Thursday's prep highlights | A-P's Gernentz strikes out nine in no hitter

May 3—In baseball

Bismarck-Henning/Rossville-Alvin 8, Covington (Ind.) 2. Bismarck-Henning/Rossville-Alvin crossed state lines Thursday and returned home with a win, turning a four-run effort in the third inning and four late runs into a nonconference road win. Micah Stanford gave up two runs — one earned — on four hits while striking out 10 in six innings to get the win for the Blue Devils. Cruz Dubois finished 3 of 4 with a double, while Stanford and Jordan Johnson had two hits apiece for BHRA.

Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley 2, Fisher 1. Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley scored in the top of the seventh inning to break a 1-1 tie and held off Fisher in the bottom half of the inning to secure Thursday's Heart of Illinois Conference victory. The Falcons' Braden Elliott struck out 12 and allowed one run on three hits in seven innings for the win, while helping his own cause with two hits and an RBI. Fisher's Ryan Coulter doubled and tripled to lead the Bunnies at the plate.

Hoopeston Area 13, Schlarman 0. Hoopeston Area pitcher Zach Huchel scattered just one hit and struck out five while getting plenty of run support in Thursday's Vermilion Valley Conference victory against Schlarman. Cole Miller provided the primary offensive spark, finishing 2 of 3 with a home run and three RBI. Huchel was also 2 of 4 with two RBI, and Nick Cardenas added two hits in the win.

Mahomet-Seymour 13, Heyworth 1. Mahomet-Seymour hit three home runs and turned Thursday's nonconfernece home game into a run-shortened rout of Heyworth with a seven-run third inning. Gavin Bailey finished 2 of 3 with two home runs and five RBI for the Bulldogs, and Max Young provided some pop at the bottom of the M-S lineup with a grand slam. Finn Randolph also went 2 of 2 with a double, two RBI and three runs scored. Kody Ackman got the win for the Bulldogs, allowing one urn on five hits and striking out two in three innings.

Monticello 8, Rantoul 4. Monticello watched its early 4-0 lead evaporate as Rantoul tied Thursday's Illini Prairie Conference matchup with two runs in the third inning and two more in the fifth, but the Sages rallied with a four-run sixth for the league win. Matt Swartz got the win in relief for Monticello, striking out five while allowing two hits and two walks in two innings. Eli Craft went 2 of 3 with two RBI for the Sages, while Dylan Brown was 1 of 2 with two RBI of his own.

Paxton-Buckley-Loda 8, Pontiac 5. Paxton-Buckley-Loda had a six-run lead before Pontiac got on the board, and the Panthers used that early advantage to fend off a mid-game rally and win Thursday's Illini Prairie Conference matchup. Bryar Cosgrove and Noah Steiner had four hits apiece to pace PBL at the plate, and Steiner finished with a team-high two RBI. Connor Vaughn got the win, scattering six hits in five innings and striking out nine while allowing five runs.

St. Joseph-Ogden 12, Unity 5. St. Joseph-Ogden picked up win No. 25 of the spring and stayed unbeaten in Illini Prairie Conference action with Thursday's road win in Tolono. Unity had an early 1-0 lead after the first inning, but the Spartans outscored the Rockets 12-4 in the final six innings for the win. Braxton Waller finished 3 of 5 with a double, home run and game-high four RBI to lead SJ-O. Will Haley was also 2 of 4 with a double and three RBI in support of Nolan Earley's win. Earley gave up five runs on nine hits and struck out eight in 62/3 innings. Brock Suding was 2 of 4 with a double, home run and three RBI for Unity, and Brayden Henry went 2 of 3 with a solo home run.

Salt Fork 10, Georgetown-Ridge Farm 1. Salt Fork and Georgetown-Ridge Farm played to a 1-1 tie through five innings of Thursday's makeup game before the Storm erupted for nine unanswered runs in the Vermilion Valley Conference victory. Braxton Clem got a complete-game victory for Salt Fork and also had two hits and three RBI. Deegan Albert chipped in two hits in the win. Ben Vice had one hit and drove in the Buffaloes' lone run.

Tri-County 6, Decatur Unity Christian 3. Tri-County picked up a Senior Night victory with Thursday's Lincoln Prairie Conference win. Kahle Lee led the Titans at the plate, going 3 of 4 with three RBI. Justin Robertson went 2 of 3, and Will Dudley and Garrett Pollock drove in one run apiece. Robertson got the win after allowing three runs — two earned — on five hits and two walks to go with six strikeouts in six innings.

Tuscola 10, Central A&M 0. Tuscola scored at least one run in every inning and bookended Thursday's Central Illinois Conference win against Central A&M with three runs in the first and four in the fifth. Evan Engelhardt pitched a complete game shutout for the Warriors, allowing just two hits and striking out five. Cooper Lyons had three hits, including two doubles, at the top of the lineup, while Connor Musgrave went 2 of 2 with two RBI and Austin Cummings also drove in two runs in the win.

Villa Grove 7, Argenta-Oreana 1. Villa Grove scored five unanswered runs in the third and fourth innings combined to turn what was a close game early into a rather straightforward Lincoln Prairie Conference win against Argenta-Oreana. Parker Knierim gave up one run on six hits and three walks while striking out five in his complete-game victory for the Blue Devils. Knierim helped his own cause with a pair of RBI, Brady Clodfelder also drove in two runs going 2 of 4 with a double and two runs scored. Cooper Clark had three hits, as well, in the win. Landon Jackson led the Bombers with two hits.

