REGIONAL ROUNDUP: Altamont wins first softball regional since 2014; T-Town, Newton advance

May 23—ALTAMONT — Games are never decided on paper.

If that were the case, Saturday would have been different for the Altamont softball team.

The Lady Indians (10-21) defeated Albion (Edwards County) (12-14), 4-1, at Gilbert Park on Saturday to capture its first regional championship since 2014.

Altamont got on the board first in the second inning after Lanie Tedrick hit a triple.

Adria Denton followed that with an RBI groundout before Madison Tonn struck out to end the inning.

The Lions then responded with one run in the bottom of the second.

Sidney Watson and Kyndal Richards drew back-to-back walks before Lady Indians' pitcher Grace Lemke struck out the next two batters.

Allison Groff then drew the third walk of the frame and Watson scored on a dropped third strike that tied the game.

Altamont was then retired in order in the top of the third.

Lemke then responded by striking out the Edwards County side in order in the bottom of the third.

Lemke then helped herself by hitting an inside-the-park home run on the second pitch she saw to give the Lady Indians a 2-1 lead.

Altamont then added two more runs in the top of the fifth.

Tonn hit a single. Brianna Grunloh reached on an error and both advanced after Claire Boehm hit into a fielder's choice.

Skylie Klein then hit a two-run single to left to make the score.

Lemke then retired nine of her last 11 batters.

She ended the game allowing one hit and six walks with 15 strikeouts.

With the win, the Lady Indians advance to the sectional semifinals on Wednesday against Casey-Westfield (34-2) in Kinmundy. First pitch for that contest is scheduled for 4 p.m.

Casey-Westfield 10, Dieterich 0

Brittney Niemerg recorded the only hit for Dieterich in its 10-0 loss to Casey-Westfield on Saturday in the Class 1A Casey-Westfield Regional Finals.

The Movin' Maroons fell to 9-17 with the loss.

Flora 2, Newton 1

Newton fell to Flora, 2-1, in five innings after rain drenched the field in Flora, forcing officials to call the game and ward the Wolfgals with the regional championship.

Avery Mulvey and Lilly Kessler each had two hits and Kayla Kocher allowed two hits, two runs (one earned) and one walk to three strikeouts in the loss.

The Lady Eagles finish the season with a 26-6 record.

Farina (South Central) 11, Grayville 0

Several games were delayed or pushed back after storms passed through the area on Friday night.

South Central's regional championship game against Grayville was one, although the Bison did not elect to return to Kinmundy on Saturday.

The forfeit victory pushed the Lady Cougars (24-9) into the sectional semifinals on Tuesday against Windsor/Stewardson-Strasburg in Kinmundy. First pitch for that contest is scheduled for 4 p.m.

Against Grayville, Kyra Swift had two hits; Taegan Webster, Brooklyn Garrett and Kinlee Thompson each had one and one RBI; Kaitlyn Swift had three hits and two RBIs; Abi Shuler had two hits and one RBI; Ella Watwood had one hit and three RBIs and Amelia Montes had one RBI in South Central's 11-0 victory.

Windsor/Stewardson-Strasburg 7, Toledo (Cumberland) 4

Ella Kinkleaar and Katelyn VonBhrens each recorded two hits and one RBI in WSS' win over Cumberland in the Class 1A Hustonsville/Palestine Regional Finals.

Altogether, the Hatchets (16-10) recorded nine hits.

Sam Hayes, Kaylyn Carey, Sam Porter and Ellie Wittenberg each had one and Ava Richards had one with one RBI.

Hayes pitched for WSS and allowed six hits, four runs (three earned) and two walks to eight strikeouts.

As for the Lady Pirates (12-19), Libby McGinnis had two hits; Isabel Martinez had two hits and one RBI; Noraa Cross and Chaney Thornton each had one hit and one RBI and Katie Kingery had one hit.

Teutopolis 4, Salem 1

Logan Lawson was brilliant for the Teutopolis baseball team on Saturday in its 4-1 win over Salem in the Class 2A Greenville Regional Finals.

