In a game heard on WEZC and online at dewittdailynews.com, Luke Teschke's two-run double saved Monticello from a very slow offensive performance as the Sages walked off Warrensburg-Latham 3-2 in the bottom of the seventh inning from a Class 2A Regional semifinal high school baseball game in Monticello Wednesday.

The Sages only mustered three hits through six innings against Cardinals right-hander Brody Garver. 

Ike Young - who was masterful on the mound for Monticello - tattooed the first pitch he saw from Garver to start the seventh inning but Warrensburg-Latham right-fielder John Hall made a great play on the ball for the first out. 

Colton Vance walked following Young's unlucky out and then Dylan Brown reached on an error that set up first and third with one away. Carter Foran hit a ground ball to third and a bobble at first base brought the first Sages run in and set up first and second with one out.

Illinois State-commit Luke Teschke sent the first pitch he saw from Garver high and deep to right field and Hall could not track down this fly ball. With an aggressive lead from first base, Foran was on the heels of Brown all the way to home plate as the Sages mobbed Teschke up the third base line.

Youn permitted two unearned runs in seven innings for the Sages. The junior - with D-I scouts watching - was brilliant in keeping his team in the game. He struck out eight and walked one.

Garver allowed three runs, one was earned, on four hits with two walks and zero strikeouts. 

The Cardinals finish its season 18-11 overall. 

Monticello advances to a Saturday Regional championship against the winner of Thursday's semifinal matchup between Clinton and Tri-Valley. The Sages are 29-4 ovearll.

A late push by Tolono Unity sent them past Monticello 10-4 in Class 2A Regional semifinal high school softball action from the St. Joseph-Ogden Regional Wednesday.

The Lady Sages tied the game at 4-4 after taking an early 2-0 lead. But the Lady Rockets' bats came alive and scored six unanswered runs to put away Monticello.

Sadie Walsh paced Monticello finishing 2-for-4 with an RBI. Avery Schweitzer was 2-for-4 with a run scored. Cassidee Stoeffel and Reese Patton drove in runs for the Lady Sages offense.

Monticello finishes its 2024 campaign 19-13 overall.

Cayden Rose's two-run doube in the bottom of the sixth inning gave Maroa-Forsyth a 4-3 as the Trojans held to just get by Prairie Central 4-3 in Class 2A Regional semifinal play Wednesday from the Bloomington Central Catholic Regional. 

Kaiden Maurer earned the win with three innings of relief of Connor Kelly. The senior struck out five in three scoreless frames and allowed just two hits.

Tate Brandenburg drove in a run with a double for the Trojans. Mauer finished 1-for-3 at the plate with a run scored. 

Prairie Central jumped out to a 3-0 in the top of the first inning.

Maroa-Forsyth is 22-4 overall. They advance to a Regional Championship on Saturday morning and will take on Normal U-High who blanked Tremont 8-0 in the second game of a Regional semifinal doubleheader.

Class 1A softball Regional semifinal action Wednesday:

Argenta-Oreana 14

Decatur St. Teresa 1

Heyworth 1

Fisher 0

Central A & M 7

Martinsville 0

Hartsburg-Emden 12 (Quarterfinal)

Jacksonville Routt 11 Game will be resumed 5/15 at 4:00PM

Hartsburg-Emden 0

Illini Bluffs 18

Class 2A softball Regional semfinal action Wednesday:

Warrensburg-Latham 5

Buffalo Tri-City 12

Meridian 1

Bloomington Central Catholic 0

Normal U-High 2

Tri-Valley 0

Prairie Central 0

Lexington 5

Olympia 10 F-6

Petersburg-PORTA 0

Mt. Pulaski dominated Cerro Gordo-Bement 15-0 in a five inning, run-rule win Wednesday from the Decatur St. Teresa Class Regional.

The Class 1A semifinal game was dominant for the Hilltoppers who got contributions up and down the lineup. Chance Payne was 3-for-3 with a double, four RBIs and two runs scored. Tyler Cross was 1-for-1 with three RBIs and scored a run

Evan Cooper was terrific on the mound for Mt. Pulaski. He struck out eight in four innings of scoreless ball. Cooper also finished 1-for-3 with a double. 

Landon Smith, Liam Smith, Luke Martin, and Aaron Volle drove in runs for the Hilltoppers who advance to another Regional Championship game Saturday. They get the winner of today's matchup between Argenta-Oreana and Decatur St. Teresa.

Class 1A Regional semifinal action from Wednesday:

Lexington 3 F-8

Ridgeview 4

Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley 15 F-5

Crete Illinois Lutheran 1

Havana 11

Illini Central 1

LeRoy 11

Bloomington Cornerstone Christian Academy 1

Central A & M 4

Okaw Valley 7

Class 2A Regional semifinal action from Wednesday:

St. Joseph-Ogden 4

Fithian-Oakwood 1

Pleasant Plains 10

Athens 0

Springfield Sacred Heart-Griffin 3

Quincy Notre Dame 1

IVC 4

Orion 3

Tolono Unity 12

Champaign St. Thomas More 1

Class 1A Regional semifinal action today:

At Arcola

Arcola 4:00pm

Tuscola

At Ridgeview

Heyworth 4:30pm

LeRoy

At Delavan

Delavan 4:30pm

Midwest Central

Class 2A Regional semifinal action today:

At Monticello

Tri-Valley 4:30pm

Clinton

At Tolono Unity

Westville 4:30pm

Paxton-Buckley-Loda

At Virden North Mac

Auburn 4:30pm

Shelbyvillev

Wyatt Mammen stuck out ten and led Lincoln to a 4-1 win over Limestone Wednesday from Bartonville in non-conference high school baseball action.

In likely his final tuneup before Regional play next week, the Lincoln senior was lights out as he allowed only an unearned run and zero hits with four walks. He threw 54 of 103 pitches for strikes.

Griffin Shaw drove in two for the Railsplitters. Colby Glenn, Michael Lucas, Branden Wurth, and Trey Schilling had hits as well but Lincoln did not record an extra base hit.

A quick three-run first inning put the Railsplitters up early and Mammen held that lead all the way to the seventh. 

Glenn closed out the victory for Lincoln with a scoreless inning of relief and recorded one strikeout.

The Railsplitters improve to 22-9 overall. They are at Springfield Southeast this afternoon.

Riley Hendren drove in three runs and two Normal Community pitchers combined on a two-hit shutout Wednesday in an 11-0 win over Danville in Big 12 Conference high school baseball action from Normal.

Hendren's two-run home run in the first inning helped Normal Community jump out early. Kyle Beaty added a two-run shot in the second inning. 

Luke Railey, Owen Cavanaugh, and Luke Drengwitz added RBIs for the Ironmen. Kaileb Hackman hit a double and stole two bases while Dexter Niekamp hit a triple. 

Luke Klunke struck out five in three hitless innings. Jack Richards fired two scoreless innings of relief with three strikeouts and permitted two hits.

The Ironmen tie a school record for wins going to 30-3 overall and stay undefeated in the Big 12 Conference at 12-0. They travel to Lincoln-Way Central this afternoon.

A trio of sophomores has been a stabilizing presence in the Clinton Maroons pitching staff this spring.

Jack Manning, Brock Wilson, and Preston Curtis have been a pleasant surprise described by Coach Nate Ennis. While it has been somewhat surprising, Coach Ennis says he knew the three were capable of being this good.

Manning has been able to add more velocity from experience as a freshman into his sophomore season and learned quickly you cannot leave pitches over the plate as kids at the varsity level will hit those mistakes hard.

Wilson worked hard in the off-season to increase his velocity coming into this season. He has also been working on learning his opponents and learning how to approach them.

Curtis worked in the off-season on his mechanics and to improve his velocity. He's been a very reliable and impressive reliever for the Maroons. He says his approach is simple - shut down his opponent.

Coach Ennis credits Curtis for the way he has thrown in his first taste of varsity action calling him the team's most consistent pitcher. The first-year coach says Brock Wilson has been dominant at times while Manning is very consistent with his approach.

The trio of sophomore pitchers helped the Maroons achieve its first 20-win season since 2007 and its first conference title in 20 years.

Clinton opens the postseason Thursday at the Monticello Regional. They will take on Tri-Valley in Regional semifinal play at 4:30 pm. Hear Thursday's action on WHOW and all its digital platforms. 

Clinton could not keep up with Tri-Valley as they rolled to a 15-5, five inning, run-rule win in high school softball Regional quarterfinal action from Downs Monday evening.

Addie Phillips and Zoey Whittaker drove in three runs apiece for the Lady Vikings. Phillips hit a home run while Whittaker doubled twice.

Brooke Reeves drove in two runs for Clinton while Heidi Humble and Hadley Humble each drove in a run.

Clinton ends its season 10-15 overall. 

It's off to a Regional semifinal for Tri-Valley at the Normal U-High Regional.

Hayden Romano pitched four innings of one-run ball leading Monticello to a 6-1 win over Okaw Valley in a final tuneup before Regional play this week from Bethany.

Romano allowed a run, one hit, issued one walk and struck out four.

Dylan Brown paced the Monticello offense going 2-for-3 with a double and two RBIs. Luke Teschke was 1-for-2 with a double and an RBI while Colton Vance drove in a run for the Sages. 

Monticello is 29-4 overall. They will take on Warrensburg-Latham Wednesday in a Regional semifinal matchup from Monticello. Game time is 4:30 pm. Hear the action on 95.9 FM WEZC and online at dewittdailynews.com.

Michael Lucas' bottom of the seventh-inning run-scoring single broke a scoreless tie and Lincoln walked off Williamsville 1-0 in non-conference high school baseball from Lincoln High School Monday afternoon.

Lucas and Drew Hayes had two hits apiece for the Railsplitters, it's only hits of the afternoon. 

