Spartan athletes qualify for Illinois Top Times meet in Bloomington, area baseball and softball round-ups

By FRED KRONER
fred@sjodaily.com

St. Joseph-Ogden qualified all three of its girls’ relay teams for Friday’s running of the unofficial state indoor track and field meet at Illinois Wesleyan University’s Shirk Center, in Bloomington.

The Spartans will also have three representatives in the Class 1A 1,600-meter race: Hannah Rajlich, Jillian Plotner and Cassidy Bagby.

Additionally, Maclayne Taylor advanced in the 60 meters and Atleigh Hamilton qualified in the long jump.

The SJ-O relays are the 800, the 1,600 and the 3,200.

Also in the girls’ meet at the Shirk Center is Villa Grove/Heritage’s Meike Herbrandt, who will compete in the 60-meter dash.

Villa Grove/Heritage

The Blue Devils won two events and Meike Herbrandt finished second in three events in Tuesday’s first outdoor meet.

VG/Heritage placed third at Arcola with 34 points. Meet champion Sullivan totaled 91 1/2 points.

Samantha Campbell won the 800-meter dash for VG/Heritage. Her time was 2:35.96.

The team’s 3,200-relay foursome of Sophia Wegeng, Isidora Davis, Katherine Eisenmenger and Isabella Caceres took first in 14:51.88.

Herbrant’s runner-up placements came in the 60 meters (14.06), the 300 meters (29.44) and the long jump (15-9).

Boys’ track and field

St. Joseph-Ogden

SJ-O will have entries in six events in the Class 1A division of the Illinois Top Times meet on Friday at IWU.

Aiden Meyer is a qualifier in the 60-meter dash and teammate Lane Gaskin advanced in the 200 meters.

Brady Buss is a 400-meter qualifier and Nolan Peacock is in the pole vault.

The Spartans also advanced their 800- and 1,600-meter relay units.

Villa Grove/Heritage

In Tuesday’s outdoor opener, VG/Heritage placed fourth in a four-team meet at Arcola.

VG/Heritage had one individual event winner.

Trevor Reberger captured the 200-meter dash in 24.46 seconds.

Placing second for VG/Heritage were shot putter Chase Burwell (41 feet, 5 inches) and discus thrower Daelin Price (114-3).

Meet winner Arcola had 82 points. VG/Heritage totaled 35 points.

Baseball

St. Joseph-Ogden

Blake Dable hit a two-run homer for SJ-O (3-2), which suffered an 11-5 setback on Tuesday at Tuscola (5-0).

The teams were tied, 2-2, in the fifth inning.

Crayton Burnett and Adam Rose also drove in runs for the Spartans.

SJ-O returns to action today at home against Urbana.

Oakwood

The Comets suffered a 4-1 loss in their opener on Monday at Tolono.

Andy Hohn struck out five batters for Oakwood during his four-inning stint.

Noah Ruch drove in the Comets’ run. Jacob Spear had two hits for the Comets, who out-hit Unity, 6-4.

Elijah Harden and Josh Young teamed up for a one-hitter on Tuesday as Oakwood won at Urbana, 6-2.

Harden pitched the first 3 2/3 innings. Young struck out six in his 3 1/3-inning stint.

Teammates Brayden Hobick and Koby Fletcher each had two hits for the Comets (1-1).

Hobick drove in two runs and Ruch scored two runs.

Oakwood returns to action today at Monticello.

Villa Grove/Heritage

Three Monticello pitchers kept Villa Grove/Heritage hitless in Monday’s 9-0 victory in Monticello.

VG/Heritage had three baserunners. Ryan Cheatam and Evan Wilson drew walks, and Nick Coffin was safe on an error.

On Tuesday, Wilson pitched a one-hit shutout, and needed last-out relief help from Nathan Chewning, as the Hawks blanked Armstrong-Potomac 11-0.

Wilson struck out 12 and walked one.

Eight Hawks had hits, but only Wilson (2-for-3) had more than one. Coffin knocked in three runs.

Logan McKee drove in two runs.

Villa Grove/Heritage reached the .500 mark (3-3) with Wednesday’s come-from-behind 5-3 triumph over visiting Sullivan.

The Redskins carried a 2-1 lead into the bottom of the sixth inning.

Carson Howard clubbed a home run and drove in three runs for the Hawks.

Howard and Mason Wyant each had two hits for VG/Heritage. Noah Davison had a run-scoring double.

Chewning (2-0) pitched two innings of scoreless and hitless relief to earn the victory.

Howard closed out the win in the final inning, striking out two.

The Hawks return to action on Friday at Bismarck-Henning/Rosville-Alvin.

Softball

St. Joseph-Ogden

The Spartans helped Larry Sparks win his high school varsity debut as head coach on Monday, edging Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley 4-2 in an eight-inning game that was shifted from Gibson City to St. Joseph due to field conditions.

Ashtyn Cromwell pitched five innings of relief and struck out four. She earned the win. Starter Zoey Witruk worked the first three innings.

Hannah Dukeman had two hits and drove in a run for the Spartans.

Reagan Crippen had two of SJ-O’s six stolen bases.

SJ-O improved to 2-0 on Tuesday, winning by the 10-run rule at Westville, 15-4, after trailing in the fifth inning, 4-1.

Witruk, Dukeman, Katie Poulter and Savannah Smith all hit home runs. Witruk, Dukeman, Smith and Bailey Dowling each totaled three hits.

Dukeman had six RBI.

Witruk fanned 10 in five innings of relief and picked up the win.

The Spartans, who made no errors at Westville, return to action today with a home game against Normal West.

Heritage

Noelle Woodmansee slugged a three-run homer, but Heritage dropped an 8-4 decision on Monday at Westville.

Gracyn Allen had two hits and drove in the Hawks’ other run.

Aliya Holloman was 3-for-3, including two doubles.

Other Heritage players with hits were Melanie Smithenry, Kenzie Davison, Jada Davis and Anna Sanders.

The Hawks (1-2) earned their first win on Tuesday, topping Chrisman 20-1 in Chrisman.

Allen and Holloman each had three hits, one single, one double and one triple apiece.

They also handled the pitching chores. Allen struck out five batters in three innings. Holloman fanned three batters in two innings.

Teammate Bri Struck were 4-for-4 with three of her hits landing four doubles.

Other Heritage players with basehits were Kyley Rothermel, Smithenry, Woodmansee and Sanders.

Heritage returns to action today at home against Bismarck-Henning/Rossville-Alvin.