Wilkerson goes wild with 3-HR game in sweep of Illinois Valley

GALESBURG — Jace Wilkerson went deep three times in Game 2 and the Carl Sandburg College baseball team pushed its Arrowhead Conference win streak to eight games with a doubleheader sweep Tuesday over Illinois Valley on Paint the Field Red Day at the Hungate Baseball/Softball Complex.

GAME 1
Sandburg 11, Illinois Valley 3
Illinois Valley   110      010      0          —        3          7          2
Sandburg         442      001      x          —        11        14        1
W – Parker Stoneking 7 IP, 1 K, 0 BB

KEY MOMENT
Sandburg led 8-2 after two innings thanks to a pair of four-run frames. Austin Wiegand and Jose Narvaez delivered RBI singles in the first, and Frank Kelch keyed the second inning with a two-run hit to left.

SANDBURG STANDOUT
Parker Stoneking went seven workmanlike innings to get the victory. The sophomore lefty stuck out just one batter but scattered seven hits and didn't issue a walk. He needed just 84 pitches to finish off a complete-game win, throwing 62 pitches for strikes.

OTHER TOP CHARGERS
• Kelch — 3 for 4, double, three runs, three RBIs
• Narvaez — 3 for 4, three RBIs, stolen base
• Derek Castillo — 2 for 5, RBI
• Wiegand — 2 for 5, two runs, stolen base
• Chase Mason — 2 for 4, walk, run
• Noah Wolf — 1 for 2, two walks, run, RBI
• Anthony Nino — Two walks, three runs

GAME 2
Sandburg 19, Illinois Valley 3 (5 innings)
Illinois Valley   021      00        —        3          6          2
Sandburg         52(11) 1x        —        19        13        1
W – Narvaez 5 IP, 3 K, 3 BB

KEY MOMENT
Up 7-3 in the third, the Chargers pounded out 11 runs on nine hits and sent 16 batters to the dish. Wilkerson opened the scoring in the frame with a two-run shot, and he added another homer in the inning — his third of the game — as the second part of back-to-back homers with Kelch.

SANDBURG STANDOUT
Wilkerson ended the contest with seven RBIs while going 3 for 4 with three home runs. He yanked a grand slam to right in the first to cap a five-run opening inning, hit a two-run blast to start the Chargers' 11-run third and added a solo dinger to center in the third. His bid for a four-homer game was denied with a strikeout in the fourth inning. The freshman now has eight home runs on the season. All of them have come since April 13, and he's hit six in the last week.

OTHER TOP CHARGERS
• Castillo — 1 for 2-, two runs, three RBIs
• Payton Hankins — 1 for 3, walk, two runs, two stolen bases
• Wiegand — 1 for 3, walk, three runs
• Mason — 3 for 3, double, three runs, three RBIs
• Nino — 1 for 2, wlak, two runs, RBI
• Kelch — 1 for 3, walk, home run, 2 runs, three RBIs

UP NEXT
2 p.m. Wednesday at Highland 

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