Three pitchers combined on a four-hit shutout for Lincoln. Colby Glenn, Parker Graue, and Branden Wurth combined to shut down the Bullets. Glenn struck out three in 2 1/3 scoreless, hitless innings. 

Graue allowed three hits and walked on in 2 1/3 innings and Wurth permitted just one hit in 2 1/3 scoreless innings for the Railsplitters.

Lincoln continues a busy week with a game against Chatham-Glenwood this afternoon. The Railsplitters are 21-8 overall.

Class 1A Baseball Regional quarterfinal scores from Monday

Danville Schlarman 11

Blue Ridge 0

Central A & M 7 F-6

Springfield Lutheran 1

Tuscola 14

Georgetown-Ridge Farm 11

Class 2A Baseball Regional quarterfinal scores from Monday

Bloomington Central Catholic 0

Prairie Central 3

Canton 3 F-6

El Paso-Gridley 0 Called due to weather after the 6th inning

Champaign St. Thomas More 12

Arthur-Lovington-Atwood-Hammond 2

Warrensburg-Latham 5

Olympia 4

Class 1A Softball Regional quarterfinal scores from Monday

Blue Ridge 1 F-6

Decatur St. Teresa 8

Class 2A Softball Regional quarterfinal scores from Monday

Arthur-Lovington-Atwood-Hammond 5

Toledo-Cumberland 7

Bloomington Central Catholic 4

Maroa-Forsyth) 1

Hoopeston 6

Paxton-Buckley-Loda 1

Springfield Sacred Heart-Griffin 17

Riverton 1

Maroa-Forsyth pulled away late and beat Prairie Central 13-2 in a six inning, run-rule win Saturday morning in non-conference high school baseball in Fairbury.

The Trojans scored five runs in the fifth inning and two runs in the sixth put the Trojans up ten to win by the ten-run rule. 

Andy Munjoy and Zayn Giles went deep for Maroa-Forsyth. Munjoy had a big day at the plate finishing 2-for-4 with four RBIs, two runs scored and a pair of walks.

Giles finished 3-for-3 with two RBIs and three runs scored while Tate Brandenburg was 2-for-5 with a double, two RBIs, and two runs scored. Kaiden Maurer, Mitch W2illiams, Connor Kelly, and Ian Reid recorded RBIs for Maroa-Forsyth.

Williams and Ace Giles doubled. 

Williams and Cayden Rose each fired three innings in the win. Rose allowed an unearned run with two strikeouts and three hits. Williams allowed a run, a hit, a walk and struck out one.

Maroa-Forsyth wraps up postseason play 21-4 overall. It's off to the Bloomington Central Catholic Regional this week for the Trojans.

Offense was in limited supply Saturday for Normal West as the Wildcats dropped a pair at Chatham-Glenwood, 8-2 and 1-0, in non-conference high school baseball action in Chatham.

Alex Olson and Sam DesCarpentrie drove in the only runs in the first game. Olsen finished 2-for-3 with a stolen base while DesCarpentrie was 1-for-4. Trent Durham had two hits for the Wildcats and Jaxson Crancer recorded the other base hit.

The second game was just a five-inning game but Olson pitched three effective innings for the Wildcats. He allowed a run on three hits with four strikeouts and two walks.

DesCarpentrie threw a scoreless inning of relief with a strikeout.

The Wildcats are 18-13 overall and start the final week of the regular season hosting Mahomet-Seymour on Tuesday. 

The spring high school outdoor sports postseason play begins today

Class 2A Softball quarterfinal action

At Downs

Tri-Valley 4:30pm

Clinton Hear on WHOW & all its digital platforms

Arthur-Lovington-Atwood-Hammond 4:30pm

Toledo-Cumberland

Bloomington Central Catholic 4:30pm

Maroa-Forsyth

Hoopeston 4:30 pm

Paxton-Buckley-Loda

Peoria Notre Dame 4:30pm

Eureka

Springfield Sacred Heart-Griffin 4:30pm

Riverton 

Sullivan 4:30pm

Shelbyville

Teutopolis 4:30 pm

Cerro Gordo

Class 1A Softball Regional quarterfinal action today

Blue Ridge 4:30pm

Decatur St. Teresa

Class 1A Baseball Regional quarterfinal action today

Danville Schlarman 4:30pm

Blue Ridge

Decatur Unity Christian 4:30pm

Cerro Gordo 

Fisher 4:30pm

Cissna Park 

Gardner-South Wilmington 4:30pm

Ridgeview

Havana 4:30pm

Illini Central

LeRoy 4:30pm

Bloomington Cornerstone Christian Academy

Tuscola 4:30pm

Georgetown-Ridge Farm

Class 2A Baseball Regional quarterfinal action

Athens 4:30pm

Riverton

Bloomington Central Catholic 4:30pm

Prairie Central

Canton 4:30pm

El Paso-Gridley

Champaign St. Thomas More 4:30pm

Arthur-Lovington-Atwood-Hammond

Fithian-Oakwood 4:30pm

Iroquois West

Shelbyville 4:30pm

Meridian

Tremont 4:30pm

Dee-Mack

North Mac 4:30pm

Sullivan

Warrensburg-Latham 4:30pm

Olympia

Illinois State secured the series finale victory at UIC, 16-3, Sunday from Les Miller Field in seven innings.

The Redbirds (26-23 overall, 14-10 MVC) were led by Daniel Pacella as the sophomore went 4-for-5 at the plate with six RBIs.

UIC drops to 32-16 overall, 15-9 in MVC play, and 18-6 at home.

Illinois State returns home to Duffy Bass Field to host Eastern Illinois on May 14 before wrapping up the regular season with a three-game home series against Belmont from May 16-18.

Vytas Valincius, Jacob Schroeder and Brody Harding all launched home runs in the ballgame as eight of the nine starters reached base safely and Illinois (30-17, 15-6) captured a series victory with a 6-3 win over Iowa (29-20, 14-10) Sunday at Illinois Field.

Iowa hit solo home runs in the first and second to take a 2-0 lead, but Illinois hit back with a five-spot in the third. Valincius and Schroeder each hit two-run home runs while Harding also went deep with a solo shot of his own to make 5-2.

The Illini bullpen shut down the Hawkeye offense, allowing no runs and just one hit over the final 4.2 innings of the contest.

After a solid 4.1 innings of three-run ball turned in by Payton Hutchings, Jake Rons turned in 1.2 innings of scoreless ball before turning the ball over to Ben Plumley.

Plumley retired the first two batters he faced before giving way to Glassey, who stranded two inherited runners to get out of the seventh. 

Joe Glassey then faced one batter over the minimum over the final two innings to earn the seven-out save and give Illinois the 6-3 victory.

Cal Hejza has reached base safely in 32 straight games.

The Fighting Illini will be back in action on Thursday, as they take on Purdue in the final weekend series of the season.

Clinton used a big offensive performance to roll past Decatur Eisenhower 15-0 in a five inning, run-rule win Friday afternoon in non-conference high school baseball action in Decatur.

Noah Bass paced the Maroon's offense finishing 2-for-2 with three RBIs. Mason Walker and Josh Bass each finished 2-for-4 with two RBIs, two runs scored, and a stolen base. 

Cole Fentress added a two-run double. Brooks Cluver was 2-for-4 with two runs scored and three stolen bases. Colton Walker tripled, drove in a run, stole a base, and scored four times for the Maroons. 

Preston Curtis, Jaxson Reynolds, and Jack Manning each added RBIs for Clinton.

Ryan Pine threw four innings of one-hit ball for Clinton. He struck out five. Aiden Toohill threw a scoreless inning of relief.

Clinton is 21-8 overall. They wrap up the regular season next Monday taking on Decatur St. Teresa.

The Maroa-Forsyth Trojans were humming on offense Friday and beat Argenta-Oreana 13-3 in a five inning, run-rule win in Argenta.

Mitch Williams, Tate Brandenburg, and Andy Munjoy drove in three runs apiece. Williams was 2-for-3 adding a triple. Brandenburg was also 2-for-3 with a double and scored twice. Munjoy was 1-for-3. Zayn Giles, Connor Kelly, and Ian Reid added RBIs for the Trojans. 

Kelly went 3 1/3 innings on the mound allowing three runs, one was earned, on six hits with three strikeouts and issued one walk.

Kaiden Maurer closed out the win with 1 1/3 of hitless relief and three strikeouts. 

Maroa-Forsyth goes to 20-3 overall. They are at Prairie Central today (Saturday). 

Lincoln scored five runs in the sixth inning and pulled away from North Mac for an 8-2 win in non-conference high school baseball action in Virden Friday afternoon.

Jarrett Evers broke a 2-2 tie in the inning with a three-run home run. 

Colby Glenn walked five times at the top of the order and stole five bases while scoring two runs. Griffin Shaw and Karson Komnick drove in runs for the Railsplitters. 

Lincoln drew 11 walks for the game and stole eight bases. Evers, Drew Hayes, and Austin Lucas also stole bases. 

Lincoln is 20-8 overall. They will host Williamsville on Monday.

Dexter Niekamp capped a seven-run fifth inning with a grand slam that broke up a Normal Community victory over Peoria Notre Dame 10-3 in Big 12 Conference high school baseball in Peoria Friday afternoon.

The Ironmen led 2-0 going to the top of the fifth inning. Ryan Thiele brought in a run with a single then Owen Cavanaugh and Anthony Gura were hit by a pitch with the bases loaded in back-to-back at-bats to set up Niekamp's big hit. 

Cavanaugh was 2-for-2 with a pair of doubles and a pair of RBIs. Thiele finished 3-for-4 for Normal. Luke Drengwitz added an RBI while Brady Burkhart doubled.

