SVM area roundup: Dixon boys, Rock Falls girls both second at Dixon Open

The Dixon boys track & field team placed second, and Rock Falls took third at the Dixon Open on Wednesday at A.C. Bowers Field.

The Dukes scored 41 points and the Rockets had 26, as Geneseo won the title with 69 points.

Tyson Dambman led Dixon with a win in the long jump (5.92 meters), a second place in the triple jump (11.12 meters), and a third in the 300 hurdles (45.12 seconds), while Aaron Conderman won the 3,200 (11:08.55) and was runner-up in the 1,600 (4:45.88). Also for the Dukes, Ethan Hayes won the triple jump (11.24 meters) and took third in the high jump (1.73 meters), Alec Fulton won the high jump (1.85 meters), and the team of Michael O’Neal, Cort Jacobson, Owen Belzer and Cullen Shaner won the 4x100 (45.10 seconds).

Belzer was second in the long jump (5.66 meters), Peyton Dingley placed second in the discus (35.87 meters), and Shaner took third in the 110 hurdles (17.40 seconds). The Dukes were second in the 4x400 (3:49.55) with the team of Alec Fulton, Jacksen Ortgiesen, Yuan Jilio Santos and Jack Johnson, and took third in the 4x200 (1:42.22) with the team of Cooper Fox, Quintynn Sarver, Gabe Rowley and Kristian Prather and also in the 4x800 (10:03.72) with the team of Weston Conatser, Kohlson Stumpf, Garrett Harshman and Hayden Fulton.

Adan Oquendo and Brady Root were each part of two wins and a second place for Rock Falls. Oquendo won the 100 (11.79 seconds) and teamed with Aydan Goff, Devin Tanton and Root to take the top spot in the 4x400 (3:48.41), and joined Tanton, Goff and Christian Hernandez to take second in the 4x200 (1:39.80). Root also teamed with Anthony Valdivia, Christian Cid and Jose Gomez to win the 4x800 (9:06.92), and he placed second in the 800 (2:16.37).

Gunnar Damhoff was runner-up in the 3,200 for the Rockets (11:34.06), while Cid took third in the 800 (2:17.48), and Tanton and Kohle Bradley tied for third in the pole vault (2.90 meters). Darien Huggins was third in the 3,200 (11:37.91), Thomas Lewis took third in the shot put (12.57 meters), and Ethen Hiland placed third in the discus (33.84 meters).

Girls track & field

Dixon Open: Rock Falls was second (34.33 points), Fulton took third (31.33), and Dixon finished fourth (21) at the Dixon Open at A.C. Bowers Field, as Sherrard took the title with 58 points.

Kayla Hackbarth swept the throws for the Rockets, winning the shot put (9.88 meters) and discus (28.35 meters). Kat Scott won the 800 (2:38.15), and Amara Thomas tied for first in the high jump (1.47 meters).

Carli Kobbeman was second in the 400 (1:05.21) and third in the triple jump (9.37 meters), and also teamed with Makenna Arickx, Savannah Bufford and Rylee Rus to take third in the 4x100 (55.10 seconds). Hana Ford was runner-up in the 800 (2:40.17), and teamed with Rus, Ava Shank and Gracie Rippy to take second in the 4x400 (4:31.60). Bufford and Zoey Near tied for second in the pole vault (1.68 meters), while Shank took third in the 400 (1:08.13).

Aniyah Thomas was third in the 300 hurdles (58.84 seconds) and high jump (1.42 meters), Tayli Hultin finished third in the 1,600 (6:00.38), and Emma Peterson placed third in the 3,200 (15:41.07). Rock Falls also took third in the 4x800 (11:32.11) with the team of Brenna Burlack, Ashlyn Fargher, Addisyn Castaneda and Elizabeth Lombardo.

Emily Conderman paced the Duchesses with a win in the 1,600 (5:47.50) and a third in the 800 (2:41.67), while Olivia Arduini won the 3,200 (12:42.00). Hannah Steinmeyer was runner-up in both the 100 (13.51 seconds) and 200 (28.00), and she teamed with Kait Knipple, Daniela Lovett and Yui Santos to take third in the 4x400 (4:37.01).

