Minooka collected 14 hits in 5 innings while beating Plainfield East in Southwest Prairie Conference baseball.
Minooka 15,
Plainfield East 5
MINOOKA — Senior designated hitter Mike Foltynewicz and junior shortstop Blaise Grebic collected a trio of hits each Wednesday as the Indians became 15-4 in the SPC and 27-7 on the season. Foltynewicz had 2 singles and a double to drive in 5 runs while Grebic accounted for a pair of RBI with a trio of singles.
Niko Capodice doubled and singled. Dakota Brown had 2 RBI. Grebic scored 4 runs and Capodice 3. Foltynewicz and Jake Butler scored twice each. Joe Pershey got the win with Spencer Lehmann going the final 2 frames in relief.
Minooka claimed the sophomore game 17-3 in 5 frames. Kevin Ruff (3-3) got the victory with Kenny Creasman and Alex Bebar appearing in relief. They combined for 7 strikeouts while allowing a trio of hits.
Tyler Thorson tripled and doubled to drive in 4 runs. Bebar doubled and singled for 3 RBI. Creasman and Tyler Patterson singled twice with the former driving in 2 runs and the latter 1. Minooka is now 13-6 in the conference and 21-13 overall.
Nick Bell had 3 singles while Corant Boggetto and Joe Carnego doubled and singled. Steve Szymanski had 2 singles. Bell and Alec Pena-Rios accounted for 3 RBI each. Boggetto had 2. Justin Bonner (3-1) struck out 6 to pocket the victory. Christian Fernandez went the last 2 innings. Bonner and Fernandez combined for 8 strikeouts. Minooka is now 16-1 in the SPC and 25-4 on the year.
TENNIS
STERLING — The Morris Redskins ended with 17 points that included a championship from the No. 1 doubles squad of Joel McVey and Sam Bennett. The No. 2 doubles team of Andy Oehlwein and Greg Nordstrom took sixth while No. 1 Grant Magers grabbed a seventh.
McVey and Bennett downed Isaac Pillar and Vince Bruno of Mendota 6-4 and 6-0 before beating Matt Olivero and Nate Decker of La Salle-Peru 6-4 and 6-1 and then getting by Daniel Rowley and Blake Croegaert of Geneseo 6-3 and 6-1 in the title match.
"Joel and Sam played their best tennis of the season," Morris coach Jon Lanning said. "They are really coming around at the right time and pick each other up nicely when one of the other makes a mistake. That is the sign of a great doubles team. No team won more than 4 games on them in one set all weekend."
Oehlwein and Nordstrom dropped their opening match 6-2 and 6-4 to Grant Tefiku and Brandon Eisle of Dixon. The Redskins duo came back to beat John Eppard and Keagan Klein of Mendota 10-7 and Dan Johnson and Nate Adcock of La Salle-Peru 10-7 before dropping an 11-9 decision against Chad Hermeyer and Jake Biddix of Princeton.
"Andy and Grant have had a decent year," Lanning said. "Both seniors have worked ard and have been good contributors to the program."
Magers opened by edging Gavin Reed of Streator 7-6, 3-6 and 6-4 before losing 6-0 and 6-0 to Colin Arnold of Sterling plus 10-10 (7-2 tie-breaker) by Jake Plochochi of L-P. Magers closed out with a 10-7 decision against Eric Bickett of Princeton.
GRADE SCHOOL TRACK
Coal City qualified five athletes for the state meet in IESA Sectional action. The eighth-grade Warriors got a state qualifying first from Lane Cowherd in the 200 meters. Cowherd was third in the 100 while Clay Kauzlaric was third in the 800. Alex Wills was fourth in the discus while the 1600 relay foursome of Uxmar Torres, Zach Scerine, Alex Medina and Cowherd was fifth. Kauzlaric was sixth in the 1600.
The seventh-grade boys were seventh with Joey Kroeger winning the hurdles to qualify for state. The 800 relay of Jack Dibble, Brayden Barker, Kroeger and Parker Czaja was third. Dibble was fourth in the 200 and fifth in the 100. Matt Long was fifth in the discus. Riley Kauzlaric was sixth in the high jump.
The eighth-grade Coal City girls were seventh with 21 points. Abby Polakovic was third (4-6) in the high jump while Emily Halliday was third with a leap of 14-3 in the long jump. Fifths were by Becca Stiles (:18.72 in the hurdles), Madyson Sherman (14-0 in the long jump) and Miahaela Phillips (21-2 in the discus) plus the 400 relay of Emily Halliday, Gugi Shabani, Sherman and Brittany Jezik with a time of :56.62. The 800 relay of Stacey Herrara, Taylor McCollough, Carly Seely and Emily Smerling in 2:09.45 was sixth.
The seventh-grade girls were ninth with 26 points. State qualifiers were Mady Bunton (14-7 1/2) for second in the long jump plus third places by Claire Pavlis (5:47 in the 1600) and Nicole Borgetti (:17.5 in the hurdles). Bunton, Clare Landers, Taylor Meents and Cheyenne Phillips turned in a 2:04.1 in the 800 relay. Natalie Mayer was sixth with a 4-3 effort in the high jump.