Ethan Eberle tossed five innings of shutout ball for the Ironmen. The Louisville-commit struck out 11, walked three, and permitted just one hit.

Parker Michels permitted three unearned runs in an inning of relief and Cavanaugh finished out the victory with a scoreless inning of relief with a walk and a strikeout.

The Ironmen go to 29-3 overall and 17-0 in the Big 12. They travel to take on Mahomet-Seymour Monday night.

A six-run sixth inning allowed Normal West to rally past Champaign Centennial 10-6 in Big 12 Conference high school baseball action on Friday afternoon in Normal.

Alex Olson hit a bases-clearing double that broke a 6-6 tie. The Wildcats entered the frame trailing 6-5. 

Olson finished 2-for-3 with three RBIs, two stolen bases, and three runs scored. Chase Knuth and Jaxson Crancer drove in two runs apiece. Blake Crancer was 1-for-3 with an RBI, four stolen bases, and three runs scored. 

Trent Durham drove in a run and Brady Hart hit a double as well for Normal West.

The Wildcats improve to 17-12 overall and 11-6 in the Big 12 Conference. They take on Chatham-Glenwood this morning (Saturday).

Delavan blanked Mt. Pulaski 12-0 in a five inning, run-rule Tomahawk Conference high school baseball game Friday afternoon in Mt. Pulaski.

Delavan jumped out to a quick 7-0 in the top of the first inning and never looked back.

Franklin Wade, Landon Smith, and Luke Martin had base hits for Mt. Pulaski.

The Hilltoppers fall to 22-3 overall and 3-1 in Tomahawk Conference play. They have a quick turnaround taking on Illini Central this morning (Saturday).

Mt. Zion scored three runs in the bottom of the seventh inning and walked off Monticello 4-3 in non-conference high school baseball action Friday afternoon in Mt. Zion.

Eli Craft doubled twice and drove in three runs for the Sages, helping them to a 3-1 lead after six innings. 

Matt Swartz drove in a run and Jacob Long and Luke Teschke scored runs for the Sages.

Monticello has dropped its last two to fall to 28-4. They have one final tune-up on Monday before they begin postseason play on Wednesday at Monticello High School.

Cassie Zimmerman was a single short of the cycle and paced Blue Ridge to an easy 17-2, four-inning, run-rule win over Broadlands-Heritage Friday afternoon in Lincoln Prairie Conference high school softball action.

Zimmerman doubled, tripled, and homered in a five RBI effort. Karlee Fenton and Sierra Watterson drove in a pair for the Lady Knights. Addison Roos, Lily Enger, and Ellie Hayward drove in runs as well.

Ellie Schlieper struck out eight in four innings of two-run ball. She permitted four hits with zero walks.

The Lady Knights are 8-14 overall and go to 2-7 in the Lincoln Prairie Conference. It's off to postseason play for Blue Ridge when they take on Decatur St. Teresa Monday in Regional quarterfinal play.

Monticello used a balanced offensive attack to roll past Arthur Christian 19-7 in non-conference high school softball action from Arthur Friday afternoon. 

Isa Beery paced Monticello going 2-for-4 with a double, a triple, and four RBIs with a run scored. Cassidee Stoeffel doubled twice finishing 4-for-5 with three RBIs and four runs scored for Monticello.

Thea Key tripled twice finishing 3-for-5 with three RBIs and a run scored. Marrissa Miller was 3-for-4 with a double, three RBIs, two stolen bases, and four runs scored for the Lady Sages. 

Avery Schweitzer was 2-for-4 with a triple, two RBIs, and a run scored. Lynsee Trybom was 1-for-3 with a double and three runs scored. Sadie Walsh scored three runs and stole a base for Monticello.

Monticello finishes the regular season 19-12 overall and winners of six straight. It's off to postseason play when they take on Tolono Unity from the St. Joseph-Ogden Regional on Wednesday. 

Coming into the high school baseball season, Coach Nate Ennis looked at senior Brook's Cluver as a super-utility player who could plug and play at several positions.

The senior was targeted to be the team's first basemen, then transitioned to third base, and about a month ago was thrust into the the catching role. Coach Ennis explains an injury to his sophomore catcher Josh Bass left him searching for a catcher so he tossed the opportunity out to his team and it was Cluver who stepped up to take over.

For Cluver, when he started preparing to catch, he was focused on re-establishing those defensive habits and wanted to be able to be reliable behind the plate for his pitcher and the defense behind him. It had been several years since the senior had thrown on the catching gear.

Coach Ennis credits Cluver's work to get himself ready to catch and his staff management. He feels the senior's strong arm has benefitted him moving back behind the plate.

When a position change like this is thrust on a player at any level, sometimes the offensive production can take a hit because of the focus on the switch. Cluver admits his pitching had a brief drop-off as he made the transition.

Cluver's favorite thing about being behind the plate is trying to throw guys out and admits he gets amped up when the opponent gets on base because he's ready for them to try to steal.

Coach Ennis notes that while Bass has returned, he will not catch again this year so Cluver is going to be the Maroons' no. 1 catcher going forward, however, having Bass back in the lineup with the bat is adding to the lineup's depth.

The Maroons finish up the regular season today (Friday) and Monday before they start Regional play next Thursday taking on Tri-Valley at the Monticello Regional.

Hear Maroons postseason action on WHOW and all its digital platforms.

Tuscola was too much for Clinton Thursday as the Lady Warriors put away the Lady Maroons 13-3 in the Central Illinois Conference and regular-season finale at Clinton High School.

The Lady Marons jumped out to a 2-0 lead after the first inning thanks to an Avery Smith RBI groundout and then an Aliviyah Haynes run-scoring single.

It was all Tuscola after that. The Lady Warriors tied the game in the top of the second and added two more runs in the third inning to go up 4-1. 

Clinton got a run back when Ashley Armstrong singled in a run. 

The Lady Warriors tacked on four more runs in the top of the fourth, another run in the fifth, and a four-run sixth ended the game by run rule.

Armstrong and Haynes each finished 1-for-3 with an RBI. Heidi Humble and Brooke Reeves were each 1-for-3 with a run scored. 

The Lady Maroons end the season 10-13 overall and 3-6 in the Central Illinois Conference.

It's off to postseason play next for Clinton. They take on Tri-Valley in Downs in Class 2A Regional quarterfinal play. Hear the action on WHOW and all its digital platforms.

Lincoln used a balanced offensive attack to hold off Auburn 9-6 in non-conference high school baseball action from Auburn Thursday afternoon.

Lincoln started fast with a three-run first inning, highlighted by two bases-loaded walks. The Railsplitters gradually pulled away from there.

Michael Lucas blasted a solo home run in the second inning and finished 2-for-4 with an RBI and two runs scored. Trey Schilling was 1-for-2 with an RBI, a run scored, and walked twice.

Jarrett Evers was 2-for-3 with an RBI, three runs scored and walked. Drew Hayes and Wes Tedrick drove in runs for the Railsplitters. 

It was a bullpen day for Lincoln. The Railsplitters used four pitchers and Parker Graue got the win with four innings of shutout ball. He permitted four hits with no walks and no strikeouts.

Lincoln withstood a late rally by the Trojans who scored four runs in the seventh inning.

Lincoln is 19-8 overall. They will travel to North Mac today.

El Paso-Gridley doubled up Mt. Pulaski 10-5 in non-conference high school baseball action Thursday in Mt. Pulaski.

The Titans gradually pulled out to a 6-2 lead after four innings and the Hilltoppers could never recover. 

For the Hilltoppers' high-powered offense, it was a relatively quiet day. Eric Cooper was 1-for-3 with an RBI double, the only RBI recorded on the afternoon for Mt. Pulaski.

The two sides combined for nine errors. 

Colt Selinger was 2-for-3 in the nin spot in the lineup while Chance Payne and Tyler Cross recorded the other hits for the Hilltoppers. 

Mt. Pulaski drops to 22-2. They have a busy end to their season before they start postseason play. They host Delavan this afternoon, travel to Illini Central on Saturday morning, and finish the regular season at St. Joseph-Ogden on Monday.

In a game heard on WHOW, Erick Fedde worked six scoreless innings, Tommy Pham had two hits and an RBI and the Chicago White Sox held on to beat the Cleveland Guardians 3-2 on Thursday night.

Chicago won its second straight and for the fourth time in six games to improve to 10-28. The White Sox no longer have the worst record in the majors, moving ahead of the Colorado Rockies, who are 9-28.

Last-place Chicago is 2-2 against AL Central-leading Cleveland.

José Ramírez and Josh Naylor launched back-to-back solo homers off Chicago reliever John Brebbia with two outs in the eighth inning as Cleveland cut Chicago’s lead to 3-2.

The 36-year-old Pham, who doubled, is batting .313 in 12 games since joining the White Sox.

Andrew Vaughn and Paul DeJong added RBIs for Chicago.

Chicago rookie Bryan Ramos had a single and double in his sixth game since being recalled from Double-A Birmingham. He is 7 for 18 (.389) in his major league debut season. Eloy Jiménez had two hits, including a double to the base of the wall.

Fedde (3-0) allowed just three singles, walked none and struck out three through sixth innings.

White Sox All-Star CF Luis Robert Jr. is running at about 70% in his rehab from a right hip flexor strain, manager Pedro Grifol said. Robert suffered “a minor setback” a few days ago in training at the team’s facility in Glendale, Arizona. Grifol hopes the speedy slugger, out since April 5, will be up to “90% running in the next five, seven days” and then progress to baseball activities.

Guardians RHP Carlos Carrasco (2-2, 5.67) faces White Sox LHP Garrett Crochet (2-4, 5.31) on Friday night.

