Illini West baseball team fails to plate go-ahead run, loses to Lewistown on 13th inning sacrifice fly

LEWISTOWN, Ill. — The Illini West baseball team had its chances to push across the go-ahead run in extra innings Monday. After the Chargers failed to do so, Lewistown took advantage.

The Indians loaded the bases with one out in the bottom of the 13th inning and used Brett Pasley’s sacrifice fly to score the winning run in a 6-5 Prairieland Conference victory.

The Chargers trailed 5-0 after the first two innings and started clawing back in the third inning when Carter Chapin, Nick Johnson and Wes Robertson strung together three consecutive singles to plate a run. Shawn Watkins Jr.’s groundout plated another run.

In the fourth, Illini West’s Nick Bruns ripped a one-out RBI single and a two0out error on a flyball plated another run. The Chargers tied the game in the fifth as Grady Blue delivered a two-out RBI single.

Neither team scored again until the 13th inning.

Illini West (21-10, 4-4 Prairieland) had one runner reach base in the sixth, ninth and 10th innings without getting a single one of them to third base. In the 11th, Austin Carlisle singled with one out, Chapin walked, and one out later, Robertson walked before Watkins Jr. grounded out to end the threat.

Ethan Carlisle walked with two outs in the 12th and got to third base on a passed ball, but Bruns flied out to right field to end the threat. In the 13th, Johnson walked with two outs, stole second base and went to third on an error. Robertson flied out to center field to end the threat.

Lewistown sandwiched two singles around a popout before an intentional walk loaded the bases in the 13th. Pasley lifted the first pitch he saw to center field to drive in the running run.

Chapin, Robertson and Watkins Jr. each had two of the Chargers’ 10 singles, while Robertson worked five scoreless innings of relief, striking out three and not allowing a hit or a walk.