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High school baseball

Olympia vs. East Peoria

[APRIL 7, 2001] Ryan Kendrick and Steve Raleigh (6,W, 1-0) pitched a winning game for Olympia with Rush Olson catching.

Outstanding hitters for Olympia were Chris Frank (two hits), Raleigh (two hits), Jeff Darnall (two hits), Olson (two hits). Olympia is 9-1 for the year.

[LDN]

The following Lady Railers scored for Lincoln: 

400 meter dash - 2. Sara Conklen 1:02.4

High jump - 1. Allison Humbert 5-1 

Pole vault 2. Jennifer Whalen 6-0 

800 Medley relay - 3. Lincoln 1:59.6 

1600 Medley Relay - 5. Lincoln 4:21.9

High school baseball and softball

Lincoln vs. Taylorville

[APRIL 6, 2001]  Lincoln’s softball team played against Taylorville in an away game yesterday. Taylorville won the game 8-2.

Hilary Schweitzer was the pitcher for the Lady Railers. Her record is two wins and four losses. Emily Wilkinson caught for Lincoln.

Lori Reinwald boosted Lincoln with two hits, one triple and two RBIs.

Dively pitched for Taylorville (eight strikeouts, four walks), and Tangman was her catcher.

Lincoln’s softball record is now 2-7 overall and 0-2 in the Central State Eight Conference. Taylorville’s record is 7-1 and 2-0 in the conference.

Score by innings

Lincoln        002 000 0 – 2-3-5

Taylorville    040 130 x – 8-10-1

[LDN]

Illini Central vs. Riverton

[APRIL 6, 2001]  Illini Central’s baseball and softball teams played against Riverton, in Riverton, yesterday. Both games were called due to the 10-run rule.

Baseball

Brandon Grimsley pitched for Illini Central (7 strikeouts, 0 walks). His personal record is now 1-0. Travis Scott caught for Grimsley.

Scott hit a triple and brought in three runners. Flectcher made a double and batted in three runners. McDaniel and Grimsely each made a double and batted in two runners.

Fuess and Bodine pitched for Riverton. Burgess was the team’s catcher. Burgess also made a home run in the sixth inning for Riverton.

Score by innings

Illini Central      230 504 – 14-13-2

Riverton           000 020 – 2-5-0

Softball

Brook Oney pitched for the Lady Cougars softball team. Her personal record is 0-6. Katie Meikle was the team’s catcher.

Riverton’s pitcher was Kathy Lewison (7 strikeouts), and their catcher was Meyer.

Illini Central’s baseball record is now 7-2, and the Lady Cougars' softball record is now 0-6.

Score by innings

Illini Central      000 00 – 0-1-4

Riverton           671 2x – 16-7-1

[LDN]

High school track and field

Lincoln girls place second in five-team meet

[APRIL 6, 2001]  Five high school girls track teams gathered in Lincoln for a track-and-field meet yesterday afternoon. The final scores were as follows: Normal West 107, Lincoln 96, Rantoul 67, Urbana 67, Decatur Eisenhower 33. The individual race results are unavailable.

[LDN]

High school baseball

Lincoln varsity baseball vs. Mount Zion

[APRIL 5, 2001]  One mark of a good baseball team is that different players come through on different days. Lincoln’s varsity baseball team is a good example. Wednesday was Matt Boyer’s time to shine on offense and Jamison Sheley’s turn on the mound. Both played key roles in a solid non-conference win over Mount Zion. The Railers’ 11-5 victory pushed their record to 8-1.

[to top of second column in this article]

Olympia vs. Normal

[APRIL 5, 2001]  Olympia’s high school baseball team played Normal West in Normal yesterday afternoon. Normal won, 7-5. This marks the Spartans’ first loss of the season.

Wednesday’s game was the third game Cam Cheek pitched for Olympia—the first one he lost. Cheek struck out one player and walked another. Ryne Sherman replaced Cheek in the fourth inning. He struck out two of Normal’s players.

Oly’s team hit two home runs—both in the fifth inning. Jeff Darnall hit a home run with one runner on base, and Brandon Gale hit a solo home run.

Steve Raleigh three hits included a double. Brandon Gale and Ryan Kendrick both made two hits during the game. In addition to Darnall’s and Gale’s home runs, Ryne Sherman batted in one runner.

