Area roundup: Rock Falls softball rolls past Oregon; Dixon falls to Winnebago

Erie-Prophetstown softball, baseball beat Geneseo; Polo softball tops Eastland; Junis strong again for Giants

Sauk Valley sports roundup

The Rock Falls softball team avenged an earlier loss at home to Oregon with a 11-0, five inning victory in their Big Northern Conference game Wednesday at Oregon Park West.

Katie Thatcher hit two home runs and finished with three RBIs and three runs scored to lead the Rockets (13-6, 8-2 BNC), and Savanna Fritz added two singles and two RBIs. Jersey Thomas and Zoe Morgan each had two hits, an RBI and two runs scored, and Patty Teague doubled, drove in a run and scored twice. Rylee Johnson added an RBI, Brooke Howard had two hits and scored a run, and Taylor Reyna also scored for Rock Falls; Thomas, Howard and Reyna all hit doubles.

Thatcher also got the win in the circle, striking out five and walking one in a two-hitter.

Bella Koertner and Ella Dannhorn had hits for the Hawks (13-7, 6-4 BNC). Lena Trampel took the loss, allowing seven runs and seven hits in 1 1/3 innings, with a strikeout and a walk. Ava Hackman pitched the final 3 2/3 innings in relief, giving up four runs and eight hits with two strikeouts and a walk.

Winnebago 10, Dixon 4: The Duchesses dropped their second straight Big Northern game at home, as a six-run fifth inning propelled the Indians to victory at Reynolds Park.

Sam Tourtillott was a double shy of the cycle, ripping a triple and solo home run in a three-hit game and scoring twice. Anna Kate Phillips had two hits and two RBIs, and Arianne Smith singled, doubled and scored two runs for Dixon (8-4, 6-4 BNC).

Tourtillott took the loss in the circle, but only four of the 10 runs she allowed were earned. She gave up nine hits and three walks while striking out eight.

Addison Miley was 3-for-4 with a home run and four RBIs to lead ‘Bago, and she also started in the circle, allowing three earned runs and seven hits in four innings. Veronica Gilley-Amdal got the win in relief after giving up an earned run and four hits over the final three innings.

Erie-Prophetstown 10, Geneseo 0, 5 inn.: The Panthers scored four runs in the third, two in the fourth and four more in the fifth to top the Maple Leafs in a nonconference road game.

Aylah Jones had a double and a solo homer, scoring twice, and Sydney Schwartz singled and homered for Erie-Prophetstown. Jaden Johnson was 3-for-4 with an RBI and three runs scored, and Jaylynn Hamilton had two hits and two RBIs. Jaiden Oleson drove in a pair of runs, Emma Davis scored twice and added an RBI, and Mekenzie Loechel also had an RBI for the Panthers.

Jones struck out 13 in a three-hitter.

Sherrard 23, Morrison 8: The Fillies fell to the Tigers in a Three Rivers West home game.

Kewanee 10, Bureau Valley 8: A seventh-inning rally by the Storm came up short in a Three Rivers East loss in Manlius.

Trailing 10-3 going into its final at-bat, Bureau Valley scored five runs in the bottom of the seventh. Darla Kepner was 3-for-4 with a home run and four RBIs, Tyra Sayler had two singles, a double, an RBI and two runs scored, and Lesleigh Maynard had two singles and drove in a run.

Madison Smith went the distance in the circle, allowing four earned runs and 12 hits, with eight strikeouts and three walks.

Polo 11, Eastland 0, 5 inn.: The Marcos scored two runs in each of the first two innings, then used a seven-run fourth to finish off an NUIC South win at home.

Sydnei Rahn was 3-for-4 with a solo homer and three runs scored, and Karlea Frey added a single, a triple, two RBIs and a run for Polo. Lindee Poper and Jasmine Badon each had two RBIs and a run, and Madelynn Jones drove in a run and scored another. Nicole Boelens walked three times and scored twice for the Marcos, and also struck out eight and walked two in a two-hitter in the circle.

Gracie Steidinger and Jenica Stoner had the hits for the Cougars. Addison Burkholder took the loss, with only three of the nine runs she allowed in 3 1/3 innings being earned. She also gave up five hits and three walks while striking out seven, and Stoner gave up two earned runs and three hits in 2/3 of an inning in relief.

Baseball

Erie-Prophetstown 7, Geneseo 3: The Panthers picked up a nonconference win on the road, scoring in each of the first four innings to top the Maple Leafs.

