Friday's prep highlights: Watseka's bats come alive in big baseball, softball wins

May 11—In baseball

Arcola 14, Unity Christian 0. An eight-run fourth inning helped the Purple Riders dispatch the Lions in nonconference play, with Brevyn Whisman collecting two hits and plating two runs and scoring two runs to match the outputs of Tanner Thomas, Caiden Helmuth and Brody Phillips

* .

Champaign Central 12, Urbana 1. Home-field advantage was kind to the Maroons, who defeated the Tigers in Big 12 Conference play on the strength of T.J. Pipkins, who hit a single, double and triple and drove in two runs, and Sam McArthur and Chris Timmons, who collected two hits apiece to help the offensive cause. Talin Baker

* stole two bases for the Maroons, as well.

Fisher 6, Ridgeview 1. Drayton Lutz and Jeremiah Todd collected three hits apiece to pace the Bunnies' offense in a Heart of Illinois Conference win at Illinois Wesleyan, with Gage Harseim, Cody Hinton and Blake Green adding two hits apiece. Ryan Coulter allowed just three hits against six strikeouts in six innings on the mound for Fisher, with two of the Mustangs' hits coming from Cole Kennedy

* .

Georgetown-Ridge Farm 4, Rantoul 3. A walk-off sacrifice fly from Jackson Pratt brought Jase Latoz across the plate in a nonconference win for the Buffaloes, who also received a two-RBI hit from Hunter Meeker to support pitcher Landon Heck, with Heck earning the win. Dayton Wilson and Jayden Rice had two hits for Rantoul and Niko Jones

* collected an RBI double.

Hoopeston Area 15, North Vermillion (Ind.) 0. Cole Miller and Ryker Small collected three hits apiece — with Miller driving in four runs and Small plating three runs — to lead an offensive explosion for the Cornjerkers in an interstate battle. Nick Cardenas and Zach Huchel added two hits apiece while Keygan Field drove in two runs to back up nine strikeouts from Dylan Judy

* .

Iroquois West 2, Milford 1. A pair of runs in the top of the first inning were enough to help the Raiders topple the Bearcats in Vermilion Valley Conference play, with Rylan Pheifer and Izzy Alvarez hitting doubles and scoring runs to give the Raiders the edge. Owen Hartke struck out four batters and allowed five hits in six innings of work on the mound, with Beau Wright

* hitting a double and scoring Milford's lone run.

Paxton-Buckley-Loda 7, Armstrong-Potomac 1. The host Panthers scored two runs in the bottom of the first inning to overcome a 1-0 deficit in a nonconference game, with Kayden Vance, Bryar Cosgrove, Charles Cambridge and Connor Vaughn chipping in two hits apiece and Vaughn fanning three batters in five innings of work on the mound. Nathan Rogers

* had a hit and scored the Trojans' lone run of the game.

Pleasant Plains 5, St. Joseph-Ogden 2. Jared Altenbaumer, Luke Landrus, Bryson Houchens and Will Haley combined for the Spartans' four hits in a nonconference road setback, with Parker Fitch and Asher Preumer

* collectively tallying seven strikeouts on the mound. Pleasant Plains scored a run in the second inning and two runs in the fourth inning to grab control of the nonconference contest.

Warrensburg-Latham 11, Tuscola 1. Austin Cummins, Connor Musgrave and Jacob Waugh had the Warriors' three hits in a Central Illinois Conference loss to the host Cardinals.

Watseka 18, South Newton (Ind.) 4. Three hits from Frankie Shervino and a pair of two-hit performances from Aidan Morris and Myles Lynch helped the host Warriors dispatch the Rebels in an interstate contest that also featured Michael Barwegan and James Newell

* and four strikeouts in four innings of pitching from Newell.

In softball

Blue Ridge 17, Heritage 2. Cassie Zimmerman drove in five runs with a three-hit performance that included a double, triple and home run to power the host Knights past the Hawks in Lincoln Prairie Conference play. Karlee Fenton and Sierra Watterson each drove in two runs to help Blue Ridge's cause, while Heritage was led by Faith Latham's

* two-hit performance.

Monticello 19, Arthur Christian 7. The Conquering Riders plated two runs in the bottom of the first inning to take a 2-0 lead, but the Sages roared back to claim a nonconference win thanks to four hits from Cassidee Stoffel, three hits apiece from Marissa Miller and Thea Key and two hits apiece from Avery Schweitzer and Sadie Walsh. Lilian Beever

* collected two hits and scored three runs for Arthur Christian.

Peotone 2, Milford 1. It took eight innings for the host Blue Devils to outlast the Bearcats in a nonconference clash despite three hits and a double from Addison Lucht and an RBI from Hunter Mowrey

* .

Villa Grove 6, Okaw Valley 0. Fourteen strikeouts in seven innings of work in the circle from Alexandria Brown helped the Blue Devils sink the host Timberwolves in an LPC contest. Logan Lillard and Hayden Thomas hit home runs to bolster Villa Grove's offense, which also received two hits apiece from Olivia Jones and Kayln Cordes and a double from Piper Kiser

* .

Watseka 21, South Newton (Ind.) 2. Watseka crossed into Indiana and returned with a nonconference win thanks to a quintet of hitters — Christa Holohan, Brianna Denault, Jasmine Essington, Abigail Neukomm and Sarah Parsons

* — that had two or more hits. Parsons turned in five innings in the circle and surrendered just three hits against two strikeouts.