Joe Caslow pitched for Normal for the first time this season. He struck out two players and walked one more. Jake Stewart replaced Caslow in the fifth inning and struck out two of the Spartan’s players.

Olympia’s baseball record is now 8-1, and Normal’s record is 7-1.

Score by innings

Olympia           010 130 0 – 5-10-3

Normal West   301 300 x – 7-10-4

[LDN]

High school softball

[APRIL 5, 2001]  

LCHS vs. Normal

Lincoln Community High School’s softball team traveled to Anderson Park in Normal yesterday afternoon to play Normal Community. The final score was 4-0, Normal.

Jo Beth Borowiak (L, 0-3) pitched, with Emily Wilkinson catching. Borowiak walked three of Normal’s players.

Abby Lovejoy pitched her fourth winning game for Normal. In the four innings she pitched, Lovejoy struck out seven players and only sacrificed one hit. Ali Arnold pitched the last three innings of the game. She struck out eight players and sacrificed one hit also.

Lincoln’s softball team is now 2-6, and Normal’s team is now 7-1.

Score by innings

Lincoln                      000 000 0 – 0-2-3

Normal Community   100 030 x – 4-5-0

Olympia vs. Tri-Valley

Olympia’s softball team beat Tri-Valley 8-0 at Downs yesterday afternoon.

Jessie Shay pitched for Olympia. This was her sixth game and fifth win. She pitched four innings, struck out six of Tri-Valley’s players and surrendered two hits. Tricia Gaither continued to pitch the final three innings for the Lady Spartans. She walked one player, struck out four and surrendered only one hit.

Al Flessner and Liz Sunday caught for Olympia.

Liz Sunday hit two balls, made a triple and batted in one runner. Katie Fraher and Tiffany Prager each hit two balls and batted in one runner. Mindy Bachman made two hits.

Tri-Valley’s pitcher was Samantha Adams. She has lost three games and won three games. Her catcher was Amanda Lewis.

Olympia’s record is now five wins, two losses and one tie. Tri-Valley’s record is an even 4-4.

Score by innings

Olympia       121 300 1 – 8-11-1

Tri-Valley     000 000 0 – 0-3-3

[LDN]

College golf

LC golf team places second in MacMurray Invitational

[APRIL 5, 2001]  The Lincoln College golf team competed in the MacMurray Invitational golf tournament Wednesday and finished second in the tournament with 318 points. Fontbonne won the tourney with a score of 314. Danville finished third at 320 followed by McKendree with 321 and Culver-Stockton with 322.

Bobby Diehl had a round of 74 to take medalist honors in the tournament. Diehl led the Lincoln College team, which also included Tom Petersen, 80; Zack Baker, 82; Matt Fitzpatrick 82; and Dustin Stephens 86.

[Bill Martinie,
Lincoln College sports information director]

College softball

Lincoln College vs. John Wood

[APRIL 5, 2001]  Lincoln College suffered a double setback at the hands of John Wood Wednesday afternoon at Lincoln. The Lady Lynx (2-10) dropped the first game in nine innings, 10-8. John Wood won the nightcap by a 6-1 margin.

Lincoln plated five runs in the third inning of the opening game of the twin bill to take a 7-4 lead; however, the visitors put two runs on the board in the fourth and two more in the sixth to take an 8-7 lead. Lincoln scored a run in the bottom of the sixth to knot the score and send the game to extra innings. John Wood pushed across two runs in the top of the seventh for the victory. Calhoun, who entered the game in the eighth inning, picked up the pitching victory. She was also the winner in the second contest with a complete game performance.

Leading Lincoln College's 15-hit attack in the first game was Beth Gajdik with four safeties, including a double. Crystal Wilkey contributed three hits with a double, while Brandi Barnes, the losing pitcher, and Amy Czerwionka both had two hits including doubles.

[to top of second column in this article]

The second game was all John Wood as they scored two in the first and one in the second to take a 3-0 lead. Lincoln scored its lone run in the bottom of the second and collected just five hits. Heather Dobey was the losing pitcher for the Lynx.

John Wood        202 202 002 - 10-15-2

Lincoln College  025 001 000 - 8-15-8

Kassing, Fessler (4), Calhoun (8) & Armstrong; Brandi Barnes (L) & Beth Gajdik.

