ARCOLA — Salt Fork’s run through the Class 1A Arcola Sectional was a microcosm of the Storm’s entire month of May.
It was either one extreme or another the last month. Blowouts or nail biters. So after securing another of the former in Thursday’s 10-0 sectional semifinal win against Argenta-Oreana, it shouldn’t have been a surprise that Saturday’s game against Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley came down to the wire.
Salt Fork took a late lead with four runs in the top of the sixth inning and needed them all to fend off a GCMS comeback attempt for an 8-7 victory. It was the Storm’s seventh win by two or fewer runs in May, securing the program’s first sectional title since 2019 and a 6 p.m. Monday showdown with Lexington in the Bloomington Super-Sectional at Illinois Wesleyan.
“As we’ve progressed this season, especially from the month of May on, we just keep finding ways to win close games,” Salt Fork coach Joe Hageman said. “That’s a credit to the kids. (Saturday), we’d been there before, and maybe that allowed them to play with more confidence as that game got closer.
“It took a long time for us to get to this point, but I feel like our kids are really battling and playing for each other right now. I think that’s been the biggest difference in close games.”
The four-run top of the sixth inning was Saturday’s way to win for Salt Fork (23-7). Jameson Remole’s RBI double off the fence got the scoring started. Pedro Rangel IV followed with a sacrifice fly. Then back-to-back run-scoring singles from Pedro Rangel V and Brayden Norton capped off the rally.
“Getting that four runs and breaking the tie was huge,” Hageman said. “It also allowed us a little bit of wiggle room as they started to climb back into it in the bottom of the sixth and bottom of the seventh. … (The GCMS) kids were really poised, and you could tell they’d been in that situation and been successful before. They put a lot of pressure on us to win that game.”
The Falcons (17-12) scored twice in the bottom of the sixth inning, chasing Pedro Rangel IV. The Salt Fork starter gave up five runs — four earned — on five hits and six walks while striking out 10 in 5 1/3 innings. GCMS added another run in the bottom of the seventh before Pedro Rangel V could finish off his 1 2/3 innings in relief for the save.
“All year long, when they’ve had to, they’ve had an ability to bare down and get big out when they needed it,” Hageman said of his two pitchers. “This time of year, every team is here for a reason. They’re good. You expect good at bats from everybody. I think that’s what you got. That pushed (Pedro Rangel IV’s) pitch count up, and we had to bring in (Pedro Rangel V). For a freshman, to come into a game like that in that situation, I thought he did a heck of a job.”
Graydon Leonard, Conner Kinzinger and Parker Baillie all drove in two runs apiece for GCMS in Saturday’s sectional championship game. Brayden Elliott took the loss after allowing eight runs — all unearned — on seven hits and three walks in 5 2/3 innings.
Pedro Rangel V and Zayden Bromley paced Salt Fork at the plate. Pedro Rangel V was 2 of 4 with two runs scored and two RBI, and Bromley went 1 of 2 with two RBI in the win.
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