CHAMPAIGN — Eureka ended its baseball season on a high note.
The Hornets beat Sterling Newman 9-3 in the Illinois High School Association Class 2A third-place game, recording the highest finish in program history. Eureka’s 35 wins also set a school record for most in a season.
A four-run second inning helped Eureka grab a lasting lead. Four hits highlighted by Isaac Schaefer’s RBI single, a two-run triple from Tanner Wiegan, and a run-scoring sacrifice fly by Cooper Peterson helped the Hornets jump out to a 4-0 lead.
From there, Eureka (35-5) added two more runs in the third and sixth inning to go with a single score in the fourth.
The first seven hitters in Eureka’s lineup combined for all 14 of the hits led by two hits each from Ben Lapp, Teagan McLaughlin, Andrew Zimmerman, Schaefer and Wiegand. Mason Stoller went 3-for-4 to pace the Hornets offense.
Cohen Alstat picked up the pitching victory, throwing four innings with two strikeouts, two walks and scattering four hits.
Garet Wolfe provided Newman (28-9-1) with a 2-for-3 day that included a double and two runs.
This article originally appeared on Journal Star: IHSA baseball state: Eureka beats Sterling Newman to finish third in Class 2A