Wednesday's prep highlights: Stonecipher pitches Chargers past Sabers

Apr. 27—In baseball

➜ Centennial 3, St. Thomas More 1. Brody Stonecipher's steady pitching keyed the visiting Chargers (8-12) to a nonconference win over the Sabers (6-10). Stonecipher threw a complete game with no walks and eight strikeouts for Centennial. Haneef Eiermann, Kam Ross, Kam Murphy and Walker Westfield each reached base via hit in support of Stonecipher. STM's Cole Kemper sprinkled four hits allowed in 6 1/3 innings pitched, also striking out seven, but was handed a loss. Matt Delorenzo drove in the Sabers' run.

➜ Clinton 13, Tuscola 3. Colton Walker boasted two hits and drove in four runs for the host Maroons (7-7) as they dispatched the Warriors (1-17) in six innings of Central Illinois Conference play. Jack Manning's three hits and Preston Curtis' two hits and three runs scored were other highlights for Clinton, while Manning also threw 5 2/3 innings and struck out nine. Caiden Russo drove in a run for Tuscola, which led 3-1 after 1 1/2 innings.

➜ Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley 11, Rantoul 1. Spencer Kleist authored a five-inning pitching effort in which he allowed six hits and one run for the host Falcons (9-10), who soared past the Eagles (6-11) for a nonconference victory. Kleist struck out two opponents on the day, and a nine-run bottom of the third inning from GCMS sealed this result. Ty Cribbett (2 for 3, three RBI, one run), David Hull (2 for 3, two RBI, one run) and Brayden Elliott (1 for 3, two RBI, one run) showed the way for that offense. Dayton Wilson drove in Rantoul's run, scored by Niko Jones.

➜ Heritage 13, Blue Ridge 6. The host Hawks (2-14) cobbled together a seven-run third inning to surge past the Knights (0-11) and conclude a three-game losing streak. Rylan White went 2 for 4 with three RBI and two runs scored for Heritage, whose other hitting standouts included Julliyan Gray (3 for 4, two RBI, two runs) and Destin Nicols (2 for 3, two RBI, two runs). Ty Meeker doubled and drove in two runs for Blue Ridge to go with two hits and two runs from Riley Pruitt.

➜ Herscher 13, Watseka 2. The host Warriors (2-14) led 2-0 entering the fifth inning, but the Tigers tallied six runs in the fifth and seven more in the sixth to prematurely end this nonconference matchup. Lathan Bowling and James Newell each knocked in one run for Watseka. Brayden Ketchum slashed two hits and scored a run for the Warriors.

➜ Le Roy 6, Lexington 4. Balanced offense — largely executed in a five-run fourth inning — propelled the visiting Panthers (10-7-1) to a Heart of Illinois Conference win, their third in a row overall. Six Le Roy athletes drove in one run, and six players scored one run. Nate McKnight led the way with two hits, and he also picked up the pitching win by allowing two earned runs in five innings of work.

➜ Monticello 12, Tri-Valley 1. Ike Young and Jacob Trusner each drove in three runs as the host Sages (13-4) turned aside the Vikings in five innings of non-league action. Young went 3 for 4 with a double to pace Monticello, which picked up two doubles and one RBI from Biniam Lienhart along with an RBI and three runs scored from Matt Swartz. Spencer Mitze easily made that stand up with his pitching, tossing all five innings and allowing five hits against eight strikeouts.

➜ Oakwood 7, Paris 1. The Comets used a six-run fourth inning to pull away for the nonconference road win, extending their win streak to four. Oakwood (16-4-1) relied on production from leadoff hitter Joshua Ruch, who went 2 for 3 with a double and three RBI, and No. 3 hitter Dalton Hobick, who was 2 for 4 with an RBI. Alec Harrison and Grant Powell overcame some control issues to only allow two hits. Harrison got the win after throwing 4 2/3 innings, giving up one hit and walking seven while striking out seven. Powell threw the final 2 1/3 innings, giving up one hit. He struck out two and walked three.

