SOFTBALL: Falcons wrap up first place in SIFL
</element><element id="paragraph-1" type="body"><![CDATA[The Pinckneyville Falcons softball team wrapped up the regular season crown in the Southern Illinois Fastpitch League on Wednesday night, sweeping Pete's Blues 9-8 and 14-4.
With the two wins the Falcons are 12-0 in SIFL league play and can finish no worse than 12-4, meaning no other team in the league can catch them for first place.
Pete's Blues (7-7) and the Scheller Dirtbags (6-6) are tied percentage-points wise in the standings for second place, but Pete's has just two remaining games, Scheller four.
Eric Saunders (2-3), Jay McCrary (2-4), Haven Hicks (2-4, 3B), Lyle Winter (2-4, HR), and Mason Woodside (1-4, HR) supplied the offense for the Falcons in the first game. Bryant Hale was the winning pitcher for Pinckneyville in game one, Troy Dunbar the loser for Pete's Blues.
The Falcons came back after trailing 3-0 in the top of the first inning.
In game two, Ricky Kasban picked up the win in the 14-4 thumping with Woodside and Winter each picking up 3 hits.
McCrary, Derek Beninati, Hayden Hicks, and Adam Barczewski each added two hits in the second game, Haven Hicks one.
Pinckneyville will make up their previously cancelled doubleheader with Makanda on July 6 at 7:15 p.m. The other three SIFL teams will be idle.
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