Illinois baseball hammered Western Michigan 13-3 with all of the Illini runs plating in the first five innings.

Illinois softball has entered the rankings at Number 25 as they host Butler tonight at 5:00.

Illinois State softball hosts Bradley for a 5 p.m. doubleheader on Pack the Park Night at Marian Kneer Stadium.

Illinois Wesleyan softball visits UW-Whitewater for an afternoon doubleheader.

Illinois State baseball travels to Notre Dame for a 5 p.m. contest while Illinois Wesleyan baseball visits Elmhurst.

In high school softball, Central Catholic walked off with a 3-2 win over Pontiac in nine innings. Izzy Vetter struck out 20 for the winning Saints. Dwight hammered Watseka 16-0.

In high school baseball, Pontiac edged Central Catholic 12-11.

Flanagan-Cornell’s Josh Olson broke the Livingston County Meet record in the shot put at 56 feet, 7 inches.

The Cardinals earned a 2-1 win over the Pirates for their first back-to-back victories of the young season. Mike Leake earned the win by giving up seven hits and the lone run over 6 1/3 innings. The Pirates played their first game without outfielder Starling Marte, who began an 80-game suspension for performance-enhancing drugs. The Cardinals wrap up the series and the short homestand this afternoon with a 12:45 first pitch, with Gerrit Cole on the mound for Pittsburgh against Michael Wacha for the hosts.

The Cubs beat the Brewers 9-7 to end a four-game losing streak. The five-game homer streak by Milwaukee’s Eric Thames also ended. Kyle Schwarber and Miguel Montero each hit two-run homers for the Cubs. The series concludes this afternoon at Wrigley Field with lefty Tommy Milone taking the ball for the Brewers against the Cubs’ Kyle Hendricks.

The White Sox ended the Yankees’ winning streak at eight games with a 4-1 win at Yankee Stadium. Miguel Gonzalez pitched into the ninth inning, and Leury Garcia and Avisail Garcia each homered. Tonight’s series finale sends Dylan Covey to the hill for the Sox in his second big league start while the Yankees counter with Masahiro Tanaka.

The Bulls beat the Celtics 111-97 to take a 2-0 lead in that first round series. Game 3 is Friday in Chicago.

The Blues go for the sweep tonight at home in Game 4 against the Minnesota Wild.

The Illinois High School Association board has approved a five-year extension for Eastern Illinois University to host the state track and field finals through 2022.