Emma Smith was second to Conderman in the 1,600 (5:52.60), and Lovett and Knipple joined Jordyn Crawford and MyKinzie Love to take second in the 4x800 (11:15.90). Mari Fruscalzo took third in the 200 (28.70) for Dixon.

Emery Wherry led Fulton with a win in the 100 hurdles (17.46 seconds) and runner-up finishes in the 300 hurdles (57.43 seconds) and triple jump (9.45 meters). Paige Cramer added a win in the long jump (4.67 meters), and teamed with Brooklyn Thoms, Haley Smither and Miraya Pessman to take second in the 4x100 (52.70 seconds). Pessman finished second in the long jump (4.62 meters) and third in the 100 dash (13.78 seconds), Thoms took second to Wherry in the 100 hurdles (18.19 seconds), and Paige Lower was runner-up in the shot put (9.08 meters). Jordin Rathburn tied for third in the high jump (1.42 meters).

The Steamers also took the top two spots in the 4x200. The team of Thoms, Pessman, Annaka Hackett and Grace Dykstra won in 1:54.95, and the quartet of Cramer, Smither, Jada Schaver and Kaylynn Westphal was second in 1:59.52.

Baseball

Freeport 9, Sterling 2: The Golden Warriors couldn’t keep up in a nonconference road loss, as the Pretzels scored in every inning except the fifth.

Braden Birdsley and Braden Hartman each had two hits, and Birdsley and Miles Nawrocki scored runs for Sterling. Cale Cushman started on the mound and allowed three runs (one earned) and one hit in two innings, with one strikeout and three walks.

Dylan Ottens allowed two runs and two walks in an inning of hitless relief, striking out one and hitting two batters; Trevor Dir gave up one run and three hits in two innings, with a strikeout; and Hartman allowed three unearned runs in a hitless inning, with one strikeout, one walk and one hit batsman.

AFC 12, Amboy 6: The Raiders scored eight runs in the fifth inning to pull away for an NUIC South win over the Clippers in Ashton.

Auden Polk was 3 for 3 with three RBIs and two runs scored, and Griffin Bushman had a pair of hits and two RBIs for AFC. Aaron Lester and Austin June both drove in two runs, Brock Lehman scored three times, and Polk, Carson Rueff and Michael Cochrane each scored twice. Rueff and Jordan Harris also had RBIs.

Cochrane allowed five runs and six hits in five innings, striking out seven, walking three and hitting a batter. Caleb Thomas gave up an unearned run and one hit in two innings of relief, with three strikeouts and two walks.

Quinn Leffelman singled, doubled, scored a run and had two RBIs for Amboy, and Landon Montavon and Jackson Rogers also drove in two runs each. Brody Christofferson scored twice, and also allowed eight runs (five earned) and six hits in 4 2/3 innings on the mound, striking out six and walking six.

Montavon allowed four runs and three hits in an inning and a third of relief, with three strikeouts and four walks.

Eastland 4, Milledgeville 3: The Cougars scored four runs in the bottom of the seventh inning to rally past the Missiles for a walk-off NUIC South win.

Ethan Kessler’s two-out, bases-loaded single drove in Hunter Miller with the winning run to cap the seventh-inning rally for Eastland. Max McCullough started the inning with a walk and went to third on Allyn Geerts’ single, then they both scored on Peyton Spears’ base hit. Tanner Stern was hit by a pitch, then Cole Huber singled in Spears to tie the score 3-3. Miller hit into a fielder’s choice, then Trevor Janssen walked to load the bases. Stern was thrown out at home on Camron Huber’s ground ball for the second out, but Kessler came through with the walk-off hit.

Spears gave up three runs and five hits in 4 1/3 innings, striking out seven and walking four. Janssen gave up one hit and two walks in 1/2 innings of shutout relief, recording a strikeout. McCullough got the win, striking out two in a hitless, scoreless seventh inning.

Connor Nye and Cayden Akers had two hits each for Milledgeville, and Spencer Nye and Jace Urish drove in runs. Connor Nye, Spencer Nye and Wyatt Meiners scored for the Missiles.

