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Champaign Central defeated Monticello 7-0 in a key baseball matchup, with Tre Cole striking out 11 batters and contributing offensively. The win boosts Central's momentum ahead of the postseason.
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May 15—CHAMPAIGN — You couldn't have asked for a better day. No wind, 70 degrees, not a cloud in the sky.
And you couldn't have asked for a better matchup, as Champaign Central hosted Monticello on Thursday at Spalding Park in a battle between two of the area's best baseball teams. The Maroons ultimately pulled away for a comfortable 7-0 win, just what they were looking for two weeks from the start of postseason play.
"We were excited to see a good challenge," Central senior Tre Cole said. "We haven't had competition as good as this for a few weeks, so it was good to see them to get us ready for the postseason. Our goals for success are down the road, so it was good to get a win against them and give us some momentum."
It was another day at the office for Cole, who was just as effective as he's been all season. He struck out 11 batters in 6 1/3 innings pitched while only allowing three hits. He did issue five walks and hit another batter, but he worked out of every jam to keep the zero on the scoreboard. On top of that, he also helped himself out at the plate with a pair of hits and an RBI.
"He's throwing well," Central coach John Staab said. "You feel good when you pencil him in at pitcher because he's going to give you a chance."
Cole has taken that next step as a pitcher this season. Last year, it was like Staab was hoping to catch lighting in a bottle each time he gave Cole the ball. This year, he's been one of the most consistently dominant pitchers in the area.
"I've just been keeping a solid mindset and always coming out here ready to compete," Cole said. "It doesn't matter who the opponent is, I just try to perform to the best of my ability and stay consistent."
His best was plenty enough on Thursday, as his teammates gave him a two-run cushion right out of the gate.
Ben McDaniel started a two-out rally in the first inning with a double, and Cole followed him with a single. Cole stole second base and later advanced to third while McDaniel scored the game-s first run on a wild pitch. Nic Bralts walked, and that's when Staab put on a first-and-third play to steal a run. Bralts shuffled his way off first base, intentionally getting into a rundown to allow Cole time to pick the right moment to make a sprint for home. Staab said they practice that play at least once a week, and they executed it to perfection, giving the Maroons (23-6) a 2-0 lead.
"Coach gave the sign, I got a good lead, Tre got a good jump and we just got on them quick," Bralts said. "It was a great designed play, and it was huge to get on them early, especially a team like that."
A few innings later, Ian Weber laid down a perfect sacrifice bunt, and the next inning, Bryce Clark came in to pinch run and got a good read on a pitch in the dirt to advance to third base. Those are the little things Staab said will be most important down the stretch.
"We've been preaching that stuff all year, so that was really good to see," Staab said. "You see those types of things in regional championships and sectionals, and it's our hope to get back to those situations. You're going to need those if you're going to go on a postseason run."
Champaign Central won the game against Monticello with a final score of 7-0.
Tre Cole recorded 11 strikeouts during the game.
Tre Cole had a pair of hits and an RBI in addition to his pitching performance.
The game was important as it provided a good challenge and momentum for Champaign Central ahead of the upcoming postseason.

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Will Ciciora extended Central's advantage to three runs with a solo home run in the second inning, but the fifth frame was when the Maroons' bats caught fire. Ryan Pipkins got things started with his first of two hits, a triple over the center fielder's head. John Timmons and Cole each came through with RBI singles, and Bralts doubled home two more runs, his second hit of the day, to make it a 7-0 ballgame.
"The momentum shifted," Bralts said. "It was awesome. I got a tough pitch to hit and made something out of it. You just have to find a way on base and get runs across the plate. It was big to get some more insurance for our guy who was going so strong on the mound."
After giving up his third hit of the game with one out in the seventh inning, Cole exited the game to a standing ovation from the Central fans in the stands. Wilson McDaniel came in to finish the job, and he had no trouble retiring the last two batters.
The Sages (28-3) had plenty of opportunities to get on the board thanks to Cole's one inconsistency of the day in finding the strike zone, but they could never come through with a clutch hit. Jake Motsegood had two of their three hits, both with no one on base, Dawson Gaitros and Cole Basak each walked twice and Koyie Williams got on base two times, but none of it led to any runs.
"Champaign Central is a heck of a program. Coach Staab does an outstanding job with those guys," Monticello coach Chris Jones said. "Cole was pumping. He was dealing. Sometimes, you've just got to tip your hat and move on to the next game."
The Sages started this season a perfect 21-0, one win shy of matching their program-record 22-0 start from 2024, before suffering their first loss to St. Joseph-Ogden on April 29. They fell to Paxton-Buckley-Loda the following week and faced a great test on Wednesday in the Maroons. Their silver lining is that the postseason hasn't started yet, so there's still time to hash out anything they need to work on before it's win-or-go-home season.
"Every team at some point in time, no matter what their record is, will not play their brand of baseball and will fall into some lulls," Jones said. "We've definitely fallen into some lulls, but we've been able to battle through some of those. We're getting to that time of the year where we're learning that we need to show up to the ballpark every day. Every team is going to be good from here on out, and we need to make sure we're showing up and playing our brand of baseball each time we step on the field."
Meanwhile, the Maroons appear to have found their groove, now winners of 15 of their last 16 games. Central hosts Danville on Friday and travels to the Vikings' place on Monday. The Maroons are tied with Normal Community atop the Big 12 Conference standings, so a series sweep against Danville is the only thing standing between them and at least a share of the conference championship.
"It'd be an honor," Cole said. "All the guys are super excited about it, and it's all we talk about. Winning in general is fun, and adding a title behind all the winning would be great."