Sophomore pitcher Aislynn Palmer pitched a complete game and smacked a two-run home run as Hononegah held on to defeat host Belvidere North 5-3 on Wednesday and improve to 16-0 in the NIC-10 with two games remaining.
The Indians (27-2 overall) clinched their third straight conference championship.
Hononegh built a 5-0 lead. Kaelyn Kelly tripled leading off the game and scored on Palmer’s ground out. In the fourth inning, the Indians loaded the bases on singles by Palmer, Danielle Franz and Natalie Kinney. Peyton Klikno reached on a one-out error by the shortstop with a run scoring to make it 2-0.
In the fifth, Kelly reached on a base hit, stole second and scored on a single by Zoey Calhoun. Palmer then launched a two-run homer to right field for a 5-0 advantage.
The Blue Thunder closed within 5-2 with two runs on three hits in the fifth inning, but second baseman Kelly started a double play to get Hononegah out of that jam.
Palmer struck out the side in the seventh, but not before Paige Johnson smacked a solo homer to draw Belvidere North within two runs.
Palmer finished with a six-hitter with one walk and 11 strikeouts.
Kelly, Palmer, Franz and Kinney all had two hits and Hononegah had 10 for the game.
• MILLEDGEVILLE 16, SOUTH BELOIT 4: The SoBos jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the top of the first and then allowed 16 unanswered runs over the next five innings of the IHSA 1A regional game. It was called after five due to the mercy rule.
The Missiles answered with a run in the first and then tallied eight times in the second with the key blow a three-run homer by Kendra Hutchison. She finished with two homers and six RBIs.
Milledgeville had added seven runs in the fifth to end the game, outhitting the SoBos 13-6.
Bella Glidden was 2-for-2 with a run scored to lead South Beloit. Macey Lineman was 1-for-2 with a run scored and two RBIs in the first.
Whitney Schnack took the loss, allowing nine runs (eight earned) in two innings.
• LINESCORES:
HONONEGAH 5, B. NORTH 3
Hononegah 100 130 0 — 5 10 0
Belv. North 000 020 1 — 3 6 1
Leading hitters: H, Kelly 2x4, 2 runs; Calhoun 1x4, 1 run, 1 rbi; Palmer 2x4, 1 run, 3 rbi; Franz 2x4; Kinney 2x4; O’Brien 1x2. BN, Johnson 2x3, 2 runs, rbi; Yakey 1x4, 1 rbi; Morris 1x3, 1 rbi; Morrill 1x3; Inman 1x3, 1 run. 2B: Johnson. 3B: Kelly. HR: Palmer, Johnson..
Pitching (ip-h-r-er-bb-so): H, Palmer (W) 7.0-6-3-3-1-11. BN, Morris (L) 7.0-10-5-4-0-7.
MILLEDGEVILLE 16, S. BELOIT 4
S. Beloit 400 00 — 4 6 6
Milledgeville 180 07 — 16 13 0
Leading hitters: SB, Martin 1x3, 1 run; Fago 1x3, 1 run; Schnack 1x3, 1 run, 1 rbi; Lindeman 1x2, 1 run, 2 rbi; Glidden 2x2, 1 rbi. M, Grenoble 2x3, 3 runs, 4 rbi; Kingsby 1x4, 1 run, 2 rbi; Hutchison 3x4, 2 runs, 6 rbi; hackbart 1x3, 1 run; Meiners 2x3, 1 run, 1 rbi; Wooden 2x3, 2 runs; Castro 2x3, 2 runs. 2B: Hackbarth, Wooden. HR: Hutchison 2.
Pitching (ip-h-r-er-bb-so): SB, Schnack (L) 2.0-8-9-8-2-1; Lineman 2.0-5-7-0-0-1. M, Janssen (W) 5.0-6-4-4-0-9.
Most Popular
Comments / 0