Colin Fowler spins shutout for Ottawa; Newark softball scores 21st win: The Times Wednesday Roundup

Baseball

Ottawa 4, Rochelle 0: At King Field, the Pirates and Hubs started early with a 4 p.m. first pitch, and host Ottawa ended it early thanks to a complete-game shutout from Colin Fowler (7 IP, 0 R, 3 H, 0 BB, 9 K).

Ottawa (12-16 overall, 6-9 Interstate 8) scored three runs in the third inning and added an insurance tally in the fifth. Adam Swanson provided a single, double and an RBI, Lucas Farabuagh finished 2 for 2 with two runs scored, and Jack Henson singled and drove home a Pirates run.

Sandwich 7, Plano 4: At Plano, the visiting Indians (16-12 overall, 9-4 Kishwaukee River) took the first game of the “War on 34″ series to improve to 17-12.

Chase Clark went 3 for 3 with an RBI, while Jeffrey Ashley and Dino Barbanente each delivered two hits and drove in one. Chance Lange (7 IP, 4 ER, 5 K) earned the complete-game victory.

Fieldcrest 7, Eureka 5: At Eureka, the visiting Knights captured the Heart of Illinois Conference triumph, led by Eli Gerdes (three hits), Layten Gerdes (four hits, two RBIs), Jordan Heider (two hits including a homer, three RBIs) and Drew Overocker (two hits, one RBI).

Koltin Kearfott (4 1/3 IP, 0 R, 3 K) earned the pitching win in relief of Tyler Serna (4 2/3 IP, 1 ER, 6 K).

Girls track and field

Quinn Ottawa’s best at sectional: At the Class 3A Minooka Sectional on Wednesday, Shaylen Quinn was Ottawa’s top runner, winning her heat of the 400-meter dash in 59.60 seconds but did not advance to the state finals next week.

She picked up three of Ottawa’s five points.

Weber advances out of Rochelle: At the Class 2A Rochelle Sectional, after medalling in both last year Sunny Weber returns to state for Sandwich in both the 1,600 (5:04.3) and 3,200 (10:53.65), the lone qualifier for the Indians.

“I had a little higher expectations but I’m fine with how I did overall,” said Weber, who was second in the 3,200 and third in the 1,600. “I was just hoping to get first in my events and qualify for state. I was hoping to get a PR for the mile (4:59.18) but I didn’t, but I think it might have been unrealistic.”

O’Connell, Jewett earns state berths: At the Class 1A Bureau Valley Sectional, Earlville freshman Vyvienn O’Connell cleared 2.92 meters to place second in the pole vault and advance to next weekend’s state preliminaries..

“It feels pretty good,” O’Connell said. “I got a new PR. I definitely got my hips up more and had better form and everything through it.”

Marquette junior Maggie Jewett earned her first trip to state with a third-place finish in 1:01.5 in the 400-meter run.

“It felt amazing,” Jewett said. “I did cross country my freshman year and went to state for that, but this is my first year going to state for track, and I’ve been working toward it the whole season. I was really proud of myself tonight.”

• Read Kevin Chlum’s full report on this meet at shawlocal.com/illinois-valley.

Softball

Eureka 5, Fieldcrest 3: At Eureka, the visiting Knights (2-17) were handed the Heart of Illinois Conference loss in a game that was tied through five and a half innings.

TeriLynn Timmerman had a triple and two RBIs for Fieldcrest in support of Keara Barisch (6 IP, 4 ER, 5 K).

Marengo 6, Sandwich 5 (9 inn.): At Marengo, the visiting Indians (12-11) led 5-1 in the seventh but surrendered four runs in the seventh and a walk-off run in the ninth of the defeat.

Brooklyn Marks (8 2/3 IP, 5 ER, 13 K) suffered the pitching loss but helped her cause with an RBI. Johanna Freemon singled, homered and drove in three Sandwich runs.

Newark 20, Aurora Christian 0 (4 inn.): At Newark, the host Norsemen (21-4) rolled over their nonconference visitors with home runs belted by Kate Bromeland and Kodi Rizzo and a three-pitcher, two-hit shutout worked by pitchers Rizzo, Dottie Wood and Tanner Kempiak.

Rizzo also doubled and drove in four, with Bromeland adding a single to her solo homer. Ryan Williams and Stephanie Snyder (three hits) had two RBIs apiece.