Kolby Franks was a home run shy of the cycle and drove in two runs, and Connor Sibley and Tucker VanDeWostine each had two hits and two RBIs; Sibley also scored twice. Mason Misfeldt doubled and scored two runs, and Bryce Jepson also drove in a run for Erie-Prophetstown.

Bryce VanDeWostine allowed three runs (one earned) and three hits in three innings, striking out two and walking one to earn the victory. Reece Duncan allowed four hits and three walks with a strikeout in three shutout innings of relief, and Austin Cole struck out all three Geneseo batters he faced in a perfect seventh inning.

Thomas Henson had two doubles and two RBIs to lead the Leafs.

Sherrard 13, Morrison 1, 5 inn.: The Mustangs lost a Three Rivers West home game to the Tigers.

Girls soccer

Rockford Christian 6, Oregon 1: The Hawks fell to the undefeated Royal Lions in a Big Northern Conference game at Oregon Park West.

Boys track & field

Milledgeville-Eastland 94, West Carroll 18, Pearl City 17: The Missiles won 10 events in a home triangular, including all three relay races.

Kolton Wilk won the 200 (25.12 seconds) and 400 (1:02.21), placed second in the long jump (5.78 meters), and took third in the 100 (11.90 seconds), while Adrian Martz won the 800 (2:36.30) and was runner-up in the 1600 (5:57.96) for Milledgeville-Eastland. Landon Frederick won the 1600 (5:21.28), Ethan Dertz took the 3200 (12:56.63), Hudson Groezinger won the 300 hurdles (49.98 seconds), and Tyson Helfrich took the shot put (10.98 meters).

The foursome of Emmanuel Tiemann, Tony Glastetter, Tim Farrell and Frederick won both the 4x100 (51.14 seconds) and 4x200 (1:47.19), and Red Witt, JJ Prowant, Jameson Pannkink and Lukas Scholer took the 4x800 (12:23.80).

Prowant added a second in the 800 (2:36.65) and a third in the 1600 (6:24.28), while Bryce Aude was runner-up in both the 200 (25.70 seconds) and 400 (1:03.12). Gage Wilk was second in the 100 (11.78 seconds) and third in both the 200 (25.74) and 400 (1:05.37), and Blake Schurman added a second place in the shot put (9.55 meters).

Zaiden Smith led West Carroll with wins in the 100 (11.77 seconds) and long jump (5.81 meters), and Maison Rihtar won the discus (25.61 meters).

Girls track & field

Forreston-Polo 80, Stillman Valley 52: With wins in seven individual events and three relays, Forreston-Polo defeated host Stillman Valley in a battle of the Cardinals.

Letrese Buisker won the 100 hurdles (19.69 seconds) and the 300 hurdles (56.67 seconds), and took second in the high jump (1.32 meters) to pace Forreston-Polo. Sydni Badertscher won both the shot put (10.31 meters) and discus (30.12 meters), and Kamryn Stockton won the 3200 (15:20.65) and took second in the 1600 (7:14.13). Autum Pritchard won the 400 (1:07.33), and Ennen Ferris took the high jump (1.47 meters).

Buisker, Pritchard, Emileigh Williams and Ferris won the 4x100 (56.56 seconds); Courtney Grobe, Ferris, Pritchard and Bekah Zeigler took the 4x400 (5:13.37); and Grobe, Pritchard, Zeigler and Hannah Harvey won the 4x800 (12:58.31).

Grobe was runner-up in both the 100 hurdles (19.74 seconds) and 300 hurdles (1:00.71), and Zeigler took second in the triple jump (8.97 meters). Jayleigh Newill (800, 3:02.83), Montana Heinz (shot put, 8.06 meters) and Natalia Roach (discus, 18.80 meters) also had second-place finishes for Forreston-Polo.

MLB

Junis stellar again for Giants: Rock Falls native Jakob Junis pitched in middle relief for San Francisco on Wednesday, tossing five shutout innings against the A’s.

Junis, who picked up a win in his first appearance with the Giants last Friday, struck out six and allowed four hits and a walk while pitching the second through sixth innings. He didn’t figure in the decision after he left with San Francisco still trailing 1-0.

With runners on first and third and one out in the fifth, Junis escaped the jam by picking off the baserunner at first for the second out, then finishing off the inning with a strikeout to keep the Giants’ deficit at 1-0.

On Friday, he gave up three hits and struck out four in five scoreless innings of long relief against the Nationals. The 2011 Rock Falls grad has given up just seven hits and has 10 strikeouts in 10 shutout innings in two appearances this season.

Ty Reynolds

Ty Reynolds

Ty is the Sports Editor at Sauk Valley Media, and has covered sports in the Sauk Valley for more than two decades.