The Taylorville Tornadoes looked dead in the water after only getting two hits in the first six innings, but the bats came alive albeit too little too late, as the Pleasant Plains Cardinals hung on to beat the Taylorville Tornadoes 6-5 in Taylorville on Wednesday evening.

Peyton Demichael looked a little shaky in her start, giving up five hits in a row, but the Cardinals could only score two runs, leading 2-0 at the end of the first. The Cardinals would add two more in the second and one in the third. 

Again, Taylorville only gathered two hits in the first six innings a lone single from Liv Havera in the third and Sophia Rogers in the 6th.  Nobody on either side had an extra base hit until Taylorville did in the seventh.  Speaking of the seventh inning, Taylorville trailed 6-0 going into the seventh with two outs and a runner on first courtesy of a walk when Liv Havera walked, and Peyton Demichael got a base hit.  Center Fielder Kyleigh Heimsness hit a double that scored two runs and it was 6-2.  

Sophia Rogers came up and was hit by a pitch.  Lily Harden, who was celebrating her birthday hit a bases clearing triple and brought Taylorville within one, 6-5.  Hope Kietzman would battle at the plate and eventually walk, but a flyout would end the game from McKynlee Siempelkamp and Pleasant Plains would hang on to win.

Lily Harden was named the Nicole Patrick Country Financial Player of the game for her huge extra base hit in the seventh.  Taylorville hosts Mahomet-Seymour in a doubleheader on Friday at 4 PM. 

Faith Bible Christian Academy (FBCA) claimed its second girls’ basketball state championship in school history on Saturday, March 1, defeating Mississippi Valley Christian School (MVCS) 31-23 in the Illinois Association of Christian Schools (IACS) Girls Basketball State Final in Jacksonville.

Over the past four years, the Lady Falcons have consistently reached the state championship game, securing titles in 2023 and now 2025. “I am so proud of these girls!” said Coach Adam Jeffrey, who balances roles as head coach and father to senior guard Ayanna Jeffrey. “This team worked hard to return to the championship, and in the fourth quarter, they leaned on their experience to clinch the win.”

The Lady Falcons had three players recognized for their standout performances. Senior guard Ayanna Jeffrey and sophomore forward Sophia Vallelonga earned spots on the all-state tournament team, while sophomore guard Sydney Hardt was named the state tournament MVP. Hardt led all scorers in the championship game with 12 points.

In the semifinal on Friday night, FBCA faced a tough Marquette squad. The Falcons built leads several times, only for the Minutemen to close the gap and keep the game tight. The championship final unfolded differently, turning into a gritty defensive struggle where both teams battled to find the basket. The Falcons finally pulled ahead in the closing minutes of the fourth quarter, sealing their second title with clutch free throws and smart clock management.
“We’ll keep working and improving because we want next year’s team to have the same shot at a championship,” Coach Jeffrey said. “Stay tuned!”

Founded in 1979, FBCA is the only private Christian school in Christian County offering traditional teacher in each classroom Pre-K through 12th-grade education. The academy is located in Rosamond.

(submitted photos and story)

The Taylorville Tornadoes trailed first after a shaky inning from RHP Blake Ladage, but it would be all Taylorville after that as the Tornadoes would pick up a 7-2 win on Tuesday afternoon.  The Pawnee Indians only got one hit in the first but a couple walks allowed the visitors to jump out to a 1-0 lead heading to the bottom of the first but the Tornadoes led by Colton Gatton were powerful on offense and thanks to several lead off walks, scattered runs throughout the rest of the game. 

On the mound, Blake Ladage was dominant scattering three hits and striking out 4 out of 6 batters in a row with strikeouts looking.  Ladage would pitch 6 innings before Gatton would come in to shut the door. A wild pitch did allow a run to score in the seventh, but Gatton slammed the door and Taylorville picked up the win.

Ladage was named the Nicole Patrick Country Financial Player of the game for his solid effort both at the plate and on the mound. The Tornadoes improve to 8-4.  They head out on a road trip on April 23rd as they face Unity Christian. 

The Shelbyville Rams brought the bats early and often Tuesday afternoon to soundly beat the Central A&M Raiders 24-1 in four innings.  The away side put up eight runs in the first inning, along with seven each of the following two innings.  Four of those runs in the third inning came from a Rylan Murphy grand slam, while Rhyatt Walker contributed a two-run homer for his side's two fourth-inning runs.  Myles Hammond scored four of his side's runs, going three-for-three and being named Seitz Funeral Homes Player of the Game.

On the mound, Austin Ulmer pitched all four innings.  Along with the one earned run, he conceded one hit and three walks and struck out five batters.  Ulmer's outing featured eight straight outs, a stretch encompassing each inning. 

Shelbyville's win snaps a three-game losing streak.  They continue their roadtrip against Vandalia, while Central A&M will next host Clinton in a Central Illinois Conference game. 

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The Central A&M Raiders used two high-scoring innings to rout Ramsey 17-1 in four innings in a non-conference game on a breezy Friday afternoon.  The home side put up seven runs in the first inning and eight runs in the second, taking advantage of many walks from the Rams' pitching.  Raider bats did their part as well; Sophie Roe had two singles and two RBIs and stole two bases, earning her the honor of Seitz Funeral Homes Player of the Game.  In addition, Brookelyn Jackson hit a single and a double.

In the circle, Callie Robertson threw three perfect innings, recording five strikeouts. 

Central A&M is now at 7-7 and ends their long homestand with a trip to Casey-Westfield in their next game.  Ramsey returns south with a home game against Altamont. 

Lily Harden struck out 8, Grace Rogers had a monster day at the plate, and the Taylorville Tornadoes went on a scoring rampage beating the Generals in six innings 12-1.  The Generals scored first in the top of the first after Casey Jackson got a base hit and would score on an error.  Taylorville would answer back in the bottom of the first with a walk and score on a Kyleigh Heimsness sac fly out to right field. 

The Tornadoes would tack on two more runs and take a 3-1 lead going into the fourth when Grace Rogers hit a two run scoring double eventually scoring on a Lily Harden base hit.  The Tornadoes were solid on defense with 8 K's from Harden and five walks.  Harden got in trouble in the fourth with bases loaded, but Hope Kietzman came in and got Alivia Bray to ground out to short to end the inning. 

The Tornadoes would push across several runs in the 6th inning as storm clouds and rain rolled in before they could walk off 12-1. Havera scored three runs and walked twice, Kyleigh Heimsness walked twice and sacrificed twice, and Grace Rogers went 3-4 with two doubles and a base hit. 

Lily Harden was named the Nicole Patrick Country Financial Player of the Game. Taylorville Tornadoes improve to 1-5 on the season.  

Taylorville opened the game with seven runs and kept the pressure on in a 14-0 route of Argenta-Oreana in a run-rule win on Tuesday in non-conference high school baseball action from Argenta.

Jacob McWard drove in six for the Tornadoes. He was 3-for-4 with a double and a run scored.

Maxx Grieme was 2-for-4 with two RBIs and three runs scored.

Colton Gatton struck out 11 across five innings of one-hit ball for Taylorville.

Bryson Cameron tallied the only hit of the afternoon for the Bombers.

The Tornadoes are 6-0. They have a double-header with Springfield Lanphier on Saturday.

Argenta-Oreana drops to 3-3. They will visit LeRoy on Friday.