Burlington Central scored four runs in the first inning, while Sam Maglares allowed just one hit over four innings to help the fifth-seeded Rockets secure a 7-3 victory over fourth-seeded Kaneland.

Hunter Kriese flirted with a no-hitter Thursday as No. 5 DeKalb blanked No. 4 Harlem 7-0 in a Class 4A regional semifinal. The senior struck out seven. Now the Barbs face a Huntley team Saturday that's knocked them out the last two years.

The DeKalb Barbs baseball team took on Harlem in a Class 4A regional matchup Thursday at DeKalb High School.

The Ottawa baseball team scored four runs in the sixth - the big blow a two-run double by Adam Swanson - to defeat Kaneland 6-4 in the Interstate 8 Conference contest at King Field on Monday. With the win the Pirates earned a share the league championship with the Knights.

The Class 1A and 2A Daily Chronicle area baseball teams each start with play-in games. Sycamore, DeKalb and Kaneland don't have that obstacle, but have tough roads ahead of them in their IHSA regionals. We look at where each team ended up.

Sycamore put up six runs in the second inning, including a three-run home run for Jackson Macdonald. But RJ Kennedy, Cade Laudeman and Morris never stopped fighting back in an 8-6 win on Wednesday.

The Morris baseball team traveled to Sycamore Wednesday to take on the Spartans.

Kanon Baxley came through in the clutch again. The Kaneland baseball team beat La Salle-Peru 9-2 Tuesday behind Baxley's hot bat and Jack Frey's dominant pitching. The Knights stay in first place in the I-8 with two games left.

The La Salle-Peru baseball team traveled to Maple Park Tuesday to take on Kaneland in an Interstate 8 Conference matchup.