Local Sports

HS Baseball: Clinton Rolls Bloomington Cornerstone Christian Academy

The Clinton Maroons bats were cooking again on Saturday in an easy 19-1 win over Bloomington Cornerstone Christian Academy in non-conference high school boys baseball action in Bloomington.

 

Colton Walker paced the Maroons' offense going 3-for-4 with four RBIs, two stolen bases and two runs scored. Josh Bass was 3-for-4 with three RBIs and two runs scored. Ryan Pine and Jon Smock drove in two runs for Clinton. Smock had a double and drew a walk. 

 

Jack Manning struck out eight in three scoreless innings. The sophomore allowed a hit and a walk. 

 

Since its opening-day loss to Delavan, the Maroons have rattled off three wins in a row to go to 3-1 overall. They are back home Tuesday afternoon hosting Mahomet-Seymour. 

HS Baseball: Monticello Sweeps Two in Southern Illinois

Luke Teschke hit a go-ahead three-run home run in the sixth inning of the second game of Monticello's Saturday double-dip, propelling them to a 7-2 win over Waterloo from Southern Illinois.

 

With Monticello down 2-0 in the sixth inning, Teschke's home run started a seven-run inning for the Sages. The senior Illinois State committ struck out 13 in six innings of two-run ball - one run was earned. Teschke allowed a hit and two walks.

 

Brody Billedo finished off the game with a scoreless inning of relief. 

 

Matt Swartz, Koyie Williams, and Raiden Colbert drove in runs in the seven-run frame as Monticello finished off a 3-0 weekend in southern Illinois.

 

In the first game Saturday, Monticello rolled past Murphysboro 10-0 in six innings thanks to another explosive inning. 

 

The Sages led 3-0 headed to the top of the sixth and scored seven runs to go up 10-0.

 

Carter Foran was 2-for-4 with two RBIs and two runs scored for the Sages. Eli Craft was 2-for-3 with two RBIs and Colton Vance was 2-for-3 with an RBI and a run. 

 

Swartz and Williams scored twice in the first contest Saturday for Monticello. Dylan Brown, Ike Young, and Teschke added RBIs as well.

 

Young went five innings of shutout ball. The junior allowed two hits and walked two while striking out three. 

 

Monticello is 5-0 on the season and returns home to take on Arthur-Lovington-Atwood-Hammond on Tuesday afternoon. Hear Tuesday's action on 95.9 FM WEZC and online at dewittdailynews.com.

HS Baseball: Maroa-Forsyth Rolls Champaign St. Thomas More

The Maroa-Forsyth Trojans offense started fast Saturday and never let up as they rolled to a 19-2, five-inning win over Champaign St. Thomas More in Champaign in non-conference high school boy's baseball action Saturday.

 

Zayn Giles was 4-for04 with three RBIs and three runs scored. Andy Munjoy was 3-for-5 with a double, four RBIs, and a run scored. Miles Leach was 3-for-5 with a double, three RBIs, and a pair of runs scored. Connor Kelly was 1-for-3 with three RBIs, a double, and two runs scored. Kaiden Maurer was 1-for-4 with two runs scored and Mitch Williams was 2-for-3 with four runs scored. 

 

Tate Brandenburg, Cayden Rose, and Ace Giles also drove in runs for Maroa-Forsyth. 

 

Kelly struck out seven in five innings for the Trojans. He allowed two unearned runs and two hits. 

 

Maroa-Forsyth is 4-0 on the season. They will host Mt. Zion today.

HS Baseball: Normal Community Takes Two in Belleville

The Normal Community Ironmen had a strong showing in a showcase tournament in Belleville this weekend with a 2-0 win over Belleville East and an 11-0 win over Moline.

 

Brady Bengston struck out 11 in five no-hit innings. The 6-foot-6 senior allowed just a walk, facing two over the minimum. 

 

Riley Hendren was 2-for-4 with an RBI for Normal Community. Sal Gura drove in the other run for the Ironmen.

 

In its 11-1 win over Moline, Ryan Theile was 2-for-2 with a pair of RBIs and a pair of walks. Brady Burkhart was 1-for-4 with a pair of RBIs and Lucas Drengwitz was 2-for-4 with a pair of runs scored. 

