With the Illinois High School Association Class 1A Regionals scheduled to start in a little over two weeks from now, the West Prairie/Southeastern baseball team is gearing up for the postseason with a schedule that includes five games this week.
So far, the week has gone well for WP/SE as the Cyclones have picked up three victories including a huge win at Quincy Notre Dame.
On Monday, the Cyclones traveled to Peoria Heights for a Prairieland Conference encounter against the Patriots and WP/SE erupted for 10 runs in the fourth inning, propelling the Cyclones to a 16-2 five-inning victory.
The win improved their conference record to 2-4, while Peoria Heights dropped to 3-13 and 0-3 in the conference.
Peoria Heights jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first against WP/SE freshman starter Hudson Riebling.
The Cyclones would get on the scoreboard with two runs in the third to take a 2-1 lead.
WP/SE put together the big fourth inning rally by capitalizing on several key hits around some wildness by Patriots’ starter Jaxson White who walked eight in four innings of work.
The Cyclones batted around and scored eight runs after two were out to extend their lead to 12-1.
The Patriots got one run back in the bottom of the fourth, but the Cyclones pushed across four more runs in the fifth to secure the win.
WP/SE pounded out 12 hits and were led by Eli DeCounter who went 3-for-3 with a pair of doubles and a walk along with three RBIs. He also scored three runs.
Riebling, Braden Coplan and Austin Nelson each drove in two runs for the Cyclones’ offense which included eight stolen bases.
Riebling earned the victory by going four innings and allowing two runs (one earned) on only two hits while striking out eight and walking three.
Holden Coplan came on in relief in the fifth to shut down the hosts in order with two strikeouts.
On Tuesday, WP/SE played host to Beardstown in a non-conference contest in Augusta where the Cyclones recorded a 4-1 win over the Tigers.
For the second straight game, WP/SE fell behind in the first inning after Parker Bell drove in Colby Desollar to give the Tigers a 1-0 lead.
WP/SE responded in the bottom of the first when Case Marlow singled to center to drive in Matt Whitman who reached on a fielder’s choice.
Marlow advanced to second on an error before Nelson and Ivan Beck hit back-to-back singles to load the bases.
DeCounter gave the Cyclones the lead with a single to center to drive in two runs and make it 3-1.
WP/SE would add another run in the sixth for a 4-1 lead and hold on for the win as Beardstown fell to 6-10.
Nelson went 2-for-3 with two runs scored while DeCounter drove in two runs to lead WP/SE.
Holden Coplan got the win for the Cyclones after going five innings and giving up only one run on five hits while striking out nine and walking four.
Trey Riddell took the loss for the Tigers after going six innings and allowing four runs on seven hits and striking out seven.
WP/SE head coach Grant Bland was pleased with his freshman starter’s mound effort, which also included two strikeouts the day before at Peoria Heights.
“Holden has been really solid for us all year on the mound,” said Bland. “I’m very proud of his progress throughout the season. Eli and Austin are both heating up, too at the right time.”
Wednesday saw WP/SE hit the road again to face Quincy Notre Dame in another non-conference affair and the Cyclones picked up their biggest victory so far this season with a come-from-behind 10-8 win over the Raiders.
WP/SE led 1-0 after one inning before the Raiders scored four runs off of Cyclones’ starter Case Marlow in the bottom of the second to take a 4-1 lead.
The Cyclones cut the deficit to 4-3 in the top of the third, but QND pushed across a single run in the bottom of third and three more in the fourth to go up 8-3.
QND starter Brodie Howe was replaced by reliever Kolton Maguire to start the fifth and WP/SE erupted in the sixth, thanks in part to seven walks by Maguire.
The inning started when Austin Nelson singled and Eli DeCounter walked before Maguire uncorked a wild pitch to put runners on second and third.
Kash Lantz drove in Nelson on a ground out to make it 8-4, but Maguire would walk the next five batters he faced to allow the Cyclones to get within 8-7.
Marlow drove in Mason Whitman on an infield ground out to tie the game at 8-8 before Nelson came through with a two-out double to drive in Braden Coplan and Matt Whitman to give WP/SE a 10-8 lead.
“Austin led off the inning with an opposite field single and then finished the inning off with a two-run double,” said Bland. “He made the difference for us on offense tonight.”
DeCounter came on in relief of Marlow in the seventh and got the save by allowing only one hit as the Cyclones improved to 8-9-1 overall while QND fell to 10-12 with the loss.
Marlow was the winning pitcher after going six innings and giving up eight runs (six earned) on nine hits. The junior also recorded six strikeouts and three walks.
“Case Marlow settled in on the mound and got back to his old self,” said Bland. “And then Eli DeCounter has done what he’s done all year and shut the door for us.”
Nelson paced the WP/SE attack by going 3-for-3 with a walk and four runs batted in along with a run scored. Mason Whitman finished 2-for-3 with two walks and two runs scored and a run batted in.
WP/SE was scheduled to take its three-game winning streak to Bushnell-Prairie City on Thursday afternoon to face the Spartans before heading to Carthage on Friday to face Illini West in a pair of Prairieland Conference contests.
