SVM area roundup: Thatcher pitches first perfect game as Rock Falls tops Oregon

Senior pitcher Katie Thatcher pitcher her first career perfect game, sending the Rock Falls softball team past Oregon 18-0 in four innings in a Big Northern Conference game Wednesday at Oregon Park West.

Thatcher struck out six in the circle, and also went 3 for 3 with a home run and two RBIs at the plate. Olivia Osborne drove in two runs on a homer and two doubles, Maddie Morgan went 2 for 3 with four RBIs, Jeslyn Krueger went 3 for 3 with an RBI, and Patty Teague and Rylee Johnson each added a homer and three RBIs for Rock Falls. Brooke Howard chipped in two hits, and Thatcher, Teague and Kruger scored three runs each.

The Rockets scored 13 runs in the third inning, and had 18 hits in the game.

Sterling 11, Orion 0 (5 inn.): The Golden Warriors exploded for 10 runs in the top of the fifth in a nonconference road win.

Marley Sechrest went 3 for 4 with a double, a run and three RBIs, and Katie Dittmar doubled, homered and scored three times for Sterling (20-6); it was Dittmar’s fourth home run in the last four games, and third in the last two days.

Olivia Melcher also hit a home run and had three RBIs, Lauren Jacobs tripled, scored twice and drove in two runs, and Katie Taylor had a pair of singles and scored two runs for the Warriors. Mya Lira added a pair of hits and a run, and Ellie Leigh doubled and drove in a run.

Leigh and Sienna Stingley combined on a no-hitter; Leigh struck out six and walked one in four innings, and Stingley had a pair of strikeouts in her one inning of relief.

Stillman Valley 4, Dixon 3: The Duchesses tied their Big Northern game with two runs in the top of the fifth, but the Cardinals answered with a run in the bottom of the inning to pull out a win.

Delaney Bruce had two hits and drove in two runs, and Elly Brown and Kennedy Haenitsch also had two hits apiece for Dixon (3-14, 3-11 BNC). Bailey Tegeler, Allie Abell and Ava Valk each had a hit and scored a run for the Duchesses.

Abell allowed three earned runs and eight hits in a complete game, striking out five and walking two.

Eastland 6, Galena 3: The Cougars matched the Pirates with a first-inning run, then pulled away with four runs in the third inning for an NUIC crossover win.

Jocelyn Green went 2 for 3 with a home run and four RBIs, Gracie Steidinger went 2 for 4 with a solo home run, and Olivia Klinefelter also hit a solo home run for Eastland; Steidinger scored three runs.

Jenica Stoner earned the complete-game win, allowing three runs (one earned) and seven hits, striking out two with no walks.

Baseball

Sterling 4, Fulton 3: Trevor Dir hit a walk-off RBI single with one out in the bottom of the seventh to send the Golden Warriors past the Steamers in a nonconference game at Gartner Park.

Dylan Ottens started the rally with his second hit of the game, then went to second when Gio Cantu was hit by a pitch. He scored from second on Dir’s single to left field.

Bryce Hartman added an RBI, and Braden Hartman, Mason Smithee and Cale Cushman also scored runs for Sterling (7-20). Drew Nettleton struck out five, walked three and hit two batters while allowing two runs and five hits in five innings, and Smithee allowed one run and three hits in two innings, with two strikeouts.

Conner Sheridan had a pair of singles for Fulton, and Kole Schipper added a double and an RBI. Payton Curley tripled and scored a run, and Ryan Eads had an RBI. Dom Kramer allowed three runs and three hits in five innings, striking out five, walking two and hitting two batters; James Crimmins gave up one run and two hits in an inning and a third, with a strikeout, a walk and a hit batsman.

Dixon 7, Rockford Lutheran 4: The Dukes scored three runs in the first inning, then added two in the fourth and two more in the sixth in a Big Northern Conference win at Veterans Memorial Field.

Alex Harrison doubled, drove in a run and scored three times for Dixon (16-6, 15-2 BNC), while James Leslie had a single and an RBI, and Max Clark also drove in a run. Bryce Feit stole three bases and scored twice, and Ari Selmani had the other hit for the Dukes, who also walked nine times and had two players hit by pitches.

Clark allowed two runs and two hits in two innings, with four strikeouts, four walks and a hit batsman, while Feit gave up two runs (one earned) and two hits in 4 2/3 innings, with five strikeouts and three walks. Quade Richards got the final out.

Rock Falls 13, Genoa-Kingston 10: The Rockets pulled out a Big Northern slugfest at home in their penultimate regular-season game.

Gavin Sands was 4 for 4 with a double, home run and six RBIs to lead the Rock Falls attack.

Milledgeville 23, Orangeville 0 (5 inn.): The Missiles scored in every inning but the fourth, and scored nine runs in the fifth in a five-inning NUIC crossover win over the Broncos.

Cayden Akers went 4 for 5, Colton Hendrick went 3 for 4, and Connor Nye went 3 for 3 to lead Milledgeville; Akers and Hendrick had four RBIs apiece, while Nye and Dalton Adamec tallied three RBIs each. Spencer Nye chipped in two RBIs, and Adamec and Bryson Wiersema had two hits apiece for the Missiles. Connor Nye and Wiersema scored four runs each, while Adamec, Hendrick and Karter Livengood scored three runs each.

Akers threw a one-hitter for the win, striking out eight with three walks.

Eastland 4, Galena 1: The Cougars took a 3-0 lead after two innings, then added a fifth-inning insurance run in an NUIC crossover win over the Pirates.

Brady Sweitzer went 2 for 3, and Allyn Geerts had two RBIs for Eastland.

Hunter Miller earned the complete-game win, allowing one earned run and seven hits, striking out six with one walk.

Girls soccer

Oregon 3, Genoa-Kingston 1: The Hawks advanced to the championship game at the Class 1A Indian Creek Regional with a victory over the Cogs in Shabbona.

Boys tennis

Sterling 7, Newman 2: The Golden Warriors swept the three doubles matches and won four out of six singles bouts to defeat the Comets at Sauk Valley Community College.

Brecken Peterson won 6-1, 6-0 at No. 1 singles for Sterling, and Connor Pham won 6-2, 6-0 at No. 2. Elias Jensen was a 6-1, 6-1 winner at No. 3, and Servando Diaz won 6-0, 6-1 at No. 6 singles.

Pham and Jensen teamed up for a 7-5, 5-7, 12-10 win over Logan Palmer and JP Ryan in a tight match at No. 1 doubles. Hunter Lofgren and Jack Graves won 7-6 (6), 6-4 at No. 2, and Dayton Fisher and Abraham Gallardo won 6-0, 6-0 at No. 3 doubles for the Warriors.

Raul Reyes-Zamora won 7-6 (6), 2-6, 10-8 at No. 4 singles, and Cason Palmer won 6-2, 3-6, 10-5 at No. 5 in a pair of super-tiebreakers for Newman.