In a game heard on WHOW and all its digital platforms, the Lincoln Railsplitters capitalized on pitching errors in the first to beat the Clinton Maroons 3-0 in non-conference high school baseball action on Friday in Lincoln. 

Lincoln leadoff hitter Karson Komnick reached in the bottom of the first after being hit by a pitch. An error from second baseman Preston Curtis helped Austin Lucas reach. Komnick was scored after Byrce Vlahovich was hit by a pitch, and Lucas came around on an RBI single from Chase March. 

The third Railers run was an RBI double from Kane Komnick in the fourth that scored Tate Aue. 

Josh Bass, Ryan Pine, Mitchell Cornwell, and pinch hitter Emmett Brown combined for four Maroons hits on the day. 

Brock Wilson went the distance in the loss, twirling six innings while allowing three runs on five hits. He struck out three and walked three. 

Owen Comstock, Vlahovich, Cooper Koehler, and Kane Comnick all recorded a hit in the victory. Aue went 1-for-3 with a run scored, while Karson Komnick and Lucas both went hitless but both scored a run.

Karson Komnick had a shaky start on the mound for Lincoln, giving up three hits in three innings, walking four, and striking out two. Aue earned the win, coming in for four innings of relief, allowing just one hit and recording one strikeout. 

With the loss, Clinton falls to 15-11 while Lincoln improves to 16-8. 

The Maroons are off until Monday when they take on the Central A&M Raiders in Moweaqua in a Central Illinois Conference tilt. 

Tune in to WHOW and all its digital platforms to hear the Clinton Lady Maroons take on the Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley Lady Falcons on Monday afternoon in Clinton. First pitch is at 4:30 PM. 

In a game heard on WEZC and online at dewittdailynews.com, Grant Kiger hit an inside-the-park home run, Koyie blasted a solo shot, backing Matthias Rudolph's five innings as Monticello beat Pana 8-3 in a makeshift, non-conference high school baseball game in Monticello on Wednesday.

Kiger took advantage of a misplayed three-run home run in the first inning. A routine flyball was lost in the midday sky by Pana's right fielder, allowing Kiger to easily score.

It was all Rudolph needed. The junior fired five innings of one-run ball with seven strikeouts, three walks, and permitted two hits.

Williams fifth inning no-doubter to right put Monticello in front 8-1. 

Rudolph added an RBI triple that capped the four-run first inning for Monticello. He was 2-for-3 at the plate, earning the State Bank of Bement Player of the Game.

Kiger finished 2-for-3 with a double, in addition to his inside-the-park home run.

Pana falls to 12-11 overall.

Monticello goes to 25-2. They will host Mattoon on Saturday.

Ridge Braden drove in five runs from the nine-spot in the Heyworth batting order, and Heyworth powered its way to an 11-3 win over Fisher in Heart of Illinois Conference baseball action on Wednesday in Heyworth.

Braden's single in the third scored three runs, to put the Hornets up 6-0. He finished 3-for-4 with a double.

Braydon Laesch and Caleb Zellers had doubles while Boston Katz had a triple in an offensive power display by the Hornets.

Katz went three innings of shutout ball with four strikeouts, and four Hornets' arms combined to strike out ten. 

Heyworth goes to 8-11-2 overall and 4-6 in Heart of Illinois Conference action. They visit Peoria Christian on Thursday. 

Chase Roberts singled home the winning run in the bottom of the ninth inning and Mt. Pulaski walked off Athens 4-3 in Tomahawk Conference action on Wednesday, clinching the outright conference championship for the Hilltoppers in Mt. Pulaski.

Skyler Durst singled to start the inning. A sacrifice moved him to second. After the second out, Roberts brought Durst home to secure the Hilltoppers 14th victory of the season.

Luke Martin pitched into the sixth inning for Mt Pulaski, allowing two runs on five hits, issuing six walks, and striking out eight. Roberts struck out six in 3 1/3 innings of relief for the win for Mt. Pulaski.

Roberts was 1-for-3 with an RBI and two walks to lead Mt. Pulaski.

