Burns Strikes Out Six While Allowing Solo Homer, Tigers Strike For Nine Runs In Sixth To Take 12-1 Baseball Win

COLLINSVILLE - Senior pitcher Gannon Burns pitched a brilliant game, allowing only a fifth inning solo home run by Chris Thilman while striking out six and facing one batter over the minimum as Edwardsville exploded for nine runs in the sixth to take a 12-1 win over Collinsville in a baseball game played Tuesday at Collinsville's Fletcher Field.

The Tigers took the lead in the second when Riley Iffrig, who had singled to start the inning, scored on a passed ball to make it 1-0. Edwardsville then doubled its lead on a RBI bunt single by Cade Hardy, who made an incredible leaping catch on Sunday at Busch Stadium against Jackson, Mo., scoring Iffrig to make it 2-0. In the fifth, Kayden Jennings drew a walk, stole second and scored on Grant Huebner's single to center to make it 3-0.

Meanwhile, Burns retired the first 13 batters in a row before giving up the homer to Thilman that made it 3-1. Undaunted, Burns went on to retire the final five consecutive batters, fanning six along the way in throwing the complete game.

In the sixth, Adam Powell singled home Spencer Stearns and Montrez West to make the score 5-1, then Jacoby Roberson, who also made a big defensive play in left field against Jackson, bunted home Lucas Krebs to make it 6-1. Jennings singled home two more runs, Stearns had a RBI single to left, a bases loaded walk to Andrew Hendrickson, a RBI single by Iffrig and a RBI grounder by Powell completed the scoring to give the Tigers the 12-1 win.

Stearns had three hits and a RBI for Edwardsville, while Iffrig had two hits and a RBI, Powell had a hit and three RBIs, Jennings had a hit and drove in two runs, Huebner, Roberson and Hardy each had a hit and RBI and Hendrickson drove in a run for the Tigers.

Edwardsville extended its season-opening winning streak to 12 games, are now 12-0 for the season, and host the Kahoks in a return match Thursday afternoon at Tom Pile Field, in a 4:30 p.m. start. The Tigers then play twice at Normal Community, going up against Chicago St. Rita Catholic at 1:30 p.m, then meeting the host Ironmen at 4 p.m. before playing a conference series Apr. 19 and 21 against Alton, with the first game at Alton and the return game at home, both starting at 4:30 p.m.

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