​PEKIN — Not once, but twice, Keota appeared poised to derail Pekin’s hopes of reaching the state tournament on Tuesday. The Panthers refused to quit, even as they faced their final strike, and one last swing at the plate propelled Pekin into the Class 1A district finals. Henry Adam delivered a thunderous seventh-inning comeback, sending a 1-1 pitch from Brennan McGuire over the center-field wall for a walk-off grand slam and a 6-4 victory over Keota in the Class 1A, District 14 semifinals. Pekin erased a 4-1 deficit by scoring five runs in the bottom of the seventh with two outs, flipping the outcome in dramatic fashion. Pekin (17-3) advances to Moravia for the district championship on Saturday, a rematch against Moravia, which held a 1-0 lead over Pekin back on May 27.
In another District 14 semifinal, Moravia defeated North Mahaska 5-4. Kale Moore sparked a late rally with a game-tying RBI triple to center, scoring Elias Bronson, and then touched home on Casen Woodward’s sacrifice fly to give the Mohawks the go-ahead run. Moravia used three sacrifice flies to manufacture five runs, taking the lead for the first time in the bottom of the fifth when Blake Ewing produced a fly ball to center that brought in Moore, and Carson Seals followed with a sacrifice fly to push Moravia on top. After North Mahaska scored two in the sixth, Ewing finished off the win by fanning two of the three Warhawk hitters in the seventh. Moravia (25-4) hosts Pekin in the district championship game on Saturday.
In the Fairfield area, Fairfield defeated Mount Vernon 14-10. Owen Adam homered to cap a six-run first inning as the Trojans closed the regular season with a high-scoring victory in what was the final scheduled home game of the season. Dain Burkhart had four hits, including a double, driving in a run, while Ethan Bisgard added two hits, including a double, and paired with Aiden Westercamp for two RBIs and two runs scored in the heart of the order. Fairfield (18-13) begins postseason play at Williamsburg on Friday in the Class 3A, Substate 5 quarterfinals.
In prep softball action, Fairfield defeated Keokuk 15-4. Leah Helmick and Ireland Cranston homered for the Trojans, combining for seven RBIs in the Southeast Conference win that closed the regular season. Cranston’s fourth home run of the year produced three of Fairfield’s five runs in the second inning, helping build a 6-1 advantage. Helmick belted her team-leading 12th homer in the bottom of the third, driving in three more runs as Fairfield pulled away. Maddy Martin added a triple among her two hits, driving in two runs while scoring once. With the win, Fairfield continues its strong finish as postseason play looms.