The Hilltoppers are 14-7 overall. They visit Pawnee on Saturday. 

Carter Logue outdueled Preston Curtis in a spectacular pitchers' duel at Clinton High School on Wednesday afternoon.

Logue fired six innings of two-run ball with eight strikeouts. Neither run was earned for Logue.

Curtis went the distance with eight strikeouts of his own. He allowed three runs, one earned, on four hits. 

Jaxon Finch hit a two-run single in the top of the seventh inning that put the Bombers ahead 3-2. 

Brock Wilson reached on an error in the first inning, which scored a run. Ryan Pine followed with a double that scored Wilson to put the Maroons in front 2-0.

Finch doubled in a run in the fifth inning to make the score 2-1.

It would stay that way until the seventh.

Josh Bass was 2-for-4 with a double for Clinton at the top of the order. 

Finch finished 2-for-3 with three RBIs for the Bombers.

Argenta-Oreana improves to 15-8 overall. They visit Villa Grove in Lincoln Prairie Conference action on Thursday.

Clinton goes to 15-10 overall. They visit Lincoln on Friday. Hear the action on WHOW and all its digital platforms.

A nine-run fifth inning broke through a slow start for Normal Community as the Ironmen shut out Urbana 10-0 in a five-inning, run-rule win in Big 12 Conference high school baseball action on Wednesday in Urbana.

Carter Reiners fired a no-hitter across five innings of shutout ball with eight strikeouts and issued just one walk.

Max Heineman, Carter Harris, and Beckett Weber contributed doubles for Normal Community. Tyce Beckman had two RBIs. 

Normal Community goes to 22-2 overall and 12-1 in the Big 12 Conference. They will host Urbana on the return of a home-and-home in Big 12 play on Friday. 

Mayson Anslinger struck out ten across six innings of shutout ball, leading Normal West to a 6-0 win over Danville in Big 12 Conference high school baseball action on Wednesday in Normal.

Ty Bachman's two-run single in a four-run third inning backed an incredible outing by Anslinger. Bachman was 2-for-3 with a double and two RBIs. 

Anslinger had a triple.

The Wildcats go to 17-9 overall and 9-4 in the Big 12. They will travel to Danville on Friday. 

Madison Highlight twirled five shutout innings, and Isabella Beery drove in a team-best three runs as Monticello blanked Maroa-Forsyth 10-0 in a run-rule, non-conference win over Maroa-Forsyth on Wednesday in Monticello.

Beery was 3-for-3 with three RBIs and a triple to lead the Lady Sages.

Ali Weidner and Reese Stiger drove in two runs apiece, and each hit doubles for Monticello. Cassidee Stoffel and Highland drove in the other runs.

Highland walked three, allowed a hit, and struck out one in five shutout innings in circle for Monticello. 

The Lady Trojans drop to 10-17 overall. They will host Warrensburg-Latham on Friday. 

Monticello improves to 20-7 overall. They are off until Monday when they host Olympia. Hear the action on 95.9 FM WEZC and online at dewittdailynews.com.

Addison Maiden drove in four runs, and Argenta-Oreana rallied past Clinton 6-3 in non-conference high school softball action on Wednesday afternoon in Argenta.

Maiden's two-run home run in the third inning answered a three-run frame by the Lady Maroons to make the score 3-2. 

Then Maiden added a two-run home run in a decisive four-run fifth inning.

The Lady Maroons went in front when Lainey Brewer singled in two in the top of the third inning. Campbell Bass followed with a run-scoring single to put Clinton in front 3-0.

Maiden led all players, going 2-for-3 with four RBIs.

Brewer drove in two for Clinton while Avery Smith and Hadley Humble each hit doubles in the loss.

The Lady Bombers are 13-10 overall. They visit Villa Grove on Thursday for a Lincoln Prairie Conference tilt.

Clinton goes to 7-17 overall. They host Meridian on Friday in Central Illinois Conference play.

A former Monticello softball star is the Ohio Valley Conference player of the year.