Rhys Hoskins, Jake Bauers and Joey Ortiz each homered to cool Sonny Gray as the Milwaukee Brewers defeated the slumping St. Louis Cardinals 7-1 on Thursday night.

It was the fifth straight loss for the Cardinals, who opened a four-game series with the NL Central-leading Brewers. Milwaukee has won its last six against St. Louis, a streak that began last season.

Milwaukee's William Contreras and Christian Yelich each went 3 of 4. Jared Koenig (4-1) pitched two scoreless innings of relief and worked his way out of a bases-loaded, no-out jam in the fifth.

Gray (4-2) has been one of the last-place Cardinals’ few bright spots since signing a three-year, $75 million contract in the offseason, but the 2023 AL Cy Young Award runner-up couldn’t stop St. Louis’ slide.

Through his first five starts, Gray allowed a total of six runs, and only three were earned. His 0.89 ERA was the lowest since 1910 by any Cardinals pitcher in his first five appearances with the organization.

The Brewers scored six runs off Gray on Thursday during his five-inning stint. Gray had given up just one homer all year before the Brewers went deep against him three times.

The Cardinals wasted a couple of chances to get back into the game.

St. Louis brought the tying run to the plate with no outs in the fourth while trailing 4-1, but Dylan Carlson grounded into a double play and Masyn Winn struck out. The Cardinals then loaded the bases off Tobias Myers to start the fifth, but Koenig came out of the bullpen and got the next three outs without letting anyone score.

LHP Robert Gasser is expected to make his major league debut for the Brewers on Friday. RHP Lance Lynn (1-0, 3.28) is pitching for the Cardinals.

Kyle Larson beat Chris Buescher at Kansas on Sunday in a green-white-checkered finish and the closest finish — a thousandth of a second — in NASCAR history.

The series is in Darlington this weekend for its annual throwback weekend on Mother's Day.

Larson’s win was his second of the season and the sixth for Hendrick Motorsports through 12 races. Hendrick’s Byron and Denny Hamlin of Joe Gibbs Racing have each won three times. Larson leads Martin Truex Jr. by 29 points and Chase Elliott by 55 points. 

Larson’s six top-five finishes are the most in the series. Truex shares the lead with three others with seven top-10 finishes. 

Only seven drivers have won races this season.

Byron won the spring race at Darlington last year. Practice and qualifying is at 9:30 am on Saturday and race time is at 2 pm on Sunday afternoon. 

Ryan Truex won at Dover for the second straight year, giving the younger brother of Martin Truex Jr. the only NASCAR victories of his career.

The XFinity Series is back in action after a week off this weekend in Darlington.

Chandler Smith leads Cole Custer by one point and Austin Hill by 17 points. Smith and Hill are the lone two-time winners through 10 races. Smith leads with six top-five finishes and he and Custer share the lead with eight top 10s.

Larson raced in the spring XFinity Race at Darlington last year and went to victory lane. Practice and qualifying is at 4 pm this afternoon. Race time is at 12:30 on Saturday.

Corey Heim passed Nick Sanchez for the lead on lap 70 of 134 and led the rest of the way at Kansas for his second Craftsman Truck Series victory of the season.

Heim’s victory was the seventh of his career. It was his series-best sixth top-five finish and eighth top-10 in as many races and moved him within two points of Eckes for the series lead. Zane Smith, the 2002 series champion, finished second.

At Darlington this week, the Craftsman Truck Series practices and qualifies this afternoon at 2 pm and race time is tonight at 6:30 pm. 

Wyatt Mammen came up an out short of a complete game as Lincoln shutout Pleasant Plains 6-0 in non-conference high school baseball action in Lincoln Wednesday.

Mammen struck out six and walked six while permitting three hits in 6 2/3 shutout innings. 

Trey Schilling finished 1-for-3 with a double and two RBIs. Jarrett Evers was 1-for-4 with a pair of RBIs. Colby Glenn went 2-for-3 with a double, a walk and two runs scored for the Railsplitters. Michael Lucas also drove in a run for Lincoln.

The Railers did all its scoring early. They scored three runs in the first capped by a two-run double from Schilling. Lincoln would tack on three more runs in the fourth.

The Railsplitters earned the top seed in its Regional. They will take on Urbana in Regional semifinal play starting Wednesday, May 22 at Lincoln High School.

Lincoln travels to Auburn for a non-conference tilt this afternoon.

A game that made it through five innings but was suspended last week was finished off Wednesday at Mt. Pulaski blanked Illini Bluffs 3-0 in Tomahawk Conference high school baseball action Wednesday. 

Chance Payne finished off a complete game shutout going the distance while allowing two hits, walking four, and striking out eight. 

Liam Smith capped a two-run third inning with an RBI single and went 1-for-3. Evan Cooper drove in a run while Landon Smith, Chance Payne, and Luke Martin added hits for the Hilltoppers.

Mt. Pulaski goes to 22-1 overall and 3-0 in the Tomahawk Conference. They will host El Paso-Gridley this afternoon.

Thea Key's fourth-inning home run was all the backing Cassidee Stoeffel needed as Monticello took down Mattoon 1-0 in non-conference high school softball action from the Wilke Complex in Monticello Wednesday.

Key also doubled and walked to finish 2-for-3. Sadie Walsh was 2-for-3 at the top of the order for the Lady Sages.

Stoeffel permitted four hits, a walk and struck out four across her seven sparkling innings. 

The win is the fifth straight for Monticello who finishes the regular season 18-12. It's off to postseason play when the Lady Sages take on Tolono Unity at the St. Joseph-Ogden Regional next Wednesday. 

Jonah Roper struck out 13 in a complete game shutout effort and a four run-fourth inning was enough for Normal Community to wrap up the Big 12 Conference regular season title with a 4-0 win over Peoria Notre Dame Wednesday at Normal Community High School.

The Ironmen got RBIs from Owen Cavanaugh, two from Anthony Gura, and Josh Eisfelder. 

Roper permitted five hits and issued two walks. 

Luke Drengwitz was 1-for-3 with a double for Normal. Kaileb Hackman was 2-for-4 with a run scored. Ryan Theile finished 2-for-3 while Dexter Niekamp was 1-for-1 with a walk.

The Ironmen are 28-3 overall and 16-0 in the Big 12. They will travel to Peoria Notre Dame on Friday.

Two Normal West pitchers combined to limit Champaign Centennial to just one run and four hits as the Wildcats grounded the Chargers 4-1 in Big 12 Conference high school baseball action from Champaign Wednesday.

Sam Berine allowed an unearned run in 5 1/3 innings while permitting three hits, three walks, and struck out four. Ryder Coone struck out four in 1 2/3 innings.

Sam DesCarpentrie paced Normal West finishing a home run short of the cycle going 3-for-3 with a double, a triple, an RBI, and a run scored.

Jaxson Crancer finished 3-for-4 with two doubles, a stolen base, an RBI, and two runs scored. 

Bradyn Whiteheaddrove in two runs for the Wildcats while Chase Knuth had the other RBI finishing 1-for-4. 

Normal West is 17-12 overall and 11-6 in the Big 12 Conference. They will host the Chargers on Friday.

In a game heard on WHOW, WEZC, and online at dewittdailynews.com, a bases-loaded walk was the winning run as Clinton picked up one of its biggest wins on the baseball diamond in recent memory and secured its first 20-win season since 2007, blanking Monticello 1-0 in nine innings Wednesday afternoon from the Wilkie Complex in Monticello. 

After a pitchers duel with limited opportunities for both teams, the Maroons broke through in the top of the ninth inning drawing two walks against Sages starter Carter Foran, who was working into the ninth inning. Then Jacob Long relieved and walked the first two batters he faced to bring home the only run of the game.

Brock Wilson was superb for Clinton on the mound. The sophomore went 7 1/3 shutout innings allowing two hits with a walk and six strikeouts.

Foran went 8 1/3 innings and was responsible for the only run scored by Clinton. The Monticello junior allowed three hits, two walks and struck out five.

First-year Clinton Coach Nate Ennis was proud of his team's grit throughout a hard-fought game.

With a runner on and nobody out in the sixth inning, Monticello leadoff hitter and Illinois State-commit Luke Teschke was called on to bunt. The senior delivered a successful sacrifice to move the runner over but the Sages could not capitalize. 

In the bottom of the ninth inning, and a runner on and one out, Monticello cleanup batter Colton Vance was then called upon to sacrifice bunt and popped out at the plate. Coach Ennis felt it was those felt like it was a win already.

Coach Ennis gave his sophomore pitchers praise for their poise in a tough environment, particularly Jack Manning who came on in relief to close out the win.

Clinton goes to 20-8 overall. Monticello drops to 28-3 overall. 

The two teams could meet in a potential Regional Championship next weekend as they are seeded in the same Regional at Monticello High School.

Hear Clinton postseason baseball action on WHOW and all its digital platforms starting next Thursday when they take on Tri-Valley at 4:30 pm from Monticello High School. 

Hear Monticello postseason baseball on WEZC and dewittdailynews.com when they play at 4:30 pm at Monticello High School.

With Clinton's win Monday over Warresburg-Latham, the Clinton Maroons won its first conference title since 2004.

Back then, Clinton was in the old Okaw Valley, but the Maroons went 8-2 in the Central Illinois Conference in 2024 and Coach Nate Ennis credits his team's positive attitude through the ups and downs of a baseball season.

The Maroons start Regional play next week and Clinton is in perhaps the toughest sub-sectional in Class 2A. That's the assessment of Coach Ennis who indicates his team is going to have to play well to get through Tri-Valley and possibly Monticello in Monticello next week.

The Maroons head to Monticello to get a preview of its Regional next week. They take on the Sages at the Wilkie Complex on Monticello's turf baseball field. Game time today is 4:30 pm. Hear the action on WHOW/WEZC/dewittdailynews.com as well all of WHOW's digital platforms.

