Columbia’s bid for a state baseball championship fell one game short as they lost to Joliet Catholic Academy in the 2a title game at Dozer Park in Peoria 4-2. The Eagles fell behind 3-0 after an inning and only managed 2 hits and finished the season at 34-5. It’s the 2nd straight runner-up for Columbia at State while Joliet finishes at 26-8-1. Quincy Notre Dame won the 3rd place game beating DePaul College Prep 7-2.
In 1a, Waterloo Gibault won the state title beating Henry Senachwhine 8-0. Per the IHSA, Gibault becomes the 2nd school in IHSA history starting in 1907 to win a baseball and basketball state title in the same school year. Pleasant Plains did in in the 99-00 season. Newman Central Catholic took 3rd over Goreville 6-2.
The 3a Super Sectionals are today. The Effingham Hearts will play at Millikin University at 6pm tonight against Champaign Central after knocking off Mount Vernon to win the Centralia Sectional on Saturday 6-3. Also in 3a Elite 8 action, Lindblom and Nazareth Academy play at Crestwood, Sycamore and Rock Island play at Geneseo and Grayslake Central and Oak Park Fenwick play at Schaumburg.
In 4a Supers today the Edwardsville Tigers will play at Illinois Wesleyan against Oswego East after winning the Bloomington Sectional over the weekend 3-2 over Minooka. Also today, Brother Rice and Lincoln-Way East play at Crestwood, Hononegah and York at Kane County Cougars and at Schaumburg it’s New Trier and Stevenson.
(Photos by Columbia Eagles High School)
