With the early rounds of the baseball post season starting up Monday, Sparta and Steeleville advanced to semifinal action, while Red Bud saw its season come to a close.
Marissa-Coulterville and  Pinckneyville  were set to begin play Wednesday, while Trico and Chester will go head-to-head Thursday.
Sparta 6, Carlyle 1
Jordan Thompson went the distance with 11 strikeouts to lead Sparta to a 6-1 win over Carlyle in the opening round of the Pinckneyville 2A Baseball Regional.
Trailing 1-0, the Bulldogs tied the game in the bottom of the fourth and then took the lead for good with two runs in the fifth and  three in the sixth.
Justin Meyerhoff was 2-for-3 with a pair of runs batted in to pace the Bulldog offense.
Gibault 4, Red Bud 2
Red Bud’s season came to an end Monday with a 4-2 loss against Gibault in the opening round of the Columbia 2A Baseball Regional.
Gibault scored single runs in the first two innings, while Red Bud notched a run in the bottom of the second.
The Hawks pulled away with two runs in the fourth, while the Musketeers scored their final run in the bottom of the seventh.
Adam Kunkel took the loss, as he went the distance giving up four runs, three earned, on five hits.
Tyler Magruder finished with two hits to pace the Red Bud attack, while Kunkel and Jordan Schneider each drove in one of their team’s runs.
In 1A baseball action, Steeleville ran over Elverado 17-3 to advance to semifinal action in the Marissa Regional.