 

Kaileb Hackman was 1-for-3 with an RBI and scored twice. Owen Cavanaugh and Dexter Niekamp each scored two runs and drove in an RBI.

 

Jake Branch went 3 2/3 innings, allowing a run on four hits with two walks and a strikeout. Hackman struck out five in an 1 1/3 scoreless relief.

 

Normal Community is 4-0 on the season and will return to action for a 4 pm game on Wednesday at Morton High School. 

HS Baseball: Normal West Falls to Lockport

Lockport gradually pulled away from Normal West for a 7-2 win on Saturday in non-conference high school boys baseball action from Normal.

 

The Wildcats were paced by Brady Hart who finished 2-for-3 with an RBI. 

 

Bradyn Whitehead and Ryder Coone stole bases for Normal West who fell to 0-3 on the season. They will host Pekin this afternoon.

Illinois Wins Big Ten Trounament, Secures Three-Seed in NCAA Tournament

Terrence Shannon Jr. scored 34 points on 15-for-17 shooting from the free-throw line, helping 13th-ranked Illinois outlast Wisconsin 93-87 in Big Ten tournament championship game on Sunday.

 

Marcus Domask added 26 points, eight assists and seven rebounds and Dain Dainja had nine points and seven rebounds for the Illini (26-8), who won their second conference tournament title in four years after shooting 16 of 26 in the second half. They faced a double-digit deficit in all three games.

 

A.J. Storr had 24 points and Chucky Hepburn added 20 points for the Badgers (22-13), who went 7 for 20 from 3-point range after going 33 for 79 over their first three games.

 

Shannon finished with 102 points in three games, one short of the Big Ten Tournament record, and was voted the Most Outstanding Player. Keegan Murray had 103 points for Iowa in 2022, but the Hawkeyes played four games that year on the way to the title.

 

After celebrating in a shower of orange-and-blue confetti and cutting down the nets at Target Center, the Illini hustled to a side room for the NCAA Tournament selection show to learn they're the No. 3 seed in the East Region, with a first-round game on Friday against Morehead State.

 

The defending champion Huskies earned the top seed in the NCAA Tournament, joined by Houston,Purdue and North Carolina as No. 1 seeds in a bracket that started going haywire even before the pairings were announced Sunday evening.

Bears Trade Justin Field to Steelers

he Chicago Bears traded Justin Fields to the Pittsburgh Steelers on Saturday night, clearing the way for them to draft a quarterback with the No. 1 overall pick — perhaps USC’s Caleb Williams.

 

The Bears received a 2025 sixth-round draft pick that could potentially become a fourth-rounder in return.

 

Fields figures to back up nine-time Pro Bowler Russell Wilson, who signed a one-year deal with the Steelers on Friday. Pittsburgh also traded Kenny Pickett to the Philadelphia Eagles once it added Wilson.

 

Fields, drafted 11th overall in 2021 by the Bears and former general manager Ryan Pace, struggled as a rookie under former coach Matt Nagy. Though he produced big plays with his legs and arms, he did not develop as a passer the way the team hoped the past two years under Poles and coach Matt Eberflus.

 

Fields completed 578 of 958 passes for 6,674 yards with 40 touchdowns and 30 interceptions in three seasons. He has just one 300-yard passing game in his career.

 

Chicago could have gotten a big haul by trading the No. 1 pick. But it’s not often the historically quarterback-challenged Bears have a chance to draft a prospect such as Williams. The 2022 Heisman Trophy winner is largely expected to be picked first overall after he threw 72 touchdown passes with only 10 interceptions the past two seasons at USC after a year at Oklahoma.

 

The trade of Fields comes two days after the Bears acquired Keenan Allen from the Los Angeles Chargers in their second deal for a star receiver in as many years.

They dealt the No. 1 pick in 2023 to Carolina for DJ Moore last March. The Bears also got the Panthers’ first-rounder this year. And with Carolina finishing a league-worst 2-15 record, Chicago wound up with the No. 1 pick this year.

Denny Hamlin Wins Second Straight at Bristol

Denny Hamlin won the NASCAR Cup Series race at Bristol Motor Speedway on Sunday, passing Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Martin Truex Jr. in the final laps for his fourth victory at the famed short track.