➜ Salt Fork 6, Bismarck-Henning/Rossville-Alvin 5. A back-and-forth game between two Vermilion Valley Conference foes that did not count in the league standings ended in favor of the visiting Storm, who led 4-0 after three innings only for BHRA to tie the game at 4 after five innings. Pedro Rangel (2 for 3, RBI), Brayden Maskel (2 for 3), Jameson Remole (2 for 3) and Blake Norton (1 for 4, two RBI) led the way for Salt Fork (13-6). Owen Miller went 3 for 3 with an RBI and Karson Stevenson went 2 for 3 with a double and two RBI to spark the Blue Devils (9-8).

In softball

➜ Blue Ridge 8, Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley 3. Lillian Enger brought the power for the host Knights (8-9), lifting them to a nonconference success versus the Falcons. Enger went 3 for 4 with a home run, a triple, three RBI and a run scored. Cassie Zimmerman doubled and tripled for Blue Ridge, also driving in a run, and Ellie Schlieper threw an effective complete game with five strikeouts. GCMS racked up five doubles from five different players on the day. Among them were Taylor Beck (two RBI) and Destiney McDonald (two hits, one RBI).

➜ Casey-Westfield 14, Mahomet-Seymour 2. The visiting Bulldogs (7-11) were taken down by a nonconference opponent in five innings, with a seven-run bottom of the third a big reason. Maddie Logsdon and Madeleine Cortez each drove in one run for M-S, with Cortez also scoring a run.

➜ Le Roy 10, Lexington/Ridgeview 0. Lilly Long tossed a three-hitter across five innings for the visiting Panthers (18-4), who cruised to a Heart of Illinois Conference victory. Long struck out seven batters while walking just one. Haley Cox launched a solo home run for Le Roy, whose Emma Bagnell went 2 for 3 with three RBI and a run scored. Laila Carr and Emily Mennenga each added two hits, with Carr driving in two runs and Mennenga scoring three times.

➜ Milford/Cissna Park 22, St. Anne 0. The Bearcats snapped a two-game losing skid in a big way, posting a four-inning nonconference road win. Kirstyn Lucht threw a no-hitter for Milford/Cissna Park (12-3), while Brynlee Wright (2 for 2, three RBI, two runs scored), Hunter Mowrey (2 for 2, two RBI, two runs scored) and Addison Lucht (2 for 2, RBI, four runs scored, two stolen bases) shone offensively.

➜ St. Joseph-Ogden 15, Champaign Central 0. Madison Stevens threw a four-inning four-hitter with two strikeouts for the host Spartans (18-7), who have won nine consecutive games after this nonconference result versus the Maroons (8-11). Addy Martinie went 3 for 4 with a home run, two RBI and two runs scored for SJ-O, which saw Shayne Immke club her 16th homer of the season while driving in three runs and scoring twice. Addison Frick (2 for 3, two RBI) and Peyton Jones (2 for 4, four runs) also stood out for the Spartans.

➜ Sullivan 4, Shelbyville 3. In addition to extending its win streak to four with a walk-off Central Illinois Conference triumph, host Sullivan (12-6) also won its fourth game in a row by two runs or fewer. J'Nai Webb recorded the game-winning RBI. Chloe Smith finished 3 for 3 and scored two runs to power the Sullivan offense, which gained single RBI from Maddy Probus, Aeralyn Thrasher and Harmony Ray. Probus threw all seven innings as well, scattering eight hits and allowing two earned runs.

➜ Tri-County 20, Heritage/Academy High 10. Four out-of-the-park home runs for the visiting Titans (2-13) helped them end a two-game skid and double up the Hawks (1-11) in a Lincoln Prairie Conference slugfest. Tri-County used a seven-run top of the seventh inning to break free from Heritage/Academy High.

