The Paxton Swedes end the regular season with a sweep of the Arcola Riders
By DANIEL L. CHAMNESS
Chronicle correspondent
PAXTON — If you’re the Paxton Swedes, it wasn’t a perfect season.
But heading into the Eastern Illinois League playoffs, you have to feel pretty good about a number of things.
Number one, the top team in the league, Buckley Dutchmasters, is an impressive 17-1. The lone blemish on their record was put there by the Swedes. Second, you just won two games convincingly before the tournament, crushing the Arcola Riders. Third, you’re on a three-game winning streak as you prepare to play the Royal Giants, the No. 2 team in the league. Finally, the winner of the batting title in the league is a blue-gold-clad Paxton Swede.
Paxton enters the tournament with a 7-11 mark and the No. 3 seed.
In the second game of the doubleheader with the Riders, played at Memorial Field in Paxton, the Swedes won a 19-4 decision. They would have 13 hits with five of them coming off the bat of Noah Darr, who won the league batting title.
Darr was a perfect 5-for-5 at the plate, hitting a pair of doubles and a homer. He drove home six runs in the contest and crossed the plate five times himself.
“It was great to get pitches to hit in both games,” Darr, who leads the league with a .540 batting average. “I was lucky to do some damage in the second game. I was happy we could win both games so convincingly. The win over Buckley lets us know we can play with anyone in this league.”
Nick Gregory also had several hits, finishing 3-for-5 with a double. He scored three runs in the game. Curtis Norman, Mark Prina, William Van Duyne, Max Wyninger and Jacob Gronsky each had a hit.
Zach Carr got the win in the second game, pitching two innings. When he left the mound, the score was 16-1 in favor of the Swedes. Carr, who allowed one earned run on three hits, fanned three and walked just one. Carr improved to 2-3 on the year. Carr also has a save.
“I didn’t have my best stuff today, but I felt pretty good,” Carr said. “I only threw a couple of innings and I want to rest up for next weekend. We want to be at full strength and make a good run for the tournament championship.”
Brett Giese worked the final three innings, allowing three earned runs on two hits. He fanned five and walked four.
Nick Warren went the distance for Paxton in the first game, which was a 16-0 victory for the Swedes. Warren allowed just one hit in his five innings on the mound. He struck out four batters and walked three. With the win, Warren improved to 2-1 on the year.
Warren had plenty of offensive support, as Gregory was 3-for-5 with a pair of doubles. He scored twice and drove home a run.
Van Duyne, Norman and Alex Barney each had a pair of hits. Van Duyne was 2-for-2 with a double and a walk. He drove home three and scored once. Norman finished 2-for-3 with a walk. Norman crossed the plate three times and drove home one. Barney was 2-for-4 with four RBIs and a run scored.