SVM area roundup: Big fourth inning sends Forreston past Eastland in regional baseball semifinal

A four-run fourth inning propelled the Forreston baseball team to a 6-1 victory over Eastland in a Class 1A Forreston Regional semifinal on Thursday.

Patrick Wichman drove in two runs and scored another, and Owen Greenfield had a pair of singles, an RBI and a run scored for the Cardinals. Ayden Book also drove in a pair of runs for Forresto, as six different players scored.

Alex Ryia started on the mound and pitched four shutout innings, allowing one hit and three walks to go with three strikeouts. Carson Akins gave up one hit and had three strikeouts in 1 2/3 innings of scoreless relief, and Alex Milnes allowed one run and two hits in 1 1/3 innings, with a strikeout and a walk.

Ethan Kessler, Hunter Miller, Max McCullough and Allyn Geerts had hits for Eastland, and McCullough scored the only run. Miller gave up five runs (four earned) and six hits in four innings, with three strikeouts and a hit batsman. Peyton Spears gave up a run and two walks in a partial inning of work, and Geerts and McCullough each had a hitless, scoreless inning of relief.

Sycamore 9, Dixon 1: A five-run fourth inning by the Spartans sunk the Dukes in a nonconference game to close the regular season.

Hunter Vacek had the lone hit and RBI for Dixon (19-8), driving in Robbie Ramirez with a second-inning double.

Four Dukes pitchers combined to allow seven earned runs and eight hits, with three strikeouts and eight walks.

Softball

Peoria Notre Dame 8, Sterling 6: The Irish scored two runs in the top of the seventh to snap a 6-6 tie as the Golden Warriors lost a nonconference contest at home.

Sterling (21-9) took a 2-1 lead in the first inning, then got within 5-4 with two runs in the bottom of the third, after Notre Dame scored four in the top. The Warriors tied the game 5-5 with a run in the fourth, then each team scored a run in the fifth.

Lauren Jacobs doubled, homered, scored twice and drove in three runs for Sterling, and Sienna Stingley and Olivia Melcher each had two hits and an RBI; Stingley had a double. Marley Sechrest also doubled and drove in a run, Lily Cantu ripped a double, and Mya Lira scored a pair of runs for the Warriors.

Ellie Leigh allowed five runs (three earned) and four hits in 2 2/3 innings, walking two. Stingley gave up three runs and four hits in 4 1/3 innings, striking out five and walking one.