Wednesday's prep highlights | Unity softball extends win streak to eight

Apr. 20—In baseball

Armstrong-Potomac 8, Watseka 6. Armstrong-Potomac scored seven runs in the first two innings to take an early lead on Watseka. A necessary early lead, as the Trojans (8-3) had to fend off a late rally to win Wednesday's Vermilion Valley Conference game. Luke Townsend went 1 of 3 with three RBI to pace A-P at the plate, while Cain Buhr was 1 of 2 with a double and two RBI. Ryan Edwards got the win in relief for the Trojans after striking out four and giving up a single unearned run in 31/3 innings. Brayden Ketchum was a perfect 3 of 3 with a double and two RBI for the Warriors (1-10).

Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley trailed Eureka early but mostly hung with the host Hornets through two innings before an eight-run bottom of the third by the home team put the Heart of Illinois Conference game out of reach. Braydon Elliott was 2 of 3 with a double and an RBI for the Falcons (6-9). Kellan Fanson took the lost for GCMS after giving up 14 runs — but just six earned — on 10 hits and five walks in three innings.

Fisher 7, Heyworth 3. Fisher snapped a two-game losing streak and won its first HOIC game of the season with Wednesday's win against Heyworth. The Bunnies faced an early 1-0 deficit, but scored seven unanswered runs before snuffing out a seventh-inning rally by the Hornets to secure the victory. Drayton Lutz had two hits and two RBI for Fisher (3-9), and Ryan Coulter added two hits and two runs scored.

Maroa-Forsyth 4, Le Roy 3. Le Roy's comeback attempt fell short Wednesday against Maroa-Forsyth. The Trojans jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the second inning and added an insurance run in the fourth that came in handy when the Panthers pushed across three runs in the bottom of the seventh. Nate McKnight had the only RBI for Le Roy (7-7), and Gabe McKinney went the distance but took the loss.

Shelbyville 21, Tuscola 5. Tuscola's tough spring continued with Wednesday's Central Illinois Conference road loss at Shelbyville. The Rams scored nine runs before the Warriors got five on the board in the top of the third, but a 12-run bottom half of the inning sank Tuscola's chances. Colton Musgrave was 2 of 2 with a home run and three RBI to lead the Warriors (1-14), and Austin Cummings drove in two runs in their 12th straight loss.

Sullivan 8, Clinton 5. Sullivan bounced back after Monday's Central Illinois Conference loss to Warrensburg-Latham with a comeback league win against Clinton. Sullivan fell behind by three runs after the first inning, but scored all eight of its runs in its next three trips to the plate to help secure the win. Schafer Ogle was 4 of 4 with two RBI to lead Sullivan (10-5), and Cameron Crowe got the win after allowing four unearned runs on six hits and four walks while striking out three in four innings. Mason Walker, Colton Walker and Josh Bass all had two hits each for the Maroons (5-6) in the loss.

Tri-County 17, Martinsville 4. Tri-County sent 10 runs across in the top of the third inning to put Wednesday's nonconference game against Martinsville out of reach. Garrett Pollock got the win for the Titans (2-8) after giving up three runs — just one earned — on five hits and four walks to go with nine strikeouts in five innings. Gaige Cox led the way offensively for Tri-County with a 2-of-5 showing at the plate that included a home run and four RBI. Carter Phillips was also 2 of 3 with four RBI, and Justin Robertson and Caden Logan drove in two runs apiece to snap the Titans' seven-game losing streak.

In softball

Armstrong-Potomac 10, Watseka 7. Armstrong-Potomac did the bulk of its scoring late — pushing across seven runs in its final two trips to the plate — to fend off Watseka in Vermilion Valley Conference action Wednesday. Cami Saltsgaver was productive at the plate for the Trojans (7-6), going 3 of 4 with a triple, three runs scored and a game-high four RBI. Laney Duden and Kyla Bullington, whose one hit was a double, drove in two runs apiece in the win. Brianna Denault and Christa Holohan both went 2 of 4 for the Warriors (8-5), with Denault driving in two runs and Holohan scoring twice. Sarah Parsons was also 2 of 3 with an RBI for Watseka.

Clinton 7, Sullivan 6. Clinton's early lead disappeared after Sullivan sent five runs across in the bottom of the fourth inning, but the Maroons had the answer. Three runs in the top of the fifth and what turned out to be the game-winning run in the top of the seventh gave Clinton its third straight victory in Central Illinois Conference play. Heidi Humble was 3 of 5 with two doubles, two runs scored and three RBI to lead the Maroons (6-11), and Reice McCormick came through in the cleanup spot with two hits and two RBI. Aliviyah Haynes got the win after giving up six runs on six walks and seven hits in seven innings while striking out nine. J'Nai Webb and Tabitha Webb drove in two runs each for Sullivan (8-6) in the loss.

Casey-Westfield 16, Rantoul 6. Rantoul ran up against perennial softball power Casey-Westfield on Wednesday, and three big innings from the Warriors with at least four runs scored were the difference. Nicole Vermillion, Emily Curtis, and Sofia Roelfs all had two hits for the Eagles (5-7) in the nonconference loss.

Heyworth 8, Fisher 0. Heyworth broke through in the third inning with four runs, and Fisher couldn't get out of the early hole to drop Wednesday's Heart of Illinois Conference home game to the Hornets. Heyworth added four more runs in the final four innings to close out the win. Karsyn Burke, Alexis Moore and Paige Hott accounted for the Bunnies' only hits. Kylan Arndt took the loss for Fisher (11-5) after giving up five runs — three earned — on seven hits and one walk in five innings.

