Prairieview-Ogden registered the highest IESA state finish in baseball in school history on Monday (Oct. 4).

The Mustangs finished as the Class 1A state runners-up, dropping a 6-3 title-game decision to once-beaten Lexington in the finals. The game was delayed by 48 hours due to rain on Saturday at the East Side Centre, in East Peoria.

PVO scored all of its runs in the third inning and carried a 3-1 lead into the fourth inning. Lexington (23-1) went ahead to stay with a three-run fifth inning.

The PVO offense combined for seven hits, including two apiece from Graham Ray and Kodey McKinney. Ray, McKinney and Parker Fitch scored the Mustangs’ runs.

Hayes and Dalton York shared the pitching duties. Hayes worked 5 1/3 innings, giving up five hits while striking out six batters.

In 1 2/3 innings, York recorded three strikeouts.

In school history, four PVO teams have played for IESA state championships and wound up in second place. Sharing recognition as the highest state placers in school history with the 2021 baseball team are the 2020 boys’ basketball team, the 2015 girls’ volleyball team and the 2009 boys’ basketball team.

“Very proud of the team for all they accomplished this year,” said PVO coach Greg Immke, whose 20-4 squad established a school mark for single-season wins.

“We fell one game short of what our goal was that we set the first day of practice.”

PVO had 21 athletes playing baseball this year. The five eighth-graders were: Coy Hayes, Parker Fitch, Vance McComas, Kodey McKinney and Graham Ray.

“We’ve had some strong hitting all season and it was a close game (4-3 score in the title game until the seventh inning),” Immke said. “I feel terrible for the kids, the community and the school.

“As a coach, will learn from this run at the state tournament and try to improve moving forward.”

Two PVO players had hits in all three tournament games: Fitch and Lane McKinney.

Hayes was the catalyst in an 8-2 semifinal triumph over Mount Pulaski on Saturday (Oct. 2). Mount Pulaski finished its season with an 18-3 record and a fourth-place finish.

Hayes slugged a pair of three-run home runs. His first blast helped PVO build a 3-2 lead in the third inning against Mount Pulaski. His second shot was part of a five-run sixth inning, which concluded the game’s scoring.

Winning pitcher Lane McKinney hurled a complete game, striking out nine and permitting four hits.

Kodey McKinney joined Hayes with two hits in the game. One of his hits was a double.

On Friday (Oct. 1), Prairieview Ogden broke a 5-5 tie with a two-run sixth inning and clinched an IESA semifinal berth in baseball for the first time in school history.

In the Class 1A quarterfinals, PVO edged Effingham Sacred Heart, 7-5.

Fitch and McComas each laced two hits against Sacred Heart. One of Fitch’s hits was a home run.

Other teammates to register hits in their state debuts were York, Lane McKinney and Kaden Wedig.

PVO outhit its opponent, 7-5, for its fifth consecutive victory.

Fitch pitched the first 4 1/3 innings, striking out seven and yielding four hits. Hayes finished on the mound and earned the win, allowing one hit in his stint.

Effingham Sacred Heart ended its season with a 14-4 record.

For the season, PVO registered five shutouts, four by Fitch and one by Hayes.

Other squad members with pitching wins this season were Jemesen Ehler, Lane McKinney, Ray and York.

Ten of the PVO wins this season were by margins of at least 10 runs.

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Parker Fitch fired his second consecutive no-hitter and helped the Prairieview Ogden Junior High baseball team increase its winning streak to nine.

Fitch pitched 4 1/3 hitless innings on Tuesday (Sept. 7) at home against Gifford in a 5-0 win. The game was called at that juncture by inclement weather.

Fitch was also 2-for-2 at the plate and stole two bases.

On Thursday (Sept. 9), Coy Hayes pitched his second shutout and the team’s fifth as PVO completed its home schedule with a 5-0 win over Bismarck-Henning.

Hayes threw 6 2/3 innings, yielding one hit while striking out 10. Reliever Lane McKinney retired the only batter he faced to finish off the shutout.

McComas totaled three hits. Fitch and Kodey McKinney each swatted two hits. Fitch stole three bases.

On Saturday (Sept. 4), PVO scored in double figures for the ninth time this season, overpowering Villa Grove 14-2 at home.

Jemeson Ehler picked up the win after throwing four innings. He allowed four hits and one walk while fanning seven batters.

Vance McComas led the offensive assault. He was 3-for-3 (with two doubles) and drove in four runs. Kodey McKinney finished with two hits and four stolen bases.

PVO won the Three Rivers Conference with a 10-1 league record.

On Friday (Sept. 10), PVO dropped a 17-9 decision to St. Matthew.

Coy Hayes staked PVO to an early lead, slugging a three-run homer in the first inning.

Dalton York, Casen Goff and Ehler shared the pitching load.

The teams were tied, 8-8, going into the bottom of the fifth inning.