John Wood         210 120 0 - 6-13-1

Lincoln College   010 000 0 - 1-5-4

Calhoun (W) & Armstrong; Heather Dobey (L), Barnes (6) & Gajdik.

[Bill Martinie,
Lincoln College sports information director]

High school baseball

LCHS varsity vs. Southeast

[APRIL 4, 2001]  Lincoln’s varsity baseball team has been good in the preseason, with a record of 6-1. Tuesday, however, the conference season began. Would the Railers continue their winning ways, especially when they had to start with Southeast, the coaches’ preseason conference favorite?

One hope was that Chris Phillips would maintain his pitching prowess. Phillips threw 18 innings in the preseason and gave up only eight hits for a batting average of .119 against him—pretty impressive. But Phillips was saving his best game yet for Southeast. He faced 25 batters and gave up two hits, both doubles; yet no Southeast player’s foot touched home. He struck out six and walked just one. Lincoln took the conference opener 6-0 and moved to 7-1 for the year.

Lincoln used three successful sacrifice bunts in the outing (by seniors Nick Bay, Andrew Bartman and Aaron Matson); eight different players had a hit; and five different Railers scored. Dominant pitching and a broad offensive punch—a very good combination.

Lincoln’s first score came after two outs in the second. Derek Schrader drew a walk, stole a base, and Matson sent an RBI single into left field. In the third inning, Justin Dedman and Andy Knopp scored on a two-RBI single to left by Phillips. In the fourth, Lincoln scored three runs on singles by Danny Schick and Blake Schoonover, a triple by Schrader, and a fielding error that favored Matson.

Lincoln had two errors in the contest, but neither runner got past first base. In the fourth inning, Southeast mounted an apparent threat when J. R. Kyes, the third-place hitter, reached on an error. Adam Locker (who took the complete game pitching loss and who had doubled in his first at-bat) then smacked a hard line drive above Matson’s head at first. Matson took a stab and came down with the ball. Kyes, who was running on the pitch, was a sitting duck for Matson, who stepped on first for the double play.

[to top of second column in this article]

[Chris Phillips in the stretch,
with J.R. Kyes and Blake Schoonover.]

[Danny Schick scores the first of three runs
in the fourth inning.]

Lincoln has a scheduled rematch with Southeast at home on Thursday. Wednesday, the Railers travel to Mount Zion. Two very tough games ahead. Will the Lincoln crew continue one of the best starts in varsity baseball memory? I don’t know if the conference coaches expect it, but the Lincoln players and coaches do.

[Rich Knopp]

[Box score and stats for Lincoln’s game vs. Southeast]

LCHS freshmen vs. Morton

[APRIL 4, 2001]  Morton defeated Lincoln 3-1 in a freshman baseball game at Lincoln High School Tuesday afternoon dropping the LCHS record to 1-3 for the season.

 Trent Kavelman was the losing pitcher for Lincoln, working the first four innings, giving up five hits and two runs, one earned. Kavelman struck out two and walked two. Jason Williams hurled the final three innings, giving up four hits and a run, which was earned. Williams walked one and struck out two. Miles Musick had two of the six Lincoln hits in the contest.

Morton       101 001 0 – 3-9-1

Lincoln        000 000 1 – 1-6-2

Kavelman (L), Williams (5) & Jason Melton; Jacobson (W) & Osborn.

[Bill Martinie]

Area high school baseball games

[APRIL 4, 2001]  

Illini Central vs. Peoria Heights

Illini Central is making their showing early in the season. They beat Peoria Heights at Peoria 16-4. 

Peoria Heights must have frightened those Cougars when their four lone runs came in at bottom of the second inning, because at the top of the third inning the Cougars scored 12 runs.

Fletcher was cited for his outstanding pitching. In 3½ innings he allowed only one hit and no runs. Cougar pitchers Tyler Cunningham and Anthony Fletcher are 2-0 for the season, with Luke Bohm catching. 

Illini Central outstanding batters: Travis Scott (three hits, triple, two RBIs), Matt Harris (three hits, double, three RBIs), Brandon Grimsley (two hits, double), Fletcher (two hits, double, two RBIs) and Cunningham (two RBIs).

Illini Central is 6-2. Peoria Heights is 2-5.

