Late Sixth-Inning Surge Lifts Casey-Westfield Baseball Past Altamont 4-1

For five innings on Tuesday afternoon, the Casey-Westfield varsity baseball team was completely stymied at the plate. But when the opportunity finally presented itself in the bottom of the sixth, the home team pounced, erupting for four runs to stun visiting Altamont and secure a 4-1 non-conference victory.

The game began as a masterful pitching duel, largely dictated by Altamont starter Zaine Miller. The right-hander was dealing from the very first pitch, holding Casey-Westfield to just one hit over five dominant, shutout innings. Miller struck out three batters, issued zero walks, and needed just 52 pitches to navigate his flawless outing.

While Miller kept the hosts off the board, Altamont managed to scratch across a run in the top of the third inning to take a 1-0 advantage. Reed Stuemke served as the offensive catalyst for the visitors, recording two of his team’s three hits on the day. Stuemke finished 2-for-3 with a run scored and was a constant threat on the basepaths, swiping a pair of bases. Brayden Elam brought Stuemke home, recording the game’s only RBI for Altamont.

Altamont found other ways to get on base, taking advantage of three hit-by-pitches—including two drawn by Miller himself—but struggled to piece together the clutch hits needed to extend their slim lead.

The complexion of the game completely flipped in the bottom of the sixth inning when Altamont turned to its bullpen. Relieving Miller, C. Milleville struggled to find the strike zone and contain the suddenly awakened Casey-Westfield bats. The hosts strung together five crucial hits and drew a walk in the frame, capitalizing on the pitching change to post a massive four-run rally. All four runs were earned, erasing Altamont’s lead and putting Casey-Westfield in the driver’s seat.

Having secured the 4-1 advantage, Casey-Westfield’s defense and pitching cleanly shut the door in the top of the seventh. Altamont’s defense played relatively well throughout the afternoon, committing just one error and getting five putouts and a pair of assists from Elam in the field, but it wasn’t enough to overcome the late-game offensive drought.

Game Summary

Score by Quarters

(Note: Baseball is scored by innings)

Scoring Drives

• Third Quarter (Inning)

  • Altamont: 1 Run

• Sixth Quarter (Inning)

  • Casey-Westfield: 4 Runs

Individual Statistics

• PITCHING:

  • Casey-Westfield: Stats not reported.

  • Altamont: Zaine Miller 5.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 3 K; C. Milleville (L) 1.0 IP, 5 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 1 BB, 0 K.

• BATTING:

  • Casey-Westfield: Stats not reported.

  • Altamont: Reed Stuemke 2-3 (1 R, 2 SB); Kade Milleville 1-4; Brayden Elam 0-3 (1 RBI); Zaine Miller 0-1 (2 HBP); Will Reardon 0-2 (1 HBP); Kaiden Wolff 0-2 (1 BB, 1 SB); C. McManaway 0-2 (1 SAC, 1 ROE).

• FIELDING:

  • Casey-Westfield: Stats not reported.

  • Altamont: Brayden Elam 5 PO, 2 A; Reed Stuemke 4 PO; Blake Berg 3 PO; Kade Milleville 2 PO, 2 A; Will Reardon 2 PO, 1 A.