Jimmy Amptmann led off the top of the fifth with a home run, and Sycamore scored two more off St. Francis ace Rocco Tenuta for a 3-2 win in a Class 3A Kaneland Sectional semifinal.

Wheaton Warrenville South junior Maddie Pool, who struck out 11 in a 2-1 win over West Aurora to win the Class 4A West Aurora Regional title, is the Suburban Life Athlete of the Week in an online vote. Here is her Q&A with Joshua Welge.

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The Sycamore and St. Francis baseball teams traveled to Maple Park Thursday for a semifinal matchup in the Class 3A Kaneland regional.

Lyons Township's baseball team bowed out of the playoffs for the second straight year to Brother Rice in the sectional semifinals, on Wednesday by a 7-3 final, but Troy Stukenberg and the rest of the Lions savored 'a heck of a ride.'

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Here are John Starks' photos from the Class 4A South Elgin Sectional semifinal between Batavia and Wheaton Warrenville South.

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Here are Karen Naess' photos from the Class 4A South Elgin Sectional semifinal between St. Charles East and York.

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Here are Gary Duncan's photos from the Class 4A Romeoville Sectional semifinal between Oswego East and Downers Grove North.

Burlington Central took advantage of two Lemont errors to build an early five-run lead, and Michael Person and the Rockets' defense worked out of trouble all day to hold on for a 5-4 win in the Class 3A Kaneland Sectional semifinal.

Patrick Flynn threw five shutout innings before leaving the game in the sixth with back tightness, Jackson Petsche slugged his sixth homer, and fifth-seeded Oswego East knocked off top-seeded Downers Grove North 7-2 in the Class 4A Romeoville Sectional semifinal.