Area Roundup: Claire Allen advances to throw Saturday; Seneca baseball, softball rallies fall short

At Manteno in the championship game of the Class 2A Manteno Regional, the Seneca Fighting Irish softball team rallied with a three-run top of the seventh inning, but lost, 5-4, to see its season come to an end.

“We did everything we could against the [ICA’s] No. 10-ranked team in 2A and came up a little short. …” Seneca coach Brian Holman said. “Effort and execution was at a championship level, unfortunately we came up a run short. Great season from the girls. They showed the toughness that has come to define Lady Irish athletics, and I couldn’t be more proud.”

Seneca (22-11) saw Allie Arwood (single, triple, two RBIs), Zoe Hougas (single, triple) and Kennedy Hartwig (two singles) lead the offensive attach. Alyssa Zellers (6 IP, 5 ER, 0 K) was dealt the pitching defeat.

GIRLS TRACK AND FIELD

Allen impressive, heading to Saturday: At the IHSA Track and Field State Meet in Charleston, Sandwich throws ace Claire Allen qualified for Saturday’s Class 2A finals in both of her events, placing seventh in the shot put preliminaries with a toss of 11.11 meters and earning the top seed in the discus with the best throw of the day in 2A, 39.82 meters.

“My first throw was my best one for discus,” Allen said. “Shot was a little shaky, I did not do my best there, but I feel like tomorrow’s going to be the day for shot.

“[My mindset is to] just place the best I can. That’s what it’s been since the beginning, just place as high as I can.”

Sandwich’s 4x800 relay team competed Friday but failed to advance, placing 20th in the prelims with a run of 10 minutes, 42.69 seconds.

BASEBALL

Reed-Custer 10, Seneca 7: At Braidwood in the semifinals of the Class 2A Reed-Custer Regional, the host Comets scored four runs in the third and six in the sixth to outpace Seneca’s three-run fourth and four-run seventh and end the Fighting Irish’s season.

Matt Cruise (5 2/3 IP, 9 ER, 10 K) was dealt the pitching loss. He helped his own cause with a double and an RBI, while Tyler Sulzberger led the Seneca attack with a single, home run and three runs batted in. Bryce Roe also drove in a run for Seneca (15-7).

Morris 6, Streator 5 (11 inn.): At Morris, the Diamond Dogs finished the regular season 17-10 with the loss in 11 innings after leading by three runs heading to the bottom of the seventh.

Cooper Spears (3 1/3 IP, 1 ER, 4 K) suffered the hard-luck pitching loss in relief of Parker Phillis (3 2.3 IP, 2 ER, 6 K) and Cole Martin (3 1/3 IP, 3 ER, 3 K). Adam Williamson doubled twice and drove in a run, Sean McGurk singled and doubled, and both Jack Starkey and Martin added RBIs in the loss for Streator, which opens regional play Wednesday at Galesburg against Geneseo.