Eastern Illinois' Lizzie Stiverson was named the 2026 Ohio Valley Conference Player of the Year, announced by the Conference office on Tuesday morning.

Stiverson led the OVC play with a .470 batting average, 44 hits, and 33 runs scored. The senior finished with five doubles, four home runs, 19 RBI, and three stolen bases. She walked 16 times, opposed to five strikeouts in 118 plate appearances, leading to a league-best .575 on-base percentage. Stiverson slugged .675 and finished the conference slate with a 1.250 OPS. The transfer was also named to the All-OVC first team, as well as the All-Newcomer squad.

Stiverson started her career at Parkland Community College before transferring to the University of Illinois. She then transferred to Eastern Illinois for the 2026 softball season. 

Stiverson helped Eastern Illinois softball to a 2026 Ohio Valley Conference title with a 23-3 mark. The Panthers finished 33-20 overall. 

The Ohio Valley Conference tournament comes to Peoria's Louisville Slugger Complex this week, Wednesday through Saturday. 

High school seniors across the Country sign contracts to play their sport at the next level. 

On Friday, seven Clinton Seniors signed their letters of intent to continue their athletic careers as they pursue higher education. Dylan Wright signed at Greenville University to run track and field. 

Able Koritz is signing at Central College to run cross country and track and field, and study mechanical engineering. He's looking forward to being challenged athletically as well as academically. 

Jon Smock is going to play football at Concordia University Wisconsin and major in exercise science. After missing his senior season due to injury, he can't wait to get back out on the field. 

Abby Moser will be taking in the beautiful views of Lake Michigan as she competes in track and field and pursues nursing at Carthage College. The holder of three school records, she is proud of her accomplishment but says that records are meant to be broken. 

Keagan Daughtry was looking for somewhere that he could build his passion for basketball, as well as ministry, and found that at Luther College. He said it was Luther Basketball Assistant Coach Jake Boyd who helped him decide. 

Carly Anderson will be staying in central Illinois as she heads to Lincoln Land Community College to play basketball. She says having the support of her friends and family by staying close to home is important to her. 

Clara Dempsey is also playing basketball at the collegiate level, going to Southeastern Community College. She will remember her time at Clinton fondly, but says that her education will be her main focus in college. 

Congratulations to the Clinton seniors who will be moving on to the next level of their sport. Check out the full interviews by finding ILSportsWire on your preferred social media platforms. 

In a game heard on WHOW and all its digital platforms, the Warrensburg-Latham Lady Cardinals used a nine-run second inning to defeat the Clinton Lady Maroons 11-0 in a Central Illinois Conference high school softball tilt on Friday night in Clinton. 

After both teams went scoreless in the first, Nia Triimar reached on a single, and Megan Hardin and Abby Andricks walked to load the bases in the top of the second for the Cardinals. Clinton catcher Hadley Humble caught a pop-up foul ball from Audree Denton, and shortstop Avery Smith caught an infield fly ball to record the first two outs of the inning. 

With two strikes on Warrensburg-Latham nine-hitter Krissy Wilber, she connected on a single that scored Triimar and Hardin to take a 2-0 lead. The Lady Cardinals exploded from there as they turned over the lineup. Emelia Coble lined a two-RBI double to make it 4-0, followed by RBI doubles from Kelsey Oakley and Triimar, making it 7-0. With Triimar at second, Hardin slammed a two-run homer over the center field fence to make it 9-0. 

Coble scored again after reaching on a double when she was brought home by Burton in the third. Hardin scored on a single from Andricks and an error by Clinton right-fielder Lainey Brewer for the final tally of 11-0. 

Brewer, Jaelynn Thomas, Humble, and Anelise Thompson all went 1-for-2 in the outing. Aliviyah Haynes pitched all five innings and allowed 11 runs on 10 hits. She struck out three, walked three, and committed three errors. 

Hardin led Warrensburg-Latham with a 3-for-3 outing, with two runs scored and two RBIs. Coble and Triimar each went 2-for-3 on the day with two runs scored and two RBIs. Andricks was 2-for-2 with a walk and a run scored. 

