Here are the top high school performers around Springfield for April 27-May 2, based on submissions from coaches, statisticians and results from GameChanger.
If your team’s games aren’t listed here, please ask your coach to submit stats to us after each game by emailing The State Journal-Register’s sports department at sports@sj-r.com.
Tuesday, April 28
BASEBALL
Games of the Day
Rochester 11, Springfield High 4
The Rockets scored seven runs in the top of the eighth inning and won a wild Central State Eight Conference game.
Rochester (9-7 overall, 5-3 in CS8) rapped four hits in the eighth and broke a 4-4 tie on an RBI single by Alex Eldridge. Brenton Slusser then walked with the bases loaded, and Reece Gade drove in a run with a double. Frank Stefano III and Sam Ferris added a pair of two-run doubles to finish the scoring.
Rochester took a 2-0 lead in the sixth inning on an RBI triple by Sean Plessa. Springfield High got within 2-1 on a run-scoring single by Connor Borah in the bottom-half. The Rockets added two runs for a 4-1 lead on Stefano’s two-run double in the seventh.
But the Senators tied the game in the seventh on an RBI sacrifice fly by Liam Watts. Jacob Scheffler then came home after Karter Marks stole second, and Matthew Murphy plated Marks on a fielder’s choice.
Stefano finished with four RBIs, and Gade ended 2-for-3 with three runs. Aiden Plessa pitched one hitless relief inning for the win.
Jacksonville Routt 3, Mount Pulaski 0
Starting pitcher Jacob Brown stymied the Hilltoppers and first baseman Brady Turner did the damage at the plate in the Rockets’ win.
Brown hurled a five-hit shutout, striking out seven and walking one. Routt (13-8) gave Brown all the help he needed in the bottom of the first inning when Turner delivered an RBI triple that scored Bryson Mossman.
Turner came through again in the third with a run-scoring double that plated Talon Thompson for a 2-0 lead. Anson Butcher’s solo home run in the sixth wrapped up the shutout. Turner finished 3-for-3 and Thompson doubled and went 2-for-2 with a walk.
Losing pitcher Luke Martin struck out six, walked one, and all three runs were earned on nine hits.
Gillespie 1, Piasa Southwestern 0
Carson Hailstone laced an RBI double in the bottom of the first inning and starting pitcher Luke Schuckenbrock did the rest in the Miners’ win.
Brody Shaw, who had walked, came around from first base and scored the run on Hailstone’s double. Schuckenbrock yielded just three hits, and he struck out six and walked one.
Jack Rohlk, Jacksonville: Rohlk struck out six, walked zero and threw a one-hitter in four innings in Jacksonville’s 10-0 victory over Southeast. He had a two-run inside-the-park home run and finished 2-for-4 with two runs. Joe Reif and Nolan Peters had three hits apiece and combined for five runs and two RBIs.
Wyatt Patton, Williamsville: Patton hurled a three-hit shutout as Williamsville beat Athens 10-0 in six innings. He struck out eight and walked three. Parker White and Dalton Root had two hits apiece and two RBIs each.
Brodey Vanhooser/Jhude Walker, Morrisonville/Lincolnwood: Vanhooser collected an RBI double and Walker drove him home with a single as the Mohawks scored twice in the top of the seventh inning to rally past Lutheran for a 6-5 win. Cody Ganther earned the pitching win, throwing three hitless relief innings as he struck out two and walked two.
Brodee Bates, Riverton: Bates doubled and finished 2-for-4 with two runs and an RBI in Riverton’s 10-1 victory over Auburn. Winning pitcher Cole Howard went the distance, walking five and striking out three.
Grady Rutledge, Lincoln: The center fielder had a 2-for-4 performance with a double and an RBI as Lincoln beat Decatur MacArthur 6-1. Owen Comstock (2-for-4) scored twice, and Kane Komnick pitched six innings, giving up two hits and one run with six strikeouts and four walks.
Drew Green, Pleasant Plains: Green was the winning pitcher and had a double and triple to go with three hits and three RBIs in the Cardinals’ 14-1 victory over New Berlin in six innings. He threw 4 1/3 innings, striking out seven, walking one and giving up two hits.
Nash Donnan, Petersburg PORTA: The left fielder had a pair of doubles and drove in four runs as PORTA posted an 8-0 win over Mason City Illini Central. Winning pitcher Tate Karrick allowed two hits in three scoreless innings, striking out seven and walking none. Reliever Tommy Smith threw four perfect innings and struck out six.
Carter Ross/Caleb Hobrock, Beardstown: Ross fanned 10, walked three and allowed just two hits to give the Tigers a 6-1 victory over Concord Triopia. Hobrock went 3-for-4 with a double and two RBIs.
Parker Moore, Pana: Moore tossed a two-hit shutout with eight strikeouts and three walks as Pana defeated Vandalia 5-0. Jax Czaikowski went 2-for-2 with a double and two RBIs.
Clark Sanson, North Mac: Sanson pitched three scoreless innings for the win and went 2-for-3 with two RBIs in North Mac’s 9-1 win over Hillsboro. He struck out four, walked one and allowed four hits.
SOFTBALL
Games of the Day
Williamsville 7, Athens 1
Reese Larson and Hannah Louis each homered to center field for their seventh win in the last eight games.
Larson’s two-run homer propelled the Bullets (18-5, 5-1 Sangamo Conference) ahead 3-0 in the third inning, her second of the season. Louis summoned her ninth long ball as a freshman in the fifth.
