Posted Saturday, May 6, 2006, The OG, sports

One out left.

Starting pitcher Al Renner was nursing a 3-2 lead in the top of the seventh inning. Only one more out, and the host Illineks would defeat the St. Joseph-Ogden JV. Sure, it was Uni's varsity against the visitor's JV, but few Class A schools in central Illinois have the athletic pedigree of SJO. A win would boost Uni's confidence going into the playoffs, just a little more than a week away.

But then the comeback began. A ball got past the senior Renner, and three runs later SJO went into the bottom of the seventh ahead 5-3. The Illineks managed one more run, but it wasn't enough as they fell 5-4 today at their home field in Rantoul.

“Al pitched a great game,” said assistant coach Jeff Ryan. “We led most of the way. It was a well-played game.”

Sophomore Mike Renner led the offense with two hits. Most of the starting lineup reached base, including second baseman Katie Carmody, who, on the eve of her appearance in Sunday's Chicago Tribune as a member of the paper's elite All-State Academic Team, contributed a single and a walk.

With the loss, Uni's record stands at 4-10 overall (varsity and JV foes combined) and 1-4 against JV opponents. The team's next game will be 4:30 p.m. Thursday on the road against Salt Fork (a co-op involving Jamaica and Catlin high schools).

Check the Illineks' home page for a complete schedule of 2006 games.

In the Class A playoffs, Uni will compete in the 24-team Tolono (Unity) sectional. The Illineks are seeded 24th.

Uni will begin postseason action on May 16 in the Farmer City (Blue Ridge) regional. The team will visit 11th-seeded Fisher in a first-round game. Fisher defeated Uni 7-0 on April 8.

— Gargoyle staff

2006 RECORD
4-10 overall (varsity & JV foes combined), 3-6 varsity, 1-4 JV, 3-2 East Central Illinois Conference

• March 28 — at Urbana JV: L 10-5
• March 30 — at St. Thomas More: L 20-3
• April 1 — East Central: L 9-2
• April 5 — at Champaign Central JV: L 12-5
• April 8 — at Fisher: L 7-0
• April 11 — Judah Christian (ECIC): L 7-5
• April 13 — at Decatur Christian (ECIC): W 14-0
• April 17 — at Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley JV: L 6-3
• April 20 — East Central: L 17-8
• April 22 — at Paxton-Buckley-Loda JV: W 15-14
• April 27 — at Judah Christian (ECIC): L 5-2
• April 28 — at Buckley Christ Lutheran (ECIC): W 8-4
• May 2 — Decatur Christian (ECIC): W 15-5
• May 6 — St. Joseph-Ogden JV: L 5-4