Lincoln put away Decatur MacArthur with a 12-run fourth inning for a 16-4 five inning, run-rule Central State Eight Conference win yesterday in high school baseball action in Lincoln.

Trey Schilling and Jarrett Evers drove in three runs apiece. Evers was 2-for-2 with a double, stolen base, and three runs scored. Schilling was 2-for-3 with a double and run scored.

Michael Lucas finished 2-for-3 with three stolen bases, three runs scored, and two RBIs. Drew Hayes finished 2-for-4 with a double, two RBIs and a stolen base for the Railsplitters.

Brenden Wurth drove in a run and Dyllan Hayes doubled and stole a base as well for Lincoln. 

Ferguson struck out eight in three innings of work. He allowed four runs, two were earned, on two hits with two walks.

The Railsplitters have won 12 of its last 14 games to go to 17-8 overall and 5-3 in the Central State Eight. Lincoln hosts Pleasant Plains today - who wrapped up the Sangamo Conference championship on Tuesday.

Cassidee Stoeffel's big day at the plate paced Monticello to a 13-2 romp over Mahomet-Seymour in non-conference high school softball action in Monticello Tuesday.

Stoeffel was 3-for-4 with a pair of home runs, seven RBIs, and added a stolen base for good measure. Sadie Walsh was a home run short of the cycle as the sophomore went 3-for-4 with a double, triple, three RBIs and three runs scored.

Marrissa Miller went 3-for-3 with an RBI and three runs scored. Lynnsee Trybom went 2-for-3 with a run scored for the Lady Sages.

Reese Patton fired five innings of two-run ball. The senior capped off her regular season home career by permitting six hits but did not walk a batter and did not record a strikeout.

Monticello is 17-12 overall. They will host Mattoon to wrap up the regular season this afternoon. 

Jaxon Reynolds' run-scoring single in the bottom of the eighth inning gave Clinton a 3-2 walk-off victory of Warrensburg-Latham in Central Illinois Conference high school baseball action from Clinton Monday afternoon.

Noah Bass' RBI single in the bottom of the sixth inning tied the game at 2-2 and forced the game to extra innings. Mason Walker gave Clinton a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the third.

Walker struck out ten in 4 2/3 innings of two-run ball. One run was earned on two with six walks. 

Preston Curtis held the Cardinals scoreless through 3 1/3 innings with three walks and three strikeouts.

Colton Walker was 2-for-3 with a double, two stolen bases, and a run scored. Josh Bass returned to the Clinton lineup and finished 2-for-3 with a double. 

Ryne Pine had two stolen bases and Brock Wilson added a stolen base.

The Maroons are 19-8 overall and 8-2 in the Central Illinois Conference. Clinton will host Maroa-Forsyth on Tuesday.

Ashley Armstrong was brilliant in circle for Clinton and led the Lady Maroons to a 2-1 win over Champaign Centennial in non-conference high school softball action from Clinton Monday.

Armstrong struck out nine in six innings of one-run ball. The senior issued two walks and permitted two hits. Aliviyah Haynes struck out two in a scoreless inning of relief to preserve the win for Clinton.

Heidi Humble drove in a run and Avery Smith finished 2-for-3. Brooke Reeves was 1-for-3 with a double and run scored and Haynes finished 1-for-2 with the only walk on the day for Clinton.

The Lady Maroons 10-13 overall. They will finish the regular season by hosting Tuscola on Thursday.

Monticello took down rival St. Joseph-Ogden 9-5 and clinched the Illini Prairie Conference regular season title with a 9-5 win Monday in St. Joseph.

Luke Teschke fired six innings of two-run ball and Koyie Williams drove in four runs. Teschke struck out seven, walked two, and permitted five hits. The Illinois State-commit also walked three times. 

Williams was 2-for-5 while Jacob Long finished 1-for-3 with a double and two runs scored. Dylan Brown went 1-for-4 with three RBIs for the Sages. 

Monticello improves to 28-2 overall and finishes 8-1 in the Illini Prairie Conference. They host Clinton on Wednesday afternoon. Hear Wednesday's action on WHOW/WEZC/dewittdailynews.com as well as all of WHOWs digital platforms. 

Lincoln started fast and didn't look back, rolling to a 10-0 six inning, run-rule win over Rantoul in non-conference high school baseball action from Lincoln Monday.

The Railsplitters scored three runs in each of the first two frames and continued to add on from there. Micheal Lucas and Trey Schilling each doubled twice. Lucas drove in two and scored three runs. Schilling was 3-for-3 with an RBI, a stolen base, and a run scored. Colby Glenn finished 2-for-5 with an RBI, stolen base, and run scored.

Lincoln is 16-8 overall. They host Decatur MacArthur in Central State Eight Conference play on Tuesday.

Normal Community edged its crosstown rival Bloomington 3-2 in Big 12 high school baseball action from Bloomington High School on Monday. 

Owen Cavanaugh paced the Ironmen with a 2-for-3 afternoon including two RBIs and a stolen base. Josh Eisfelder drove in the other run for Normal.

Luke Klunke went six innings allowing two unearned runs on three hits with four strikeouts and two walks. 

Tyler Dowling went six innings for the Purple Raiders permitting three runs on four hits with four walks and six strikeouts.

Bloomington drops to 14-13 overall and 9-7 in the Big 12.

The Ironmen are 27-3 overall and 15-0 in the Big 12. They host Peoria Notre Dame on Wednesday before traveling to Peoria to take on Notre Dame on Friday.

Peoria Richwoods shut out Normal West 6-0 in Big 12 high school baseball action in Peoria Monday afternoon.

Blake Crancer finished 3-for-4 with a double and two stolen bases. Jaxon Crancer was 2-for-3. 

The Wildcats fall to 16-12 overall and 10-6 in Big 12 play. Normal West travels to Champaign to take on Centennial on Wednesday. 

Strong starting pitching Saturday helped Normal Community sweep a double dip with Andrew (Tinley Park) 6-2, 3-0 from Normal Community High School in non-conference high school baseball action.

In the opener, Brady Bengston allowed a run on six hits with no walks and five strikeouts. 

Josh Eisfelder paced the offense with two runs batted in finishing 1-for-2. Kaileb Hackman, Riley Hendren, and Owen Cavanaugh had doubles for the Ironmen. Anthony Gura and Lucas Drengwitz added RBIs.

In the second game, Jack Richards was lights out over 4 1/3 innings of shutout ball for Normal. He struck out three while issuing two walks and permitting five hits. 

Reid Johnson and Gavin Borne had RBIs for Normal. Drew Stevens hit a double.

Normal Community did not have a player record multiple hits in either game. 

The second game of the day was only five innings. 

With the two wins, Normal Community improves to 26-3 overall. They resume Big 12 play today traveling to Bloomington High School. The two inner city rivals played to an 11-10, eight inning thriller on Friday.

Normal West went on the road Saturday morning and split a doubleheader - taking the opener 8-1 but falling in walk-off fashion in the second game, 9-8 from Bourbonnais in non-conference high school baseball action.

Sam DesCarpentrie doubled twice and drove in two. Jaxson Crancer doubled, drove in three and finished 1-for-3 adding a stolen base for the Wildcats and Blake Crancer was 1-for-4 with a double, two RBIs and a stolen base. 

Bradyn Whitehead added an RBI in the opener. 

Chase Reinhart got the win for Normal West going 6 1/3 innings of one run ball. The run was unearned and the freshman struck out eight, walked three and allowed four hits.

In the second game, after Normal West blew the game open with a five-run fifth inning to go up 8-6, Caleb McBurnie doubled in the winning run giving Bradley-Bourbonnais the walk-off win in a five-inning contest.

Jaxson Crancer again paced the Wildcats' offense going 2-for-4 with a double, three RBIs, two stolen bases and two runs scored. Sean Jenkins was 1-for-2 with two RBIs and a stolen base while Bradyn Whitehead and Taylor Hafermann hit doubles. Brady Hart and Reinhart had RBIs for Normal West in the loss.

Of the nine runs permitted by Wildcats pitching, only one was earned. The Wildcats issued seven walks in the second game. 

Normal West is 16-11 overall. They travel to Peoria Richwoods this afternoon.

Washington pulled away late in the first game of a doubleheader with Bloomington High School Saturday and then made quick work of the Purple Raiders in the second game to sweep two in non-conference high school baseball action from Bloomington High School.

The Panthers extended a 6-1 lead to 11-1 in the top of the sixth inning with a five-run frame and wrapped up the run-rule win for the opener.

Zach Spidle had the only RBI for Bloomington in the opener. 

The Purple Raiders defense struggled, committing four errors. 

Washington was paced by Bradyn Vanderheydt who was 3-for-3 with three runs scored in the ninth spot. Seth Harmon, Tyler Humphrey and Jackson Stewart drove in two runs apiece for the Panthers.

Tyler Diderich allowed a run on two hits with five strikeouts and two walks in five innings for Washington.

In the second game, Brady Johnson and Zane Skulte combined for five innings of three-hit, shutout ball for Washington as the Panthers took the second game 10-0.

Jacob Calhoun, Wesley Stombaugh, and Luke Huffaker had the only hits for the Purple Raiders.

Carter Prina and Tyler Humphrey drove in two runs apiece to lead the Panthers' offense in the second game. Camden Augustine had three hits and Dylan McGinnis had two hits.

Washington goes to 16-6 on the year. Bloomington falls to 14-12. Albeit a thrilling game, Bloomington will look to avenge an 11-10, eight-inning defeat Friday when they host Normal Community today. 

Illinois (28-16, 13-5) walked off Ohio State (23-22, 8-10) 12-2, with a run-rule victory at Illinois Field.