Oakley went the distance for the Lady Cardinals, striking out three and allowing four hits. 

Clinton falls to 7-15 and 2-4 in the Central Illinois Conference. Warrensburg-Latham improves to 14-10 and 4-3 in CIC play. 

The Lady Maroons are back in action on Monday when they travel to Tri-Valley. 
 

Monticello scored five runs in the first inning the Sages beat Rantoul 9-4 in Illini Prairie Conference high school baseball action on Thursday in Rantoul.

Grant Kiger's first of two triples plated two runs in the first inning. Jax Bailey drove in three runs for the Sages' offense. 

Zeke Young and Dawson Gaitros combined for eight walks and eight strikeouts as it was Gaitros getting the win in relief of Young for Monticello on Thursday.

The Sages rebounded from being shut down by St. Joseph-Ogden on Wednesday to move to 22-1 overall. They go to 7-1 in the Illini Prairie Conference. 

Monticello visits Mt. Zion on Friday.

Lincoln overcame an 8-0 deficit and beat Bloomington 11-8 in non-conference high school baseball action from Lincoln on Thursday.

The Purple Raiders looked to be rolling after a seven-run second inning to go up 8-0, but the Railers chipped away.

Ashton Lucas scored two with a single in the bottom of the second inning to cut the Bloomington lead to 8-3. 

Karson Komnick, Lucas, and Gage Rutledge hit back-to-back-to-back run-scoring singles in the bottom of the third inning to tie the game at 8-8.

Rutledge hit a sac-fly in the fifth inning to put the Railsplitters in front 9-8. Komnick added a two-run single in the sixth to make it the final 11-8 margin.

Lucas was 2-for-4 with three RBIs and a stolen base to lead Lincoln. Komnick was 3-for-4 with a double and two RBIs. 

Lincoln goes to 14-7 overall. They host Metamora on Friday.

Braydon Laesch struck out 14 across six shutout innings, leading Heyworth to a 10-0 win over Delavan in non-conference high school baseball action on Thursday in Heyworth. 

Laesch allowed three hits, hit two batters, and did not issue a walk in the win. He also finished 3-for-4 with a double and three RBIs. 

Lucas Bartels and Jeffrey Klawitter drove in two runs apiece for the Hornets. 

Bartels and Carter Brooks hit triples while Braxton Denning added a double.

Heyworth is 7-10-2 overall. They host Fieldcrest in Heart of Illinois Conference action on Friday. 

Josh Jones struck out 15 across six innings of one-run ball, leading Normal Community to a 7-1 win over cross-town rival Normal West on Thursday in Big 12 Conference high school baseball action at Normal West High School. 

Jones allowed two hits and permitted two walks. Kyle Glass struck out the side in a scoreless inning of relief. 

Max Heineman was 1-for-4 with an RBI double to lead the Ironmen. Gavin Swartz, Lucas Beaty, Andrew Nauer, and Jacob Engel drove in runs in a balanced offensive attack for Normal Community.

Normal West drops to 13-9 overall and 6-4 in the Big 12 Conference. They travel to Peoria High School for a twin bill on Monday. 

Normal Community goes to 18-2 overall and 9-1 in the Big 12 Conference. They host Peoria Richwoods for a Big 12 Conference tilt on Friday.

Brock Wilson anchored a dominant pitching performance, leading Clinton to a 2-0 shutout victory over Tuscola on Wednesday afternoon in Central Illinois Conference high school baseball action in Tuscola.

Wilson earned the win with five-and-a-third innings of scoreless ball, scattering six hits and striking out four. Preston Curtis was perfect in relief, closing out the final inning and two-thirds without allowing a baserunner to secure the clean sheet.

The Maroons broke the scoreless tie in the top of the fifth inning. Jack Manning sparked the offense with a line-drive single to center. Stone Stith reached on an error, allowing Fentress to cross the plate for the game’s first run.

Clinton added a vital insurance run later in the same frame. With two runners on, Josh Bass delivered a single to shortstop, driving in Manning to extend the lead to 2-0.