 

Hamlin also won at NASCAR’s bullring last September.

 

This one was much different. Tire issues hampered most everyone all afternoon as only five cars finished on the lead lap — the first time that has happened in the Cup Series in 20 years. The Gibbs cars were the class of the field.

 

It was Hamlin’s 52nd career win and locks him into the playoffs. Brad Keselowski finished third in a Ford, Alex Bowman was fourth in a Chevrolet and Bowman’s Hendrick Motorsports teammate Kyle Larson rounded out the top five.

 

The other two Gibbs cars — driven by Ty Gibbs and Christopher Bell — finished ninth and 10th, respectively.

 

The race was chaotic from the start, with cars burning through tires at such an alarming rate that NASCAR issued each team an extra set. That gave them 11 sets total, including the one used in qualifying.

 

It made for four hours of tire management that put gave control to drivers and crew chiefs. It also led to the most lead changes (54) in NASCAR’s short-track history, breaking the previous mark of 40 set in 1991 at Bristol.

 

NASCAR returned Bristol to “normal” for the first time in four years for the spring race. The track added red clay each of the last three years. Reviews were mixed, and as the novelty wore off, sub-par racing inside the high-banked oval overshadowed any excitement that came with the series running on dirt for the first time since 1970.

 

In an effort to improve the racing and make sure the track had two equal lanes, workers put down a resin-based traction compound through the turns. It was far from perfect.

 

Goodyear felt the need to make a rare statement during the race. Greg Stucker, the tire manufacturer’s director of racing, said a test at Bristol Motor Speedway last year was intended to find a setup that led to more tire wear.

 

But he called Sunday’s outcome “too drastic.”

 

The rubber that was supposed to leave tires and adhere to the racing grooves came off in chunks that looked like shredded cheese. Those loose pieces called “marbles” create a slippery situation around the 0.533-mile track.

 

Part of the culprit may have been the tracks’ decision to put down a new and different traction compound.

 

The series moves to its first road track of the season, with a Sunday race at Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas. 

Blue Ridge softball drops game to Salt Fork

In non-conference action Friday night, Blue Ridge faced off against Salt Fork in a softball match up.

 

The bats were hot for the Salt Fork Storm. The Storm started the game off strong against the Blue Ridge Lady Knights by scoring two runs in the top of the first inning. 

 

The Lady Knights responded with one run across in the bottom of the first inning. 

 

Ellie Schlieper took the mound in a rough outing for the Blue Ridge Lady Knights. Pitching all six innings Schlieper gave up 18 runs off of 18 hits.

 

Cassie Zimmerman was hot for the Lady Knights going 2-4 at the plate toting 3 RBI's and one run scored.

 

The Blue Ridge Lady Knights play next at Armstrong-Potomac on Monday.

Pine Hits Grand Slam in Maroons Victory

In a game Friday night at Evans Field, Clinton defeated Lexington by a score of 11-1 after six innings of play.

 

The bats were hot the majority of the game for the Maroons putting the ball into play twelve times, and sending eleven of those home for a run.

 

Jaxson Goodrich took starting pitching duties for the Lexington Minutemen. The Maroons capitalized on his performance on the mound, scoring ten runs to the tune of ten hits.

 

Offense was shared by the whole team for the maroons, all but one player hitting the ball into play.

 

Ryan Pine went 3-3 with 5 RBI's, four of those courtesy of a grand slam in the bottom of the second inning.

 

Mason Walker went 2-3 at the plate with a double and one RBI.

 

Brooks Cluver took the mound for the Maroons working with a pitch count limit. Cluver pitched the first two innings of play giving up four hits and one earned run to one strikeout and one walk.

 

Mason Walker took over pitching responsibilities for the Maroons finishing out the game, pitching three innings, giving up two walks, but striking out five.

 


The Maroons face off against Cornerstone Christian Academy on Saturday March 16, with a scheduled 11:00AM first pitch.

 

The next home game for the Maroons is against Mahomet-Seymour with first pitch coming at 4:30pm.

