Carthage Junior League team playing for state berth; All-Star team features players from Carthage, LaHarpe, Dallas City

The Carthage Junior League baseball team won the District 17 Tournament at Mount Sterling to advance to the Taylorville Sectional. Pictured above are, from left, front row: Tarik Cole, Nick Driskell, Tanner Anderson, Ser Whitaker, Jay Williams, Brody Gronewold, and John Martin; back row: Tate Leake (hidden), Kale Carlisle, Nick Pullins (hidden), Evan McGaughey, and Jack Bastert. Not pictured: Tommy Dever, Octavius Whitaker, and Connor Beals.

The Carthage Junior League All-Star baseball team (19-0) played last night for a chance to win the Taylorville Sectional and advance to the Junior League State Tournamnet.

Carthage played Salem at 6 p.m. last night (Tuesday) at the Taylorville Sectional. Carthage is the only team at the sectional still in the winner's bracket without a loss in the double-elimination tournament. A win last night put them in the state tournament at Burbank. A loss means they have to play Salem again today (Wednesday) to determine who advances to state.

Carthage plays at 11 a.m on Saturday if they advance. They would receive a bye for Friday, the first day of the state tournament. Only five teams play at the state tournament.

The team is composed of 13 and 14 year olds from Carthage, Dallas City and LaHarpe. The team was allowed to expand its borders because of the new Illini West High School.

No all-star team from Carthage has ever won a sectional.

Carthage defeated Salem 10-9 at the Taylorville Sectional to put themselves in the winner's bracket. Carthage led 10-6 entering the bottom of the seventh inning. Salem had the tying run on third base, but Brody Gronewold pitched out of the jam by inducing a ground out to third baseman Kale Carlisle for the final out.

Ser Whitaker was 4-for-5 with a triple, double and two singles. Evan McGaughey was 4-for-4 with three doubles and a single.

Tanner Anderson's hit scored McGaughey in the top of the seventh inning to make it a 10-6 game, which turned out to be the game-winning hit. Tate Leake scored Carthage's ninth run on a sacrifice fly by Whitaker earlier in the inning.

Carthage advanced to the Taylorville Sectional after they won the District Tournament at Mount Sterling with a 1-0 win over Calhoun County. Whitaker allowed two hits, struck out 17, and walked one batter. Whitaker recorded 17 outs, all by strikeout, in his 5 2/3 innings.

Carthage scored its only run when McGaughey reached on an error. Jack Bastert advanced him to second, and Nick Pullins bunted him to third. Leake had a sacrifice fly to center field to score McGaughey from third.

Carthage defeated Brown County 3-0 in a match up of the final two teams in the winner's bracket. Anderson threw six scoreless innings in relief. He allowed two hits, struck out seven, and walked one. He threw 59 pitches in six innings.

Anderson had a bases-loaded hit to score Gronewold for the winning run.

Carthage defeated Calhoun County 6-2 earlier in District play. Bastert threw three innings of scoreless ball. Carthage led 1-0 after Bastert scored in the third inning. Anderson had a three-run home run, scoring Nick Driskell and Leake in the fifth inning, to make it 4-0. McGaughey added a solo home run in the sixth.

Calhoun County scored both runs in the seventh inning before McGaughey induced the final out.

The team is coached by Andy Gronewold, Jamie Williams, and Mike Carlisle.