LOOKING GOOD: South Laurel Senior League All-Stars secure Central Region's top seed with two wins Monday

Brad Hall, The Sentinel Echo, London, Ky.
·5 min read

Jul. 26—PERU, Illinois — The South Laurel Senior League All-Stars wrapped up the Central Region's top seed by defeating Lasalle-Peru Senior League All-Stars (Illinois), 5-4, while dominating Grandview Senior League All-Stars (Iowa's), 11-1.

South Laurel will be back in action Tuesday with hopes of keeping its Senior League World Series appearance alive.

Monday's Games

Pool Play Game No. 4

South Laurel 5, Lasalle-Peru, Illinois 4

South Laurel had to hold off a late rally by Lasalle-Peru to pull off a 5-4 win.

Steve Byrd's squad caught fire quick, scoring three runs in the first inning while adding insurance runs in the fifth and sixth innings.

Lasalle-Peru rallied in the top of the seventh inning, scoring three runs but failed to push across any more runs.

Jack Vaughn led South Laurel with two hits, one RBI, and one run scored while Keaton Creech finished with a hit and two RBI. Cole Harville collected a hit and two runs scored while Austin Byrd delivered a hit and scored once. Reece Noble finished with a hit and an RBI while Vince Sizemore scored once.

Creech picked up the win, going six innings while allowing only three hits and one earned run. Byrd came on in relief of Creech and tossed one inning allowing three hits and three runs while striking out one batter.

Pool Play Game No. 3

South Laurel 11, Grandview, Iowa 1

Steve Byrd's South Laurel Senior League All-Stars continued their unbeaten run by improving to 3-0 in Central Region play with an 11-1 blowout win against Iowa's Grandview Senior League All-Stars on Monday.

South Laurel scored early and often during its 10-run win. They jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the first inning and extended their lead to 9-1 with a four-run third inning. Byrd's squad added two more runs in the fourth inning while outhitting Grandview, 12-3, during the process.

Vince Sizemore continues to swing a hot bat, going 3-for-3 with an RBI, and two runs scored while Reece Noble was 3-for-3 with two runs scored. Will Alsip finished with a 2-for-3 effort which included a home run, four RBI, and two runs scored. Jack Vaughn was 2-for-3 with an RBI and a run scored while Isaac Alsip finished with a hit, two RBI, and one run scored. Austin Byrd collected a hit and scored once while Cole Harville and Tyler Curry each scored one time apiece.

Alsip got the win on the mound, tossing two and two/thirds of an inning while allowing only three hits and one earned run while striking out three batters. Vaughn came on in relief and dominated during his time in the mound. He pitched a scoreless and hitless game during his two and one/third of an inning of work while striking out five batters.

Sunday's Game

Pool Play Game No. 2

South Laurel 11, New Haven, Indiana 3

The beat goes on for the South Laurel Senior League All-Stars.

Steve Byrd's squad improved to 2-0 in pool play of the Central Region Tournament by rolling past previously unbeaten New Haven (Indiana), 11-3 on Sunday.

South Laurel wasted little time jumping out on New Haven, scoring two runs in the first inning while adding three more runs in the second inning to take a 5-0 lead. Byrd's squad added five more runs in the top of the fourth to make the score, 10-0, while New Haven answered with a run in the bottom of the fourth inning.

Both teams added a run apiece in the sixth inning while New a haven scored a run in the seventh as Byrd's squad cruised to an easy eight-run win.

Reece Noble led South Laurel with two hits, one RBI, and two runs scored while Cole Harville had a hit, two RBI, and two runs scored. Tyler Curry finished with a hit and two RBI while Will Alsip delivered a hit, an RBI, and scored twice. Jack Vaughn finished with two RBI and one run scored while Vince Sizemore delivered two RBI. Isaac Alsip drove in a run and scored twice while Austin Byrd and Keaton Creech each finished a run scored apiece.

Harville received the win, allowing a hit while striking out three batters in two and one/third innings of work. Curry tossed three and two/thirds of an inning, surrendering two earned runs, and four hits while striking out two batters. Creech pitched an inning giving up a hit and a run.

Saturday's Game

South Laurel 6, Southern West, Michigan 5

The South Laurel Senior League All-Stars won in exciting fashion during their first pool play game of the Central Region Tournament on Saturday, defeating Michigan's Southern West Senior League All-Stars, 6-5.

South Laurel trailed 5-1 entering the bottom of the sixth inning before exploding to capture the one-run win which improved Steve Byrd's team to 1-0 in pool play action.

Southern West took an early 2-0 lead in the top of the first inning before South Laurel answered with a run in the bottom half of the inning.

The game remained tight until Southern West scored two runs in the fourth inning while adding one run in the fifth inning to boost its lead to 5-1.

Down but not out, South Laurel rallied for five runs in the bottom of the fifth inning to take a 6-5 lead while Will Alsip slammed the door shut in the top of the seventh inning to secure South Laurel's one-run win.

Vince Sizemore led South Laurel at the plate with a 4-for-4 effort while Cole Harville had two hits and one run scored. Alsip finished with a hit, an RBI, and a run scored. Jack Vaughn delivered a hit and an RBI. Tyler Curry had an RBI and a run scored while Isaac Alsip, Austin Byrd, and Keaton Creech each scored a run apiece.

Sizemore pitched three and one/third of an inning, allowing three hits and three earned runs while striking out two batters. Harville tossed one and one/third of an inning, giving up three hits and one earned run while striking out two batters. Alsip pitched two and one/third of scoreless and hitless ball while striking out a batter.