HS Baseball: Monticello Rolls Anna-Jonesboro

Luke Teschke homered and drove in four runs, Ike Young drove in four runs and Monticello broke out the bats in its first spring break game in southern Illinois with a 17-5 win over Anna-Jonesboro Friday afternoon.

 

Teschke was 3-for-4 with four RBIs, four runs scored, and a stolen base in addition to the home run. Ike Young was 1-for-4 with four RBIs, a triple, and a run scored. Eli Craft and Jacob Long hit doubles each finishing 2-for-4. Matt Swartz and Koyie Williams drove in runs for the Sages offense.

 

Long started on the mound for the Sages going 2 2/3 innings. The senior southpaw allowed three runs, two were earned, on four three hits with three walks and five strikeouts. 

 

Carter Foran closed out the win going 4 1/3 innings allowing two runs, one was earned, on two hits and four strikeouts to one walk.

 

The Sages are 3-0 on the year. They will battle Murphysboro and Waterloo on Saturday.

HS Softball: Monticello Blanks ALAH

In a game heard on WEZC and online at dewittdailynews.com, the Monticello Lady Sages pulled away late and blanked Arthur-Lovington-Atwood-Hammond 10-0 Friday afternoon in non-conference high school girl's softball action from Monticello.

 

Leading 1-0 in the bottom of the fourth inning, Monticello sent eight batters to the plate and scored four runs highlighted by Lynnsee Trybom and Ali Weidner to go up 5-0.

 

Monticello tacked on two more runs in the fifth inning when Trybom doubled in a run and ended the game with three runs in the sixth inning, capped by Isabella Beery's run-scoring single that ended the game on the 10-run rule.

 

Cassidee Stoeffel pitched six shutout innings allowing four hits and struck out four to zero walks. 

 

Marrissa Miller was 2-for-3 with a pair of doubles and scored twice. Trybom finished 3-for-3 with an RBI and a double. Beery finished 2-for-4 with an RBI and a run scored.

 

Stoeffel's efforts in circle earned her the ServPro of Piatt/DeWitt Counties Player of the Game Friday.

 

Monticello goes to 1-2 on the season. ALAH drops to 1-2.

 

The Lady Sages return to action Saturday morning taking on Fisher. 

 

Hear Monticello sports on WEZC again next week with boys baseball on Tuesday hosting ALAH. First pitch is 4:30 pm.

 

Hear girl's softball action on WEZC next Tuesday, March 26 when the Lady Sages host Decatur St. Teresa.

HS Baseball: Normal Community Tops Metamora

Normal Community used a four-run third inning to top Metamora 7-1 in non-conference high school baseball action Thursday in Normal.

 

Despite rain through the early part of the morning and scattered rain in the afternoon, Thursday's game was able to be played.

 

In a scoreless game, the Ironmen put four runs on the board in the third inning. Ryan Theile was 2-for-3 with a pair of RBIs for Normal.

 

Lucas Drengwitz doubled in a run off the bench for the Ironmen. Riley Hendren was 1-for-2 with an RBI, a run scored, and a walk.

 

Kaileb Hackman and Gavin Borne had RBIs for Normal.

 

Four pitchers combined to limit Metamora to one run. Luke Klunke got the start went three shutout innings allowing two hits, two walks, and striking out two. Lucas Beaty struck out five in two scoreless innings of relief while Reid Johnson closed out the win allowing a run on three hits, a walk, and struck out three.

 

Normal is 2-0 on the season. The Ironmen are in action Saturday for a twin bill Belleville taking on Moline at 12:15 and then Belleville at 2:30 pm.

Bears Trade for WR Keenan Allen

Keenan Allen - the Los Angeles Chargers longest-tenured player - was traded to the Chicago Bears for a fourth-round pick.

 

Allen is going into the final season of a four-year extension he signed in 2020. The veteran wide receiver declined to take a pay cut or restructure his contract.

 

Allen’s salary cap number for the upcoming season is $34.7 million, including a $5 million roster bonus due on Sunday. He restructured his contract last season, with most of his base salary converted to a roster bonus to give the Chargers more flexibility.

 

The Bears went 7-10 in their third straight losing season and haven’t finished above .500 since going 12-4 to capture the NFC North championship in 2018. But they sent a strong signal that they’re ready to start winning with their second trade for a star receiver in as many years.

