The North Clay Cardinals are headed back to the IHSA Class 1A State Baseball Finals.
Behind another outstanding pitching performance and timely offense, North Clay rolled past Goreville 8-0 Monday night in the Super-Sectional at Southern Illinois University in Carbondale, sending the Cardinals to the state semifinals for just the second time in school history.
Head Coach John Frech’s squad has put together a remarkable season, improving to 35-4 while continuing its march toward another state championship. North Clay captured the program’s first state title during the 2021-22 season, and now the Cardinals are just two wins away from bringing another trophy back to Clay County.
Interestingly, the last time North Clay reached the state finals in 2022, Freeburg went on to win the IHSA Class 2A State Championship. Four years later, both programs are once again headed to Champaign with hopes of repeating that championship success.
The Cardinals wasted little time taking control against Goreville. In the opening inning, Cayden Craig tripled to center field to drive in a run, and Ian Jones followed with an RBI single as North Clay grabbed a quick 2-0 advantage.
That was more than enough support for the Cardinals’ pitching staff.
Jack Compton turned in a dominant performance on the mound, allowing just one hit over five scoreless innings while striking out five. Ian Jones closed the door with two shutout innings of relief, striking out two and allowing no hits as the duo combined for the shutout.
North Clay’s offense continued to add insurance throughout the game. Trenton Ingram led the Cardinals with three RBIs, while Cody Zimdars paced the attack with two hits. The Cardinals also showed patience at the plate, drawing six walks and taking advantage of scoring opportunities throughout the evening.
Just as impressive was North Clay’s defense. The Cardinals played error-free baseball and turned a double play behind their pitching staff. Ingram was a force behind the plate and in the field, handling a game-high eight defensive chances.
With the victory, North Clay advances to the Class 1A State Semifinals on Friday at Illinois Field on the campus of the University of Illinois in Champaign. The Cardinals will face the winner of Tuesday’s Super-Sectional matchup between Galena and Putnam County at Northern Illinois University in DeKalb.
The other side of the Class 1A bracket features Armstrong taking on Tremont at Illinois Wesleyan University, while Routt faces Nokomis in Springfield.
Now, with a 35-4 record and momentum on their side, the Cardinals are two victories away from adding a second state championship to the trophy case and completing another memorable postseason run.
