Monticello will meet Illini Prairie Conference rival Tolono Unity Saturday afternoon for a Sectional Championship in Decatur at the Workman Family Baseball Field.
The Sages are coming off a 3-1 win on Wednesday over Bismarck-Henning to reach their second straight Sectional championship and their third since 2021.
While its offense hasn't been nearly as prolific as it was at points in the regular season, pitching has been brilliant for Monticello in the postseason. Carter Foran followed up a six-inning performance in last week's Regional semifinal win over Tri-Valley with five more innings of one-run ball on Wednesday.
The Sages got timely hits to hold off the Blue Devils in Sectional semifinal action Wednesday.
Monticello will likely turn to Illinois baseball commit Ike Young on Saturday in the Sectional Championship. The All-State quarterback was masterful in a complete game shutout last Saturday in the Sages' win over Maroa-Forsyth in the Regional title.
The Rockets will look to continue to ride the wave of upsets and revenge games on Saturday. After making easy work of PBL last week in a 12-2 win in Regional semifinal action, Unity upset St. Joseph-Ogden 8-3 in the Regional Championship.
They followed up that performance with a 6-4 win over second-seeded Normal U-High Wednesday evening in Decatur.
The Rockets' back-end of its schedule was loaded, in including a May 8 loss to St. Joe 10-0, then a May 17 loss to U-High, 6-4. But Unity avenged those losses in upset fashion in the last week when it mattered most, sending the higher-seeded Spartans and Pioneers packing for the summer.
Coming into action at 18-12 overall, it would be a sweet ending to what has been a frustrating run of postseason defeats to Monticello in boys' sports this season for Unity.
The Rockets lost to the Sages in a Class 3A high school football state semifinal game in November. Then lost a Class 2A Regional Championship game to Monticello back in late February.
Unity also lost in controversial fashion to Monticello in mid-April, 4-3. A close game throughout ended on a catcher's interference call in the top of the seventh in Monticello.
The Sages come into play 29-6 overall, looking to advance to a Supersectional for the first time since the spring of 2021.
Action Saturday afternoon from Decatur Millikin is at 1 pm. Hear it all on 95.9 FM WEZC and online at dewittdailynews.com.
High School Baseball:
Class 2A Sectional Championship action Saturday
At Chillicothe
Eureka 1:00pm
Illinois Valley Central
At Pleasant Plains
Pleasant Plains 11:00am
Springfield Sacred Heart-Griffin
Class 1A Sectional Championship action Saturday
At Arcola
Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley 11:00am
Salt Fork
At Peru St. Bede
Heyworth 10:00am
Lexington
Class 3A Regional Championship action Saturday
At Champaign Central
Champaign Central 11:00am
Lincoln
At East Peoria
Dunlap 10:00am
Limestone
At Jacksonville
Chatham-Glenwood 10:00am
Jacksonville
At Mt. Zion
Rochester 11:00am
Mt. Zion
At Rantoul
Mahomet-Seymour noon
Rantoul
At Washington
Washington 11:00am
Geneseo
Class 4A Regional Championship Action Saturday
At Moline
Normal Community noon
Plainfield Central
High School Softball
Friday Class 1A Sectional Championship action
At Argenta-Oreana
Arcola 4:30pm
LeRoy
Friday Class 2A Sectional Championship action
At Macomb
Williamsville 4:30pm
Auburn
At Tolono Unity
Tolono Unity 11:00am (SATURDAY)
Normal U-High
Friday Class 3A Regional Championship action
At Jacksonville
Rochester 4:30pm
Jerseyville
At Lincoln
Metamora 4:30pm
East Peoria
At Mt. Zion
Mt. Zion 4:30pm
Charleston
At Taylorville
Chatham-Glenwood 4:30pm
Mattoon
Washington 4:30pm
Bloomington
At Rantoul
Champaign Central noon (SATURDAY)
Mahomet-Seymour