 

They acquired DJ Moore from Carolina for the No. 1 pick in 2023. He set career highs with 96 receptions, 1,364 yards and eight touchdowns.

 

Allen is one piece of what has been a busy offseason retailoring the offense. Shane Waldron was hired as offensive coordinator while running back D’Andre Swift and tight end Gerald Everett were added in free agency.

 

Allen has spent his entire 11-year career with the Chargers. He is second in franchise history in receptions (904) and receiving yards (10,530).

 

Since entering the league in 2013, Allen is third in receptions, sixth in yards and tied for 10th in receiving touchdowns with 59.

 

Allen was leading the NFL in receptions through Week 14 last season, but he missed the final four games due to an ankle injury. He finished sixth with 108 receptions and 11th in yards with 1,243.

 

The question now is who will be throwing to Allen and Moore? The Bears have to decide if they’ll stick with Justin Fields or take Caleb Williams with the No. 1 overall pick.

 

Fields, drafted 11th overall in 2021 by the Bears under former general manager Ryan Pace, struggled as a rookie with former coach Matt Nagy. He has not developed as a passer the way the team hoped the past two years under coach Matt Eberflus and GM Ryan Poles.

 

Allen has eclipsed 100 catches five times in his career, one of six players in league history to accomplish that feat.

 

By adding a fourth-round pick (No. 110 overall) from the Bears, the Chargers will have nine draft picks in next month’s NFL draft.

Clippers Down Bulls

Paul George made six 3-pointers and scored 28 points, Kawhi Leonard added 27 and Los Angeles beat the Chicago Bulls 126-111 on Thursday night.

 

Los Angeles regrouped after a 20-point lead late in the third quarter dwindled to eight in the fourth and stopped a two-game skid, beating Chicago for the second time in six days. Both teams were missing key players with the Clippers’ James Harden (strained left shoulder) and the Bulls’ Coby White (sore right hip) sidelined. But with George and Leonard leading the way, the Clippers had enough to come away with the win.

 

George made 11 of 12 from the field and was one shy of a season-high in making 6 of 7 3's. The Clippers were 20 of 40 from beyond the arc.

 

George also had seven assists and just one turnover, with the Bulls double-teaming him and Leonard.

 

Norman Powell scored 18 points. Bones Hyland added 17 points and a career-high 11 assists while matching a personal best with four steals for the Clippers, who are fourth in the Western Conference.

 

DeMar DeRozan led Chicago with 21 points after scoring a season-high 46 in Wednesday’s overtime win at Indiana. The Bulls have lost three of four.

 

Nikola Vucevic scored 19 for Chicago. Alex Caruso made five 3s and finished with 17 points after scoring a season-high 23 the previous night, and Andre Drummond scored 15.

 

The Bulls host Washington on Saturday.

NASCAR Heads to World's Fast Half-Mile

Bell surged into the lead and pulled away for the victory at Phoenix after Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Martin Truex Jr. was forced to pit for tires and fuel.

 

The NASCAR trucks and cup series return to Bristol Motor Speedway as the spring race returns to its roots on the concrete after having been used as a dirt track the last three years.

 

Bell started fourth and won on the dirt last year at Bristol. He led the final 41 laps and gave Toyota its first victory of the year in the top series following three consecutive wins by Chevrolet. He’s the fourth different winner in as many races this year and the eighth different winner in the last eight races at the track. 

 

Chris Buescher finished second, Ty Gibbs was third for his career-best finish, Brad Keselowski and Ryan Blaney rounded out the top five. 

 

JGR cars led 230 of the 312 laps with Denny Hamlin out front for 68, Ty Gibbs for 57, Truex for 55 and Bell for 50.

 

Practice and qualifying is at 4 pm on Saturday afternoon with race time at 2:30 pm on Sunday.

 

Rajah Caruth became the third Black driver to win in one of NASCAR’s three national series, winning after starting on the pole at Las Vegas in last week's Craftsman Truck Series race.

 

Caruth joined Hall of Famer Wendell Scott and Bubba Wallace as Black drivers to win in one of NASCAR’s top three series. He led 38 laps and finished 0.851 seconds ahead of Tyler Ankrum. 

