TOLONO — The idea of having a cleanup hitter is he'll have plenty of opportunities to drive in runs. Blake Hoveln hits fourth for St. Joseph-Ogden. He came to the plate four times in Friday's Class 2A regional championship game against Rantoul and not once was there a runner on base.

So, with the game tied 5-5 in the top of the seventh, Hoveln took matters into his own hands. The junior blasted an 0-1 pitch over the left-field fence to give the Spartans a 6-5 lead en route to a 9-5 win.

"I guess I kind of had to do something," he said. "When you lead off an inning, you always want to get things going, get a good rally started."

He energized the Spartans in that seventh inning. Freshmen Dalton Walsh and Hunter Hart (2 for 3, three RBI) each reached base and scored on a ground-rule double by Dylan Troyer. Another freshman, Jake Stewart, doubled to plate Troyer to extend the lead and help the Spartans win their fifth regional crown in the last seven years and first since 2008.

"Every single one of our kids on that field contributed today," SJ-O (16-16) coach Brad Allen said.

Logan Carr (two runs) and Nick Geers (two RBI) had two hits apiece for SJ-O. But no Spartan did more than Hoveln. The starting shortstop went 4 for 4 and pitched three innings of scoreless relief to pick up the win.

"Words can't describe it. That kid comes in — Louis (Acklin) pitched a good game — Blake came in and he's had some rocky outings lately and the kid is just absolute nails," Allen said. "I can't give (catcher) Jared Orcutt enough credit for sticking to the scouting report and pitching the way we wanted him to pitch and Blake coming in and getting the job done."

A school year that started on a sour note for Hoveln is closing out on a high note. The Spartans' starting quarterback had surgery to repair torn ligaments in his shoulder three games into the football season, forcing him to the sideline. He missed the first half of the basketball season while rehabbing.

"The doctors said I would be able to play baseball if I worked hard," Hoveln said. "All I had to do was work hard to get my shoulder back in shape."

Said Allen: "Blake is resilient. He's a ballplayer, a competitor. Baseball's just his thing, you can tell he's got the baseball savvy. We're just a better team with him out there and I'm just so happy for him."

Rantoul (18-11), which took a 1-0 lead after Jackson Carver led off the game with a homer to left, is still in search of its first regional championship since 1992.

"I feel like we're getting there," said coach Justin Franzen, who started four juniors, two sophomores and a freshman. "With high school kids, you come with the right mental approach and that means a lot."

Cord Church (RBI), Chris Deaville and Garrett Jones (two RBI) each had two hits for the Eagles.