Three Lexington pitchers combined to hold Mt. Pulaski to just one run as the Minute Men defeated the Hilltoppers 3-1 in a high school baseball sectional semifinal matchup on Wednesday at Illinois Wesleyan. 

Jack Miller got the start and pitched five innings, allowing five hits, one run, and striking out four. The Mt. Pulaski bats were only further limited from there as Drake Powell and Blaine Friedmansky combined for two innings of shutout relief. 

Mt. Pulaski got on the board first after a leadoff single in the top of the third from Carter Clark. After a sac bunt moved Clark to second, Chase Roberts singled in Clark to make it 1-0. 

Lexington answered back when Powell led off the bottom of the fourth with a triple and then scored on a wild pitch during the next at-bat to even the game at 1-1. They added another two runs in the fifth, highlighted by RBI singles from Powell and Braeden Barber to take the 3-1 win. 

Powell led the Minute Men with a 2-for-3 day at the plate, scoring once and driving in a run. Friedmansky was also 2-for-3 and came home once. Barber was 1-for-3 with an RBI and a run scored as well. 

Preston Cowan led the Mt. Pulaski bats with a 2-for-3 performance. Clark was 1-for-3 with the lone run for the Hilltoppers. Aaron Volle, Luke Martin, and Tyler Cross also had hits. 

Clark started on the mound for Mt. Pulaski, pitching 3.2 innings, allowing one run on three hits, striking out five, and permitting two walks. Volle allowed two runs and three hits over 1 and ? innings while striking out two. Jaeden Jackson struck out two in a shutout inning of relief. 

Lexington improves to 23-11 and advances to the Sectional Championship against Tremont at Illinois Wesleyan on Saturday at 11 AM. Mt. Pulaski finishes the campaign 22-12. 
 

Dane Eisenmenger went the distance and drove in two runs in a four-run first inning, propelling Tolono Unity past Maroa-Forsty 4-1 in a Class 2A high school baseball Sectional semifinal on Wednesday from the Monticello Sectional.

Eisenmenger drove in two runs with a triple to put the Rockets up 3-0 in the top of the first. He would strike out nine across seven innings of one-run ball.

Brayden Henry and Ryan Cunningham had RBIs for Tolono Unity.

Gunner Larner had the only RBI for the Trojans in the bottom half of the first inning. Camden Trendler was 2-for-3 with a double for Maroa-Forsyth, who finishes its campaign 24-10-1. 

It will be an Illini Prairie Conference Sectional Championship on Saturday when Tolono Unity battles St. Joseph-Ogden at 11 am in Monticello.

In a game heard on WHOW, the Maroa-Forsyth Trojans rallied late and walked off the Clinton Maroons 2-1 in a Class 2A Regional Championship matchup on Saturday afternoon in Clinton. 

Lead off hitter Jaxon Reynolds was hit by a pitch on a 3-0 count in the top of the first for Clinton. Two sacrifice outs advanced Reynolds to third, who scored on a wild pitch before Brock Wilson flew out to center to end the inning with a 1-0 lead. 

The Maroons would hold their lead until the bottom of the sixth when Gunnar Larner led off with a walk for Maroa-Forstyh. Two batters later, Colby Parrot hit a ground ball and reached on an error that allowed courtesy runner Callin Rykhus to tie the game from third at 1-1. 

In the bottom of the seventh with two outs on the board, Cooper Wise hit a walk-off single over the head of right fielder Cole Fentress, scoring Camden Trendler from third. 

Reynolds was 0-for-3 today with the lone run for Clinton. Stone Stith had a 2-for-3 day at the plate, while Xander Reynolds and Brock Wilson also added hits. 

Wilson threw 6 ? innings of two-run ball, issuing five strikeouts, walking seven, and permitting three hits. Cooper Massey allowed one hit as he finished out the final inning in relief. 

Wise was 2-for-4 with an RBI for the Trojans. Ace Giles was 1-for-3 with a run scored, while Grady Rose was also 1-for-3. 

Trendler pitched four innings, allowing three hits, three walks, an unearned run, and striking out two. Kaden Blunck came in for three innings of relief, striking out four and allowing one hit. 

With the win, Maroa-Forsyth improves to 23-9-1 and advances to Wednesday’s Sectional Semifinal against Tolono Unity in Monticello. Clinton finishes the season 21-14. 
 

In a game heard on WEZC and online at dewittdailynews.com, Tyler Henry was brilliant on the mound, facing only two over the minimum, and shut out Monticello in a 6-0 Class 2A Regional Championship victory Saturday in Monticello.

Henry struck out four, walked three, and permitted just one hit in a complete game, shutout effort on Saturday. He benefitted from a pickoff and caught stealing that mitigated two of the four Sages' base runners on the afternoon.

The Rockets took advantage of Sages miscues in the bottom of the first to go up 3-0. 

Brayden Henry broke the game open in the sixth with a three-run home run, to put Unity up 6-0.

The Rockets go to 25-8 overall. They advance to the Monticello Sectional on Wednesday, taking on the winner of the Clinton Regional between Maroa-Forsyth and Clinton.

The Sages end their campaign at 30-5. 

Luke Martin was excellent on the mound Saturday, leading Mt. Pulaski to 3-1 win over Heyworth to capture a Class 1A Regional Championship from the Mt. Pulaski Regional.

Martin struck out five, walked one, and allowed just one hit in seven innings. 

Chase Roberts was the only Hilltopper with multiple hits, going 2-for-4. Aaron Volle, Tyler Cross, and Carter Clark drove in runs for Mt. Pulaski.

Braxton Denning was 2-for-3 to lead Heyworth. Tristan Crow drove in the only run for the Hornets, going 1-for-3 with a double. He worked around five walks, going 4 2/3 innings with six strikeouts and permitted three runs. 

The Hornets finish their season 14-13 overall.

Mt. Pulaski goes to 22-11 overall and will take on Lexington Wednesday at 7 pm in Bloomington at Illinois Wesleyan in Class 1A Sectional semifinal action. 

A run-scoring wild pitch in the bottom of the sixth inning plated the tenth and game-ending run for Normal Community, as the Ironmen rolled Moline 10-0 in a run-rule, Class 4A Regional Championship route on Saturday in Moline.

Max Heineman and Luke Beaty each doubled and drove in two for Normal Community. Hank Baldwin singled in a run in the bottom of the sixth inning. Carter Harris and Gavin Swartz each recorded RBIs. 

Josh Jones fired 5 1/3 innings of shutout ball with three walks, six strikeouts, and permitted just three hits.

The Ironmen go to 32-2 overall. They take on Minooke on Wednesday at 6 pm at Duffy Bass Field on the campus of Illinois State University at 6 pm.

Champaign Central scored four runs in the bottom of the sixth inning, pulling away late from Normal West for a Class 3A Regional Championship on Saturday at the Champaign Central Regional.

The Maroons were up 3-1 and put the game out of reach with three-straight run-scoring hits. 

Sam McCully had the only RBI on the afternoon for the Wildcats, who mustered just three hits against three Champaign Central pitchers.

Normal West finishes the season 23-15 overall.