Bulldog baseball falls in championship game of IESA regional
By Fred Kroner
Mahomet-Seymour suffered a season-ending baseball loss on Tuesday (Sept. 20) in the championship game of an IESA Class 3A regional tournament to Mount Zion, 7-5.
The Braves, playing at home, scored twice in the sixth inning to snap a 4-4 tie that had stood since the second inning.
M-S held a 12-5 edge on hits, but also committed all three of the game’s errors.
Bradley Jones, Marco Casillas, Dyllin Thomas, Parker Henry and Ben Ohms all cracked two hits for the Bulldogs.
Jones and Casillas scored two runs apiece. Thomas delivered two RBI.
Paxson O’Malley was the starting pitcher and worked two innings. Camden Beedy followed with a four-inning relief stint and suffered the loss. Slayton Deck pitched the final inning.
The Bulldogs advanced to the title game by virtue of a 3-0 shutout win over Pana on Saturday (Sept. 17).
Ethan Kempher and Deck combined on a five-hitter. Kempher pitched five innings, yielding three hits and one walk while fanning two hitters.
Deck worked the last two innings, allowing two hits and no walks while fanning four batters.
Jones, Logan Schmit, Thomas and Kempher accounted for the M-S hits.
Jones, Schmit and Henry scored the Bulldogs’ runs. Driving in runs were Thomas and Casillas.
M-S ends the season with an overall record of 12-4-1.
Seven players who had at least 20 at-bats, finished the season with above-.300 batting averages, led by Jones (.410).
Other team leaders were Thomas (.386), Casillas (.370), Henry (.346), O’Malley (.333), Ohms (.318) and Schmit (.317).
O’Malley had a team-high 12 stolen bases. Casillas had the most extra-base hits (10). Jones had the most multi-hit games (six).
Four pitchers who threw at least 10 innings compiled earned run averages under 2.75. They were Kempher (0.51), Deck (1.40), O’Malley (1.86) and Casillas (2.55).
O’Malley had a team-high three wins as well as a team-high 29 strikeouts in 26 1/3 innings. Ending with two wins apiece were Beedy, Casillas, Deck and Kempher.