➜ Tuscola 12, Clinton 3. Trailing 3-1 through four innings, the visiting Warriors (12-9) went on a tear the rest of the afternoon en route to a CIC victory over the Maroons (6-16). Tuscola's No. 1-3 hitters — Ava Boyer, Izzy Wilcox and Ella Boyer — combined to go 9 for 11 with eight RBI and six runs scored. Ella Boyer homered and doubled, Wilcox tripled and Ava Boyer doubled along the way. Makenna Fiscus tossed in three hits for the Warriors, one of them a double, and Wilcox struck out eight batters in a complete-game pitching effort. Heidi Humble homered, doubled and drove in two runs for Clinton.

➜ Unity 8, Urbana 0. Reece Sarver hit home runs in consecutive at-bats, Lindy Bates threw a shutout and the host Rockets cruised to a nonconference win against the Tigers. Sarver finished 3 for 4 with four RBI and four runs scored, also adding a double for Unity (19-6). Bates allowed two hits and struck out 12 in throwing all seven innings, limiting Urbana (1-14) to only singles by Halie Thompson and Camryn Harrison. Ruby Tarr (1 for 3, RBI, two runs scored), Sophia Beckett (1 for 3, RBI) and Maegan Rothe (1 for 4, RBI) also chipped in for Unity.

➜ Villa Grove 7, Fisher 0. Villa Grove bumped its win streak to five games thanks to a superb pitching performance from Alex Brown. Brown threw a five-hit shutout for the Blue Devils (15-7) in the road nonconference win, striking out eight and not walking a batter. Villa Grove broke open a scoreless game in the top of the fourth with five runs to take control. Maci Clodfelder and Chloe Reardon each hit home runs for Villa Grove and each finished 1 for 3 with three RBI. Karsyn Burke had a double for the Bunnies (15-7), with Kylan Arndt throwing a complete game for Fisher. She struck out five, and only three of the seven runs she allowed were earned because the Bunnies committed six errors.

In girls' soccer

➜ Bloomington 6, Arthur Christian 4. A 3-2 halftime lead in nonconference play disappeared for the visiting Conquering Riders (6-7-1). Malaya Brady and Lucy Rutledge each found the back of the net twice for ACS, also assisting on a goal apiece. Liana Kauffman provided an assist and made six keeper saves as well.

➜ Monticello 5, Olympia 0. The Sages rolled to a home nonconference win, with the duo of Addison Finet and Elle Bodznick leading the way. Finet scored four goals to power Monticello (11-4-3), with Bodznick scoring the other goal and tallying two assists. Tynley Jackson and Brenna Bartlow each added an assist, with goalie Allison Nebelsick making three saves — including one on a penalty kick — to preserve the shutout.

➜ Normal Community 4, Champaign Central 0. Goal scoring continued to be an issue for the Maroons (3-7-3), who fell in a Big 12 Conference road match via their fourth consecutive shutout. Meg Rossow came up with nine keeper saves for Central.

In boys' track & field

➜ At Tuscola. Champaign Central fended off Mattoon and host Tuscola, 68-59-54, in a triangular meet. The Maroons won eight events, with Pitho Bwandundu part of half of those. He placed first in both the 100-meter dash (11.53 seconds) and 200 dash (23.23), and he also anchored triumphant groups in the 400 relay (44.18) and 800 relay (1 minute, 34.40 seconds). Garrett McNeilly helped Central to three victories, ranking best in the 400 dash (51.62), serving on the aforementioned 400 relay team and anchoring a first-place 1,600 relay unit (3:39.20). Mari Moffitt ran on both the 400 and 800 relay teams, while Mekhi Christmon led off the 400 relay and won high jump (5 feet, 6 inches). Tuscola's Chris Boyd swept the throws, taking shot put at 57-2 and discus at 153-3.

In boys' tennis

➜ At Urbana. The bottom half of Uni High's singles lineup fared well in a dual at Atkins Tennis Center, which ended with the Illineks defeating Springfield 6-3. Mason Miao, Jack Holder and Robert Gao won at Nos. 4, 5 and 6 singles, respectively, for Uni High. Gao was most dominant with a 6-1, 6-0 result. Miao also teamed with Aryan Sachdev to pick up a 6-0, 6-0 victory at No. 2 doubles.