Lady Bulldogs win Champaign Central Invitational, Shore Yergler pitch shutouts
By FRED KRONER
fred@mahometnews.com
Mackenzie Moore and Maddy Wade each scored two goals on Saturday as the Bulldogs topped Champaign Central, 7-1, in a non-conference girls’ soccer match.
M-S is 15-1 overall.
Other Bulldogs who scored were Brooke Benson and Grace Lietz. M-S also had an own goal.
Cayla Koerner had two assists. Benson, Nyah Biegler and Kelsey Jacobs each had one assist.
Goalkeeper Grace Larson had two saves.
Girls’ track and field
M-S had the winner in six events and captured team honors on Saturday in the Champaign Central Invitational at Harold Jester Track.
The Bulldogs amassed 145 points in the seven-school event. Runner-up Peoria Notre Dame had 132 points.
Lakeida Nichols won two events and placed second in another event.
Nichols swept the sprint races, winning the 100 meters in 13.50 seconds and the 200 meters in 27.66 seconds. Nichols placed second in the long jump (16 feet, 2 ¾ inches).
In the 1,600 meters, the Bulldogs captured the top two spots. Elizabeth Sims was the winner (5:33.40) and Brisa McGrath (5:41.60) was the runner-up.
The M-S 3,200 relay was also triumphant, prevailing by 14 seconds. Sharing the baton were Klein Powell, Emily Bednar, Chloe Allen and Gretchen Scheele. The foursome was timed in 11:01.10
Other Bulldog winners were Sylvia Byron in the 100-meter hurdles (17.90) and Mara Pletcher in the pole vault (10-6). Teammate Cece Abramson took second in the pole vault (9-8).
Byron was third in the triple jump (32-7).
M-S had a runner-up finish from its 1,600-meter relay foursome of Riley Watson, Allen, Madi Balbach and Emily Parrott. They were clocked in 4:38.77.
Balbach ran fourth in the 400 meters (1:07.90). Bednar placed fifth in the 800 meters (2:40.11), just ahead of teammate Powell (2:41.40).
Amaya Francom was a two-event placer. She finished fifth in the 100 meters (14.20) and was third in the 300 hurdles (53.57).
The Bulldogs had two placers in the shot put, discus and high jump.
Balbach was third (4-4) and Watson fourth (4-2) in the high jump.
In the shot put, Hailee McCall-Ochs was third (32-1 ½) and Gwen Tee was sixth (27-1).
In the discus, Andrea Penrose was fourth (87-9) and McCall-Ochs was fifth (86-0).
Boys’ track and field
M-S had two placers in the elite Saturday Distance Night in Palatine.
Mathias Powell placed third in the 3,200 meters. His time was 9 minutes, 3.51 seconds. He was within 1.4 seconds of the meet champion.
Teammate Kyle Nofziger ended 12th in the freshmen 1,600 meters (4:39.27).
Softball
Aubrie Shore and Karley Yergler each pitched shutouts on Saturday at Taylorville as M-S swept an Apollo Conference doubleheader.
Shore fired a one-hit shutout in the opener, a 15-0 Bulldog victory, and struck out 11 while walking two.
In the nightcap, Yergler scattered six hits, walked no one and fanned 10 in a 16-0 M-S triumph.
Six Bulldogs had hits in both games, including Shore who was 7-for-9 for the twin bill and had three doubles. Shore scored three runs in the first game and drove in three runs in the second game.
Ashley Campbell, Julia McNaught and Allison Nofziger all had a three-hit game and totaled four hits for the two games. Nofziger had four runs batted in and three stolen bases in the nightcap.
Campbell collected two doubles in the first game.
Other Bulldogs with hits in both games were Sam Tamburo and Ashley Wheeler. Tamburo laced two extra-base hits.
Abigail Akers contributed three hits and four RBI in the second game. Yergler drove in three first-game runs. Emma Clements scored three runs in the final game.
M-S is 12-6 overall and 5-3 in Apollo Conference action.
Baseball
Dawson Finch pitched a four-hit shutout in the second game against Apollo Conference foe Taylorville on Saturday at home as the Bulldogs salvaged a split.
Finch walked no one and struck out seven in a 12-0 Bulldog win over Taylorville.
Taylorville won the Apollo Conference opener, 5-3.
Nate McFall and Jordan Veldman were each 5-for-6 in the doubleheader. McFall pounded two doubles in each game. Veldman hit a second-game triple.
Veldman scored four runs in the second game and McFall crossed home plate three times.
Finch, McFall, Ben Greenberger, Kyle Kinney and Jon Lathan all drove in two runs in the nightcap.
Besides Greenberger, McFall and Veldman, Quinn Miller also had a hit in each game.
Kobe Essien pitched two innings in the first game and suffered the loss. Greenberger worked five innings.
M-S is 11-5-1 overall and 3-5 in Apollo Conference contests.
