***Dillon Price is a participant of The Kewanee Voice Student Journalism Program, funded by the Harry Anderson Memorial Trust.
Kewanee High School’s varsity baseball team traveled to Princeton and was victorious by a score of 19-3.
Senior Colson Welgat started the game off with a two-run homer in the top of the first inning. Welgat then took the mound and threw two and two-thirds innings, allowing zero earned runs and one hit with five strikeouts.
The Boilers carried the momentum from the first and put up 14 runs in the second inning to put the game out of reach.
Junior Logan Peed came in as relief for Welgat and threw two and a third allowing zero earned runs and two hits. Six Boilers had a multi-hit game, and five had multiple RBIs, while everyone in the lineup scored a run. Welgat led the offense overall with three hits and four RBIs.
The team was back in action Thursday, hosting Princeton, and the Boilers lost 6-4.
Senior Landon Sheets started pitching for the Boilers, allowing four runs on three hits through two innings of work while striking out two and walking six. Welgat came in as relief and threw four innings, while allowing one earned run on two hits and one walk with five strikeouts.
Sheets led the Kewanee offense, going two for three on the day with a double. Peed came in to close the game and went three up three down through the Tigers.
Unfortunately, in the bottom of the seventh, timely hitting continued not to be on the Boilers’ side as the game ended with the tying run on second base and the Boilers left six runners in scoring position in the last three innings.
Kewanee’s varsity team ended the week by hosting Mercer County on Friday, and the Boilers won 5-4.
Senior Lincoln Mason took the bump and threw six innings, allowing only two hits and six walks while striking out six. Mason conceded three runs on the board, but none were earned runs.
Peed again came in to close out the game and did just that, allowing two hits but ultimately getting out of the inning after only facing four batters. Seniors Brady Schiltz and Brayden Conley worked together to lead the Boiler offense. Schiltz went two for two with a double, a walk, a hit by pitch, an RBI, and scored a run. Conley went two for four with two RBIs.
The JV team hosted the Tigers and won 15-8 for their second win of the season.
Freshman Reid Nichols started on the mound, throwing three and a third innings, allowing seven earned runs in the top of the fourth while striking out three on the day.
Sophomore Isaiah Ince came in as relief and threw three and two-thirds innings, allowing four hits and zero earned runs while striking out three.
The Boiler offense was led by sophomore Jackson Price, who went five for five on the day with a double and three RBIs, with four runs scored himself, and sophomore Damien Taylor, who went four for four with three RBIs and a run scored. The team as a whole stole 23 bags on the night.
Wednesday, the JV team traveled to Fulton and lost in the bottom of the eighth inning 7-8. Freshman Ace LaFollette started on the bump of Kewanee, he threw four and a third innings, allowing three runs on three hits with eight walks and four strikeouts.
Freshman Jaxon DeReu took the mound in relief and threw three and a third innings, allowing five runs with only three earned runs on five hits and three walks with two strikeouts.
The team capitalized on free bases and stole 17 bases, while the team only had three RBIs.
Ince and LaFollette led the offense. Ince went one for three with a walk and reached on an error to score three runs, while Lafollette went one for three with a walk and two RBIs.
The team ended the week with yet another one-run defeat, losing to Mercer County 6-5.
Monday, May, 5: Varsity at Newman | JV hosting Newman
Tuesday, May, 6: Varsity at Geneseo | JV hosting Geneseo
Thursday, May, 8: Varsity hosting Newman | JV at Newman
Friday, May, 9: Varsity at Sherrard