Score by innings

Illini Central         21(12) 01 – 16

Peoria Heights     040 00 – 4

Hartsburg-Emden vs. Delavan

Hartsburg-Emden lost at Delavan by a mere two runs, with Matt Chapman pitching and Matt Gleason catching for the Stags.

Score by innings

Hartsburg-Emden      005 000 2 – 7

Delavan                     301 230 x – 9

[LDN]

High school softball

[APRIL 4, 2001] 

Lincoln vs. Springfield

The Lady Railers lost in a 2-1 game at Springfield. Pitching for Lincoln was Hilary Schweitzer (L, 2-3) with Emily Wilkinson catching.

Lincoln is 2-5 for the season.

Score by innings

Lincoln            100 000 0 – 1

Springfield       001 001 x – 2

[LDN]

High school track

Boys quad track meet at Pontiac

[APRIL 4, 2001]  Pontiac 119.5, Olympia 76.5, Normal Community 57, Ottawa 20

Olympia results

100-meter dash — Scott Joyce, 3^rd (tie), 11.8

400 dash — Joyce, 2^nd, 54.6

800 run — Sean Brand, 3^rd, 2:08.5; Vince McClain, 5^th, 2:20.6

3,200 run — Seline, 2^nd, 10:53.4

110 hurdles — Branden Sholty, 1^st, 15.9

300 hurdles — Sholty, 2^nd, 43.2

High jump — Nick Raes, 1^st (tie), 6-0

Triple jump — Jared Brooks, 4^th, 35-4

Pole vault — Brian DeLoriea, 1^st, 13-0; Brian Eichhorn, 2^nd, 12-0; Ryan Oehler, 3^rd, 11-0

Shot put — Jimmy Schultz, 2^nd, 46-5; Kyle Crawford, 3^rd, 44-5

Discus — Crawford, 3^rd, 124-4; Schultz, 4^th, 120-3

400 relay — Olympia, 3^rd, 46.5

800 relay — Olympia, 3^rd, 1:42.3

1,600 relay — Olympia, 1^st, 3:47.4; Olympia, 3^rd, 3:56.7

3,200 relay — Olympia, 3^rd, 8:51.6

College baseball

LC vs. ICC

[APRIL 4, 2001]  First-place Illinois Central College handed Lincoln College a pair of setbacks in baseball at East Peoria Tuesday afternoon. The double victory runs the ICC record to 8-0 in the conference. Lincoln College stands at 5-4 in the conference and 8-15 overall.       

Lincoln and ICC were knotted at 4-4 going into the bottom of the sixth inning; however, the hosts scored four times and the Lynx were unable to recover.   Jeff King was the starting and losing pitcher for coach Tony Thomas. Gary Ryan had a pair of hits to lead Lincoln in the opener.

In the second game, Illinois Central failed to score in the first inning but proceeded to put 13 runs on the board in the next four innings. Matt Whetstone took the loss for the Lynx, with Mark Stoltzenburg and Scott Onken taking a turn on the mound trying to stop the hosts.   Chad Blackburn banged out three hits in three trips for Lincoln while Jake VanDyke had two hits in three trips.

[to top of second column in this article]

Lincoln College      022 000 0  –  4-7-5

Illinois Central        012 014 x  –  8-8-2

Jeff King (L), Charlie Deakin (6) & Robert Sherren; McCool (W) & Hamilton.

Lincoln College       000 03  –  3-9-3

Illinois Central         042 34  – 13-8-1

Matt Whetstone (L), Mark Stoltzenburg (4), Scott Onken (5) & Gary Ryan; Dries & Hamilton.

[Bill Martinie,
Lincoln College sports information director]

High school baseball

[APRIL 3, 2001]  

Illini Central’s baseball team blew away Springfield Lutheran yesterday in Springfield, 12-3.

Brandon Grimsley and Matt Harris (3,W) pitched Illini Central’s winning game, with Luke Bohm catching at the home plate.

Cougars Josh McDaniel and Jon Harfst each made a home run during the game. Harfst also had one other hit. Bryce Cunningham had two hits. Brandon Grimsley and Anthony Fetcher each made doubles with their hits.

Baker pitched for Springfield Lutheran, and Harinid, Heavisides and Oertel caught.

Illini Central’s new record is 5-2. Springfield Lutheran is 1-5.

