Friday's prep highlights: Go ahead and celebrate Mahomet-Seymour, Monticello and Westville

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In baseball

➜ Bismarck-Henning/Rossville-Alvin 6, Salt Fork 4. Bismarck-Henning/Rossville-Alvin went up 2-0 in the bottom of the third inning, increased its lead to 5-0 in the fifth and then held on for a home Vermilion Valley Conference win despite a four-run sixth inning by Salt Fork. Chaz Dubois went 2 for 2 with two doubles and two RBI to pace the Blue Devils, while Cruz Dubois was 1 for 3 with a double and an RBI. Anderson Thomas added two hits, including a double. Dane Dillon threw 62/3 innings for BHRA and only gave up one earned run. He struck out nine and walked one. Brayden Norton and Hayden Chew each drove in a run for Salt Fork, while Jameson Remole went 2 for 3 with a double.

➜ Champaign Central 10, Danville 0. Oliver Brandow and Aiden Elliott combined on a six-inning shutout and Chris Timmons went 4 for 4 with two RBI, two runs scored and three stolen bases to propel Champaign Central to a home Big 12 win at Spalding Park. Luke McClure, T.J. Pipkins and Lawrence Davis each went 2 for 3 for the Maroons, with McClure and Pipkins both driving in two runs and scoring two runs. Davis also scored two runs and stole a base, with Elliott, Sam McArthur and Patrick Kennedy also driving in a run for Central.

➜ Herscher 8, Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley 5. Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley took a 5-0 lead after two innings and still held that advantage entering the bottom of the sixth inning before Herscher plated all eight of its run in the sixth to earn the come-from-behind win. Zach Price went 3 for 4 with two doubles and two RBI for the Falcons, while Ty Cribbett was 1 for 3 with a double. Brayden Elliott went 1 for 3 and drove in two runs, while Trent Wetherell was 2 for 3 with a run scored.

➜ Hoopeston Area 16, Cissna Park 1. Zach Huchel drove in three runs, Keygan Field hit a home run and Ethan Steiner pitched four innings of two-hit ball, striking out four, as the Cornjerkers rolled past the Timberwolves in VVC action.

➜ Iroquois West 24, Georgetown-Ridge Farm 14. A 10-run outburst in the bottom of the fourth inning and seven more runs in the fifth allowed Iroquois West to earn a high-scoring VVC victory. The Raiders trailed 9-5 before their 10-spot in the fourth put them in the lead for good. Iroquois West rattled off 19 hits, with Rylan Pheifer going 4 for 5 with a double, a triple, two RBI, two runs scored and two stolen bases. Mario Andrade was 3 for 5 with a double, six RBI and two runs scored and Izzy Alvarez was 3 for 4 with two doubles, four RBI, five runs scored and two stolen bases. Boede Gregory (2 for 4, three RBI) and Owen Hartke (3 for 4, two RBI) also contributed. Ryley Heck was 2 for 3 with a home run, four RBI, three runs scored and three stolen bases for the Buffaloes, with Jase Latoz going 4 for 4 with two doubles, three RBI, four runs scored and two stolen bases.

➜ Milford 1, Armstrong-Potomac 0. A pitchers’ duel between Milford’s Gavin Schunke and Armstrong-Potomac’s Cain Buhr emerged, but Caleb Clutteur provided the big hit to spark the visiting Bearcats to the narrow VVC win. Clutteur drilled a solo home run in the top of the sixth for the game’s only run. Schunke threw a shutout for Milford (9-9), yielding two hits and only one walk while striking out six. Buhr tossed all seven innings for A-P, giving up two hits and walking four, but striking out 10. Nathan Rogers and Carter Freeman each had a single for the Trojans’ lone hits.

➜ Monticello 6, Mahomet-Seymour 2. In a nonconference showdown between two of the top-three teams in the most recent News-Gazette Top 10 poll, No. 1 Monticello rallied from a 1-0 deficit after three innings to beat No. 3 Mahomet-Seymour and set a school record for wins in a season. Ike Young threw six innings and kept the Bulldogs off balance, only giving up five hits and striking out five. Luke Teschke went 2 for 4 to pace the Sages (27-2) on offense, with Eli Craft and Young each going 1 for 2 with an RBI. Tyson Finch was 2 for 3 to lead M-S, with teammate Cam Heinold going 1 for 3 with an RBI.

➜ St. Joseph-Ogden 14, Paxton-Buckley-Loda 4. The host Spartans fell behind 3-0 after two innings, but scored 11 runs in the bottom of the third to take control and earn the Illini Prairie Conference win at Meier Field. Braxton Waller went 3 for 4 with two RBI, two doubles and two runs scored to lead SJ-O (26-2) to its 15th straight victory. Logan Rosenthal (3 for 5, two RBI, two runs scored) and Luke Landrus (2 for 3, RBI, double) also contributed significantly, with Bryson Houchens working five innings to pick up the win on the mound. Bryar Cosgrove, Tyler Cole, Luke Krumwiede and Kayden Vance all drove in a run for Paxton-Buckley-Loda.

➜ Watseka 8, Schlarman 0. Frankie Shervino was nearly unhittable on the mound for Watseka, striking out 12 and only allowing one hit in six dominant innings during a VVC home win by the Warriors. Aidan Morris went 1 for 1 with an RBI, two runs scored and walked three times for Watseka. Austin Marcier and Brayden Ketchum also drove in runs for the Warriors, while Jerrius Atkinson had the lone hit for Schlarman.