Bass, Manning, and Stith each recorded a hit, with Bass providing the lone RBI of the contest.

With the win, Clinton improves to 14-8 overall. They return home Saturday to host Eureka at 11 am. 

Asher Pruemer was dominant on the bump, and Cam Schluter went deep as St. Joseph-Ogden blanked Monticello 7-0 in a much-anticipated showdown of two of central Illinois' best on Wednesday in Illini Prairie Conference high school baseball action from Monticello. 

The loss on Wednesday ended 21-straight wins for the Sages to start the spring season.

Schluter went deep to open the second inning and put the Spartans up 2-0. 

Prumer struck out eight while walking one and allowing six hits in a complete-game shutout.

Koyie Williams and Heyden Romano went 1-for-3 for the Sages, who fall to 21-1 overall. They will visit Rantoul on Thursday.

A six-run explosion in the bottom of the sixth inning proved to be the difference as Tri-Valley pulled away late to defeat Heyworth 6-2 on Wednesday afternoon in non-conference high school baseball action in Downs.

In a game that began as a classic pitcher's duel, both offenses were kept quiet through the first five frames. Tri-Valley finally broke the scoreless tie in the home half of the sixth, sending ten batters to the plate. Caden Fiscus ignited the rally with a single, and after Grayson Coughlin was hit by a pitch, Caden Dehner delivered an RBI single to put the Vikings on the board 1-0. 

Chase Haworth then provided the biggest blow of the frame, a two-run double to left that scored Dehner and courtesy runner Coleton Boward. Tri-Valley added two more on a bases-loaded walk by Ethan Moore and a late error to build a commanding 6-0 lead.

The Hornets Boston Katz hit a sharp grounder that resulted in a two-base error, allowing two runners to score and cut the deficit to 6-2. 

Coughlin went six shutout innings, allowing just four hits while striking out eight for Tri-Valley.

Haworth led the Viking offense, finishing 1-for-2 with two RBIs, while Isaiah Alexander and Dehner each added an RBI apiece.

Katz took the hard-luck loss for Heyworth despite a stellar start, racking up nine strikeouts over 5 2/3 innings of work. 

Denning was the offensive standout for the Hornets, finishing a perfect 3-for-3 with two doubles.

Heyworth falls to 6-10-2 overall and 3-5 in the Heart of Illinois Conference. They host Delavan on Thursday.

Tri-Valley goes to 17-6 overall and 8-1 in the Heart of Illinois Conference. They take on Dee-Mack on Friday.

Drew Stevens homered and drove in four runs as Normal Community rolled to a 10-0, run-rule win over Normal West in cross-town Big 12 high school baseball action on Wednesday afternoon at Normal Community High School.

Stevens singled in a run in a four-run third inning. A batter later, Beckett Weber made it 4-0 with a double that scored Stevens.

In the fourth, Stevens' three-run home run capped a six-run frame to make it 10-0 Ironmen. 

Gavin Michaels drove in two with a double for Normal Community. Weber struck out eight in five hitless innings. He permitted two walks and hit a batter.

Normal West is 13-8 overall and 6-3 in the Big 12. 

Normal Community goes to 17-2 overall and 8-1 in the Big 12. 

The two crosstown rivals meet again on Friday at Normal West High School.

Clinton could only muster two hits in a 7-0 loss to Tuscola in Central Illinois Conference high school softball action on Wednesday in Tuscola.

Campbell Bass and Riley Fentress had the only hits of the afternoon for the Lady Maroons.

The Lady Warriors jumped out to a 3-0 lead after the first inning and extended the advantage to 6-0 after the fifth inning.

Clinton drops to 7-14 overall and 2-3 in the CIC. They host Warrensburg-Latham on Friday. Hear the action on WHOW and all its digital platforms.

St. Joseph-Ogden outlasted Monticello 3-1 in an Illini Prairie Conference high school softball showdown Wednesday in Monticello. 

The Lady Spartans jumped out to a 3-0 lead after four innings. 

