BASEBALL: Warriors top Junior Panthers
</element><element id="paragraph-1" type="body"><![CDATA[ Du Quoin Middle School moved within one win of a conference championship on Monday, topping Pinckneyville Junior High School 8-2 in Du Quoin behind strong pitching from Noah Campbell and Lane Valier.
"Lane Valier did a great job of coming in and throwing strikes," said DMS coach Tim Craft.
"We have a regional game on Thursday, so we have to try and save as much pitching as possible while still trying to win the first two games of the week."
Jacob Valier was 3-for-4 with two doubles and a pair of runs driven in to lead the Warriors' offensive attack. L. Valier was 2-4, RBI; Tucker Kuhnert 2-3, RBI; Dalton Day 1-2, 2 RBI; and Cole Hopkins 1-3.
Trent Hicks and Miles Chandler had hits for the Junior Panthers.
Campbell pitched the first three innings, allowing 2 runs on 3 hits. L. Valier finished up the final four frames surrendering no runs on just one hit.
DMS is 11-3 overall and 10-1 in their conference, and will face Nashville on Tuesday with the conference championship at stake.
Regional play begins Thursday, when DMS faces West Frankfort at 3:00 p.m. in Herrin at Diamond 7. The winner of that matchup moves on to the Regional final on Saturday at 11:00 a.m., where they will meet either Johnston City or Herrin.
PJHS faces Chester on Friday in their Regional, with that game taking place in Trico at 4:30 p.m.