Elgin gets shot at state Legion title

Elgin got to play two on Friday with a goal of playing two more today in the American Legion state baseball tournament.

Now Elgin gets its shot at a double-double as it beat Alton 4-3 on Friday night after it stayed alive in the afternoon with a 6-3 victory over Mattoon at Jim Sundberg Field in Galesburg.

Rock Island (33-8) advanced to today’s noon title game after beating Alton 8-7. Elgin (29-10) has to beat Rock Island twice today to claim the title and berth in next week’s Great Lakes Regional in Midland, Mich.

“That’s an outstanding thing right there,” Elgin coach Bob Todd said of trying to add to state titles the program won in 1970 and 1993. “Not many kids get a chance to be in the championship game of the state tournament.”

That opportunity came after Elgin and Alton (29-12) each scored 3 runs in the sixth inning. Reid Ellis (2-for-4) singled to center with two outs in the top of the eighth, Sam Klein was hit by a pitch and Drew Stover (2-for-5) delivered an RBI single.

“He’s Mr. MVP,” Todd said of Stover, who is 11-for-17 in the tourney. “He’s made some great plays on defense and he’s been our go-to guy.”

Todd went to today’s starter, Ryan Burke, to finish it off in the ninth. Burke saved it by leaving runners at second and third with a strikeout.

“It was tense,” Todd said.

Joey Lange, who finished off the afternoon win over Mattoon, started against Alton and kept the game scoreless into the sixth. Elgin then erupted when iron-man catcher Kyle Kinyon (3-for-4) singled, Ryan Hicks tripled and Burke and Nick Holze had RBI singles.

Mattoon tied it in the bottom of the sixth and Jordan Torres pitched the seventh and eighth for the victory.

“Lange did real good,” Todd said. “You could see in the sixth inning he was starting to labor.”

Elgin scored 4 runs in the top of ninth to break a 2-2 tie against Mattoon (21-17).

“It was almost like a winning ugly type of game,” Todd said.

Tyler Rydin had a no-hitter against Mattoon until he gave up a game-tying homer to lead off the seventh. Rydin came out with a 2-1 lead after giving up a hit to start the eighth and an error led to the tying run off Lange.

But Elgin responded in the ninth as Ellis had a tiebreaking RBI single after a walk and a potential double-play ball to the pitcher was thrown into center field. Stover had a sacrifice fly and Kinyon had an RBI double in the 4-run outburst.

Stover also had a sacrifice fly after Ellis doubled in the second. Singles by Burke and Dan Grzywa led to Elgin’s run in the seventh.

“They’ve been here before and you can tell that,” Todd said of Mattoon, which made its third straight state appearance. “We came out and said, ‘Guys, play your best and play your game,’ and that’s what we did.”

Now Elgin will need to be at its best twice to win a state title against perennial power Rock Island. Todd was able to limit Burke for today and opening-game winner Luke Duffy will be available if there is a second game.

“We’ve got pitching for tomorrow,” Todd said, “and hopefully Rock Island doesn’t.”