Iroquois West 16, St. Thomas More 3. Six runs in the bottom of the first inning would have been enough for Iroquois West. Nine more in the second simply turned Wednesday's nonconference against St. Thomas More (1-9) into a rout. Abby Kraft provided a significant part of that offensive punch, going 2 of 3 with with a two-run double and a three-run home run for the Raiders (4-9). Jersey Fowler, Lily Garcia and Amelia Scharp also had two RBI apiece for Iroquois West in support of Aubrey Wagner's three-hitter victory.

Mahomet-Seymour 10, Urbana 6. Mahomet-Seymour had to fend off Urbana in multiple innings Wednesday in nonconference action, and a pair of late runs in the final two innings proved to be enough insurance for the win. Madelyn Logsdon went 4 of 5 with two doubles and two RBI to lead M-S (4-9) offensively. Madisyn White and Jenna Wade had three hits apiece for the Bulldogs, and White scored twice and drove in two runs. Two hits each from Madeleine Cortez and Rio Casillas propped up M-S' 16-hit performance to back up Ava Henderson in the circle for the win. Camryn Harrison took the loss for the Tigers (1-11), but led Urbana at the plate going 2 of 4 with two RBI. Lorelie Yau was also 2 of 4 with a double, one RBI and two runs scored.

Milford/Cissna Park 6, Salt Fork 5. Milford/Cissna Park won its 10th straight game and remained unbeaten in VVC action with Wednesday's home win against Salt Fork. Addison Lucht finished a triple short of the cycle for the Bearcats (11-1), going 3 of 3 with a double, home run and three RBI. Brynlee Wright and Abby Storm chipped in two hits apiece in the win, and Lillie Harris was also 1 of 2 with two RBI. Alexa Jamison was 3 of 3 with a home run for the Storm (13-5), and Macie Russell went 2 of 4 with a double, home run and two RBI.

St. Joseph-Ogden 13, Mount Zion 3. St. Joseph-Ogden pushed its winning streak to four with Wednesday's run-shortened nonconference home win against Mount Zion. The Spartans (13-7) got a complete game effort from starting pitcher Madison Stevens, who struck out six in the win. Stevens got plenty of run support, with Peyton Jones going 3 of 3 with two RBI and three runs scored. Shayne Immke, Halle Brazelton, Alyssa Acton and Grace Ostebur chipped in two hits apiece. Immke homered and scored four runs, and Brazelton homered and drove in four.

Shelbyville 17, Tuscola 9. Shelbyville's 10-run first inning set the tone for Wednesday's Central Illinois Conference showdown. Tuscola scored at least one run five of seven innings, but the Warriors were playing from behind, couldn't catch up and dropped below .500 in league play. Emily Czerwonka went 3 of 3 with two doubles and an RBI for Tuscola (10-7), Claire Meyer was 2 of 4 with a double and an RBI and Ella Boyer finished 1 of 4 with two runs scored and two RBI in the loss.

Unity 4, Tri-Valley 3. The start of Unity's now eight-game winning streak was built with blowout after blowout. The last three, including Wednesday's nonconference road win at Tri-Valley, have shown the Rockets can win the close ones, too. A pair of late runs helped Unity snap an early stalemate and secure its eighth straight win. Reece Sarver was 2 of 3 with a home run and three RBI to pace the Rockets (17-5) at the plate. Jenna Adkins also had two hits, scored one run and drove in another. Lindy Bates got the win after giving up three unearned runs on five hits to go with five strikeouts.

Villa Grove 15, Heritage/Academy High 0. Villa Grove scored in every inning of Wednesday's Lincoln Prairie Conference showdown with Heritage/Academy High and used an eight-run effort in the fourth to close out a run-shortened victory. Maci Clodfelder was 1 of 2 with two runs scored and three RBI to lead the Blue Devils (12-7). Villa Grove's Piper Kiser, Addisyn Wilson and Jayna Martin added to the blowout with two RBI apiece. Alexandria Brown threw four scoreless innings, scattering four hits and striking out five for the win. Paige George was one of four Heritage players with a hit and doubled in two at bats for the Hawks (1-9).

In girls' soccer

Monticello 1, Bloomington Central Catholic 1. Monticello gave up the go-ahead goal to Bloomington Central Catholic 17 minutes into the second half of Wednesday's Illini Prairie Conference match, but Elle Bodznick delivered the tying goal off a free kick to salvage the tie. Goalkeeper Allison Nebelsick made six saves for the Sages (9-3-3).

Normal U-High 2, Champaign Central 0. A pair of second half goals for Normal U-High upended Champaign Central in Wednesday's nonconference match. Goalkeeper Meg Rossow made nine saves in the loss for the Maroons (3-4-3).

In boys' tennis

At Urbana. Windy conditions certainly didn't help Urbana in Wednesday's 9-0 loss to Morton at Blair Park. Xander Ashley and Joe Solava came the closest to denying the Potters a sweep with a 6-7, 6-3, 11-9 loss at No. 3 doubles.

In girls' track and field

At Danville. Danville won eight events, including two by Allison Thompson, and edged out Champaign Central in Wednesday's four-team meet. Thompson won the 800-meter run in 2 minutes, 34.55 seconds and made it a double with a victory in the 1,600-meter run in 5:42.19. The Maroons were stronger in the sprints. Kennedy Ramshaw won the 200-meter dash for Central in 25.96 seconds and added a second victory in the 400-meter dash in 58.78.