By Drake Skleba
Senior Writer

April 7 Games

Central State 8
Springfield 6, Taylorville 0
Senior Clay Shourd (2-0) fired a two-hit shutout with 14 punchouts to lead Springfield (4-4; 3-1) to a huge CS8 victory in Springfield. Shourd has not allowed an earned run in 13 innings this season, with 22 punchouts. Senior Joe Bradshaw led the Senator attack with a single, double and an RBI.

Richards 2, Oak Lawn 1 (8 innings)
Richards (4-2; 1-0) and Oak Lawn were tied 1-1 as the game went to the top of the eighth at Oak Lawn. Senior Sean Chiaramonte led off the inning with a single to center. After one out, sophomore Nick Mejia singled to right. Junior Noel Castro followed with another single to right which scored Chiaramonte with the lead run. Senior RHP AJ Sanchez (1-0) dispatched the Spartans in the bottom of the eighth and the Bulldogs took game one of “The Battle of Oak Lawn. Sanchez went the distance allowing seven hits and fanning 10.

York 5, Oak Park 4
York (2-5; 2-1)  took the rubber-match of its WSC-Silver opening three-game set with the Huskies. After Oak Park (3-5; 1-2) tied the game with a run in the top of the fifth, York answered on a clutch two-out, RBI single from senior Niall O’Brien, plating junior Kyle Coughlin, who reached on a critical Huskie miscue, with the eventual game-winning run.. Senior Anthony Santos added a single and drove home a run for York. Senior right-hander Seth Dvorak allowed one earned run and four hits in his 6.2 inning, game-winning performance on the mound. Senior RHP Ryan Gilmartin nailed down the save in this thriller, retiring the last Huskie batter in the seventh.

Highland 9, Granite City 8
Highland (5-1) won a wild one at GCS Park in Sauget. The Bulldogs plated a pair of runs in the top of the seventh, to open up a 9-6 lead and barely survived the Warrior bottom of the seventh. Highland was led by Joe Duncan, who had two singles, a double, scored a run and drove in two for the Bulldogs.

Action-packed Monday roundup features several upsets, some no-hitters, and reports on: Lane Tech, Taft, Clemente, Whitney Young, Metamora, Limestone, Oak Forest, Lemont, Tinley Park, Richards, Oak Lawn, St. Francis, Montini, Aurora Central Catholic, Downers South, Willowbrook, Morton West, Hinsdale Central, York, Mount Carmel, Marist, JCA, Glenbard North, Marian Catholic, Grant, Barrington, New Trier, Olympia, Nazareth, Highland, Latin, Glenbard South, Maine South, Lincoln-Way East, McHenry, Providence, Moline, St. Viator, Huntley, Stagg, Joliet West and more ...