Tri-City's Woodworth helps own cause vs PORTA | Top performers

The spring sports season across Illinois reached its final full week of April on Monday, and May brings us postseason contests for all sports. Coaches are looking for key improvements still before the playoffs begin.

Here is another week of top performances in high school baseball, softball and girls soccer, submitted by coaches, statisticians and found on 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.

Monday, April 20

SOFTBALL 

Games of the Day 

Buffalo Tri-City 6, Petersburg PORTA 5 

Starting pitcher Lily Woodworth lined a walk-off single to score Maebri Bender with two outs in the bottom of the seventh inning as the Tornadoes staved off the Bluejays. 

Bender walked and advanced to second on a groundout, leading to Woodworth’s single. Tri-City (15-2-1) led 5-0 after five innings on RBI singles by Audrey Cooper (2-for-3) and Lexi Patton and a two-run single by Woodworth. Cooper also scored on a wild pitch.  

PORTA (8-9) tied the game with five runs in the sixth. Keagan Shanle provided a run-scoring single, and Avery Sergent (2-for-4) drove in two with a base hit before scoring a run on an error. Reagan Heubner then doubled in a run to even the score.  

Woodworth went the distance and allowed five earned runs on nine hits with four walks and two strikeouts. 

Pawnee 4, Pleasant Plains 1 (8 innings) 

Pawnee rapped five hits and plated three runs in the top of the eighth inning to defeat the Cardinals.  

Adalyn Boblitt, Ashlyne Cobb and Audrey Cummings each had RBI singles after Ava Rodriguez jump-started the eighth inning with a leadoff double. Pleasant Plains’ Savi Hayden sent the game to extra innings after she singled in Anna Nestler with the game-tying run in the bottom of the seventh.  

Emma Selhime gave Pawnee (11-3) a 1-0 lead with an RBI double in the fourth. Selhime threw a complete game, striking out nine, walking zero and giving up six hits.   

Gillespie 2, Breese Mater Dei 0 

Ava Rakers and Ava Segarra each had run-scoring singles in the bottom of the fourth inning and starting pitcher Paxton Reid tossed a complete game.  

Laci Schuckenbrock’s leadoff triple sparked the fourth inning. Rakers followed with an RBI single, and Segarra drove in courtesy runner Amari Vickery later in the inning. Three of Gillespie’s four hits came in the fourth inning.  

Reid finished with three strikeouts and three walks and allowed just three hits. The Miners improved to 15-4. 

Stars of the Day 

Ryleigh Kiel/Sophia Feld/Kileigh Warren, Chatham Glenwood: Kiel finished 3-for-4 with a solo home run and two RBIs as the Titans defeated Effingham 7-0. Feld drove in two runs with a bases-loaded walk and an RBI double, and Warren delivered a two-run single. Hope Gilmore finished 3-for-4 and winning pitcher Alyvia Streb fanned seven, walked zero and threw a two-hit shutout. 

Jenna Arenz, Auburn: She was the winning pitcher and helped herself by driving in seven runs in Auburn’s 20-7 victory over Springfield High in six innings. Arenz finished 3-for-5 with four runs, including a two-run homer and a three-run shot. She pitched four innings, striking out seven and walking three with seven runs (three earned).  

Grace Burris, Staunton: The winning pitcher walloped three home runs and finished with seven RBIs in Staunton’s 22-0, three-inning win over North Mac. Burris had a pair of two-run homers and a three-run blast. She struck out seven, walked zero, and allowed one hit. Avery Lamore (4-for-4, three runs, three RBIs) tripled and homered. 

Italee Ford, Rushville-Industry: Ford (3-for-4, four runs, five RBIs) doubled, cracked a two-run homer and belted a three-run shot as the Rockets rallied for a 12-9 win over Athens. Devin Vogler went 3-for-3 with a homer to go with four runs and two RBIs.   

Peyton DeMichael, Taylorville: The winning pitcher gave up just one earned run on five hits in Taylorville’s 12-4 victory over Raymond Lincolnwood. She struck out three without a walk and went 2-for-4 with four RBIs at the plate. Carsen Corzine collected three hits with a double and drove in three.    

Khloe Kearns, Beardstown: Kearns struck out 10, walked zero and threw a one-hit shutout in Beardstown’s 10-0, five-inning win over Liberty. Liberty pitcher Chandler John doubled in the bottom of the fifth for the Eagles’ only hit. Kearns finished 3-for-3 with two RBIs and two runs, and infielder Ava Quigley had two hits with a walk and scored three times.  

Maci Moore/Maggie Gerard, Jacksonville: Moore homered twice and Gerard doubled and homered as Jacksonville defeated New Berlin 12-2 in six innings. The duo had two hits apiece and combined for six RBIs and four runs. Malin Camerer doubled twice, tripled, and scored two runs.  

Addy Mahler, Lincoln: The catcher drove in two runs with a pair of RBI singles, but Normal Community rallied with two runs in the bottom of the seventh inning and defeated the Railers 5-4 on a walk-off single. Grey Gilbert doubled twice and had an RBI double. 

Maylee Payne/Lanie Dumonceaux, Springfield High: Payne (2-for-3, two runs) and Dumonceaux both hit solo home runs in the Senators’ 20-7, six-inning loss to Auburn.  

Jaci Derringer, Athens: Derringer went 4-for-5 with a double and drove in two runs in Athens’ 12-9 loss to Rushville-Industry. Emma Crispen doubled and finished 2-for-4 with three RBIs. 

BASEBALL 

Stars of the Day 

Joe Reif, Jacksonville: The leadoff hitter manufactured a 3-for-3 performance with three RBIs and two runs in the Crimsons’ 11-1 victory over Taylorville in six innings. Winning pitcher AJ Charpentier threw three hitless innings and reliever Nolan Peters allowed two hits and one earned run in three innings.  

AJ Ozier, Lutheran: The shortstop went 3-for-4 and drove in two runs as Lutheran outscored Southeast 13-9. Wade Naylor (2-for-3, two RBIs) tripled and scored three runs. 

Owen Johnson/Cale Hatcher, Pleasant Plains: Johnson went 4-for-4 with a double and a run, and Hatcher threw six innings as the Cardinals defeated Pawnee 8-2. Hatcher struck out nine, walked three and yielded two hits and one earned run.  

Brady Turner, Jacksonville Routt: Turner struck out 11 batters in 6 1/3 innings and had three hits with a double and three RBIs in Routt’s 8-1 victory over Winchester West Central. Turner allowed just one hit and one walk. Bryson Mossman contributed three hits, including a triple, and scored three runs with an RBI.

Braxton Rexroad/Jared Harris, Athens: Rexroad went 3-for-3 with three RBIs and Harris was the winning pitcher in Athens’ 11-0, five-inning triumph over Rushville-Industry. Harris struck out seven, walked one and allowed two hits, while collecting two hits and an RBI at the plate. 

Brodee Bates, Riverton: The centerfielder notched two hits and scored two runs as Riverton downed Mount Pulaski 6-4. Winning pitcher Cole Howard surrendered four runs (one earned) with six strikeouts in five innings, and reliever James Stevens threw two hitless innings. 

Owen Smith, Havana: Smith ended 2-for-3 with two runs and an RBI as Havana beat West Prairie/Southeastern 11-5.  

Caden Van De Velde, Southeast: He went 4-for-5 with a double and two RBIs in Southeast’s 13-9 loss to Lutheran. 

This article originally appeared on State Journal-Register: Tri-City’s Woodworth helps own cause vs PORTA | Top performers

Reporting by Trevor Lawrence, Springfield State Journal-Register / State Journal-Register

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