Brody Harding had a huge day at the plate for the Illini, going 3-for-4 with two runs, a home run and five RBI. Drake Westcott also went yard, going 2-for-3 with three runs, a home run, RBI and a walk. Ryan Moerman delivered the walk-off hit in the eighth with a two-run double.

Jake Rons got the win out of the bullpen for the Illini. The right-hander went 2.2 innings, giving up one run on three hits, and striking out one. Regan Hall picked up his second win of the season, tossing 3.0 shutout innings without allowing a hit, walking one and punching out four.

Cal Hejza extended his on-base streak to 29 games.

The Fighting Illini wrap up their seven-game homestand with the final home games of the season in a three-game set vs. Iowa.

Illinois State secured a Sunday sweep over Southern Illinois at Duffy Bass Field by a final of 10-5.

Senior Auggie Rasmussen led the Redbirds (24-22 overall, 12-9 MVC) with three hits and five RBIs.

Back-to-back home runs for the Salukis in the 1st yielded an early 4-0 Southern Illinois lead.

The Redbirds got two runs in the bottom of the 1st on Rasmussen's 12th home run of the season to trim the margin to 4-2. Illinois State added three runs in the thired inning with a two-run bloop double for Rasmussen and a passed ball for a 5-4 lead.

The Salukis tied the score at 5-5 in the seventh with an RBI single to center field.

In the bottom of the 7th, ISU stormed ahead with five runs on four hits, including back-to-back two-RBI singles, to take a commanding 10-5 lead.

Southern Illinois (26-22 overall, 9-12 MVC) was led by three hits from Jake Allgeyer.

Illinois State will travel to Chicago next weekend for a three-game series at UIC starting Friday. 

Kyle Larson came roaring around the outside of Chris Buescher on the final lap at Kansas Speedway, banging doors with him all the way to the finish line, only to be told by his team over the radio that everything he had given was not quite enough.

It wasn’t until Larson was in Turn 3 of the cool-down lap that he saw his spotter, Tyler Monn, dancing high above the track.

In the closest finish in NASCAR history, one that only became official with a grainy black-and-white photo at the line, the No. 5 car was declared the winner by a thousandth of a second — every bit as close as the Kentucky Derby a day earlier, and an even more dramatic finish than the three-at-the-line conclusion to the Cup Series race at Atlanta earlier this season.

Not so awesome for Buescher’s team, which had begun celebrating before the result became official. His crew chief, Scott Graves, asked to meet with NASCAR officials in their hauler. Shown the finish-line photo, he accepted the outcome.

The edge-of-your-seat finish came after a caution for Kyle Busch’s spin forced the green-white-checkered finish. Larson had pulled behind Buescher on the backstretch of the last lap, then came around him in the final corner. To the naked eye, Buescher looked as if he had edged ahead, and even Larson had started to congratulate his team on a strong second-place run.

A few minutes later, he was doing a celebratory burnout on the front stretch.

It was a brilliant start to a busy month of May for Larson, who will attempt to run the Indianapolis 500 and Coca-Cola 600 on the same day Memorial Day weekend. The win was his second of the season for Hendrick Motorsports, and it gave him a bit of retribution after finishing second to Denny Hamlin last week at Dover and in the spring race at Kansas a year ago.

Martin Truex Jr. finished fourth Sunday and Hamlin, who had the lead on the final restart, faded back to fifth place.

There were no cautions other than for stage breaks until Jimmie Johnson wrecked with 91 laps to go. The seven-time champion, back in the No. 84 for the second consecutive week, was hit from behind by Corey LaJoie after he had checked up.

The yellow flags then came in quickly: Hamlin made contact with Austin Cindric, sending the No. 2 into a wreck that spun out Bubba Wallace and McDowell. Harrison Burton wrecked on the restart, then Joey Logano did on the next one.

The series heads to Darlington next for its annual throwback weekend.

Clinton used steady pitching and solid defense to take down Lincoln 4-1 in a non-conference high school baseball matchup from Lincoln High School on Friday afternoon.

Lincoln's Colby Glenn and Clinton's Brock Wilson went toe-to-toe over five innings. Glenn permitted two runs, one was earned, on two hits and with two walks and seven strikeouts across six innings.

Wilson went five innings allowing an unearned run on four hits with three walks and a strikeout. 

Preston Curtis closed out the win for the Maroons with two scoreless innings of relief. The sophomore struck out two, walked three, and allowed a hit.

Brooks Cluver paced Clinton offensively finishing 2-for-4 with two RBIs and a stolen base. Ryne Pine drove in the other Clinton run and Mason Walker collected two hits finishing 2-for-4 with a run scored. 

No Lincoln hitters recorded an RBI. Glenn was 2-for-4 with a double. Drew Hayes was 1-for-3 with a run scored and stole a base. Trey Schilling stole a base for the Railsplitters.

Lincoln had a seven-game winning streak snapped to fall to 15-8 overall. They will host Rantoul on Monday. 

Clinton goes to 18-8 overall. They will host Warrensburg-Latham on Monday.

Rantoul used a five-run fourth inning to pull ahead and then rebounded when Clinton tied the game 9-9 in the top of the fifth inning to take home an 11-9 win in non-conference high school softball action Friday in Rantoul.

Clinton led 7-0 after they hit in the top of the second inning but Rantoul scored the next nine runs to go up 9-7. Clinton answered with two runs in the fifth inning to tie the game but the Lady Eagles got a run back in the fifth and sixth innings and held on the rest of the way.

Despite a big offensive output, Clinton did not record an extra-base hit. Heidi Humble was 2-for-5 with two RBIs, two stolen bases, and two runs scored. Avery Smith was 2-for-4 with an RBI and a run scored. Ashley Armstrong finished 2-for-4 with a run batted in and Hadley Humble drove in a run and stole two bases for the Lady Maroons.

Analise Thompson and Ariana Humes also had RBIs.

Clinton drops to 9-13 overall. They will host Champaign Centennial on Monday.

Monticello used a balanced offensive attack to take down Mahomet-Seymour 6-4 in non-conference high school baseball action from Monticello Friday afternoon.

Ike Young struck out five in six innings of two-run ball. One run was earned. The junior walked one and permitted five hits. Brody Beilledo tossed a scoreless inning of relief to finish off the win.

Young was 1-for-2 with an RBI, a stolen base, and drew a walk. 

Luke Teschke finished 2-for-4 for the only multi-hit effort on the day for the Sages. Matt Swartz doubled in a run while Eli Craft and Raiden Colbert also had RBIs. 

Colton Vance reached base three times on three free passes.

Cam Heinhold had the only RBI for Mahomet-Seymour.

Monticello is 27-2 overall. They will embark on the final week of the regular season by traveling to St. Joseph-Ogden in a makeup game of last week's rainout in Illini Prairie Conference play.

Maroa-Forsyth made quick work of Decatur St. Teresa, rolling to a 17-0 five-inning, run-rule win Friday in Decatur. 

Tate Brandenburg went yard and drove in four runs to pace Maroa-Forsyth's offense. The senior was 2-for-5 with four RBIs and a run scored. Connor Kelly was 2-for-4 with a double, two RBIs, and two runs scored for the Trojans. 

Ace Giles finished 1-for-3 with three RBIs. Kaiden Maurer was 2-for-2 with two RBIs and a run scored.

Rose finished four shutout innings on the mound allowing two hits and struck out six. Maurer struck out two in a perfect inning of relief.

Maroa-Forsyth is 19-4 overall. They will travel to Clinton on Tuesday.

Owen Cavanaugh brought home two runs completing a come-from-behind win in the bottom of the 8th inning for Normal Community as they took down Bloomington High 11-10 Friday afternoon in Big 12 high school baseball from Normal Community High School.

Carter Jackson hit a home run to cap a five-run eighth inning that looked like it put the Purple Raiders in the driver's seat.

Drew Stevens brought in three runs with a double in the inning and Cavanaugh finished the game with his walk-off two-run single.

Cavanaugh finished 2-for-4 with a triple, three RBIs, and scored two runs. Anthony Gura finished 3-for-4 with a double, two RBIs, and a run scored.

Kaileb Hackman was a homer shy of the cycle finishing 4-for-4 with a double, a triple, an RBI, and scored three runs.

Ryan Thiele doubled for the Ironmen.

Ethan Eberle struck out 13 in 6 2/3 innings. The Louisville commit surrendered five runs, four were earned, walking two and permitting six hits.

Jackson paced Bloomington High going 2-for-3 with three RBIs and scored a run. Miggy Espindola doubled for the Purple Raiders. Tyler Dowding and Zach Spidle had two RBIs apiece.

Bloomington is 14-10 overall and 9-6 in the Big 12. They host Washington for a double dip on Saturday before hosting Normal Community again on Monday. 

Normal Community is 25-3 overall and 13-0 in the Big 12. They take on Andrew (Tinley Park) on Saturday for a doubleheader before traveling to Bloomington High on Monday.

Argenta-Oreana blanked Clinton 2-0 in a pitcher's duel Wednesday afternoon in non-conference high school baseball action from Argenta.

Dylan Ragsdale fired 5 1/3 scoreless innings permitting three hits, four walks, and struck out eight.

Jack Manning went six innings allowing two unearned runs on five hits with two walks. 

A run-scoring single and a run-scoring double play were the only runs manufactured by the Bombers on Wednesday and both came in the first two innings.

Mason Walker was 1-for-1 with two walks, Ryne Pine and Jack Manning had the other two hits for Clinton. Brooks Cluver and Pine drew walks on Wednesday.

The Maroons drop to 17-8 overall. They travel to Lincoln on Friday.

Clinton drew the fifth seed in its Regional and will Class 2A postseason play in the Monticello Regional taking on fourth-seeded Tri-Valley on Thursday, May 16 at 4:30 pm.