Score by innings

Illini Central    501 200 4 – 12-9-2

Lutheran        120 000 0 – 3-6-5

Olympia’s baseball team traveled to Springfield yesterday to challenge Southeast and returned home victorious. Olympia won 7-2.

Brandon Gale pitched his second win for the Spartans. Steve Raleigh caught for Gale in the first six innings, and Rush Olson caught for the last inning.

Steve Raleigh contributed three hits, one double and one RBI to his team’s game. Ryan Kendrick hit two balls and brought two runners home. Chris Frank hit two balls and brought one runner home.

Lopez pitched for Southeast—of three games, this is his first loss. Maning and Barnes caught for Southeast’s team.

Olympia’s record is spotless: eight wins and no losses. Springfield Southeast has three wins and three losses.

Score by innings

Olympia                      121 003 0 – 7-8-3

Springfield Southeast   100 100 0 – 2-6-2

[LDN]

High school softball

[APRIL 3, 2001]  

Midwest Central visited Mason City yesterday afternoon to compete against Illini Central’s softball team. At the end of the fifth inning, the game was called due to the 10-run rule; Midwest won 15-0.

Brooke Oney pitched for the Lady Cougars and Katie Meikle caught.

Oney made a double with her one hit for Olympia.

Woiwiode pitched for Midwest Central and Dunhthes caught.

Illini Central’s new records are 0-5 overall and 0-3 in the Tomahawk Conference.

Score by innings

Midwest Central      602 34 – 15-6-1

Illini Central             000 00 – 0-1-7

Olympia welcomed Eureka to Stanford for a high school softball game yesterday afternoon. After six innings, the game was called due to the 10-run rule. Olympia won 10-0.

Jessica Shay pitched her fourth winning game of five games she has pitched for the Lady Spartans. She pitched for six innings and struck out 11 of Eureka’s batters. Al Flessner caught for Olympia.

Lady Spartan Mindy Bachman hit three balls and batted in one runner. Becky Hieser batted in two runners.

Sarah Waldrop was Eureka’s pitcher. Jenny Carr and Brandi Payne were her catchers.

Olympia’s new record is 4-2. Eureka’s record is 2-1.

Score by innings

Olympia     122 041 – 10-11-0

Eureka        000 000 – 0-0-1

[LDN]

High school baseball

LCHS vs. Decatur Eisenhower and Decatur MacArthur

[APRIL 2, 2001]  The Lincoln High School varsity baseball team continues to make a loud preseason statement that there’s more than good basketball in Lincoln. On Saturday, the point echoed in Decatur, with both Eisenhower and MacArthur falling to a scrappy Lincoln club that is now 6-1. Lincoln nipped Eisenhower 9-8 and outlasted MacArthur 10-7.

Lincoln got on the board quickly against Eisenhower, leading 6-2 after three innings, helped by eight free passes and two errors. During those frames, runners were pushed along by Chris Phillips (2B), Matt Boyer (1B) and Danny Schick (1B,2B). With a 7-2 lead going into the bottom of the fourth, Lincoln seemed in total control.

And then the proverbial wheels fell off. Senior Justin Dedman, who had given up only four hits to that point, allowed a run on a couple of hits and two walks before he surrendered the mound to sophomore Ryne Komnick with the bases loaded. Eisenhower junior Brian Neal, on the seventh pitch of his at-bat, smacked a hard drive to left center. LCHS’s center fielder, Schick, gambled and dove to nab the ball before it hit the dirt. He lost. The relay subsequently missed its target, and the eventual throw home was wide. The wild, inside-the-park grand slam instantly evened the score at 7-7. On the final play of the inning, Eisenhower’s David Bates drove a sacrifice fly to center field, the go-ahead run scored and Lincoln’s Schick gunned down Cory Lane, who attempted to make third.

After the nightmare fourth inning that put Eisenhower on top 8-7, Komnick went the final three innings, facing the minimum of nine batters. In the fifth inning, Lincoln took the lead back. A two-out single by Matt Aper, followed by an RBI hit by Nick Bay, tied the score. Ryan Williams then drew a walk, and Derek Schrader drove in Williams’ game-winning run on a single up the middle.

Lincoln’s second game, this time with Decatur MacArthur, had a little bit of everything, including a downpour from the skies above during the final two outs.

