MT. CARMEL, Ill. -- Wabash Valley scored 12 runs in the second inning and coasted in from there to a 26-3 victory over Shawnee in a Great Rivers Athletic Conference baseball game on Tuesday at Fournier Field.
The 9th-ranked Warriors improved to 24-8 overall and 9-1 in the GRAC with the win. Shawnee fell to 7-17 and 2-8 with the loss.
After scoring seven runs in the first inning, the 12 WVC runs added in the second -- all with two outs -- took the air out of the Saints, trailing 19-2 by then. Warrior manager Aaron Biddle loosened the reigns after that. A total of 17 players hit the batter's box, and five pitchers threw from the rubber, including two making first-time appearances.
A total of 12 batters collected hits, but perhaps the best day at the plate belonged to Isaias Villarreal. He finished 3-for-3 including a double and led the way with four RBIs.
Danny Contreras also had a two-hit day.
On the hill, Charez Butcher made his sixth start of the season, and worked the first two innings, giving two runs while striking out four batters and walking one. He picked up the win, and is now 2-0.
Jackson Soucie was next with two innings, followed by one-inning appearances by Maddox Pennington, Cade Schneider, and Brock Lucas. Soucie and Lucas saw action for the first time this season.
Shawnee is the only GRAC opponent that Wabash Valley does not face in a traditional Thursday-Saturday series. These two will play the doubleheader later, at Shawnee, on Tuesday, Apr. 4.
Next up for Biddle's team is a league series against Lake Land (12-14, 4-3). Thursday's 3 p.m. single game is in Mattoon, with the Saturday doubleheader at WVC, beginning at 12 noon. The latter is the NJCAA Game of the Week. Both games will stream live on ESPN+.