Ike Young and Luke Teschke hit home runs backing three pitchers who tossed a three-hit shutout as Monticello blanked Tuscola 10-0 in a run-rule, five-inning win Wednesday in non-conference high school baseball action from the Wilkey Complext in Monticello.

Young and Teschke hit two-run home runs in a five-run first inning, setting the tone early for the Sages.

Jacob Long had an RBI single in the frame.

Koyie Williams added an RBI on a ground out in the second and Raiden Colbert singled in a run in the third.

Carter Foran struck out four in three scoreless innings. Jacob Long struck out two and Raiden Colbert struck out the side as each fired an inning of relief.

Teschke was 2-for-2 adding a double and scored another run. Colbert was 1-for-2 with a double and run scored. Dylan Brown tripled and scored a run for the Sages.

Monticello is 25-2 overall. They host Rantoul this afternoon. 

The Sages drew the top seed in its Sectional and will take on the winner of Warrensburg-Latham and Olympia in Regional semifinal action on Wednesday, May 15 in Monticello. 

In a game heard on WEZC and online at dewittdailynews.com, Monticello capitalized on Maroa-Forsyth mistakes and came away with a 9-3 win Wednesday in non-conference high school softball action from the Wilkey Complex in Monticello. 

An error and two wild pitches allowed the Sages to scratch a run across in the first inning on a ground out. 

Monticello broke the game open in the third inning with a five-run inning to go up 6-0. It was highlighted by a two-run single from Reese Patton.

Maroa-Forsyth would get three runs on the board in the fifth inning. After breezing through the first four innings, Lady Sages sophomore hurler Cassidee Stoeffel walked two straight to start the inning then after a ground out, walked the next batter. 

With the bases loaded and one out, Aubrey Stewart doubled in two. Then Danni Hovey singled in a run. 

Monticello got those three runs back in its half of the fifth highlighted by an Isa Beery double and a two-run single from Lynnsee Trybom. Patton added an RBI groundout.

Despite some struggles late, Stoeffel finished the game allowing three runs in seven innings. She walked four, allowed five hits, and struck out three. 

Thea Key and Beery were 2-for-3 with doubles, and two runs scored. Patton was 1-for-2 with three RBIs.

Patton earned the ServPro of Piatt/DeWitt Counties Player of the Game.

Maroa-Forsyth falls to 9-8 overall while Monticello moves to 15-12. The Lady Sages host Rantoul this afternoon. 

Maroa-Forsyth is the seventh seed in its Sectional. They will begin postseason play by taking on Bloomington Central Catholic on Monday, May 13. The winner takes on Meridian from the Normal U-High Regional.

Monticello is the fifth seed in its Sectional and will open Regional play by taking on Tolono Unity from the St. Joseph-Ogden Regional starting Wednesday, May 15. 

A run-scoring error allowed Arcola to take down Blue Ridge 3-2 Wednesday in Lincoln Prairie Conference high school softball action in Arcola. 

Ellie Schlieper allowed three unearned runs for Blue Ridge. She permitted three hits, four walks, and struck out five. 

Kacie Sisk struck out 13 across seven innings of two-run ball for the Lady Purple Raiders. 

Schlieper added an RBI at the play for Blue Ridge. Karlee Fenton drove in the other run for the Lady Knights. She also stole a base. 

Cassie Zimmerman was 1-for-3 with a stolen base and a run scored for Blue Ridge. Addison Roos had two stolen bases. 

Blue Ridge is 7-13 overall and 1-6 in the Lincoln Prairie Conference. They are off until next Wednesday when they travel to Bethany-Okaw Valley for more Lincoln Prairie action. 

Blue Ridge drew the eighth seed in its Sectional and will open postseason play by hosting Decatur St. Teresa on Monday, May 13 in Farmer City in Regional quarterfinal action.

A five-run fifth inning helped Maroa-Forsyth get by Tri-Valley 8-6 in non-conference high school baseball action from Forsyth Wednesday.

The five-run fifth inning answered a five-run fourth inning by Tri-Valley, helping the Trojans go up 8-6 after trailing 6-3 going to the bottom of the fifth.

Connor Kelly was 2-for-2 with a double and two RBIs to lead the Trojans offense. Andy Munjoy was 1-for-2 with two RBIs. Zayn Giles went 2-for-4 with an RBI while Mitch Williams and Ace Giles added RBIs for Maroa-Forsyth.

The Trojans improve to 18-3 overall. They host Mt. Zion this afternoon.

Maroa-Forsyth drew the third seed in its Sectional and will take on the winner of Bloomington Central Catholic and Prairie Central to open Regional action Wednesday, May 15 from Bloomington Central Catholic. 

Mt. Pulaski used a pair of four-run frames to roll Athens 10-0 in Tomahawk Conference high school baseball action Wednesday in Mt. Pulaski. 

Landon Smith paced the Hilltoppers going 2-for-4 with a double and three RBIs. Colt Selinger drove in three runs while Liam Smith finished 2-for-3 with a double.

Aaron Volle was 1-for-3 with two RBIs while Tyler Cross also drove in a run for the Hilltoppers. 

Luke Martin struck out 11 across six innings of shutout ball. He permitted five hits and two walks.

The Hilltoppers go to 20-1 overall and 2-0 in the Tomahawk Conference. They are at Illini Bluffs this afternoon. 

Mt. Pulaski is the top seed in its Sectional. They open postseason play by taking on the winner of a Regional quarterfinal matchup between Decatur Unity Christian and Cerro Gordo-Bement on Wednesday, May 15 from the Decatur St. Teresa Regional. 

Normal U-High scored four runs in the top of the seventh inning and rallied past Normal Community 6-4 in non-conference high school baseball action from Normal on Wednesday.

Charlie Vercruysse hit a solo shot to start the scoring for the Pioneers in the seventh. A two-run error and then a Will Paxson RBI single was the extent of the damage for U-High. 

Vercruysse, a Notre Dame commit, was a triple short of the cycle going 3-for-4 with a a double, an RBI, and two runs scored. Max Willie, Lawson Shickel, and Paxson added RBIs for U-High. Max Heineman was 2-for-4. 

Ryan Theile was 1-for-3 with an RBI to lead Normal Community. Kyle Beaty was 2-for-3 with a double and run scored and Owen Cavanaugh finished 1-for-3 with a double.

Normal U-High 20-6 overall. They will travel to Decatur MacArthur this afternoon. The Pioneers are the second seed in its Sectional. They will meet the winner of Tremont and Dee-Mack to start Regional play on Wednesday, May 15 from the Bloomington Central Catholic Regional.

Normal Community is 24-3 overall. They will host Bloomington High on Friday. 

Alex Olson singled in Blake Crancer giving Normal West a thrilling, walk-off win 4-3 over Peoria Notre Dame Wednesday in Big 12 high school baseball action in Normal.

Peoria Notre Dame jumped out to a 3-0 in the top of the first inning but Normal West chipped away after that. Crancer tripled in two runs in the fifth inning. Jaxson Crancer doubled in Brady Hart in the sixth inning after the Wildcats played a little small ball to move Hart into scoring position.

Sam Beirne went six innings allowing three runs on two hits with four walks and three strikeouts. Taylor Hafermann picked up the win with a scoreless inning of relief for Normal West. 

Blake Crancer finished 1-for-3 with a triple, two RBIs, a stolen base, and a run scored. Sam DesCarpentrie was 1-for-3 for Normal West.

Normal West is 14-11 overall and 9-5 in Big 12 action. They will host Peoria Richwoods Friday afternoon in more Big 12 action.

Illinois State fell 11-1 to Western Illinois on Wednesday at Duffy Bass Field in seven innings.

The Leathernecks (11-30 overall) scored six early runs in the first two innings and never surrendered the lead.

Illinois State (21-22 overall) saw sophomore Luke Lawrence finish 2-for-4 as he would be the lone Redbird with multiple hits. Lawrence's on-base streak moves to 29 games, the longest by a Redbird this season.

Illinois State is scheduled to host Southern Illinois at Duffy Bass Field in a three-game series starting Friday.

Mason Walker struck out 15 across six scoreless innings and Clinton beat Central A&M 4-0 in Central Illinois Conference high school baseball action from Moweaqua Tuesday.

Walker allowed two hits and walked three. The senior was backed by an RBI double from Brooks Cluver. Colton Walker and Jack Manning drove in runs as well for the Maroons.

Ryne Pine and Aiden Toohill added hits. 

Clinton goes to 17-7 overall and 7-2 in the Central Illinois Conference. They travel to Argenta-Oreana today (Wednesday).

The Maroons also learned Tuesday they will be in the fifth seed in its subsectional as a part of the Millikin Sectional. Postseason seedings come out today.

Gwyn Hardimon allowed two unearned runs and Central A&M took down Clinton 13-2 in a run-rule, five-inning win Tuesday in Central Illinois Conference high school softball action from Moweaqua.

Hardimon struck out eight, walked three, and permitted three hits.

Brooke Reeves was 2-for-3 with a double and two runs scored to lead Clinton. Heidi Humble drove in a run and walked twice. Aliviyah Haynes finished 1-for-2.

Clinton drops to 9-12 overall and 3-6 in the Central Illinois Conference. They are at Argenta-Oreana this afternoon.

Marrissa Miller and Isa Beery drove in two runs apiece to back a complete game effort by Reese Patton and Monticello beat Sullivan 7-1 in non-conference high school softball action from Monticello Tuesday.

Beery drove in two runs on a triple finishing 1-for-3 with a run scored. Miller was 2-for-4 with two RBIs, a stolen base, and a scored a run. 

Patton went seven brilliant innings allowing an unearned run. The senior struck out two, walked one and permitted five hits. 

