The Marquette Academy baseball team wrapped up its regular-season Tri-County Conference championship after outhitting Henry-Senachwine 26-6 and sweeping a five-inning doubleheader against the Mallards by the scores of 11-5 and 15-0 on Saturday at Masinelli Field.
The Crusaders (26-3, 12-2) used a six-run first inning and two-hits games from Sam Mitre (RBI), Tommy Durdan (RBI) and Carson Zellers (two RBIs) to earn the opening-game victory. Hayden McKenna singled in a pair of runs, while Logan Nelson, Brady Ewers (triple) and Charlie Mullen each had a hit and RBI. Zellers (Win, 2 2/3 IP, 6 H, 3 ER, 2 K), Durdan (1/3 IP) and Mitre (2 IP, 1 K) combined efforts on the hill.
In the afternooncap, winning pitcher Aiden Thompson fired a four-inning perfect game with nine strikeouts, while MA received two-hits each from Julian Alexander (four RBIs), McKenna (double, two RBIs), Gabe Almeda (two RBIs), Aidan Kath (two doubles, RBI) and Zellers. Logan Nelson added an RBI triple and Durdan an RBI double.
Putnam County 11, Woodland/Flanagan-Cornell 0 (5 inn.): At Granville, the Warriors finished up their regular season with a Tri-County Conference loss to the Panthers, who scored seven times in the fourth inning.
WFC managed just two hits in the game, a double by Carl Sass and single by Dan Miramontes.
Westmont 13, Serena 0 (5 inn.); Serena 20, IMSA 1 (3 inn.); Serena 11, IMSA 0 (4 inn.): At Serena, the Huskers struggled against the Sentinels, but exploded in their Little Ten Conference twinbill against the Titans.
Serena recorded just a single by Hudson Stafford while allowing nine walks and making a pair of errors in the loss to Westmont.
In the opener against IMSA, the Huskers (15-11, 10-4) received two-hits games from Camden Figgins (two RBIs), Cole Shannon (RBI), Dylan Cartwright (four RBIs) and Stafford, with Hunter Staton posting three RBIs and Carson Baker two RBIs. Cartwright (2 IP, 4 K) earned the win, with Beau Raikes striking out the side to close things out.
In Game 2, winning pitcher Mason McNelis allowed just two hits, walked two and fanned eight in four innings while also recording a pair of hits and RBIs. Shannon smacked a pair of singles, a double and knocked in three runs, while Staton drove in two and Todd Smith doubled.
Indian Creek 18, Earlville 8: At Earlville, the Red Raiders dropped to 3-17-1 overall and 2-12 in Little Ten Conference play with the loss to the Timberwolves.
Jeremy Weymouth had a huge game for Earlville going 4 for 4 with a home run, three runs and four RBIs, while Bryar Keller had two hits and a pair of RBIs.
Sandwich 9, Hall 5: At Spring Valley, the Indians scored five runs in the third and four more in the fourth in the victory over the Red Devils.
Sandwich had two-hit games from Austin Marks (double, two RBIs), Andy Golinski (two RBIs), Hunter Pavia (double, two RBIs) and Taylor Adams (double, two RBIs) while Tyler Lissman reached base four times. Golinski (Win, 2 IP, 1 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 1 K), Pavia (2 IP, 1 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 2 K) and Adams (3 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, 3 BB, 3 K) combined efforts on the mound.
Deer Creek-Mackinaw 14, Fieldcrest 1: At Illinois Wesleyan University on Friday, the Knights fell to the Chiefs at the HOIC Showcase.
Timmy Luckey (RBI) and Nathan Buchanan had the only two hits for Fieldcrest (7-10).
Softball
Marquette Academy 2, Dwight 0 (10 inn.): At Dwight, the Crusaders outlasted the Trojans, scoring twice in the top of the 10th inning for the Tri-County Conference victory.
Marquette (15-8, 12-2) used consecutive one-out singles from Lindsey Kaufmann and Kaylee Killelea (two hits) prior to an RBI base hit by Eva McCallum and a run-scoring passed ball to plate the winning runs. Makayla Backos posted two singles and a triple in the game. In the circle, starter Killelea (9 IP, 5 H, 2 BB, 13 K) earned the win with Kaufmann pitching a scoreless final frame for the save.
Woodland/Flanagan-Cornell 4, Putnam County 2 (5 inn.): At rural Streator, the Warriors scored three runs in the fourth inning to capture the Tri-County Conference victory.
Olivia Chismarick and Emma Highland (two RBIs) each had two hits for WFC (21-8, 11-3), with Kayleigh Osterdock and Kortney Harms (RBI) smacking doubles. Harms (4 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 2 K) earned the win in the circle with Shae Simons (1 IP, 1 H, 2 K) collecting the save.
