BLAST OFF: Roepke's walk-off home run lifts St. Anthony baseball to 11-9 win over Altamont

Mar. 31—EFFINGHAM — Connor Roepke was waiting for a fastball and got just that.

The catcher on the St. Anthony baseball team, Roepke took the 3-2 pitch from Altamont's Eli Miller to dead-center field for a walk-off, two-run home run to beat the National Trail Conference rival Indians, 11-9, on Thursday evening at Evergreen Hollow Park. It was Roepke's first walk-off home run in his career and his second walk-off hit overall, with his last coming against Neoga as a freshman.

"I was sitting fastball on a 3-2 count, looking to crush it. If I flew out, I would probably advance the runner and I knew the next guy would do the job," Roepke said.

Roepke finished the day 2-for-2, scoring twice and drawing one walk.

The Bulldogs started the game with four runs in the bottom of the first.

Eli Levitt drew a walk to start the frame before back-to-back singles by Brock Fearday and Roepke loaded the bases.

Aiden Lauritzen then drew a bases-loaded free pass to make it 1-0 and Max Koenig followed with a bases-clearing double that made the 4-0 score.

The Indians, however, responded by tying the game in the top of the second.

Wyatt Phillips reached on an error to start the frame. Keegan Schultz hit a double before two runners scored on another St. Anthony error with Kaidyn Miller at the dish.

Logan Cornett then followed with a single before Nathan Stuemke drove in Miller and Cornett with a two-run single two batters later.

The back-and-forth game then continued in the fifth inning after Eli Miller and Jared Hammer hit back-to-back home runs that made it 6-4.

Back-to-back sacrifice bunts by Brock Jansen and Koenig then tied the game once again before a Brock Fearday double plated two more runners to push the Bulldogs back in front, 8-6.

Like the innings prior, though, no lead was bound to be safe and no lead was.

Altamont answered with three runs in the top of the sixth to take a 9-8 lead.

Cornett started the inning with a base hit. Nathan Shepard then advanced Cornett up one base after a sacrifice bunt and Stuemke reached on an error that put runners on the corners.

Hammer then drew an intentional walk after Eli Miller popped out to the Roepke behind home plate.

Cornett then scored on a fielder's choice before two more runners crossed after another Bulldogs' error, making the lead change.

Beau Adams would make up for those unearned runs in the bottom half of the sixth, as he tied the game on an RBI double.

Nick Ruholl — who relieved Levitt in the top of the sixth — then induced a ground out and a pop out to start the top of the seventh before a single by Stuemke put a runner on with two away.

Ruholl, though, got Eli Miller to strike out swinging to end the frame before Roepke's heroics in the bottom of the frame.

"When you play Altamont on March 30, you would never think this has a postseason feel," St. Anthony head coach Tony Kreke said. "Each team wants to win this game like it's their last — it's always been that way."

The Bulldogs notched 11 hits in the game — six for extra bases.

"We had a lot of good discipline approaches today," Kreke said. "Sometimes it worked out; sometimes it didn't, but we have preparation and the preparation they do in practice, that leads up to the game and that's what separates the good and great teams."

St. Anthony ended up needing that hitting, too, as Levitt struggled on the mound.

The Bulldogs' ace allowed eight hits, nine runs — two earned — and two walks with seven strikeouts over 5 2/3 innings.

"He's still trying to work on his location with his fastball," Kreke said. "He's still playing around with it and I know it'll come. It's still early. Pitchers sometimes have to get their feel back, but the one thing you know you'll get is competitiveness out of him."

Contact EDN Sports Editor Alex Wallner at 618-510-9231 or alex.wallner@effinghamdailynews.com.