Wieland, Wegner help SHG advance | Softball regional roundup May 18-23

The high school softball postseason runs this week. Here is a look at regional results throughout The State Journal-Register’s coverage area.

TUESDAY, MAY 19 

CLASS 2A 

Pleasant Plains Regional 

No. 2 Sacred Heart-Griffin 10, No. 7 Hamilton/West Hancock 2 

Kenzie Wieland and Lucy Wegner paved the way and led the Cyclones to the title game.

Wieland struck out 15 batters, walked zero and allowed three hits in a complete game effort. She broke a 1-1 tie with a two-run home run in SHG’s seven-run third inning. Wegner finished 3-for-4 with a triple with three runs scored and a two-run homer. 

Addie Malek contributed a two-run single, and Maggie Wichmann (2-for-4) drove in a run with a base hit. 

SHG (21-6) plays No. 3 Beardstown for the championship at 4:30 p.m. on Friday.

No. 3 Beardstown 8, No. 5 Pleasant Plains 2 

Khloe Kearns tossed a no-hitter, and Beardstown hit two home runs to move on to play Sacred Heart-Griffin. 

Kearns fanned 15, walked four, and the two runs were unearned. The Tigers (20-4) grabbed a 1-0 lead when Ola Quigley (2-for-3, two runs) led off the bottom of the first inning with a solo home run. Kearns helped her own cause with an RBI double, and Mia Simpson (1-for-3, three RBIs) added a two-run single for a 4-0 lead. Hallie Lawson’s solo homer made it 5-0 in the fourth.  

Pleasant Plains’ Aspen Kitowski and Lexie Shimkus each scored a run on a walk and two errors by Beardstown in the sixth. The Cardinals finished 18-13.  

The Tigers avenged a 17-5 loss to Plains on May 15.  

Rochester Regional 

No. 1 Rochester 17, No. 8 Riverton 1 (4 innings) 

Emmah Brown and Payton Sitko both finished 2-for-2 with two runs apiece and two RBIs each as the top-seeded Rockets advanced to the championship game.  

Rochester (23-8) will meet No. 4 Warrensburg-Latham for the title on Friday at 4:30 p.m. 

Talia Daniels, Mylie Deatherage and Molly Eichholz each collected a hit and drove in two runs apiece, while Brooklyn Thompson tripled and scored twice. Jaelyn Watts (9-4) earned the win, throwing two hitless innings with six strikeouts and no walks. 

No. 4 Warrensburg-Latham 7, No. 5 Auburn 3 

The Cardinals had a three-run lead and opened the game up with three runs in the bottom of the fourth inning to get to the title game.  

Madison Hackett doubled in Addi Jones (2-for-4) in the first to give Auburn a 1-0 advantage. Warrensburg-Latham took the lead for good in the bottom half of the inning on a two-run single by Megan Hardin. Emelia Coble’s two-run triple made it 4-1 in the second, and winning pitcher Kelsey Oakley settled in.  

Hackett finished 3-for-4, and she drove in all three runs for Auburn (12-19), adding run-scoring singles in the sixth and seventh innings. Jenna Arenz was the losing pitcher, allowing nine hits on seven runs (four earned) with seven strikeouts and two walks. 

Buffalo Tri-City Regional 

No. 2 Gillespie 10, No. 7 Litchfield 0 (5 innings) 

Sadie Sholtis homered twice, and Paxton Reid threw a two-hit shutout to send the Miners to the title game.  

Sholtis delivered a two-run home run in the first inning and a two-run blast in a six-run second. Ava Parish doubled in a run, and Gillian Smith and Ava Rakers each had run-scoring singles in the second to give Gillespie an 8-0 lead. Smith (2-for-3, three runs) popped a two-run homer in the third. 

Reid struck out three and walked none. Laci Schuckenbrock doubled twice and scored a run, and Helaina Scott didn’t score a run, but went 3-for-3.   

Gillespie (24-10)plays either No. 3 Buffalo Tri-City or No. 6 Carlinville for the championship at 11 a.m. on Saturday.  

Vandalia Regional 

No. 8 Staunton 9, No. 10 Vandalia 2 

Carly Kolesar threw a two-hitter and shortstop Avery Lamore scored three runs to lead the Bulldogs to the semifinals. 

Kolesar fanned 12, walked three and yielded two earned runs. Lamore walked twice and tripled. Maddy Callovini provided a run-scoring double, and Leah Rhodes (2-for-2, triple) supplied a two-run single in Staunton’s four-run fifth inning. 

Staunton (14-10) plays top-seed Greenville in the semis at 4 p.m. on Wednesday.   

Petersburg PORTA Regional 

No. 8 Petersburg PORTA 10, No. 9 New Berlin 0 (6 innings) 

Kylie Tiemeyer went 3-for-4 with four RBIs, and starting pitcher Mackenzie Miller gave up just two hits in the shutout.  

Miller struck out six and walked two. Tiemeyer rapped a two-run single and drove in two more runs with a pair of base hits. Regan Heubner and Brynn Duncheon combined for four hits and five runs at the top of the batting order. 

PORTA (11-15) plays No. 1 seed Williamsville in the semifinals at 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday.  

Effingham St. Anthony Regional 

No. 7 Effingham St. Anthony 6, No. 9 Pana 1 

A five-run fourth inning by St. Anthony catapulted the Bulldogs to the championship game and ended the Panthers’ season.  

Pana (10-13) led 1-0 when Tess Casner was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded in the second. St. Anthony’s Lilly Gannaway tied the game with an RBI double in the third, and Claire Kinkelaar’s two-run double highlighted the Bulldogs’ five-run fourth.  

Joey Laker took the loss for Pana, giving up five earned runs on seven hits with three strikeouts and one walk in six innings. She had three hits at the plate, and Bri Mathis (2-for-3) scored the one run for the Panthers. 

Effingham St. Anthony plays No. 1 seed Marshall in the regional semifinals at 3 p.m. on Wednesday. 

CLASS 1A 

Havana Regional 

No. 7 Havana 10, No. 9 Delavan 0 (5 innings) 

Madolyn Howerter was the winning pitcher and drove in four runs to send the Ducks to the semifinals. 

Havana (13-7-1) plays No. 1 seed Glasford Illini Bluffs in the semis at 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday.  

Howerter struck out six, walked four and surrendered two hits. She belted a three-run home run, walking twice and scoring two runs. Karlie Hurst (2-for-2, two runs, RBI) doubled and tripled, and Ava Kramer finished 2-for-4 with a double and two runs.     

Monday, May 18 

CLASS 2A 

Riverton Regional 

No. 8 Riverton 20, No. 9 North Mac 10  

Kelsey Dalby had four of Riverton’s 13 hits and drove in five runs as Riverton advanced to the semifinals to meet top-seeded Rochester.  

Dalby socked a two-run triple and added three singles that brought in three runs. Gabriella Speaks went 2-for-3 with a two-run triple and drove in three runs, while Brooklyn Lanham knocked in three runs with a bases-clearing double, and Oakley Robbins went 3-for-4, scored four runs and walked twice.  

Kyana Thiebaud walloped a two-run home run, and Lennox Wiseman had a hit and two RBIs for North Mac.

This article originally appeared on State Journal-Register: Wieland, Wegner help SHG advance | Softball regional roundup May 18-23

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

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