Baseball

Gavin Braunecker tossed a one-hitter and St. Anthony scored two late runs without a hit, en route to a 3-1 road victory Tuesday over St. Elmo/Brownstown.

Braunecker allowed just one unearned run, while walking two and striking out 11. He went 6.2 innings and left after his pitch count reached 108. Aaron Webb came in to get the final out and record the save.

The Bulldogs took a 1-0 lead in the top of the third. Angelo Mendella walked, Jack Hoene was hit by a pitch and Kaden Fearday delivered a two-out RBI single. SEB tied the score in the bottom of the inning.

It stayed 1-1 until the sixth. Kaden Fearday was hit by a pitch and Davis Tingley walked to start the decisive two-run frame. The tie-breaking run scored on an error and the second tally came across due to a wild pitch.

The Bulldogs improved to 14-6 and have now won eight of their last nine games. They will play at home Thursday against Webber.

The St. Anthony Junior High Bullpups defeated South Central 7-1 Saturday to earn a trip to the IESA Class 1A State Baseball Tournament.

The state tourney will be played Friday and Saturday at the Eastside Centre in East Peoria.

The Bullpups, who are 9-8 on the season, will play Normal Epiphany (13-9) in the opening game at 9:30 a.m. Friday. The winner of that contest will advance to the semifinals and face either Jacksonville Our Savior or Delevan at 9:30 a.m. Saturday.

The third place game is scheduled for 2 p.m. Saturday, with the championship contest to follow at 4 p.m.

Kaden Fearday banged out three hits, leading a 15-hit attack, and helping the St. Anthony Bulldogs to their sixth straight victory, a 12-3 decision Wednesday at Woodlawn.

Jack Hoene, Davis Tingley, Aaron Webb and Logan Antrim also had two hits apiece for the Bulldogs, who trailed 3-1 after three innings.

But St. Anthony then exploded in the fourth, combining seven hits, one walk and an error to score eight times and take control.

Tingley single, Webb doubled and Antrim walked to load the bases. Colton Fearday had an RBI single, another run scored on an error and Angelo Mendella’s fly ball drove in the third run of the inning. Later in the big inning, Hoene had a two-run single, Webb an RBI double and both Kennan Walsh and Kaden Fearday added run-producing hits that put the Bulldogs on topo 9-3.

St. Anthony tacked on three more runs in the sixth.

Webb pitched the first three innings to get the win. He allowed five hits and three runs. He didn’t walk a batter and struck out three. Kaden Fearday pitched three scoreless innings and Seth Hotze took care of the seventh.

The Bulldogs, who improved to 12-5, will play at home Friday against Teutopolis.

St. Anthony banged out 15 hits, scored in every inning but one and rolled to an 18-3 win Monday at Odin.

Kennan Walsh, Kaden Fearday, Davis Tingley and Aaron Webb each had two hits, helping the Bulldogs improve to 13-6 for the fall season.

The Bulldogs opened the scoring with two runs in the first inning. After Jack Hoene walked, Kaden Fearday delivered an RBI triple and then scored on a ground ball by Tingley.

In the third, St. Anthony tallied four times. Runs scored on a wild pitch, an error, a ground out and a steal of home.

The Bulldogs than scored twice in the fourth, once in the fifth, twice more in the sixth and then combined eight hits and a walk to score seven times in the seventh inning.

Kaden Fearday pitched the first five innings to get the win. He allowed two hits and two unearned runs, while walking two and striking out seven.

St. Anthony will play today (Tuesday) at Brownstown/St. Elmo.

The St. Anthony Junior High Bullpups are headed to the sectional tournament.

The Bullpups, the No. 3 seed, defeated top-seeded Sigel St. Michael 4-1 to win the St. Anthony Class 1A Regional. SAJHS beat Sacred Heart 16-1 and Okaw Valley 9-0 to reach the championship game.

The Bullpups, who are 8-6, will play Saturday in the Sigel Sectional. They will face Kinmundy South Central at 10 a.m. at Sigel Park.