Connor Nye gave up four hits and two walks while striking out 13 in five innings of shutout ball. Bryson Wiersema gave up three runs and two hits in one-plus innings of relief, with two strikeouts and one walk. Karter Livengood gave up one run and two hits in two-thirds of an inning, walking one and hitting a batter.

Fulton 12, West Carroll 0 (5 inn.): The Steamers scored 10 runs in the second inning in an NUIC West win over the Thunder at Drives Park.

Kole Schipper led Fulton with two hits and two RBIs, while Payton Curley, Ryan Eads, AJ Boardman, Ethan Price, Reed Owen and Dom Kramer all had a hit and an RBI; Eads, Boardman and Owen each scored twice, and nine different players scored runs for the Steamers.

James Crimmins and Brayden Dykstra combined on a no-hitter for Fulton. Crimmins struck out 10 and walked one in four innings, and Dykstra struck out all three hitters he faced in the fifth.

Chance Schnitzler allowed 10 runs (five earned) and six hits in 1 2/3 innings, striking out two, walking four and hitting two batters for West Carroll. Jackson Bess allowed two runs (one earned) and three runs in 2 1/3 innings, with a strikeout and a walk.

Softball

Morrison 12, Mendota 10 (6 inn.): The Fillies scored 10 runs in the final three innings to hold off the Trojans in a nonconference game at home, clinching the victory with three runs in the bottom of the sixth.

Kaylee Pruis singled, tripled and drove in three runs for Morrison, while Kiyah Wolber was 3 for 4 with a double and an RBI for Morrison (5-3). Madi Armitage hit a solo home run, Bella Duncan singled, tripled and drove in a run, Jordan Eads and Allie Anderson each had two hits and an RBI, and Ariana Frederick and BayLeigh Brewer also drove in runs for the Fillies.

Marissa Folkers pitched three innings and allowed four runs and one hit, with two strikeouts and two walks. Pruis pitched three innings of relief and gave up six runs, three hits and four walks, with three strikeouts. Duncan got the final three outs, striking out three and walking one without giving up a run or a hit.

Fulton 7, West Carroll 6: The Steamers built a 5-0 lead through three innings, then added runs in the fourth and seventh to fend off a Thunder comeback at Drives Park.

Parker Sanderson went 4 for 4, Madyson Luskey and Emily Kane drove in two runs apiece, and Kira Wilson and Addison Hartman added two hits apiece for the Steamers; Hartman hit a triple and Luskey hit a double.

Hartman struck out 14 and walked five in a complete game for Fulton, allowing seven hits and six runs.

Lacey Eissens went 3 for 4 with three RBIs, including a double and a triple, and Dominique Lego chipped in two RBIs for West Carroll. Maddison Eppenstein pitched 2 2/3 innings, allowing three hits and one run, and striking out one batter.

River Ridge/Scales Mound 19, Eastland 15: The Cougars surged to an 11-9 lead with a five-run fourth inning, but gave up nine total runs in the sixth and seventh to lose the game in Lanark.

Gracie Steidinger went 3 for 4 with two doubles, two runs and two RBIs, while Vanessa Allen and Allison Kessler drove in two runs apiece for Eastland; Allen also scored twice. Morgan McCullough, Jocelyn Green and Kennidee Bryant each had two runs and an RBI, Olivia Klinefelter also drove in a run, and Mallory Misiewicz score twice for the Cougars.

Sarah Winter had two hits and four RBIs for RR/SM.

Boys tennis

Sterling 9, Freeport 0: The Golden Warriors won every match in a nonconference road dual.

Brecken Peterson won 10-0 at No. 1 singles, and Connor Pham was a 10-1 winner at No. 2 for Sterling. Elias Jensen won 10-5 at No. 3 singles, Hunter Lofgren won 10-4 at No. 4, Benjamin Boze won 10-3 at No. 5, and Yamaan Alkhalaf won 10-4 at No. 6 singles.

Jensen and Pham won 10-6 at No. 1 doubles, while Peterson and Lofgren won 10-2 at No. 2, and Boze and Brady Shank won 10-3 at No. 3 doubles.