CHAMPS! Chargers Take Outright Arrowhead Conference Title With Sweep of Kishwaukee

GALESBURG — Needing a victory to win at least a share of the Arrowhead Conference title and a sweep to claim it outright, the Carl Sandburg College baseball team took care of business Wednesday against Kishwaukee at the Hungate Baseball/Softball Complex, beating the Kougars twice for their first conference championship since 2019.

Sandburg (24-18 overall, 17-3 Arrowhead) won the Arrowhead title by a game over Black Hawk. It's the Chargers' second conference championship in four seasons under head coach Josh Foreman and the eighth in program history (1974, 1982, 1987, 1989, 2008, 2018, 2019, 2022).

That outright conference championship feeling! ��⚾️�� pic.twitter.com/ARUdk5C0IX

— Sandburg Chargers (@SandburgNJCAA) May 5, 2022

GAME 1
Sandburg 9, Kishwaukee 3
Sandburg         000      027      0          —        9          10        2
Kishwaukee     001      000      2          —        3          8          0
W: Avery Leffler 6 IP, 4 K, 0 BB

KEY MOMENTS
• Playing as the visiting team because the doubleheader was originally scheduled to be at Kishwaukee, the Chargers went ahead in the top of the fifth on a two-run home run to left by Logan Korte (Metropolis, Ill./Massac County).
• Sandburg pulled away in the sixth, scoring seven runs to open up a 9-1 lead. The Chargers got a sacrifice fly from Jack Shields (Peoria Heights, Ill./Notre Dame), RBI double from Logan Van Heuklon (Dunlap, Ill./Dunlap) and RBI triple from Korte before Ashton Johnson (Brimfield, Ill./Brimfield) walloped a three-run homer.
• Center fielder Mitch Ball (East Peoria, Ill./East Peoria), who was named the NJCAA Division II Player of the Week earlier in the day, secured a flyout for the final out in the seventh to give the Chargers the conference championship.

CONFERENCE �� CHAMPION �� CHARGERS��!!! Sandburg beats Kishwaukee 9-3 in Game 1 to claim its 8th Arrowhead Conference title! Chargers will go for a sweep and an outright championship in Game2! ��⚾️☝️ pic.twitter.com/WgKUWFKRJl

— Sandburg Chargers (@SandburgNJCAA) May 4, 2022

SANDBURG STANDOUT
Freshman starter Avery Leffler (Alexis, Ill./United) turned in a season-high six innings, allowing only an unearned run in the third. Leffler gave up six hits, fanned four and did not issue a walk in earning the victory to go to 2-0 on the season. Of his 82 pitches, 50 were strikes.

OTHER TOP CHARGERS
• Korte — 2 for 3, triple, home run, two runs, three RBIs
• Cam Scott (Mapleton, Ill./Illini Bluffs) — 2 for 4
• Van Heuklon — 1 for 3, double, two runs, two RBIs

GAME 2
Sandburg 13, Kishwaukee 0 (5 innings)
Sandburg         306      04        —        13        16        0
Kishwaukee     000      00        —        0          4          0
W: Jason Hise 4 IP, 2 K, 0 BB

KEY MOMENT
Already up 3-0 in the top of the third, Sandburg struck for six runs. A Jack Barham (Dunlap, Ill./Dunlap) single brought home Van Heuklon, and Ball drove in Korte with a two-out base hit to left. A Chase Mason (Washington, Ill./Washington) walk loaded the bases for Caileb Johnson (Brimfield, Ill./Brimfield), who smacked a grand slam to left for a 9-0 Chargers advantage.

SANDBURG STANDOUT
Fresh off his Player of the Week award, Ball was 3 for 3 with a walk, two runs scored, four RBIs and a steal. He hit a two-run homer in the fifth for his team-leading 12^th dinger of the season.

OTHER TOP CHARGERS
• C. Johnson — 1 for 1, two walks, hit-by-pitch, three runs, grand slam, four RBIs
• A. Johnson — 2 for 4, double, two runs, stolen base
• Shields — 2 for 4, run, RBI
• Van Heuklon — 3 for 4, run, two RBIs
• Korte — 2 for 4, run
• Jason Hise (Knoxville, Ill./Knoxville) — 4 innings, 0 runs, 4 hits, 2 strikeouts, 0 walks

UP NEXT FOR SANDBURG
1 p.m. Friday at DuPage 

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