The Times Area Roundup: Marquette baseball wins 20th; Newark softball clinches Little Ten

At rural Varna, the visiting Marquette baseball team improved to 20-2 overall and 10-1 in Tri-County Conference play with a 21-2, four-inning win at Midland that included eight-run innings in the first and the third.

Charlie Mullen (two hits, three runs, four RBIs) homered for the Crusaders, with Alec Novotney (two hits, three RBIs) doubling twice. Keaton Davis (two RBIs), Taylor Waldron (RBI), Tommy Durdan (RBI) and Krew Bond (two RBIs) also enjoyed multi-hit performances for Marquette in support of winning pitcher Aidan Thompson (2 IP, 0 R, 5 K).

Putnam Co. 8, WFC 0: At rural Streator, the host Warriors (6-12 overall, 3-8 Tri-County) were shut out and held to one Tucker Hill single in the TCC defeat.

Carter Ewing (4 IP, 6 ER, 3 K) suffered the pitching loss, with Ethan Schumm (3 IP, 0 R, 4 K) working three shutout innings in relief.

Roanoke-Benson 2, Seneca 1: At Roanoke, the visiting Fighting Irish (12-7) lost the Tri-County series opener despite out-hitting the Rockets 9-4.

Aidan Vilcek (5 2/3 IP, 1 ER, 4 K) was the hard-luck loser. Nate Othon delivered two hits and the lone Seneca run batted in.

Morris 7, Ottawa 1: At Morris, the visiting Pirates (13-11, 5-6 Interstate 8) surrendered four runs in the bottom of the first and never recovered, managing only three hits.

Ryan Chamberlain singled and drove home the Pirates run in support of Camden Loomis (6 IP, 4 ER, 4 K).

The series will conclude Wednesday in Ottawa.

Streator 17, Herscher 1 (6 inn.): At Herscher, the visiting Bulldogs (16-7, 7-4 Illinois Central Eight) completed the series sweep led by a three-homer attack with Zander McCloskey (four RBIs), Christian Benning (three hits, four RBIs, three runs scored) and Noah Camp all going deep.

Brady Grabowski (two singles), Cole Martin (two doubles, single), Parker Phillis (two singles, RBI) and Adam Williamson (two singles, double) also led the Streator offense’s support of Jake Hagie (5 IP, 1 ER, 8 K).

Fieldcrest 14, Tremont 4 (6 inn.): At Wenona, the host Knights (7-10) used a four-hit, three-RBI day from Lucas Anson and three hits and two RBIs apiece from Jordan Heider and Koltin Kearfott to top the Turks in Heart of Illinois play.

Heider (5 IP, 1 ER, 10 K) notched the win.

Girls soccer

Streator 3, Coal City 2: At the Streator Family YMCA, the host Bulldogs recorded the Illinois Central Eight Conference win in a penalty-kick tiebreaker to move to 14-4 overall (5-2 ICE).

Boys tennis

Ottawa 5, Pontiac 0: At Ottawa’s Henderson-Guenther Courts, the Pirates swept their rivals from down Route 23.

Singles wins went to Sebastian Cabrera (6-2, 6-0) and Trevor Mortenson (6-0, 6-0). Winners in doubles were Adam Gross and Noah Gross (6-1, 7-5), Landen Thorsen and Ethan Cela (6-0, 7-5) and Alan Sifuentes and Rylan Salas (6-0, 6-3).

Softball

Sandwich 5, Kaneland 2: At Maple Park, the visiting Indians (11-9, 4-6 Interstate 8) scored in four consecutive innings en route to the win, with Aubrey Cyr (7 IP, 1 ER, 6 K) getting the pitching win.

Breanna Sexton (three hits, two RBIs), Alexis Sexton (two hits, RBI), Allison Olson (two hits, RBI) and Cyr (two hits, RBI) led the Sandwich attack.

Herscher 11, Streator 6: At Herscher, the visiting Bulldogs (8-14, 6-6 Illinois Central Eight) lost to the Tigers for the second straight day despite a two-hit, two-RBI day from Emma Augustine, two hits courtesy of Mya Zavada and two RBIs off the bat of Lily Kupec.

Leilani Zavada (3 IP, 4 ER, 1 K) was dealt the pitching defeat.

Seneca 18, Lowpoint-Washburn 0 (4 inn.): At Washburn, the visiting Fighting Irish (17-5, 10-1 Tri-County) received a one-hit shutout from Tessa Krull and scored 11 runs in the first inning.

Kennedy Hartwig (two singles, double, three-run homer, four runs scored) led the Seneca offense. Taylor Mino, Audry McNabb (two RBIs), Lexie Buis (three RBIs), Krull (two RBIs), Callee Bauer (RBI) and Neely Hougas (RBI) added two-hit performances.

Marquette 15, Midland 0: At rural Varna, the visiting Crusaders (16-5, 10-1 Tri-County) cruised to the league triumph and after a visit to Pontiac on Wednesday return home Thursday to complete the series.

Newark 10, Serena 0 (5 inn.): At Newark, the host Norsemen (23-1, 11-0 Little Ten) wrapped up the outright conference crown with a second straight 10-run-rule victory over the second-place Huskers (16-7, 8-2).

Kaitlyn Schofield (5 IP, 0 R, 8 K) tossed the two-hit shutout and helped her cause with three hits and an RBI, supported by Kodi Rizzo (two doubles, single), Danica Peshia (two RBIs), Peyton Wohead (two RBIs), Bre Dixon (two RBIs) and Taylor Kruser (two hits, three runs scored).

Jenna Setchell (4 1/3 IP, 4 ER, 1 K) suffered the pitching loss for Serena.

Track and field

Fieldcrest girls 4th at HOIC: At the Heart of Illinois Conference Girls Meet in El Paso, Fieldcrest placed fourth out of 11 teams led by first-place finishes from Macy Gochanour (50.30 seconds in the 300-meter hurdles), Carol Megow (9.61 meters in the shot put) and Pru Mangan (30.98 in the discus).

Ottawa boys win triangular: At La Salle, the Pirates (109 team points) defeated both La Salle-Peru (79) and Mendota (65) in a three-team meet.

Victories for the Pirates were notched by Keevon Peterson (11.56 meters in the triple jump; 12.66 seconds in the 100), Austin Hellman (2.74 in the pole vault), Michael Mills (37.73 in the discus; 13.11 in the shot put) and Weston Averkamp (43.29 in the 300 hurdles; 18.11 in the 110 hurdles).

Sandwich boys win at home: At Sandwich, the host Indians won the boys meet with 238 team points and placed third in the girls meet with 94 in a seven-team event.

For Sandwich’s boys, Simeion Harris (53.43 in the 400; 5.63 in the long jump), Wyatt Miller (2:03.43 in the 800), Dylan Young (17.65 in the 110 hurdles), Daniel Reedy (13.67 in the shot put; 37.76 in the discus), the 4x200 relay team of Jaedon Thompson, Lis Baez, Kayden Page and Brodie Case (1:36.47) and the 4x400 of Thompson, Baez, Case and Harris (3:34.16) won events.

Sundara Weber (2:23.15 in the 800) and Claire Allen (11.50 in the shot put; 38.87 in the discus) scored event wins for Sandwich’s girls.

Somonauk’s Landin Stillwell (5:08.71 in the 1,600; 10:39.76 in the 3,200) added a pair of victories as well.