Sadie Walsh was 2-for-3 with a double and scored a run at the top of the order while Thea Key was 1-for-3 with an RBI, a stolen base, and scored twice.

Cassidee Stoeffel had two hits for Monticello. Lynsee Trybom added a base hit. 

Monticello goes to 14-12 overall. They host Maroa-Forsyth this afternoon. Hear today's action on 95.9 FM WEZC and online at dewittdailynews.com.

Tate Brandenburg's two-run double broke a 5-5 tie in the top of the seventh inning propelling Maroa-Forsyth past Riverton in a thrilling 8-5 Sangamo Conference high school baseball game Tuesday in Riverton.

The Hawks used a two-run inning in the bottom of the sixth inning to tie the game up. The Hawks rallied to a tie twice but could never take the lead. 

Brandenburg's double was followed by a Zayn Giles RBI single and Kaiden Maurer finished off the win in the bottom half of the inning for Maroa-Forsyth. 

Brandenburg's seventh-inning double was his second of the game. The senior finished 3-for-5 with two RBIs and scored twice. 

Giles was 3-for-4 with an RBI while Mitch Williams and Maurer had two hits apice, including a double apiece and each scored two runs. 

Connor Kelly drove in two runs for the Trojans.

Maurer struck out four, and allowed a run on two hits in an 1 2/3 of relief for the win.

Maroa-Forsyth jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the top of the first. Riverton answered with three runs in the bottom of the second but the Trojans went right back on top in the top of the third with two more runs.

The score remained 5-3 until Riverton tied the game in the bottom of the sixth inning.

Maroa-Forsyth is 17-3 overall. They are 6-2 in the Sangamo. They host Tri-Valley this afternoon.

Lincoln easily dispatched Decatur Eisenhower 15-0 in a run-rule, five-inning win Tuesday in Central State Eight Conference high school baseball action in Lincoln.

Jarrett Evers led the way for the Railsplitters going 2-for-3 with a triple, three RBIs, two stolen bases, and two runs scored. Colby Glenn was 1-for-2 with two RBIs, a stolen base and scored two runs.

Trey Schilling doubled and scored a run while Michael Lucas, Brendan Wurth, Wes Tedrick, and Karson Komnick drove in runs.

Werth stole three bases. Tedrick, Lucas, and Komnick had stolen bases as well.

Dyllan Ferguson struck out six in four scoreless innings of one-hit ball. 

Lincoln is 13-7 overall and 4-3 in the Central State Eight. They will travel to New Berlin this afternoon.

Illinois baseball (26-15) got back into the win column with an emphatic 21-11 run-rule victory, in seven innings, over No. 24 Indiana State (31-10) at Illinois Field Tuesday.

Ryan Moerman went 4-for-5 at the plate with three home runs and nine RBI. Cal Hejza also had a multi-home run performance, going 2-for-5 with two home runs and three RBI. 

Connor Milton delivered the walk-off win with a solo blast to center to cap a 2-for-3 a double, home run, one RBI and two walk performance. 

The Illini slugged a total of seven home runs in the ballgame, their fifth game of the season with at least five round-trippers.

Jake Swartz picked up the victory out of the bullpen to improve to 2-2 on the season. The right-hander went 3.0 innings, giving up three runs on four hits and striking out two. Korey Bunselmeyer turned in a scoreless seventh inning, retiring all three batters on groundouts.

Coltin Quagliano went 3-for-4 with a home run, three RBI and a walk - extended his career-best hitting streak to 20 games. Camden Janik went 2-for-3 with 2-for-3 with four runs and two walks. 

Illinois Hosts Ohio State this weekend. 

Iowa beat Illinois State 8-7 on Tuesday at Duane Banks Field, thanks to a late-inning comeback for the Hawkeyes with six runs across the 6th and 7th innings.

Illinois State (21-21 overall) was led by sophomore Daniel Pacella, who went 2-for-4 with two RBIs.

Iowa improves to 25-17 overall including 17-3 at home this season.

Trailing 2-0, Illinois State scored the game's next five runs with three in the 3rd inning, one in the 5th, and one in the 6th. Two of the five runs for the Redbirds came off an RBI single by Pacella in the 3rd inning.

The Redbirds would rally late as senior Auggie Rasmussen sent out his 10th home run of 2024 in the top of the 9th to make it an 8-7 game, but it would not be enough for the win.

Illinois State is scheduled to host Western Illinois at Duffy Bass Field on Wednesday.

In a game heard on WHOW, Max Kepler drove in the tiebreaking run in the ninth inning for the second straight game, this time with a sacrifice fly, and the Minnesota Twins won their ninth in a row, 6-5 over the Chicago White Sox on Tuesday night.

The Twins extended their longest win streak since a 10-game run in June 2008. They also won their seventh in a row against the White Sox and put themselves in position to sweep Chicago again after taking four games at Target Field last week, though this one certainly wasn’t easy.

Chicago’s Andrew Benintendi homered leading off the eighth to tie it at 5 after Minnesota scored twice in the top half. But the Twins pulled it out in the ninth.

Danny Mendick gave Chicago a 4-2 lead with a two-run homer against reliever Kody Funderburk in the fifth inning.

Benintendi tied it when he led off against Cole Sands with his third homer. Mendick doubled, but Robbie Grossman struck out. Thielbar then retired Korey Lee on a pop fly and Nicky Lopez on a grounder.

The White Sox are a major league-worst 6-24 overall and 2-17 against the AL Central.

Chicago had 12 hits but was 2 for 11 with men in scoring position. The White Sox stranded nine runners.

Soroka gave up two runs and three hits in 4 1/3 innings. The right-hander has a 6.48 ERA through seven starts.

The three-game series wraps up with RHP Bailey Ober (2-1, 4.21 ERA) pitching for Minnesota and RHP Chris Flexen (1-3, 5.11) getting the ball for Chicago. Ober has a 1.48 ERA in four starts since getting pounded in a loss at Kansas City on March 31. Flexen threw five scoreless innings in a win over Tampa Bay last week.

311 schools have teams entered in this year's IHSA bass fishing state tournament series. There are 25 sectionals around the state this Thursday with anglers trying to get to the state finals later this month at Carlyle Lake says the IHSA's Kurt Gibson.

This marks the 15th year for the IHSA State Tournament Series in Bass Fishing.

 Jack Flaherty tied an American League record with seven straight strikeouts to open a game and struck out a career-high 14 before the St. Louis Cardinals rallied against a usually reliable bullpen with a two-run ninth inning to beat the Detroit Tigers 2-1 in a doubleheader opener Tuesday.

Pitching against his first big league team, Flaherty kept the Cardinals off balance and flailing at four-seam fastballs and knuckle-curveballs.

Riley Green hit a fourth-inning home run off Kyle Gibson.

Nolan Arenado, Paul Goldschmidt and Alec Burleson had one-out singles in the ninth, with Burleson's driving in the tying run off Shelby Miller (3-3). Pedro Pages followed with a go-ahead sacrifice fly.

Matthew Liberatore (1-1) struck out two in a 1-2-3 eighth, and Ryan Helsley fanned two in a perfect ninth for his 10th save in as many chances.

Gibson, though, made the comeback possible by holding Detroit to one run on four hits over seven innings.

Wenceel Pérez hit homers from both sides of the plate, including a tiebreaking blast in the fifth inning, to help the Detroit Tigers beat the St. Louis Cardinals 11-6 Tuesday night to split a doubleheader.

The Tigers went ahead again in the second game and pulled away with a four-run seventh.

Perez hit a right-handed, opposite-field solo shot in the second inning off Steven Matz and a left-handed, two-run homer against Ryan Fernandez to put Detroit ahead 7-5.

The 24-year-old Dominican became the first rookie to clear the fences for the franchise hitting right and left-handed in the same game since Raúl Casanova in 1996, and the first Tiger with any level of experience to do it since Victor Martinez in 2018.

Perez hit a homer for the first time in the majors on Sunday in his 16th game.

Cardinals RHP Miles Mikolas (2-3, 5.91 ERA) and Tigers RHP Kenta Maeda (0-1, 5.96) are scheduled to pitch in the series finale on Wednesday afternoon.

DJ Stewart hit a tiebreaking three-run homer in the sixth inning Tuesday night, lifting the New York Mets to a 4-2 win over the Chicago Cubs.

Stewart had just three hits in his previous 23 at-bats before sending a no-doubt drive into the second deck in right field against Adbert Alzolay (1-3) to give New York a 4-1 lead.

With the arrival of designated hitter J.D. Martinez last week and the return Tuesday of right fielder Starling Marte from the bereavement list, Stewart's roster spot could have been in jeopardy. But the Mets hung onto the left-handed batter, and he certainly delivered against the Cubs.

All three runs against Alzolay were unearned due to a throwing error by Gold Glove shortstop Dansby Swanson. First baseman Patrick Wisdom also made a throwing error in the first, leading to Pete Alonso’s sacrifice fly.

Sean Reid-Foley (1-0) tossed a hitless sixth. Jorge López earned his second save after giving up a run in the ninth, when Mike Tauchman doubled and scored on a groundout by pinch-hitter Matt Mervis.

Miguel Amaya had a sacrifice fly for the Cubs in the second.

Chicago starter Javier Assad and Mets counterpart Sean Manaea each allowed one run in five innings. The teams were hitless in six plate appearances with runners in scoring position against the starters.

Cubs LHP Shota Imanaga (4-0, 0.98 ERA) looks to continue the historic start to his career Wednesday night, when he opposes Mets RHP José Buttó (0-1, 2.86) in the third game of the four-game series. Imanaga is the first pitcher since 1901 to open his career 4-0 with a sub-1.00 ERA and at least 28 strikeouts in his first five starts.