Darren Kinnard/River Radio Sports Central
CARBONDALE — A roller coaster day ended in heartbreaking fashion for the Hardin County Cougars, who saw their record-setting season come to a close with a 7-6 walkoff loss to Altamont in the SIU 1A Supersectional.
Fresh off winning the program’s first sectional championship Saturday, the Cougars jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the top of the first on RBI triple from Levi Snyder.
Altamont answered quickly with a four-run bottom of the first, highlighted by a three-run home run by Kaidyn Miller. Miller added an RBI triple a couple of innings later as the Indians built a 5-1 lead.
The Cougars battled back, tallying a run in the fourth on Nate Massie’s RBI single and then re-taking the lead with four runs in the fifth. Snyder’s two run double pulled Hardin County within 5-4. Nick Austin and Banks each added RBI ground outs to give the Cougars the lead.
Altamont tied it up with a two-out run in the sixth, then won it in the bottom of the seventh on a two-out, bases loaded walk on a 3-2 pitch.
The Indians improve to 28-9 and now head to Dozer Park in Peoria where they will face Gibson City/Melvin/Sibley in the second 1A state semifinal Friday at 1:00.
The loss was the Cougars’ first to a 1A school this season and snapped a 20-game winning streak. Hardin County finishes 23-4.