 

It was the second consecutive victory for Spire Motorsports, formerly owned by Kyle Busch, who won the previous race at Atlanta. 

 

Ty Majeski led a race-high 40 of the 134 laps and swept the first two stages, but penalties cost him and Daytona winner Nick Sanchez.

 

Practice and qualifying is on Saturday at 2 pm and race time is on Saturday at 7 pm.

 

Chandler Smith moved to the lead after a blown tire cost Justin Allgaier a big lead and got a huge jump on an overtime restart to hold off Jesse Love and Sheldon Creed at Phoenix, giving Toyota its second straight victory in the series. The XFinity Series returns for next week's race at COTA in Austin, Texas. 

HS Baseball: Clinton Doubles Up Heyworth

In a game heard on WHOW and at dewittdailynews.com, Preston Curtis got Clinton out of a tough spot in the fifth inning and preserved a 4-2 Maroons win over Heyworth in non-conference baseball action from Evans Field at Clinton High School Wednesday afternoon.

 

With the Maroons up 4-2, Curtis came on in relief of starting pitcher Brock Wilson with runners on first and second, and one out. Curtis hit the first batter he faced to load the bases then struck out the two to get out of the jam. 

 

Curtis got through the next two innings to close out the win and Clinton picked up its first win of the season.

 

Josh Bass drove in two runs with a double, finishing 1-for-2 with a walk. Jack Manning and Mason Walker had RBIs for Clinton. Brooks Cluver was 1-for-3 with an infield single.

 

Mason Walker and Colton Walker each made highlight-reel diving catches in the outfield Wednesday. Colton Walker's diving catch in the seventh inning closed out the win for the Maroons.

 

It was Heyworth's season opener as the Hornets fell to 0-1 overall.

 

Clinton is 1-1 on the season and takes on Lexington on Friday afternoon.

HS Softball: Clinton Rolls Cerro Gordo-Bement

Clinton broke out the bats again Wednesday and rolled to a 16-0 win over Cerro Gordo-Bement in non-conference high school softball action Wednesday in Cerro Gordo.

 

Heidi Humble and Avery Smith drove in two runs apiece for the Lady Maroons. Brooke Reeves was 2-for-3 with three runs scored at the top of the Clinton lineup. Ashley Armstrong was 3-for-4 with a run scored and two runs batted in for Clinton.

 

The Lady Maroons did not strike out in the contest on Wednesday.

 

They go to 2-0 on the season. Clinton travels to Lexington on Friday.

HS Baseball: Monticello Blanks Villa Grove

Monticello scored nine runs over the final three frames and ran away from Villa Grove 13-1 in non-conference high school boys baseball action from Villa Grove Wednesday.

 

Hayden Romano threw four innings of one-run ball for the Sages. The sophomore struck out six, walked two, and permitted two hits. 

 

Matt Swartz and Dylan Brown combined for three shutout innings to preserve the win for Monticello.

 

Jacob Long paced the Sages' offense going 2-for-5 with a double and four RBIs. Carter Foran, Colton Vance, and Luke Tehschke drove in two runs apiece for Monticello. Brian Wittgren, Eli Craft, and Teschke all hit doubles for Monticello. 

 

Leading 4-1 going to the fifth inning, Monticello added two runs in the fifth to increase its lead to 6-1. The Sages would add four runs in the sixth inning and three more in the seventh. 

 

Monticello goes to 2-0 on the season. The Sages travel south for its annual spring break trip to southern Illinois this weekend starting with Anna-Jonesboro on Friday and Murphysboro on Saturday. 

HS Baseball: Maroa-Forsyth Blanks Tuscola

Zayn Giles paced a balanced Maroa-Forsyth offensive attack on Wednesday as the Trojans rolled Tuscola 10-0 in six innings in high school baseball action in Forsyth.

 

Giles was 3-for-4 with an RBI and two runs scored. Mitch Williams was 2-for-4 with a double, a run scored, and an RBI while Cayden Rose drove in two runs with a double going 2-for-3 with a run scored for the Trojans. Andy Munjoy was 1-for-4 with an RBI double. 

