When the opposing pitching keeps runners off the bases, scoring becomes a struggle. The Bradley-Bourbonnais Community High School baseball team dealt with getting only one batter to base after the fourth inning on their way to a 4-1 loss to Normal Community West at the Normal Community Class AA regional championship Monday, May 31.

The Boilers earned an early lead in the second inning, scoring their lone run when Matt Savoie scored on a Geoff Page sacrifice fly. The 1-0 lead lasted one inning as Normal collected two runs in the bottom of the third and two more in the fourth. Normal benefited from two hit batsmen and an error in the third for the 2-1 lead.

A two-out rally hounded BBCHS in the fourth as Normal collected three singles and found the key hits against Brett Dersien. Normal's Drew Stephens kept BBCHS from the base pads allowing two hits, both to Phil Colling. The Boilers reached the title game after a 15-5 beating of Pontiac Saturday, May 29. Jarod Brubach started a seven-run third inning after Pontiac tallied a run in the second.

Dave Mulligan singled and Zach Curwick reached base on an overthrow to first. A double by Matt Krause scored two as Page followed with a home run for two more scores. Scoring five runs in the fourth, BBCHS offset Pontiac's two runs in the top of the fourth. Krause's double added more offense as did Colling who batted in a run. Seniors Dersien, Savoie, Matt Davis, Caleb Fightmaster, Joel Frank, Justin Goudreau and Matt Mulligan leave the program after a 17-15 season.

Millikin University's Big Blue baseball team received big benefits from Bishop McNamara High School graduate Todd Barber. A senior, Barber was the program's only first team selection to the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin All Conference team. The designated hitter started 23 of 25 games and hit .326 with a team-best 10 doubles, second on the team with 20 runs batted in and a new team record for doubles in a game at four. The Big Blue's season ended with a 22-18 record and in fifth place in the CCIW standings. Only the top four teams make the conference tournament, and the Millikin squad made a run in their final weekend.

Needing a sweep of Wheaton and some help from North Park, Millikin took their three games against the Thunder 5-3 in 11 innings, 6-3 in 12 innings and 15-2, but North Park didn't help. North Central swept North Park ending Millikin's hopes of at least one of those games going the other way pushing the Big Blue into fourth place.

Knox College in Galesburg benefited from the play of two area graduates this past season. Bishop McNamara High School graduates Melissa Hoffman and Neil Magruder each completed their spring sport with great success.

Hoffman, a sophomore, finished her season with the Prairie Fire softball team and was honored with academic all conference honors as an economics major. The team's starting catcher proved a solid offensive force batting .310 with 31 hits and led the team with runs batted in.

Magruder, a sophomore, completed the season with the baseball program by leading the team in stolen bases to receive his varsity letter. Stealing 13 of 16 bases, Magruder batted .283 with 30 hits as the starting shortstop with 42 putouts and 87 assists. He was voted most valuable defensive player by his teammates.