Lincoln’s 10 runs were created, in part, by four RBIs from Phillips and three RBIs from Andy Knopp. In the first inning, with bases loaded, Knopp turned on a fast ball, lining it into the left field corner and clearing the bases.

[to top of second column in this article]

[Lincoln catcher Andrew Bartman takes a cut
while Danny Schick moves toward third.]

[Lincoln senior Justin Dedman picks up his sign.]

[Justin Dedman strikes out Eisenhower’s Jess Collins.]
[Click here to view a movie of Dedman’s strikeout. You must have QuickTime installed to view it.]

In the top of the fourth inning, with the score 4-4, Phillips had an RBI single; and Knopp, who had another hard hit down third base line in the third inning, came to bat with two on. MacArthur coach Jim Cline had apparently seen enough of Knopp’s bat and ordered a two-out intentional walk to load the bases. Cline was probably not aware of Knopp’s .500 season batting average, yet it still seemed like a reasonable gamble. Coaches gamble too. But this time the gamble was lost to none other than Danny Schick. Schick, who is hitting a season .368, pinch hit with the bases jammed, sent an RBI single into right field and put Lincoln up by two (6-4).

In the top of the seventh, with Lincoln on top 7-6, Phillips smacked his two-out, bases-loaded, three-RBI double into right center field, giving Lincoln some needed cushion.

Matt Boyer pitched five innings, relieving Sheley (who allowed four runs, two earned) in the second. Boyer struck out four and gave up three runs, all earned.

In the fifth, with the score 7-5 (Lincoln), MacArthur started the inning with two doubles. However, Josh Spurlock tried to stretch his hit into a triple, which produced the first out on a relay and tag out involving Dedman, Schoonover and Knopp. The play seemed to squelch the shift in momentum. Boyer himself was pumped after the play and completed the inning with a strikeout and an easy comebacker.

Down 10-6 in the bottom of the seventh, Eisenhower’s Dusty Heitz homered off Boyer and Josh Davison singled. With one out, Lincoln’s Ryan Williams was brought to the mound. The intensity of the rain increased, and Williams gave a full-count walk to Spurlock. With the tying run at the plate, Williams, in a downpour, got the next two batters to ground out to the right side, and Lincoln won its sixth game in a row.

On April 3, Lincoln opens its conference season at preseason league-favorite Southeast and will host Southeast at home on Thursday, with a nonconference matchup at Mount Zion on Wednesday.

[Rich Knopp]

Stats on the Eisenhower game (3-31-01).

Stats on the MacArthur game (3-31-01).

LCHS freshmen vs. Sacred Heart-Griffin

[APRIL 2, 2001]  Lincoln High School lost a freshman baseball game to Sacred Heart-Griffin 7-4 Saturday at Lincoln Land College in Springfield. LCHS is 1-2 for the season. The second game of the scheduled twin bill was rained out.

Leading the LCHS frosh team at the plate was Jason Williams with three hits and a run scored.  Trent Kavelman and Chris Matson both had a pair of hits for Lincoln. Jason Melton had one hit and an RBI, while Brandon Babbs had a pair of RBIs.   SH-G won the game with three runs in the bottom of the sixth, to break a 4-4 tie.

Lincoln          010 003 0  -  4-9-3

SH-G            022 003 x  -  7-6-3

Jason Williams, Trent Kavelman (3-L) & Jason Melton; Stallup, Bova (7) & Steal.

[Bill Martinie]

College baseball

Lincoln College vs. Lewis and Clark

[APRIL 2, 2001]  After losing the first game of a doubleheader in the seventh inning, Lincoln College came back to win the nightcap 10-8 against Lewis and Clark in Godfrey on Sunday afternoon.   Lincoln took an 8-4 lead into the seventh inning of the first game; however, the Lynx gave up five runs in the stanza and lost 9-8.

In the second game, Jaren McLane went the distance on the mound, allowing eight hits and eight runs, four earned. McLane struck out three and walked three. Leading the Lynx at the plate was Jake VanDyke with three hits in four trips to the plate. One of the VanDyke hits was a homer in the sixth inning with a pair of runners on the base path.   Brad Bone contributed two hits, including a triple and two RBIs. Robert Sherren also connected for a pair of hits.