Lawson threw seven innings and allowed five hits, one unearned run and one walk to six strikeouts to help lead the Wooden Shoes (17-15) to its 28th regional championship, according to the Illinois High School Association (IHSA) website.

The Wildcats opened up the scoring with a run in the second.

Noah Nix led off the inning with a single. Griffin Day then advanced him to second on a sacrifice bunt and then to third after a Josh Powless groundout.

Drew Davis then reached on an error, allowing Nix to score before Brogan Gregg flew out to end the frame.

T-Town answered, though, with one run in the top of the third.

Caleb Siemer hit a single to start and advanced to second after an error on the Salem catcher.

Logan Roepke then drove in Siemer with an RBI single to tie the game.

Roepke was then picked off of first, Bennet Thompson drew a walk and Evan Waldhoff struck out to end the inning.

Then, after Lawson did not allow a run in the bottom of the third, the Shoes answered with three in the top of the fourth.

Caleb Siemer hit a single to start. Garrett Gaddis followed with one of his own and Caleb Bloemer hit a single to load the bases before Conner Siemer hit a sacrifice fly, scoring Caleb to make it 2-1.

Joey Niebrugge then followed that with a two-run single to make the final score.

Teutopolis finished the game with eight hits.

Waldhoff led the team with two.

The Shoes now advance to the sectional semifinals on Wednesday against Glen Carbon (Father McGivney) in Breese. First pitch for that contest is scheduled for 4:30 p.m.

Newton 8, Paris 2

Jason Fulton leaned on Brandon Einhorn for the regional championship and he didn't disappoint.

Einhorn threw seven innings and allowed five hits, two runs and one walk to two strikeouts in the Eagles' 8-2 win over Paris. The win helped the program earn its 18th regional championship, according to the Illinois High School Association (IHSA) website, and the first since 2021.

While Einhorn's performance was noteworthy, his offense helped him, too.

Newton (22-11) mustered 10 hits and scored runs in the first, second, fourth and sixth innings.

Owen Mahaffey scored the first run after tagging up following an Isaac Flowers lineout.

Marc Jansen then hit an RBI single in the second that tied the game.

The Eagles then added four more in the fourth. Mahaffey hit a two-run single and Flowers did the same to make it 6-2.

Gary Lewis then provided some insurance in the sixth with a two-run single that equaled the final tally.

Newton now advances to the sectional semifinals on Thursday against Columbia in Breese. First pitch for that contest is scheduled for 3 p.m.

Casey-Westfield 4, Toledo (Cumberland) 2

Casey-Westfield scored two key runs in the top of the seventh to defeat the Cumberland Pirates on Saturday in the Class 1A Neoga Regional Finals.

Joe Short started the frame with a walk, Mitchell Wilson then hit a single and Jackson Maulding — the courtesy runner for Short — scored after an error on Cumberland.

Jackson Parcel then laid down a sacrifice bunt that scored Wilson to make the final.

Short then retired the side in order in the bottom of the seventh to give the Warriors its first regional championship since 2003, according to the Illinois High School Association (IHSA) website.

As for the Pirates, they end the season with a 15-14 record.

Gavin Hendrix had two hits and Maddox McElravy, Trevin Magee, Sawyer Keyser and Bryant Weber each had one.

Keyser pitched for Cumberland and allowed six hits, four runs (one earned) and two walks to six strikeouts over seven innings.

Arcola 3, Stewardson-Strasburg/Windsor 2

Top-seeded WSS fell to Arcola, 3-2, on Saturday in the Class 1A Tuscola Regional Finals.

Carter Chaney had two hits in the game. Connor Manhart had one hit and one RBI and Jordan Wittenberg and Rhett Rincker each had one hit for the Hatchets (18-9).

Jordan Wittenberg pitched for WSS and allowed five hits and three runs with 10 strikeouts over seven innings.

Contact EDN Sports Editor Alex Wallner at 618-510-9231 or alex.wallner@effinghamdailynews.com.