Mahomet-Seymour enters record books in win over Mount Zion
By Fred Kroner
Mahomet-Seymour’s baseball team made history on Saturday (May 13) with a 4-0 Apollo Conference win at Mount Zion.
Blake Wolters fired a seven-inning no-hitter. It was his school-record third as a senior and the fifth by M-S pitchers this spring, which ties an all-time IHSA state record.
Other Illinois high schools with five no-hitters in a season are Salem (1956), Morrison (1997) and Tuscola (2004).
Other M-S no-hitters this spring were thrown by Alex Bergman and Mateo Casillas. Wolters, who has a school-record four no-hitters in his career, is the first Bulldog with more than one in a single season.
His three no-hitters this year places him in a tie for sixth on the all-time IHSA single-season list.
With 29 major league scouts in attendance, Wolters (6-1) struck out 13 batters, his fifth consecutive game reaching double figures in strikeouts. In his last three outings, covering 19 innings, Wolters has permitted three hits and no runs while rolling up 40 strikeouts.
M-S was limited to six hits, one apiece by Alex McHale, Carter Selk, Tyson Finch, Braden Houchin, Cade Starrick and Finn Randolph.
Houchin, Randolph and Ben Wagner all drove in runs. Scoring runs for the Bulldogs were McHale, Carter Johnson and Finch.
The scheduled second game of the M-S/Mount Zion doubleheader was postponed by rain and lightning. M-S was leading, 7-1 in the fourth inning. The game will be resumed on Tuesday (May 16).
The first-game victory enabled the Bulldogs to improve to 9-2 in Apollo Conference play and lock up a repeat conference championship.
Runner-up Mattoon has a 6-4 conference mark with two games to play and would be unable to catch up to M-S, which was declared the league champion on Saturday.
On Wednesday (May 10), McHale threw the 10th shutout of the season by a Mahomet-Seymour baseball pitcher as the Bulldogs triumphed at home over Maroa-Forsyth, 14-0.
McHale (5-1) was staked to an 11-0 lead after one inning. In five innings, he gave up five hits and two walks while striking out five hitters.
McHale led the offensive assault, going 3-for-3 and scoring two runs. Houchin hammered two home runs and delivered six RBI for the day.
Wolters and Selk also finished with two-hit performances. Both players hit one home run and knocked in two runs.
Starrick scored two runs and Finch drove in two runs.
On Thursday (May 11), the Bulldogs’ winning streak was snapped after 13 games with a 9-6 loss to Tri-Valley in a Senior Night game.
Selk drilled a home run, his third game in a row with a home run. He knocked in two runs. Wolters had a double and an RBI.
Teammates with one hit apiece were Johnson, McHale, Houchin and Finch. Johnson, McHale and Dallas Nelson each delivered one RBI.
Scoring runs for M-S, besides Selk, were Wolters, McHale, Casillas, Wagner and Finch.
Johnson pitched 2 2/3 innings and suffered the loss. Finn Randolph worked three innings and fanned five hitters. Houchin registered three strikeouts in 1 1/3 innings.
The Bulldogs’ seniors are Mateo Casillas, Braden Houchin, Carter Johnson, Alex McHale, Dallas Nelson, Carter Selk, Ben Wagner, Jake Waldinger and Blake Wolters along with manager Luke Severns.
M-S (27-4) returns to action on Monday (May 15) game at Normal Community.