Anthony Hoffert pitched well in the first game, giving up two earned runs in four innings, striking out one and walking three. Charlie Deaken worked the fifth and sixth innings before the roof fell in during the seventh. Matt Knepper started the seventh inning, giving up three walks and a pair of hits while getting one out. Jason Rockhold came on, walked one and gave up a hit. VanDyke and Sherren were the hitting stars for Lincoln with two hits each.

The doubleheader split leaves Lincoln College with a record of 8-13 for the season.

Lincoln College      050 003 0  -  8-10-6

Lewis and Clark     002 011 5  -  9-11-2

Anthony Hoffert, Charlie Deaken (5), Matt Knepper (7-L), Jason Rockhold (7) & Robert Sherren; Mayes (W) & Barron.

Lincoln College     300 015 1  -  10-11-5

Lewis and Clark    211 103 0  -   8-8-2

Jaren McLane (W) & Robert Sherren;  Felder, Brenner (6-L) & Barron.

[Bill Martinie,
Lincoln College sports information director]

Lincoln College vs. Lake Land

[APRIL 2, 2001]  A five-run first inning proved to be enough as Lincoln College defeated Lake Land College of Mattoon 5-4 in baseball action at Galen Shirley Field Saturday afternoon. The second game of the scheduled doubleheader was rained out. The victory raises the Lincoln College record to 7-12 for the season.

Charlie Hulett opened the first stanza with a single and moved to second on a bunt.  Brad Bone drew a walk and Eirk Rich reached base on an error, allowing the first run to score.  Chad Blackburn followed with a run-scoring single, and Jake VanDyke slammed a two-run double.  Robert Sherren then singled in the final run of the inning.

Jonathon Cave worked the first five innings of the contest and picked up the victory, allowing four hits and a pair of earned runs.  Matt Knepper came on to record the final six outs and picked up the save. Hulett and Blackburn both had two hits to lead the Lynx hitting attack.

Lake Land          100 011 1  -  4-5-2

Lincoln College   500 000 x  -  5-7-0

Burris (L) & Huff; Jonathon Cave (W), Brad Barker (6), Matt Knepper (6) & Robert Sherren.

[Bill Martinie,
Lincoln College sports information director]

Sports Talk

[APRIL 6, 2001]  Sorry for the overused cliché. And to our loyal LDN readers, sorry for the lack of 411 the last few days. While we put a wrap on things from San Antonio, we had to deal with 24k modems that just weren’t getting the job done. In Minneapolis, overloaded phone lines prevented us from even sending our stuff. Oh well, you might be better off.

I’m STILL not even sure of what to make of what happened to the Illini in Texas. Whatever it was, it wasn’t a thing of beauty. One knowledgeable expert, who refuses to be quoted, told the LDN that if the games in Texas had been officiated like the games in Minnesota, the Illini would be sizing themselves for their rings. My ol’ buddy Craig says that "if ‘ands’ and ‘buts’ were candy and nuts, what a Merry Christmas it would be."

With all that being said, I guess you friends of LDN can pretty well figure that the Final Four was a very lonely experience without the Illinois squad being there with us. In fact, we disliked the teams that were there so much that for only the second time in the last 14 years we refused to buy tickets for the games.

BUT, the Final Four is not just an event with three big games. It’s much more of an experience than that. I hope all basketball junkies everywhere get the chance to take in some of the hoopla at some point in the future. There is so much to see and do, and believe it or not, Ed Plumier, most of it REALLY does promote a family atmosphere (other than the price of the tickets to the games…but, even at that, it’s more reasonable than the price to attend other major sporting events).

If you ever get the chance to share in the Final Four experience, here are some things that you should definitely look into.

First, on about Wednesday, the four teams arrive, and usually the press conference is something that you can take in. It’s a lot of coach speak to the purist, but the average fans would really get a charge out of it.

On Thursday and Friday, you can play America’s favorite family game, "Spot the celebrities." I tried to talk to Steve Mariucci, who is the head coach of the San Francisco 49ers, but couldn’t get near him. Over the years we’ve shook hands with Kevin Costner, Nick Nolte and Gregory Hinds, waved to President Clinton, walked in Seattle with Jack Nicholson and George Steinbrener, and almost got shot in Indianapolis by one of Colin Powell’s bodyguards!