Palos Heights Shepard 10, Seneca 0 (5 inn.); Pontiac 6, Seneca 0; United Township 5, Seneca 4 (6 inn.): At the Rockridge Spring Classic, the Fighting Irish were blanked by the Astros and Indians while falling just short against the Panthers.
Zoe Hougas had three hits, including a double, for Seneca (21-10) in the loss to Shepard, while Sam Vandevelde had two of the team’s five hits against Pontiac. Against UT, Hougas and Alyssa Zellers (RBI) each collected two hits, while Vandevelde and Maddy Klicker each posted RBIs.
Serena 10, Westmont 0 (5 inn.); Serena 15, IMSA 0 (4 inn.); Serena 10, IMSA 4: At Serena, the Huskers put together a pretty solid day, scoring 35 runs and pounding out 38 hits to net three straight wins in improving to 17-7 overall and 10-2 in Little Ten Conference play with the pair of wins over the Titans.
Against the Sentinels, Maddie Glade spun a no-hitter allowing just a walk while striking out eight, while RayElle Brennan (double, three RBIs) and Katie Baker (double, triple, three RBIs) each collected three hits. Alexis Linder doubled twice, and Jenna Setchell tripled in a run.
In the opener against IMSA, Glade fired a perfect game with 10 strikeouts, while Baker went 4 for 4 with four runs scored, a home run and four RBIs. Alyssa Engel singled twice, doubled and had an RBI, Paisley Twait (three RBIs) and Setchell (two RBIs) each posted two hits, and Cali Edwards, Linder, Lauren McNelis and Reese Cole each recorded an RBI.
In the second game against the Titans, Setchell (5 IP, 6 H, 3 ER, 1 BB, 8 K) earned the win in the circle, Baker finished a homer shy of the cycle with three RBIs and Brennan (double, triple), Twait (two RBIs) and Setchell (triple, RBI) all had two hits.
Earlville 6, Indian Creek 5: At Earlville, the Red Raiders plated a run in the bottom of the sixth to capture the Little Ten Conference contest.
Elizabeth Browder lined a pair of doubles and drove in two runs for Earlville (10-9, 7-5), with Hailey Kuter adding a two-run double and Chesney Auter an RBI single. Brooklyn Guelde (7 IP, 5 H, 4 ER, 2 BB, 11 K) recorded the win in the circle.
Newark 9, Clifton Central 1: At Clifton, the Norsemen’s Kaitlyn Schofield smacked a lead-off home run to jumpstart her club to the win.
Newark (26-3-1) received two-hit games from Danica Peshia (home run, RBI), Kailey Wohead (double, RBI), Bre Dixon (RBI), Peyton Wohead, Kodi Rizzo and Ryan Williams, with KJ Friestad adding a two-base hit. Taylor Kruser fired a complete-game one-hitter in the circle allowing an unearned run and two walks while striking out 12.
Morris 11, Sandwich 1 (6 inn.): At Morris, the home team outhit the Indians 9-3, took advantage of seven errors, and used a six-run fourth inning to capture the Interstate Eight Conference triumph.
Sandwich (8-14, 3-11) had hits from Alexis Sexton, Allison Olson (RBI) and Emily Gomez, while Margaret Knepper (3 2/3 IP, 7 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 1 K) suffered the pitching loss.
Boys tennis
Streator finishes 3rd at own five-team invite
The Bulldogs scored 11 points to finish just behind tie-breaker champion Princeton (12) and runner-up Sterling Newman (12) at the SHS Athletic Fields courts.
Streator’s Davey Rashid won all four of his matches to claim the title at No. 1 singles, while the No. 2 doubles team of Cooper Wahl and Quinn Baker finished second after going 3-1. Ryan Beck at No. 2 singles and the No. 1 doubles team of Brenden Christensen and Andrew Vogel each finished 2-2 on the day.
Ottawa wins I-8 tournament title
The Pirates won championships in four flights and took third at No. 1 doubles at the Interstate Eight Conference Tournament at Rochelle.
Boys Track and Field
Fieldcrest’s Mason Stoeger and FCW’s Phoenix Cooper win events at EP-G Last Chance Open
At the 16-team meet hosted by El Paso-Gridley, the Knight’s Mason Stoeger won the 1600-meter run in a season-best time of 4 minutes, 27.49 seconds, while Flanagan-Cornell/Woodland’s Phoenix Cooper took first in the discus with a toss of 43.17 meters (141 feet, 8 inches).