The North Clay Cardinals are into the Class 1a state baseball championship game after destroying LeRoy at Dozer Park in Peoria yesterday 15-2 in 5-innings.
The Cardinals took control of the game early scoring 5 times in the 2nd inning and 8 more times in the fifth. Collyn Ballard tripled going 2-4 with an RBI and 3 runs scored at the top of the lineup.
Logan Fleener added 2 hits and drove in 3 along with Donnie Zimmerman. Layton Dawkins & Bryton Griffy drove in 2 runs each with RBI also from Ballard, Brady Ingram and Dakota Weidner.
Zimmermann worked all 5 innings on the mound allowing 6 hits and 1 earned run with 8 strikeouts.
They advance to this morning’s state title game against Brown County after they beat Ottawa Marquette 2-1. The 3rd place game starts at 9.
It’s the first ever trip to the state finals for North Clay who is trying to become the 2nd consecutive National Trail Conference team to win the state title after South Central did it last year.
In 2a, Columbia dropped their state semifinal game to Joliet Catholic 4-1, they will play for 3rd place later today at 3pm against Maroa Forsyth after they lost to Richmond Burton 2-1.
It’s Sectional Championship day in 3a/4a. Troy is the site for Mascoutah to take on the hosts Triad at 11 a.m.
In 4a sectional finals at Illinois Wesleyan in Bloomington, Edwardsville takes on Minooka at 11.
