Meridian fought the good fight in their extra-innings contest against Champaign Central on Wednesday but wound up with a less-than-desirable result. They fell just short of the Maroons by a score of 7-5. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest defeat the Hawks have suffered since May 17, 2024.
Ashley Schelling spent all eight innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered five earned (and two unearned) runs on ten hits and racked up seven Ks. She has been consistent for a while: she hasn't given up more than two walks in 12 consecutive appearances.
At the plate, Shelby Renfro made the most of her time at bat despite the final result and went 2-for-5 with one triple, one stolen base, and one run. Kaci Hayes also deserves some recognition as she got her first hit of the season.
This is the second loss in a row for Meridian and nudges their season record down to 18-5. As for Champaign Central, the victory was the ninth in a row for them, bringing their record up to 18-1.
Meridian and Champaign Central should be looking forward to their upcoming games as both have a sizable advantage in the MaxPreps Illinois Rankings. The Hawks (ranked 115th) will meet Shelbyville (ranked 564th) at 4:30 p.m. on Thursday. Meanwhile, Champaign Central will square off against Oakwood at 4:30 p.m. on Thursday with a big rank advantage (48 vs. 284).
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
