The Central A&M baseball season lives on after a 6-5 extra-inning win at home to Villa Grove on Memorial Day. Errors stole the show at both ends of the Class 1A regional quarterfinal.
The Raiders led 3-2 after the first inning, as both teams took advantage of fielding errors to bring runners across the plate. Neither side scored thereafter through the top of the fifth, and the away side did not conjure up a hit in that time. Villa Grove's fielders made some amends with skillful catches. In the second inning with one out, Max Wilson ran quickly to catch a deep fly-ball over his shoulder in right field to dismiss Marshall Minott. With the Raiders' two runners expecting the ball to drop, they had progressed down the basepaths too much to return in time as Logan Kelly saw himself thrown out at second.
A&M stretched the lead in the fifth inning when Rhett McLain singled home Parker Elliott, who himself reached on an error. Kadyn Higgins's sac fly on the next plate appearance scored Marshall Minott. The increased lead proved enough to see Zane Hosler's start on the mound for the Blue Devils conclude after that inning.
Villa Grove responded equally, though, forcing two runners to cross on a two-RBI single by Tucker McGarigle in the sixth inning. The hit came on Minott's first batter faced in relief, with the starter McLain withdrawn after conceding two walks.
In the seventh, Thomas Vandeventer's RBI single brought home Max Wilson. Later at second and with two outs, a balk sent Wilson a base closer to giving his side the lead. In that plate appearance, the fourth ball to Jesse Gire escaped his eponymous catcher counterpart Jamesly Jesse. Wilson began to break for home but retreated when the Raiders' catcher quickly fielded the ball off the backstop. His sharp and in-line throw to Parker Elliott beat the runner's slide to third to end the half-inning. Central A&M went three-up-three-down in the bottom half as the game advanced into extra innings.
Villa Grove had runners at first and second with two outs in the extra inning when Jackson Gire grounded out to first. With one out to the Raiders in the bottom half, Kadyn Higgins drew a walk. After Eli Ferguson struck out, Chaz Braundmeier came to the plate. Higgins took off for a steal of second, and the catcher's throw went astray. Higgins then got up and ran towards third. Blue Devils' center fielder Will Schweighart scooped the ball and hurled it towards third base in an attempt to put out Higgins. That throw missed its intended fielder, as well, and hopped into the dugout. The umpires ruled the ball had gone out of bounds, meaning the runner would be entitled to cross home for the winning run.
Marshall Minott was named the Seitz Funeral Homes Player of the Game. On the mound, he took the win and gave up one earned run on four hits and two walks and struck out two hitters. He hit a single and a double out of four at-bats, scored after each of the hits, and stole a base. Villa Grove's pitchers combined for eleven strikeouts, with Minott and Higgins the only Raider batters not to experience that outcome.
With the win, Central A&M moves on to the regional semifinals. They will travel to Neoga to face Arthur-Lovington/Atwood-Hammond. First pitch is scheduled for 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday. Villa Grove's season ends with their record at 8-12.
