Jacksonville’s AJ Charpentier throws the ball to first base during a baseball game earlier this season.
Dennis Mathes | Journal-Courier
The Jacksonville baseball team tied the program’s single-season record for wins as the Crimsons advanced to the championship game of the Mattoon Regional with a 6-2 victory over Mattoon on Wednesday.
Jacksonville, which has won 14 of the past 15 games and 19 of the past 21, improved to 26-7. JHS, the No. 2 seed in the sectional, will play No. 6 Highland for the regional title on Saturday. First pitch is at 11 a.m.
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Mattoon loaded the bases with two out in the top of the first inning, but Jacksonville starting pitcher AJ Charpentier struck out the next batter to end the inning.
The Crimsons came back with a run in the bottom half. Joe Reif led off with a triple, then scored on a sacrifice fly by Nolan Peters.
Mattoon took the lead with a pair of runs in the third, but Jacksonville answered with two in the fourth to take the lead for good. The Crimsons loaded the bases on three straight singles by Peters, Charpentier and Ethan Kruzan. Bentley Lagergren hit a sacrifice fly to tie the score. Cy Kershaw followed with a single to give Jacksonville a 3-2 lead.
JHS added a run in the fifth and two in the sixth for the final margin.
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Jacksonville out-hit Mattoon 12-4. Reif, Peters, Kruzan and Ryan Headen had two hits apiece for the Crimsons. Lagergren went 1-for-2 with three RBIs. His two-run single with two out in the fifth bumped Jacksonville’s lead to 5-2.
Charpentier picked up the win on the mound, giving up two runs on four hits in six innings pitched. He struck out nine and walked six. Ryan Headen came on in the seventh and retired all three batters he faced to close out the win.
ROUTT 12, RUSHVILLE-INDUSTRY 2
Kale Reich scattered five hits over five-and-one-third innings pitched, and hit a double as the top-seeded Routt baseball team picked up win No. 20 with a 10-run victory over Rushville-Industry in the semifinals of the Liberty Regional on Wednesday.
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Routt (20-12) will play either No. 4 Liberty or No. 6 Payson Seymour for the regional championship on Saturday. First pitch is at 11 a.m.
Rushville-Industry scored two runs in the top of the first, but Routt answered with four in the bottom half to take the lead.
Brady Turner led off with a single, then Bryson Mossman walked to put two runners on. With one out, Talon Thompson singled to drive in Turner. Thompson was caught stealing for the second out before Samuel Long singled to tie the score 2-2. Long scored on a single by Dalton Brown and an error by the right fielder. Brown went to second on the error, then later stole third, and scored on a wild pitch as the Rockets took a 4-2 lead.
Routt added two runs in the third and ended the game early with six in the bottom of the sixth.
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Routt out-hit Rushville-Industry 13-5. Brown went 3-for-3 to lead the Rockets at the plate. Turner, Thompson and Long had two hits apiece. Reich’s double was the team’s only extra-base hit. Routt stole seven bases, with two by Thompson.
Reich struck out seven batters and walked two. Jonas Brown came on in the sixth and retired the only two batters he faced, finishing with one strikeout.
BROWN COUNTY 12, WEST CENTRAL 2
Wyatt Kassing went 3-for-3 as the Brown County baseball team beat West Central in the semifinals of the Mendon Unity Regional on Wednesday.
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Brown County, the No. 2 seed in the sub-sectional, will take on No. 3 Camp Point Central in the regional championship game Saturday. First pitch is at 11 a.m.
The Hornets lost to Camp Point 11-10 in the first game of the season.
Brown County scored four runs in the first inning against West Central, then added five in the third and three in the fifth to end the game early. West Central scored two runs in the fourth.
Michael Kassing and Thomas Boylen had two hits apiece for the Hornets. Collin Dieterle hit a home run, and Connor Flynn, Jack Sefton and Jaxon Henricks each hit a double.
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Myer Maxwell got the win, allowing two runs on seven hits in five innings pitched. He struck out seven and walked two.
Anthony Hance had two hits to lead West Central. Hayden Johns and Jackson Little each hit a double.
Ben Bangert, Hance and Thrice Kirkpatrick all pitched for the Cougars, who finished their season with a record of 11-19.
The Hornets improved to 19-6-2.
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PORTA/A-C/GREENVIEW 10, BEARDSTOWN 0
Levi Hoagland pitched a six-inning one-hitter with 13 strikeouts and no walks as the PORTA/A-C Central/Greenview baseball team beat Beardstown 10-0 in the semifinals of the Williamsville Regional on Wednesday.
PORTA/A-C Central/Greenview became the area’s first 30-win team, improving to 30-6.
The Bluejays, the No. 2 seed in the sub-sectional, will play either No. 3 Williamsville or No. 6 Pittsfield for the regional championship on Saturday. First pitch is at 11 a.m.
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PORTA/A-C/Greenview banged out 12 hits. Kolin Johnson, Nash Donnan, Colton Nelson, Ethan Hoaland and Tate Karrick had two hits apiece. Donnan and Karrick each hit a double. The Bluejays scored five runs in the fourth inning and five in the sixth to end the game early.
Zach Meyer singled with one out in the first for the Tigers’ only hit.
Carter Ross, Bradyn Alhorn and Maddox Medrano all pitched for Beardstown, which ended its season with a record of 8-17.
ROCHESTER 3, NEW BERLIN 2, 14 INNINGS
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Rochester scored a run on a two-out double in the bottom of the 14th inning to edge New Berlin in the semifinals of the Pleasant Plains Regional on Wednesday.
The Pretzels scored single runs in the first and second innings to take a 2-1 lead. Rochester tied the score with a run in the fourth. That was it for the next 10 innings.
New Berlin put one runner on base in the 11th, 13th and 14th innings but could not score. Rochester loaded the bases with two out in the ninth and 11th innings, and had two on with two out in the eighth but failed to score.
Then with two out in the bottom of the 14th, a walk, an intentional walk and a double to center field by Sean Plessa chased home the winning run.
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New Berlin out-hit Rochester 7-6. The Pretzels struck out 24 times; Rochester, 23. Each team committed three errors.
Reid Hepperly, Nolan Robinson and Carson Dodd all pitched for New Berlin.
Chase Dougherty and Andy Holloway had two hits apiece for the Pretzels, whose season ended with a record of 20-11.
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Schae Juenger held the Calhoun softball team to two hits in a shutout win over the Warriors in the semifinals of the Calhoun Sectional on Wednesday.
Okawville, the top seed in its sub-sectional, scored a run in the bottom of the fifth and held on for the win. With two out, a single, a walk and a single brought in the eventual game-winning run.
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Anabel Eilerman took the loss, giving up one run on six hits. She struck out nine and walked two.
Calhoun closed out its season with a record of 18-14.