➜ Westville 10, Oakwood 0. Big innings in the top of the third and top of the sixth propelled the visiting Tigers to another VVC win, capping an outright conference title with an undefeated league record. Cade Schaumburg was 3 for 4 with three RBI to pace Westville (21-5-1) and Cameron Steinbaugh scattered seven hits in throwing six shutout innings. He struck out eight and did not issue a walk. Drew Wichtowski (2 for 3, two RBI), Matthew Darling (1 for 3, RBI, two runs scored) and Zach Russell (two RBI, two runs scored) also contributed. Bryson Marcinko went 2 for 3 with a double to lead Oakwood.

In softball

➜ Champaign Central 2, Bloomington 1. Haley Helm pitched four innings of no-hit relief, striking out eight, as the host Maroons ran their win streak to eight games following a Big 12 victory. Central (15-8-1) only finished with two hits, but Helm and Grace Bandy each drove in a run to spark the Maroons, who led 1-0 after the first inning and broke a 1-1 tie in the bottom of the sixth. Kaitlyn Helm crossed home plate twice to score both of Central’s runs.

➜ Meridian 6, LeRoy 3. Meridian went ahead 1-0 in the top of the third inning and kept host LeRoy at bay the rest of the nonconference game. Natalie Loy hit a home run and went 1 for 3 with two RBI for the Panthers (23-5), while Molly Buckles drove in the other run for LeRoy, and Lilly Long added a double.

➜ Milford/Cissna Park 10, Armstrong-Potomac 4. Addison Lucht hit a grand slam, a triple, finished with five RBI and scored three runs to spark the Bearcats to a road Vermilion Valley Conference victory. Madisyn Laffoon also went 2 for 3 at the plate, like Lucht did, and drove in a run for Milford/Cissna Park (17-4). Kami Muehling scattered 11 hits and threw a complete game, only giving up one earned run and striking out seven. Tinley Parkerson and Elle Jameson each went 3 for 4 to pace Armstrong-Potomac, with Parkerson driving in a run.

➜ Prairie Central 16, Fieldcrest 1. Prairie Central scored at least three runs in every inning, cruising to a four-inning victory on its senior night. Rylee Galloway led the Hawks by going 4 for 4 with a double and five RBI, while Jules Woodrey was 2 for 3 with two RBI. Woodrey also threw all four innings for Prairie Central, striking out four and only allowing three hits. Sam Slagel added a solo home run, Kyah Creek was 2 for 2 with three runs scored and Lucy Whitfill was 2 for 3 with two runs scored to complement Galloway’s big game.

➜ Rantoul 11, Clinton 9. Rantoul trailed 7-0 entering the bottom of the second inning before steadily mounting a comeback to produce a nonconference home win. Evelynn Graham, Josie Roseman and Aubrey Cann each hit a home run for the Eagles, with Graham going 3 for 4, Roseman driving in two runs and Cann finishing with four RBI. Addy Sherrick picked up the win in relief, striking out seven in five innings.

➜ Salt Fork 5, Bismarck-Henning/Rossville-Alvin 4. Salt Fork broke a 3-3 tie by scratching across two runs in the top of the fifth inning and then held on for a road VVC win. Alexa Jamison and Karli McGee each registered a single for the only hits by the visiting Storm, who took advantage of three errors by Bismarck-Henning/Rossville-Alvin. Jamison, Ava Ringstrom, Morgan Russell and Raina Conner each drove in run for Salt Fork. McGee gave up nine hits and walked five, but she also struck out five in throwing a complete game. Ella Myers drove in two runs for BHRA, while Emma Shelato and Draycee Nelson each went 2 for 4 with a double.

➜ Unity 11, Chillicothe IVC 2. A 2-2 tie entering the bottom of the fourth inning quickly turned in favor of the host Rockets, who plated three runs in that inning before tacking on five more in the fifth to pull away for the Illini Prairie Conference win on Unity’s senior night. Ruby Tarr went 2 for 4 with two solo home runs for Unity (17-7-1), while Jenna Adkins was 3 for 4 with four RBI, three doubles, three runs scored and two stolen bases out of the leadoff spot. Sophia Beckett (2 for 2) and Grace Bickers (2 for 3, two doubles, two RBI). Lindy Bates picked up the win, throwing five innings and allowing four hits, while she struck out eight.

➜ Watseka 9, Schlarman 0. Sarah Parsons threw a three-hit shutout and Brianna Denault went 3 for 4 with an RBI and two runs scored to lead Watseka (15-5) to a home VVC victory. Parsons struck out 11 and only allowed one walk. She also helped herself out in the batter’s box, going 2 for 3 with a double, an RBI and three runs scored. Abigail Neukomm and Noelle Schroeder each finished 2 for 4 with an RBI for the Warriors.

➜ Westville 15, Oakwood 0. Westville continued its run of dominance in VVC play, winning an outright league title for the fourth straight season following Friday’s road triumph. The Tigers went ahead 5-0 in the top of the first and delivered 10 runs in the fourth to end the game early. Abby Sabalaskey threw four no-hit innings for Westville (23-2) and struck out 10. Layla Atwood hit a home run and drove in four runs, while Lani Gondzur and Lilly Kiesel each came through with three hits, with Gondzur supplying a double and Kiesel driving in three runs. Jazmyn Bennett and Madison Jones each chipped in two hits and two RBI.

In girls’ soccer

➜ Mahomet-Seymour 9, Charleston 0. Mahomet-Seymour left no doubt about who the best team in the Apollo Conference is this season, cruising to a road win as eight different Bulldogs scored a goal in a win that clinched the Apollo regular-season title for M-S. Camryn Nelson scored two goals and handed out an assist for M-S (9-3-3), while Hannah Creel, Jaycee Fancher, Erika Johnson, Ella Walk, Audrey Marshall, Sophie Davis and Maggie Moore each added a goal. Fancher and Hadley Grotelueschen each distributed two assists, with Nelson, Walk, Nadia Biegler and Ava Jansen chipping in with an assist. Anna Streicher made three saves to preserve the shutout.