Thea Key drove in the only Lady Sages run in the fifth. Ali Weidner was 2-for-3 with a double to lead Monticello's offense. 

The Lady Sages drop to 18-6 overall. They visit Rantoul on Thursday. 

Routt Catholic set the tone early and never let up, defeating Mt. Pulaski 3-0 with timely hitting and dominant pitching.

The Rockets got on the board in the bottom of the 1st when Brady Turner tripled to right field, bringing home Bryson Mossman for a 1-0 lead. They added another run in the 3rd, as Turner stayed hot with a double to right, scoring Talon Thompson to make it 2-0.

Routt put the finishing touch on the game in the 6th inning when Anson Butcher launched a solo home run to right field, extending the lead to 3-0.

Mt. Pulaski had a few opportunities, collecting five hits in the game, but couldn’t capitalize. Preston Cowan, Luke Martin, Jaeden Jackson, Tyler Cross, and Tucker Fitzpatrick each recorded a hit in the loss.

On the mound, Jacob Brown was in complete control for Routt Catholic. He threw a complete-game shutout, allowing just five hits while striking out seven and walking one.
 

The Normal West Wildcats fell to Champaign Central Maroons 8-4 on Wednesday at Normal West H.S.

Normal West was the first to get on the board in the second, when an error scored one run.
In the top of the third inning, Champaign Central went back into the lead after Pipkins singled to center field, McDaniel singled to left field, and Cole singled to left field, each scoring one run, making the score 4-2 Maroons.

The Wildcats tied the game in the bottom of the sixth thanks to a single by junior Riley Larkin and an error.
The Maroons jumped into the lead in the top of the eighth when Pipkins singled, scoring one run, Timmons doubled, scoring two runs, and Bralts singled, scoring one run.

Bralts earned the win in relief for Champaign Central. The righty gave up one hit and zero runs over two and two-thirds innings, striking out six and walking one. Sophomore Mayson Aslinger took the loss for the Wildcats. The pitcher went two and two-thirds innings, giving up five runs on five hits, striking out four, and walking one. Pomis started the game for Normal West. The pitcher gave up seven hits and three runs over five and one-third innings, striking out five and walking four. Pipkins stepped on the bump first for Central. The starting pitcher surrendered six hits and four runs (two earned) over five and one-third innings, striking out two and walking two.

Larkin went 2-for-3 at the plate and led the team with two runs batted in. Larkin stole two bases. Normal West was sure-handed and didn't commit a single error. McCully made the most plays with nine.
Champaign Central tallied 12 hits in the game. Leadoff hitter Pipkins led the Maroons with three hits in four at-bats. Timmons, McDaniel, and Pipkins each drove in two runs for Champaign Central. Bralts collected two hits for Central in five at-bats. 

Normal West will travel to Champaign Central for its next game on Friday.
 

Normal Community wasted no time taking control and never looked back, cruising to a dominant 10-0 win over Centennial.

The Ironmen got the offense going early in the third inning, capitalizing on mistakes and timely hitting. Gavin Swartz reached on an error that brought in two runs, and Max Heineman followed with an RBI single to extend the lead. Lucas Beaty kept things rolling with an RBI knock later in the inning as Normal Community built a comfortable cushion.

In the fourth, the Ironmen poured it on. Heineman added another RBI single, while Beckett Weber worked a walk that helped spark a heads-up sequence on the bases, leading to another run crossing the plate. Swartz delivered one of the biggest swings of the day, lining a single to center that brought in two runs and turned into extra bases after an error, pushing the lead even further out of reach.

Normal Community capped the scoring in the fifth when Owen Knox lifted a sacrifice fly to center, plating another run and sealing the run-rule victory.

From start to finish, the Ironmen controlled the game on both sides, using aggressive baserunning, clutch hitting, and capitalizing on Centennial miscues to secure the shutout win.

Top Performers:

• Gavin Swartz: RBI single, reached on error (2 RBIs)
• Max Heineman: 2 RBI singles
• Lucas Beaty: RBI single
• Owen Knox: Sacrifice fly RBI