Normal CornBelters left fielder Romulo Ruiz blasted a three-run homer off of Windy City Thunderbolts pitcher Rich Hawkins for a 7-6 victory in there Frontier League home-opener before 2,713 fans at the Corn Crib. The Belters (3-1) led the entire way until Windy City (1-4) scored three unearned runs in the sixth to grab a 6-4 lead. The top five hitters in Normal’s lineup contributed 11 of the team’s 12 hits. Mike Schwartz, Pat McKenna and Ruiz had three hits each. Mitch Mormann (1-0), who relieved starter Drew Provence in the fifth, earned the win. Casey Upperman pitched two innings of hitless relief for his second save. The two teams meet again Wednesday night at 7:00 p.m. for the second game of the opening series.
-Bob
East Peoria (21-3, 14-0) scored two runs in the bottom of the seventh inning to beat the Morton Potters 3-2 Thursday evening at Eastside Centre. Bridget Bankes knocked in Sarah Finck and Taylor Kellum for the walk off victory on senior night for the lady Red Raiders. Finck the junior pitcher for East Peoria tossed a two-hitter and struck out 15 to finish the Mid-Illini Conference unbeaten.
-Bob
Senior third baseman Spencer Gaa homered and drove in three runs and Geremy Guerrero and Trent Johnson combined to allow six hits for Metamora in a 5-2 win over the host Limestone Wednesday night that earned both a title share in the Mid-Illini Conference. Gaa, headed to Bradley University, had a two-run double to highlight a four-run second inning off Rockets left-hander Dylan Weaver. Metamora (26-5, 13-1) last won the M-I title in baseball in 1996. Limestone (22-6, 13-1), also co-champion last season, was bidding to become the first team in the 31-year history of the M-I to go unbeaten in league play. Limestone in the second got an RBI single from Dominic Johnson and Adam Schmitt scored on Josh Wormer’s sacrifice fly to make the score 4-2. Redbirds freshman lefty Geremy Guerrero used the defensive support to face the minimum from the third through fifth innings and allowed five hits, struck out two and walked one. Sophomore Trent Johnson came on in the sixth. In the seventh he got Sean Green to ground into a force for the final out with two runners on.
-Bob
Limestone senior pitcher Zach Jewell was brilliant in a 2-0 victory over Metamora (25-5, 12-1)in a matchup of Mid-Illini Conference baseball unbeatens Monday evening. The Rockets (22-5, 13-0) right-hander allowed three hits, no walks and struck out six in the complete-game win. Trent Johnson, the Redbirds sophomore committed to the University of Arizona, got an inning-ending double play to escape a bases-loaded sitiation in the bottom of the fourth. Limestone loaded the bases again in the sixth, on Dylan Weaver’s single surrounded by two walks. Dominic Johnson, also a sophomore, who fanned in his first two at-bats, bounced a single through the left side that scored pinch-runner Ray Vogel and Weaver. In the seventh Jewell retired Trent Johnson and Brendan Nachtrieb on strikes after Alec Skender singled and reached second. Metamora will travel to play Limestone again in two days at 7 p.m.
-Bob
Missouri Valley Conference rival Wichita State, Bradley University could not hold a 6-3 lead in the ninth inning, allowing the Shockers (20-16, 6-2 MVC) to rally for a 10-6 win in 10 innings Saturday afternoon at Peoria Chiefs Stadium. Trying to climb out of that 6-3 hole, Wichita State had a runner at second with two outs in the top of the ninth, then got an RBI double from Micah Green in front of four consecutive walks from Bradley pitchers Andy Johnson (three) and Stephen Toma to force extra innings tied at 6-6. The fifth and sixth runs actually scored on wild pitches, one from each reliever. The Braves put the potential winning run on base in the bottom of the ninth when Mike Tauchman worked a 10-pitch at-bat for a 2-out single and took second on a wild pitch, but he was tagged out at third on a Max Murphy high-hopper. After scoring four runs on two walks and four singles in the top of the 10th, the Shockers made an effort to give the game back to the Braves in the home half of the extra frame by loading the bases on a 2-out, 3rd-strike passed ball and consecutive walks. Representing the tying run while standing in for his third career plate appearance, freshman pitcher Elliot Ashbeck just missed on a heroic swing, but ended the game with a fly ball to the right field warning track. The late-game events spoiled the first career start for Bradley left-hander Brent Stong, who allowed three runs, two earned, on six hits in 5.1 innings.
-Bob
