Edwardsville’s Jordan Hovey held the Collinsville offense in check Tuesday afternoon, throwing a complete game shutout in the Tigers 4-0 Southwestern Conference victory.

Grant Bauer in a rundown after being picked-off first base / Photo by Roger Starkey

The Kahoks (10-6, 3-3 SWC) never got untracked offensively against Hovey, who allowed three hits and struck out one while not issuing a walk. There was one error committed behind him.

Collinsville had a couple of hard-hit balls, but a solid Edwardsville (16-2, 6-0 SWC) defense gobbled up all but four balls. The bottom line, Collinsville Head Coach Peter Trapp said, was that the Kahoks did not put enough pressure offensively on the Tigers.

“When you don’t put any pressure on a team and they have a lead it’s easy, but when you put pressure on a team, when you battle with them with runs, it’s a different outlook,” Trapp said.

Daniel Franke, Grant Bauer and Tanner Houck collected the hits for Collinsville. Kyle Reeves nearly got into the hit column when he launched an opposite field shot in the fifth inning, but the right fielder made a diving, over-the-shoulder catch onto the warning track in right field to rob him of extra bases.

Edwardsville reached Kahok starter Tanner Houck for a run in the first when Hovey, the leadoff hitter, reached on an error. He later scored on a single by Brock Weimer.

Houck then shut the Tigers down for the next four innings, before running into trouble in the bottom of the sixth. The ball found the solid part of the Tigers’ bats in the inning, when they pushed across three runs onfive hits and a walk.

“He didn’t hit his spots, next thing you know they score quick,” Trapp said.

Houck took his third loss of the year to go with two wins. The Mizzou recruit allowed eighthits, struck out six and walked two over six innings.

The Kahoks return to Fletcher Field Wednesday for a 4:30 game against Belleville West.