PVO regrouped in its regular-season finale against Next Generation on Tuesday (Sept. 14).

Three pitchers combined to throw a perfect game in a 14-0 triumph. Fitch struck out seven in two innings. Hayes pitched an inning, as did Lane McKinney, who registered a strikeout to end the game.

Hitting heroes were Hayes and Kaden Wedig with two apiece. McComas knocked in four runs.

The Mustangs are 14-3 overall and return to action on Saturday (Sept. 18) in an IESA Class 1A regional semifinal game at Champaign St. Matthew against either fourth-seeded Champaign Next Generation or fifth-seeded Homer Heritage. PVO is the No. 1 seed.

The post Fitch picks up second no-hitter as Mustangs head into Regional play first appeared on SJO Daily.

The Mustangs extended their winning streak to six games on Thursday (Sept. 2), scoring the tie-breaking run in the sixth-inning of a 7-6 triumph at Georgetown.

The teams were tied, 5-5, after five innings.

Coy Hayes picked up his third win of the season, yielding three hits in five innings of work. He struck out nine.

Pacing PVO’s 11-hit attack were Vance McComas, Kaden Wedig, Dalton York and Graham Ray with two hits apiece. Wedig also stole two bases.

PVO (10-2) returns to action on Thursday (Sept. 9) at home against Bismarck-Henning.

The post Mustang baseball on 6-game win streak first appeared on SJO Daily.

In baseball wins over Armstrong-Potomac (Thursday, Aug. 19), over Rossville (Monday, Aug. 23), and over Schlarman (Tuesday, Aug. 24) the Prairieview Ogden Junior High Mustangs had their fourth, fifth and sixth different players pick up pitching wins.

Jemesen Ehler pitched 4 1/3 innings in an 11-1 victory over Armstrong. He allowed three hits and struck out seven.

In a 24-2 triumph over Rossville, Graham Ray yielded four hits in three innings. He fanned four.

Coy Hayes, who hammered two home runs and drove in four runs, threw the final inning against Rossville.

And, in a 10-1 triumph over a one-loss Schlarman Academy squad, Parker Fitch worked 6 1/3 innings, yielding five hits while striking out 12. Lane McKinney closed out the win on the mound after Fitch reached his IESA-imposed pitch limit.

Against Rossville, Hayes, Fitch and Kodey McKinney had three hits each. Fitch laced two triples to go with a single. He had four RBI. Lane McKinney and Kaden Wedig collected two hits apiece.

Against Armstrong, Fitch and Lane McKinney totaled three hits. Wyatt McKinney had two hits. Fitch’s hits included a double and a triple. Kodey McKinney drove in three runs. Garrett Loschen scored three runs.

Against Schlarman, PVO took command with a four-run fourth inning, which featured a two-run double by Ray and solo RBIs from Vance McComas and Lane McKinney.

For the game, Ray and Lane McKinney each had two hits and knocked in three runs. Both players ripped one extra-base hit. Fitch’s lone hit in the game was a triple.

Other Mustangs with pitching wins besides Ehler, Ray and Fitch are Hayes, Dalton York and Lane McKinney.

PVO is 6-2 and returns to action on Thursday (Aug. 26) at Westville.

“This is by far the deepest team I’ve ever had,” coach Greg Immke said. “There are 45 kids in the junior high and I have 21 out for baseball.

“Many of the kids not starting this year would be starters on other years’ teams. It’s a great group of kids who have bought in and work hard.”

The post PV-O baseball wins three consecutive first appeared on SJO Daily.

Prairieview Ogden bounced back from a first-game loss to post two consecutive wins by the 10-run rule.

The Mustangs dispatched Homer Heritage 12-0 on Monday (Aug. 16) after overpowering Salt Fork 13-2 on Saturday (Aug. 14).

Dalton York fired a one-hitter against Homer, walking no one and striking out eight batters.

PVO put the game away with a six-run third inning. Kaden Wedig, Kodey McKinney, Jansen Maury and York all had run-scoring hits in the inning.

Wedig finished the game 3-for-3 at the plate.

Against Salt Fork, Coy Hayes pitched four innings of scoreless ball and notched the win. He allowed two hits, walked no one and fanned nine.

The Mustangs expanded a 1-0 lead with a seven-run second-inning outburst.

York, McKinney, Hayes and Parker Fitch all wound up with two hits.

Vance McComas, McKinney, Fitch, Hayes, Jemeson Ehler and Wedig registered hits for PVO in its season-opening baseball game, an 11-3 loss at St. Joseph on Wednesday (Aug. 11).

The Mustangs used four pitchers. Starter Fitch suffered the loss. He was followed to the hill by York, Graham Ray and Hayes.

York was a bright spot defensively with his play at second base.

PVO is 2-1.

The post PV-O baseball picks up two wins first appeared on SJO Daily.