BASEBALL
IHSA PLAYOFFS
CLASS 1A — REGIONAL SEMIFINALS
AT VIRDEN NORTH MAC
PIASA SOUTHWESTERN 1, VIRDEN NORTH MAC 0: Southwestern scored a single run in the first, then made it stand up, as Marcus Payne scattered five hits on the mound to give the Piasa Birds the win and a berth in the final.
Hunter Newell had a hit and the game’s only RBI for Southwestern, while Colin LeMarr had the only other hit. Payne went all the way on the mound, striking out two.
The Panthers finish their season 10-13, while the Birds are now 27-7, and go on to the final on Saturday against the winner of Thursday’s second semifinal between Auburn and Shelbyville on Saturday at 11 a.m.
AT CARLYLE
ROXANA 4, BREESE MATER DEI CATHOLIC 1: In the first semifinal at Carlyle, Roxana scored three in the third, and a single run in the sixth after spotting Mater Dei a 1-0 lead in the top of the third, as the Shells went on to win and move on to the final.
Sean Maberry and Elias Theis both had two hits each for Roxana, while Mason Crump had a hit and two RBIs, Kael Hester had a hit, and Brady Jones had a RBI. Aiden Briggs went all the way on the mound, fanning six.
The Knights end their season at 10-17, while the Shells are now 21-14, and play against the winner of Belleville Althoff Catholic and Trenton Wesclin on Saturday at 11 a.m.
AT COLUMBIA
COLUMBIA 10, STAUNTON 0: In the first semifinal at Eagleview Elementary in Columbia, the host Eagles scored four in both the first and fourth, along with single runs in the fifth and sixth, to take a 10-run rule win and eliminate Staunton.
Brady Gillen had the only hit of the game for the Bulldogs, and also struck out four while on the mound, with Braylen Brown fanning two.
Staunton’s season ends at 10-21, while the Eagles go to 23-6, and advance to the final on Saturday.
BREESE CENTRAL 5, MARQUETTE CATHOLIC 3: In the second semifinal, Central scored once in the third and three in the fifth, adding on an insurance run in the sixth after Marquette rallied in the top of the inning for three runs, as the Cougars held off the Explorers and moved on to Saturday’s final.
Scott Vickrey had two hits for Marquette, while Jack Pruitt had a hit and two RBIs, Joe Stephan had a hit and RBi, and Matt Cain had a hit. Drew Zacha and Vickrey both struck out two each on the mound.
The Explorers end the season 14-17, while Central is now 22-11, and meets Columbia in the final Saturday morning at 11 a.m.
AT WATERLOO GIBAULT CATHOLIC
VALMEYER 3, LEBANON 0: At Gibault’s ballpark, Valmeyer scored once in the first, then twice in the third, to eliminate Lebanon, who had won a play-in game against Dupo earlier in the day to advance.
Landon Roy had two hits for the Pirates, while Luke Blackwell had a hit and RBI, and both Evan Hill and Jake Killy also had hits. Jake Coats struck out six on the mound, while Gavin Rau fanned three.
The Greyhounds end their season at 2-18, while Valmeyer goes to 17-11, and advances to Saturday’s final against the host and defending state champions Hawks, a 4-3 winner over New Athens, with the first pitch coming at 11 a.m.
The semifinals of the Carrollton regional were pushed back, because of rain. In the first semifinal, Father McGivney Catholic plays the host Hawks on Thursday at 4:30 p.m., while the second semifinals between Hardin Calhoun and White Hall North Greene will be played on Saturday at 1 p.m. The final is now set for Monday at 4:30 p.m.
REGULAR SEASON
COLLINSVILLE 3-5, BELLEVILLE EAST 1-0: In a doubleheader at Grizzlies Ballpark in Sauget, Collinsville scored twice in the fourth and once in the fifth to take the first game, then scored twice in both the first and second, then added another run in the fifth to sweep a doubleheader over Belleville East.
In the opener, Darren Pennell had two hits for the Kahoks, while Carter Harrington had a hit and RBI, and both Kris Alcorn and Adam Bovinett had a hit each. Ethan Bagwell struck out eight on the mound, while Bryce Lemp fanned two.
In the nightcap, Alcorn had three hits, including a home run, and two RBIs, while Pennell had two hits and two RBIs, Keaton Call had a hit and RBI, and both Lemp and Blaine Martinez also had hits. Alcorn struck out eight on the mound, while Harrington fanned three.
Collinsville is now 17-15, while the Lancers go to 18-15.
MASCOUTAH 6, GRANITE CITY 0: Mascoutah scored twice in the second, once in the third, and three times in the sixth in going on to the win over Granite City at Babe Champion Field.
Dakota Armour and Braden Fowler had two hits each for the Warriors, while Luke Robles, Aiden Harris, and Ayden Copper also had hits. Neither Harris nor Evan Brewer had a strikeout on the mound.
The Indians are now 23-4, while Granite is now 4-20.
WATERLOO 2, JERSEY 1: Waterloo scored both of their runs in the third, while Jersey halved the lead in the sixth, but couldn’t get the tying or winning runs in as the Bulldogs won over the Panthers at Waterloo’s park.
John Paul Vogel had two hits for Jersey, while Evan Cheek had the only hit and RBI, and Abe Kribs also came up with a hit. Easton Heafner went all the way on the mound, fanning two.
The Bulldogs are now 17-11, while the Panthers slip to 16-14.
ALTON 3, BELLEVILLE WEST 1: Alton plated a pair of runs in the second, along with one in the third, and went on to take the win over West at Redbirds Field.
Jack Puent had two hits and two RBIs for the Redbirds, while Eli Lawrence had a hit and RBI, and Reid Murray, Alex Siatos, and Will Weirich also had hits. Siatos struck out six on the mound, while Austin Rathgeb fanned two.
Alton goes to 18-15, with the Maroons slipping to 20-11.
CIVIC MEMORIAL 5, HERRIN 0: CM scored three runs in the third, along with single runs in the first and fifth, to take the win over Herrin at the Bethalto Sports Complex.
Tyler Mills had two hits and two RBIs for the Eagles, while Elijah Gruen had two hits and a RBI, and Carter Braun had two hits. Jacob Flowers struck out six while on the mound, with Christian Garrett fanning five.
CM is now 9-20, while the Tigers go to 3-24-1.
O’FALLON 5, HIGHLAND 4: Right after Highland scored three runs in the bottom of the sixth to take a 4-2 lead, O’Fallon rallied with three runs of their own in the top of the seventh to take the win at Glik Park.
Chase Knebel had a hit and two RBIs for the Bulldogs, while Trey Koishor, Jake Ottensmeier, and Garrin Stone all had hits, and Braxten Decker and Keaton Favre also drove in runs. Both Decker and Alex Howard struck out one each on the mound.
The Panthers are now 22-11, while Highland goes to 25-5-1.