“I think we have some big hitters on the team,” Larson said. “I think everybody contributes so much and does such a good job.”
Fellow freshman pitcher Olivia Heigert struck out nine with just two hits allowed in four innings for her team-best 11th win in the circle. Heigert supplied an RBI single in the first inning.
Louis fanned five in the final three innings.
Normal U-High 2, Sacred Heart-Griffin 0
Jersey Katz and Rylie Stadler each scored a run on passed balls in the third and sixth innings, respectively, in the Pioneers’ Central State Eight Conference victory.
That was enough for starting pitcher Adia Wheelwright, who limited SHG (15-3 overall, 5-2 in CS8) to three hits, and she struck out six and walked four.
SHG pitcher Kenzie Wieland took the loss. She gave up two unearned runs on four hits with 11 strikeouts and one walk. Wieland finished with one of SHG’s three hits.
U-High (17-7 overall) remained unbeaten in the CS8 at 7-0.
Pleasant Plains 7, New Berlin 4
Anna Nestler lined a bases-clearing double, and Pleasant Plains scored three runs in the top of the eighth inning to record a win.
Plains (13-5) loaded the bases in the eighth on singles by Delaney Murphy (2-for-3, two runs) and Kayden Skinner (2-for-4, RBI) and an intentional walk to Lexie Shimkus before Nestler’s big hit.
Skinner, the winning pitcher, retired the side in order in the bottom of the inning and pitched a complete game, striking out 13, walking five and allowing five hits and four runs (two earned).
Pleasant Plains broke a 2-2 tie in the seventh when Nestler and Shimkus scored on a New Berlin error. New Berlin tied the game in the bottom-half on a run-scoring double by Zoey Morris, and she scored the game-tying run on a defensive indifference.
Delaina Manuel finished 2-for-5 with a triple and a run for Pleasant Plains.
Stars of the Day
Paxton Reid, Gillespie: Reid had an RBI single in Gillespie’s three-run fourth inning and pitched a complete game in a 3-2 victory over Piasa Southwestern. Reid struck out nine, walked one and allowed five hits and two earned runs. Helaina Scott had an RBI double, and Ava Segarra (2-for-3) singled in a run.
Carlyann Feld/Jemma Lamb, Chatham Glenwood: Feld went 3-for-3 with a double, driving in three runs and scoring two in Glenwood’s 15-0, four-inning win over Decatur Eisenhower. Lamb (2-for-2, two runs) homered and drove in two, and Irie Lohrenz and Alyvia Streb combined on a no-hitter with five strikeouts apiece.
Kendall Edmonson, Rochester: The third baseman finished 4-for-4 with a solo home run and three RBIs as Rochester defeated Springfield High 12-2 in six innings. Emmah Brown (3-for-4, two RBIs), Molly Deatherage (3-for-4, RBI) and Molly Eichholz (2-for-3) combined to score eight runs.
Laurynn Mayberry, Lincoln: The shortstop smashed a three-run home run and had an RBI single in Lincoln’s 15-0, four-inning win over Decatur MacArthur. Winning pitcher Norah Block struck out seven, walked zero, and yielded two hits.
Madolyn Howerter, Havana: Howerter (1-for-1, three walks) was the winning pitcher with nine strikeouts and popped a grand slam in Havana’s 12-2 win in fiving innings over Delavan. Kaydi Miller (2-for-4, two runs) provided a three-run double, and Elly Painter (2-for-4) doubled and finished with four RBIs.
Bella Bennett, Pana: The catcher had a pair of two-run doubles, and Pana defeated Vandalia 7-3. Jolianna Morrison doubled twice (2-for-4, RBI) and winning pitcher Joey Laker fanned 11 batters, walked zero and allowed seven hits and three earned runs.
GIRLS SOCCER
Stars of the Day
Kinsley Zellers, Chatham Glenwood: The junior center back notched two goals in a 2-0 win over Normal U-High. The Titans (9-3-4, 6-0-1 Central State Eight) can clinch the outright league title with a win against Springfield High (6-0-1) on Tuesday, May 5.
Christagie Zambele, Beardstown: She scored four goals in a 6-1 win over Riverton. Camila De La Cruz had two.
GIRLS TRACK AND FIELD
SHG dominates City podium
Antonette Bartletti and Paityn Brady each won two individual events, plus a relay, to lead Sacred Heart-Griffin to the City title at Memorial Stadium.
Bartletti won the 100- and 200-meter dash in 12.57 and 25.71 seconds, respectively. She also jump-started the 4×200 relay to first place in 1:46.06 with Rourke Gibbs, Gianna Bonansinga and Abigail Gossett.
Brady claimed the 800 (2:23.71) and 1600 (5:32.55). She anchored the winning 4×800 that finished in 10:08.03 with Kyra Kerstings, Kate Lambert and Phoebe DeFrain. Lambert took the individual 400 in 1:02.45.
Alena Rottinghaus swept the 100 hurdles (15.67) and 300 hurdles (49.91).
Southeast’s Alannah Lowery mopped up first place in the long jump (18 feet, 2 inches) and triple jump (39 feet). She also led off the winning 4×100 relay that reached 50.64 with Jakiya Fort, Jalisa McCullum and Amore Hobson.
This article originally appeared on State Journal-Register: Rochester baseball outlasts Springfield High in extras | Top performers
Reporting by Trevor Lawrence, Springfield State Journal-Register / State Journal-Register
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