(Photos: Freeburg High School)
The Freeburg Midgets are headed back to the IHSA Class 2A State Finals after a dominant 13-0 victory over Pinckneyville in the Super-Sectional Monday night at Southern Illinois University in Carbondale.
Freeburg wasted little time taking control. Beau Breyman tripled home Ryan Garland in the first inning and later scored as the Midgets built a 2-0 lead. The offense exploded in the third inning, scoring five runs to extend the advantage to 7-0. Breyman and Cole Miller sparked the rally, with Miller driving in two runs during the frame.
The Midgets continued to add on throughout the game. Dane Johnson doubled home a run in the fourth, Trey Tampow delivered an RBI double in the fifth, and Freeburg capped the scoring with three runs in the sixth inning, highlighted by Jonathan Barlow’s RBI single and a two-run double from Cohen Merrill.
Breyman crossed the plate three times and scored or drove in four runs, while Miller collected multiple RBIs as Freeburg finished with 13 runs on the night.
With the victory, Freeburg advances to the Class 2A State Final Four at the University of Illinois in Champaign. The Midgets will play Friday at 4 p.m. against the winner of Tuesday’s Super-Sectional between Harvest Westminster Christian Academy and Hope Academy at Northwestern Medicine Field in Geneva.
The other two Class 2A Super-Sectionals will be played Tuesday as Ottawa Marquette faces Brimfield at Schweickert Stadium in Peru, while Williamsville takes on St. Joseph-Ogden in Springfield.
Freeburg is seeking the third state baseball championship in program history. The Midgets captured state titles in 1988-89 and 2020-21, finished second in 2001-02, and placed third in 2013-14.
