The Tri-County Conference has released its all-league softball teams for the 2024 season, with the Illinois Valley area dominating the selections.
In an area strong with softball talent, it should come as no surprise the Illinois Valley was well-represented on the 2024 Illinois Coaches Association (ICA) All-State Teams, released over the weekend with the completion of the school season.
A third meeting between two rivals came down to one run Friday evening in the Class 2A Rock Falls Regional title game. In the end, Bureau Valley pulled off its second upset of the week, defeating Bureau County and Three Rivers rival Princeton 6-5 in a thriller.
St. Bede defeated Midwest Central 3-0 to win the Class 2A Regional title on Friday, May 17, 2024 at Abbot Phillip Davy Field.
Local rivals Bureau Valley and Princeton square off in Rock Falls for the 2A regional title Friday, May 17, 2024. BV took a close game 6-5.
Princeton kept up the pressure all game long, and eventually it paid off Wednesday in its 2A Rock Falls Regional semifinal. The Tigresses had baserunners in all but one inning, and they finally broke through with runs in each of the final three innings to top Rock Falls 3-2.
Rock Falls faces off against Princeton at their own Class 2A softball regional Wednesday, May 15, 2024. Princeton won 3-2 in walk-off fashion.
Bureau Valley defeated Erie-Prophetstown 6-5 during the Class 1A Regional game on Monday, May 13, 2024 at Bureau Valley High School.
By the time the dust had settled after an unlikely first-inning rally, Ottawa had put up five runs and was well on its way to salvaging an Interstate 8 series split with La Salle-Peru with a 13-5 victory Wednesday.