What a way to start the Little Illini Conference baseball season! A no-hitter, and the defending champs are knocked off. All on Day One.

There were three league games played on Monday. The Casey-Westfield vs. Lawrenceville game, listed for Monday in an earlier preview story, is instead scheduled for Monday, Apr. 27.

Here’s what happened on Monday:

Robinson 7, Marshall 1
Graysen Brown of Robinson threw a no-hitter in the Little Illini Conference baseball opener on Monday, leading the Maroons to a 7-1 win over Marshall. Brown, a senior right hander, gave up one unearned run while striking out 10 batters and walking only two in seven innings of work. Robinson’s offense made it as easy on Brown as they could, with a six-run outburst in the first inning that gave him a huge cushion to work with. Felix Reynolds got things started for the winners, with a two-run single in the first, enough in the end for the win. Robinson had only four RBI hits on the day, as Marshall committed five errors. Reese Baker led the Maroon attack with two hits.

Olney 2, Newton 1
Newton had just defeated Olney, 7-4, back on Apr. 2, but in a non-conference setting. Monday, in the one that counted, Olney turned the tables, scoring twice in the first inning and making it stand in a 2-1 win over the defending champs. Gavin Root and Owen Cycholl each delivered RBI hits to put Olney ahead, 2-0, in the first inning. That left it up to Tiger starter Brody Redman, who limited Newton to just two hits over his first five innings of work. The Eagles finally put a rally together in the sixth. A one-out sacrifice fly from Drake Wolf scored Quincy Fulton to cut the deficit to 2-1. But, that’s as close as they would get. Newton stranded two runners in both the sixth and seventh innings. Redman, who struck out eight without a walk, went 6 1/3 innings. Root finished up for the save. Cooper Hires had two hits for Olney, while Jackson James did the same for Newton.

Mt. Carmel 4, Paris 3
Brendan Bowser hit a double to left in the top of the eighth inning, scoring River Deisher with what turned out to be the winning run in Mt. Carmel’s 4-3 win at Paris. The host Tigers had just tied the game in the bottom of the seventh on some heroics of their own, a two-run homer to left off the bat of Carter Eastham that tied the game at 3-all to force the extra frame. Eastham’s blast was part of a 3-hit, 3-RBI day for the Paris catcher. For Mt. Carmel, Deisher and Santiago Guanipa both had 2-hit days. Bowser was the starter for the Golden Aces, working the first five innings, with eight strikeouts and only two walks. Keegan Linson, who came in after Asher Coston’s two relief innings, worked the eighth to get the win.