Here are the Class 1A and 2A softball and baseball sectional semifinals results around Springfield for Tuesday and Wednesday:
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Wednesday's results
BASEBALL
CLASS 2A
NO. 3 LITCHFIELD 2, NO. 1 PLEASANT PLAINS 1: At Pleasant Plains, Carson Saathoff hit the go-ahead double in the bottom of the sixth inning as the Purple Panthers kept alive their winningest season in program history.
Sophomore Max Leitschuh singled with two outs in the bottom of the sixth ahead of Saathoff’s double to left field, which scored Leitschuh for the eventual game-winning run.
Tate Dobrinich, Litchfield’s senior pitcher, finished off his complete-game two-hitter with a 1-2-3 inning, including a strikeout of J.W. Penick to end the game. Dobrinich allowed one unearned run and one walk during his nine-strikeout outing.
Pleasant Plains (29-8) took a 1-0 lead in the top of the second inning on a single from Penick, which was misplayed in center field, to score Adam Green with two outs.
Senior Drake Gasperson led off the bottom of the fourth with a double. With two outs, Saathoff singled to left to drive in Gasperson and pull the Purple Panthers into a 1-1 tie. It wouldn’t be the last time the sophomore Saathoff would have a clutch hit. He finished 2-for-3 with the pair of RBIs. Gasperson also had a pair of hits.
Penick and Trager Shultz had the lone hits for Plains. Cale Hatcher struck out five in 3 2/3 innings pitched and took the tough-luck loss.
Litchfield improved to 27-7 after setting the school record for wins with its 25 th against Pana in the 2A Gillespie Regional semifinal last week. The Purple Panthers are in the sectional title game for the first time since 2006, a 7-6 loss to Columbia in the Class A Carlinville Sectional championship.
The Panthers will face No. 2 Sacred Heart-Griffin (23-9) in the sectional championship game on Saturday at 11 a.m.
More: Visions of success: Litchfield's historic ride still going after upset win over Gillespie
NO. 2 SACRED HEART-GRIFFIN 11, NO. 4 AUBURN 2: At Pleasant Plains, Drew Ward and Will Lance were dominant at the plate as the Cyclones scored in every inning except the first to move into the sectional championship game.
Lance was 4-for-4, including a home run to lead off the bottom of the sixth inning to give SHG a 10-2 lead.
Ward, from the No. 9 spot in the Cyclones’ lineup, was also 4-for-4 and he hit two doubles and drove in five runs. Hunter Wheat gave SHG’s bottom of the lineup some added heft with a pair of doubles, and he finished 3-for-3. Tyler Springer, Max Powers and Carson Butler all finished with two hits apiece.
SHG pitcher Andy Antonacci struck out eight over 6 1/3 innings to get the win. He allowed one run on three hits and two walks.
Evan Anderson had the only RBI for Auburn, which finished the season 13-13 and just the second regional title since 2016 for the program.
SHG (23-9) will face No. 3 Litchfield in the sectional championship game on Saturday at 11 a.m.
CLASS 1A
NO. 1 MOUNT PULASKI 5, NO. 2 ARMSTRONG 1: At Arcola, Mount Pulaski didn’t let a strong pitching performance go to waste by scoring four runs in the top of the ninth inning and advancing to the sectional championship game.
The Hilltoppers (26-3) will face Gibson City or Arcola for the championship at 11 a.m. on Saturday.
Mount Pulaski scored all four of its runs in the ninth with two outs. Luke Martin walked with the bases loaded to give the Hilltoppers a one-run lead and Tyler Cross (2-for-4) singled in two runs to increase the lead to 4-1. Martin scored on a passed ball to complete the scoring.
Chance Payne started the game for the Hilltoppers and struck out a whopping 14 batters with one walk in seven strong innings. He gave up four hits and one unearned run. Payne also delivered at the plate, tying the game 1-1 with an RBI single in the fifth.
Eric Cooper threw two innings for the win, striking out two and walking one.