 

Tate Bradenburg struck out eight in four scoreless innings on the mound for the Trojans. Munjoy struck out four and walked two in two scoreless, hitless innings to close out the win. 

 

Maroa-Forsyth is 3-0 on the season. The Trojans host Argenta-Oreana this afternoon. 

HS Baseball: Mt. Pulaski Topples North Mac

Mt. Pulaski's offense picked up where it left off the last several seasons and rolled to a season-opening 16-0, five-inning win over North Mac on Wednesday in non-conference baseball action in Virden.

 

Liam Smith paced the Hilltoppers offense going 2-for-2 with a double, four runs scored, and a run driven in. Luke Martin finished 1-for-3 with a double and two runs batted in. Chance Payne was 2-for-3 with a triple and four RBIs. 

 

Payne started on the mound for the Hilltoppers going 2 1/3 innings allowing three runs, two were earned, on two hits, issued four walks, and struck out five.

 

Landon Smith and Eric Cooper combined for the final 2 2/3 innings of shutout ball to close out the win. 

 

The Hilltoppers are 1-0 on the season. They will host Central A&M on Monday of next week. 

HS Baseball: Normal Community Rolls in Season Opener

Ryan Theile hit a three-run home run and three Normal Community pitchers combined for one-run, one-hit ball as the Ironmen rolled Pekin 12-1 in five innings of the Ironmen's season opener Wednesday in high school baseball action in Pekin.

 

Josh Eisfelder had a two-run pinch-hit double and Reid Johnson had a two-run, pinch-hit base hit off the bench for Normal. 

 

Owen Cavanaugh was 2-for-3 with two runs scored and an RBI for the Ironmen while Brady Burkhart was 2-for-3 with a run scored and run batted in. 

 

Brady Bengsten went two innings of one-hit, shutout ball on the mound. The senior struck out six in two innings of work. Parker Michels struck out five in two perfect innings of relief to close out the win for Normal Community. 

 

The Ironmen are 1-0 on the season and host Metamora today at 4:30 pm.

HS Baseball: Rochester Doubles Up Normal West

Rochester doubled up Normal West 10-5 in the Wildcats season-opener in high school baseball action from Rochester Wednesday afternoon. 

 

Trent Durham paced the Wildcats' offense going 2-for-3 with a run driven in and a run scored. 

 

Bradyn Whitehead doubled and scored twice while Blake Crancer, Sean Jenkins, and Jaxson Crancer each drove in runs for Normal West. 

 

The Wildcats fall to 0-1 on the season. Normal West looks to get in the win column when they visit Troy-Triad on Friday. 

Illinois State Rolls Indiana

Auggie Rasmussen hit two home runs in Illinois State baseball's 16-6 seven-inning win over Indiana on Wednesday at Bart Kaufman Field.

 

Rasmussen's pair of blasts plated five of nine runs for Illinois State in the 2nd inning as the Redbirds (6-8 overall) pounded out 15 hits.

 

Judah Morris tallied three hits, four RBIs, and two runs while Daniel Pacella had two hits with three RBIs and two runs scored.

 

Morris cleared the bases for the Redbirds with an RBI double as he came around to score a few pitches later, making it 14-0.

 

 JT Sokolove tallied the fourth home run of the afternoon, sending one out to the Indiana bullpen.

 

Illinois State is scheduled to play Friday-Sunday at UT Martin.

HS Baseball: Maroa-Forsyth Rolls Meridian

Ace Giles hit a home run, and Cayden Rose struck out nine in five scoreless innings as Maroa-Forsyth rolled to a 16-0 win over Meridian Tuesday in non-conference high school baseball action from Meridian.

 

Giles finished 2-for-4 with a pair of RBIs, four runs scored, and doubled in addition to his home run. Kaiden Maurer reached base four times going 2-for-2 with three RBIs, two runs scored and two walks.

 

Ryne Sheppard drove in three and Rose, Tate Bradenburg, and Zayn Giles added a pair of RBIs for the Trojans.

 

Rose finished the run-rule shortened game going five innings with nine strikeouts, allowing three hits and a walk. 

 

The Trojans go to 2-0 on the season. They will host Tuscola today.

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