Westville 10, Watseka 0. Westville improved to 10-0 in Vermilion Valley Conference play and picked up its 20th win of the season with Thursday's run-shortened victory against Watseka. The Tigers struck first with one run in the bottom of the first inning and broke open the game with a six-run third. Cade Schaumburg went 2 of 3 with a double and three RBI to lead Westville. Easton Barney was also 2 of 3 with two run scored and two RBI, and Chance Quick drove in two runs of his own in the win for Zach Russell, who scattered five hits in five shutout innings and struck out two. Lathan Westerfield paced Watseka going 2 of 2 with a double.

In softball

Armstrong-Potomac 13, Donovan 0. Armstrong-Potomac staked Acasia Gernentz to a four-run lead in the first inning, and the Trojans' starter cruised to a five-inning no-hitter. Gernentz struck out nine and was a lone error away from a perfect game. Tinley Parkerson homered and drove in two runs for the Trojans, while Carly Grant was 2 of 2 with a double, triple and two runs scored in the win.

Champaign Central 7, Oakwood 3. Champaign Central jumped on Oakwood with three runs in the top of the first inning and tacked on runs in three more innings to secure Thursday's nonconference road win against the Comets. Maisie Bowers got the win for the Maroons after giving up three runs on seven hits in five innings. Central's Haley Helm finished the game with six strikeouts in two scoreless innings of relief. Haley Helm and Bowers were also two of five Maroons with two hits in the game along with Kaitlyn Helm, Tayten Hunter and Marin Boehm. Bowers and Mya de la Cruz drove in two runs apiece. Oakwood was led by Gracie Hanner with two hits and Madi McFarland with two RBI.

LeRoy 11, Delavan 1. The heart of the LeRoy order came through Thursday in the Panthers' run-shortened victory against Delavan. Molly Buckles filled the cleanup role near perfectly, going 3 of 4 with two home runs and five RBI. Natalie Loy was also 3 of 4 with a double, two runs scored and two RBI for LeRoy. Lilly Long got the win — her ninth of the season — after giving up one run on four hits to go with seven strikeouts in a complete-game, five-inning effort in the circle.

Monticello 16, Rantoul 1. Six runs in the bottom of the first inning for Monticello broke open Thursday's Illini Prairie Conference game early. Six more in the second and four more in the fourth finished off the blowout victory. Avery Schweitzer doubled, homered, scored twice and drove in six runs to lead Monticello. Sadie Walsh, Thea Key and Isabella Beery also had two hits apiece, while Marrissa Miller drove in two runs. Airiana Bell scored Rantoul's only run in the second inning.

Olympia 11, Prairie Central 1. Prairie Central fell behind early in Thursday's Illini Prairie Conference game at Olympia and couldn't recover in the run-shortened loss. Jules Woodrey led the Hawks with two hits and drove in their only run.

St. Joseph-Ogden 2, Unity 0. St. Joseph-Ogden's Madison Stevens tossed a complete-game shutout, scattering five hits in seven innings, while striking out four in Thursday's Illini Prairie Conference victory against Unity. Addison Frick sparked a balanced offense for the Spartans with three hits, Addy Martinie and Hayden Dahl had two hits apiece and Emma McKinney hit a solo home run in the win. Lindy Bates led the Rockets with two hits and struck out seven in the circle but took the loss.

Salt Fork 13, Georgetown-Ridge Farm 1. Salt Fork cruised in Thursday's Vermilioni Valley Conference victory against Georgetown-Ridge Farm.

Westville 10, Watseka 0. Westville ace Abby Sabalaskey struck out 10 in six scoreless innings, as the Tigers used an eight-run bottom of the sixth to close out Thursday's Vermilion Valley Conference win against Watseka. Lilly Kiesel doubled, homered and drove in two runs to pace Westville at the plate. Daylin Zaayer also had a sole home run, while Madison Jones added two hits. Sarah Parsons had three of Watseka's four hits — all singles — off Sabalaskey, but took the loss for the Warriors.

In bass fishing

At Clinton. Mahomet-Seymour's team of Brayden Rivest and Andrew Crawford finished second at Thursday's sectional at Clinton Lake to earn a trip to the state tournament at Carlyle Lake. The Bulldogs landed four fish for a total of 9.04 pounds. That haul included a personal-best catch from Rivest at 6.09 pounds, which wound up the big bass of the day.

In girls' soccer

Centennial 10, Peoria 0. Centennial's Alicia Fernandez scored four goals and six other Chargers scored in Thursday's Big 12 Conference rout of Peoria. Emily Pitcher and Jewel Domingo had two assists apiece to lead Centennial, while Payton Kaiser, Samantha Daughty and Yameli Salinas had one goal and one assist apiece. Chargers goalkeeper Kate Pitcher kept a clean sheet with four saves and also had one assist.

Champaign Central 0, Normal West 0. Lightning prematurely ended Thursday's Big 12 match between Champaign Central and Normal West just 5 minutes into the second half. Maroons goalkeeper Evie O'Brien finished with three saves in the shortened draw.

St. Thomas More 4, Olympia 2. St. Thomas More freshman Leighton Clark posted another hat trick, Mary Kathryn Kluesner provided the fourth goal and the Sabers doubled up Olympia in Thursday's Illini Prairie Conference win.

In boys' tennis

At Champaign. St. Thomas More won three of five singles matches and two of three in doubles play to knock off Maroa-Forsyth 5-4 on Thursday. Hunter Madigan didn't drop a game in his 6-0, 6-0 sweep at No. 1 singles for the Sabers and also teamed up with Parker Moore for an 8-2 victory at No. 1 doubles. Will Devocelle got a 6-1, 6-2 win at No. 3 singles for St. Thomas More, Wilson Kirby worked for a 7-6 (5), 6-7 (5), 11-9 victory at No. 4 singles for the Sabers and the duo teamed up to win 8-6 at No. 2 doubles.