By Drake Skleba

 

Class 2A Super-Sectionals

Sauget (GCS Park)

Thirty-nine down and two to go … No.1 Harrisburg’s (39-0) University of Illinois-bound RHP/SS Reid Roper led off the Class 2A Sauget (GCS Park) Super-Sectional with a home run. Later in the Bulldog first, Roper’s battery mate senior catcher Noah King went deep with a man on and the top-ranked Bulldogs were on their way to a 10-1 thumping of the Greenville Comets and had punched their tickets to the Class 2A Semifinals at Joliet’s Silver Cross Field.

 

Roper (11-0) allowed one run and four hits while fanning 11 Comets in his six-inning performance. Roper walked the first two Comet hitters to open up the bottom of the seventh and Bulldog head coach Jay Thompson brought in junior RHP Keelin Rasch to finish up the game. Rasch proceeded to strike out the next three Comets and the Bulldogs were on their way to a weekend in Joliet.

 

Roper had a perfect 3-for-3 day at the plate and drove in three Bulldog runs. Rasch chipped in with three hits and plated a pair. The Super-Sectional win capped off an amazing run to Joliet for the top-ranked Bulldogs. Since being no-hit through 4 2/3 innings by Massac County’s Tyler Sommor, Harrisburg heated up. After scoring just three off of Sommer and the Patriots in a 3-0 win, the Bulldogs outscored their regional, sectional and super-sectional opponents 45-8, 11.25 runs-runs-per game.

 

On Friday night, at Silver Cross, the Bulldogs will continue their pursuit to be the first undefeated state champion since the legendary head coach Tom Pile led Edwardsville to the 1998 Class AA State Championship with a perfect 40-0 mark.

 

The Bulldogs will face the winner of today’s Rock Island (Augustana College) Super-Sectional between No. 8 Illinois Valley Central (31-5) and Rockford Lutheran (18-10).The semifinal contest is scheduled for a 5 p.m. first pitch.

 

Class 2A Super-Sectionals

Springfield (Lincoln-Land C.C.)

T-Town is back … Teutopolis (29-4) blanked Rochester 5-0 behind Wooden Shoe LHP Derek Thompson to advance to Friday’s Class AA Semifinal in Joliet at Silver Cross Field.

 

Thompson totally dominated Rochester (29-11). Thompson allowed two hits and struck out 13 in his complete-game gem. The Wooden Shoes were once again led offensively by Bo Blieverneicht and Derek Repking. Blieverneicht hammered a two-run blast and Repking doubled home a run for the Shoes. Saturday’s hero EIU-recruit Luke Bushur chipped in with an RBI single.

 

The trip to Joliet marks the seventh trip to state for the Wooden Shoes. The Effingham County school is guaranteed its fourth trophy having finished second in 1999 and third in 2000 under head coach Rob Smith. In 2005, under current Wooden Shoe head coach Justin Fleener, T-Town finished third.

 

Teutopolis will meet the winner of today’s Lisle (Benedictine University) Super-Sectional between Immaculate Conception (29-10) and Herscher (28-10).The Wooden Shoes would like to get another shot at head coach Eric Regez and the Herscher Tigers, who defeated Teutopolis 8-3 in the 1999 Class A title game in Springfield. The game is scheduled for 3 p.m. on Friday.