shortstop, getting a strikeout and a groundout to end the threat.

Southern Illinois University-bound Braden Mosley capped an outstanding career with a 2-for-4 day adding a line drive single in is final at-bat to accompany his third inning homer.

Edwardsville squares off against Providence Catholic and its senior ace Jake Godfrey on Monday night in Champaign on the campus of the University of Illinois at 4:30 pm.  Godfrey was drafted today in the 21^st round by the Atlanta Braves, and looks to continue leading the Celtic’s late season surge against the youthful Tiger offense.

 Key Stats

+ Jordan Hovey, SS, Edwardsville: 3-for-5, 2 1B, 2B, R, RBI

+ Brock Weimer, C, Edwardsville: 1-for-3, 2B, 3 RBI, 2 R

+ Aaron Jackson, 3B, Edwardsville: 3-for4, 2 2B, RBI, R

+ Jake Garella, DH, Edwardsville: 2-for-4, 2 1B, 2 R

+ Fahd Shakeel, OF, Edwardsville: 3-for-4, 3 1B, 2 RBI

+ Jacob Fisher, 2B, Edwardsville: 2-for-4, 2 1B, RBI, R

+ Alex Meyers, RHP, Edwardsville: 6.1 IP, 7 H, 1 R, 6 K, 2 BB

+ Braden Mosley, CF, Moline: 2-for-4, HR, 1B