The Rochelle Little League 9-11 Baseball All-Stars are district champions after defeating Rock Falls in back-to-back games at Floyd J. Tilton Park on Monday and Tuesday to claim the Illinois Little League District 19 Championship. The boys advance to the Sub-State Championship at Wallingford Park in Rock Falls next week.
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ROCHELLE — The Rochelle Little League 9-11 Baseball All-Stars are district champions after defeating Rock Falls in back-to-back games at Floyd J. Tilton Park on Monday and Tuesday to claim the Illinois Little League District 19 Championship. The boys advance to the Sub-State Championship at Wallingford Park in Rock Falls next week.
Game 1
Rochelle dominated Rock Falls in the opener on Monday, winning by a score of 15-0 to take the series lead. Rochelle immediately put the game out of reach, scoring 12 runs in the first inning. Ian Metzger pitched all three innings for Rochelle, striking out six Rock Falls hitters and allowing only one baserunner on a hit-by-pitch.
Rochelle hit four consecutive singles to begin the bottom of the first inning before two players walked and two players reached on errors to keep the rally going. Gavin Neale gave Rochelle an 11-0 lead with a three-run homer in his second at-bat of the frame. Logan Mershon singled and scored on an RBI single from Seth Ramos to make it 12-0.
Caden Goodwin singled and scored on a passed ball in the second inning before Deegan Schabacker’s RBI single plated Dylan Manning in the third inning to put Rochelle up 14-0. Bane Workman ended the game with an RBI single to score Schabacker. Seven Rochelle players scored at least two runs in the victory.
Game 2
Rochelle continued to blast Rock Falls on offense, winning by a score of 24-4 to claim the district championship. Rochelle scored 12 runs in the first inning, with Ian Metzger’s RBI triple and RBI singles from Gavin Neale and Dylan Manning igniting the offense early. Seth Ramos followed with an RBI single of his own, while Neale hit an RBI double in his second at-bat of the frame and Logan Mershon chipped in a two-run single.
Metzger grounded out to score Bane Workman, who doubled in the second inning. Rochelle led 13-0 after two innings before scoring one run in the third inning on Deegan Schabacker’s RBI single. Rochelle sealed the victory with 10 runs in the fourth inning, led by Gavin Neale’s solo home run and RBI singles from Ramos, Schabacker (twice), Neale, Mershon and Brady Jozefowicz.
Mark Green, Mershon and Caden Goodwin combined to strike out the first eight batters of the game. Neale recorded two strikeouts in the fourth inning, running Rochelle’s total up to 10 for the game.