NO. 1 JACKSONVILLE ROUTT 12, NO. 2 GLASFORD ILLINI BLUFFS 1 (5 innings): At Mendon, Routt exploded for 10 runs in the top of the fifth inning and secured a spot in the sectional title game.
Routt (30-7) will play Delavan — which defeated Bluffs 6-4 — in the championship game at noon on Saturday.
Isaac Long, Eli Olson, Talon Thompson, and Nolan Turner (2-for-4, run) each had run-scoring singles in the fifth to give Routt a 6-1 lead. An error by Illini Bluffs brought in two more runs and Brady Turner added an RBI single to stretch the advantage to 9-1. Long later scored on a passed ball and Olson added a two-run single as the Rockets batted around.
Brady Turner finished 2-for-3 with two RBIs and two runs, and Conrad Charpentier went the distance, striking out six and walking none while allowing three hits and one earned run.
SOFTBALL
CLASS 2A
NO. 1 GILLESPIE 2, NO. 3 BREESE MATER DEI 1: At Greenville, Emma Gipson hurled a complete game and Gillespie had some timely hitting to reach the sectional title game.
Gillespie (29-4) will play another No. 1 seed in Newton at 11 a.m. on Saturday. Newton defeated No. 3 Trenton Wesclin 3-1 in the other semifinal.
Gipson fanned 10, walked one and yielded four hits and no earned runs. The Miners struck first when Ava Parish led off the bottom of the first inning with an inside-the-park home run.
Mater Dei tied the game in the second on a Gillespie error that scored Emma Diekemper. Delaney Taylor gave Gillespie the lead for good when she singled in Laci Schuckenbrock with two outs in the bottom half of the second.
CLASS 1A
NO. 1 PLEASANT HILL 5, NO. 3 HAVANA 4: At Glasford, Pleasant Hill scored four unanswered runs and edged the Ducks to reach the sectional championship game.
Pleasant Hill will meet Glasford Illini Bluffs for the title at 4:30 p.m. on Friday.
Havana scored four runs in the top of the third inning to take a 4-1 lead. Addi Atwater (2-for-4, run) had an RBI double to tie the game at one apiece and she scored on an error to give the Ducks a 2-1 advantage. Hannah Hodgson capped the inning with a two-run double.
Pleasant Hill got a run in the bottom of the third on a sacrifice fly by Jade Peebles and got within a run on a sac fly by Kaitlyn Borrowman in the fourth.
The Wolves made it 4-4 on an RBI triple by Makenna Winchell and plated the game-winner on a run-scoring double by Hannah Hill. Ava Wombles finished 3-for-3 with two runs scored for Pleasant Hill.
Lauren Herbst went 2-for-3 and scored a run as Havana finished 15-12.
Tuesday's results
SOFTBALL
CLASS 2A
NO. 1 AUBURN 10, NO. 2 TREMONT 4: At Williamsville, Mailee Schoen broke a 4-4 tie with a two-run home run in the top of the seventh inning and Auburn scored six runs in the frame to pull away in the sectional semifinals.
After Schoen’s home run, Auburn loaded the bases and Addison Jones (2-for-4, run) cleared them with a three-run triple for a 9-4 lead. Taylor Patterson brought home the final run with an RBI single.
Auburn (25-7-1) plays either Stanford Olympia or Quincy Notre Dame in the sectional championship game at 4:30 p.m. on Friday.
The Trojans took a 4-1 lead in the third on Tremont when Patterson scored on a wild pitch and Schoen, who ended with five RBIs, ripped a three-run double.
Tremont scored twice in the fifth on RBI singles by Cassidee Bauer and Lily Elston to cut its deficit to 4-3. The Turks tied the game in the sixth on an RBI double by Olivia Avalos.
Starting pitcher Meena Taylor went the distance and earned the win. Taylor racked up 13 strikeouts and walked one while allowing eight hits and four runs (one earned).
This article originally appeared on State Journal-Register: Dobrinich, Saathoff lead Litchfield over Plains and other 1A/2A sectional baseball/softball results
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