Friday night you could take your family to see a fairly reasonably priced college all-star game featuring some of the nation’s top seniors playing a stellar group of Harlem Globetrotters. There is also a slam-dunk and hot-shot challenge included "free" of charge!

I forgot to mention that if 3s and dunks are your cup of tea, there is an ESPN-hosted event on Thursday, but we usually boycott it just to be difficult.

There is also a high school hoop summit, usually on Sunday, featuring some of the best U.S. high school players playing some of the best international players. It is usually the best game of the weekend by far. You will also see virtually every major coach and scout in the country at that contest.

[to top of second column in this article]

One of the biggest attractions, by far, is "Hoop City." This event used to belong to the NABC (coaches association), but they sold out to the NCAA…guess the NCAA was struggling and needed another buck or two! This is probably the best value for the dollar, especially for young families with kids not yet in high school. There are dozens of interactive games, dozens of courts to play on, celebrities and autograph sessions galore, and every piece of Final Four memorabilia that could line your closets triple-thick. Most people love this event like no other. If you have kids that love hoops and are possibly a junkie yourself, take it in the next time the Final Four is in your neighborhood.

Probably the most exciting thing you could do and should do is to take your family to the Friday practice sessions. All four teams get an hour to practice in the venue at hand, and you can take your family and sit anywhere you want to. Amazingly, it is STILL absolutely FREE. But don’t worry, once the NCAA hears about that, they’ll figure out some way to make another buck off of that too!

If you love celebrities and awards, you can shell out some cash and take your kids to the College Basketball Awards show. We boycott this affair also, as we believe that basketball is a team game, and unless we like someone who is getting an award, we don’t want to be seen there.

One of the coolest things about the Final Four is meeting people from all over the country. The LDN was denied tickets for this year’s Final Four, so we had to do all of our milling around at the convention center and at the Metro Dome. It is just great to see every fan wearing the colors of their favorite team even though most of them realize that their hometowners have already been eliminated.

The town that hosts the Final Four is decorated and spruced up with beautiful colors, and they’re giving you free stuff every time you turn around. I usually take my vacation every year to go to this crazy event just to get the free stuff…I love free stuff!

At any rate, I’m very sad that the season is over. I mourn this time of the year for several months. I wish college basketball lasted for 12 months, but since it doesn’t, bring on baseball!

And if you are ever remotely close to a Final Four venue (upcoming ones will surely be in St. Louis and in Indianapolis), do yourself and your family a favor and take in at least one day of the experience. It is one of the most exciting things that you will ever do.

And finally, I want to thank each and every loyal LDN reader for taking the college basketball ride with my staff and me this season. We tried to give you a peek inside the world of college basketball, and we had a ball bringing you all of the coverage.

Thanks also to my wonderful staff who just did a tremendous job bringing you all of the action, especially during the month of December when Payne and I were getting introduced to one another. He can’t wait for basketball season to begin.

Anyway, thanks for tuning in…I hope you enjoyed it as much as we enjoyed bringin’ it to you!

[Jeff Mayfield]

[MARCH 26, 2001]  

[click here for Part 1]

A. He’s been a big part of my life. He’s always telling me to take the ball hard to the basket. He’s worked hard with me over the years, as has coach Donnie Aeilts, my junior high coach.

A. Our emphasis at Illinois is to take the ball to the basket and to dunk everything. I think if we could do that we could get to the foul line a little more often.

A. First, we’ve got to remember what happened to us last year and always keep that in mind. We have to come out every game with the best focus that we can. We have to show up with our A game and always give it 100 percent.

A. Yes. We know, but we have to be a team that approaches things one game at time.

A. I watched some in Frank’s room and some with my roommate, Sean. Yes, we want our conference to do well, but we’re mostly concerned about how well we perform.

[to top of second column in this section]

[Brian Cook]

Q. What do you need to do personally through the rest of the tournament?

A. I have to come out with more intensity. If I can be even more focused, that will help me and our team be even more successful. I just want to keep it going. I will use that experience from last year to make sure that it doesn’t happen again.

A. They are stroking their shots pretty well right now. When they shoot it we think that they will make every shot.

A. I only got to see one game, but I read about how well they were doing. I was excited for them because I know how hard they have worked. I really wanted to see those Southeast and Mount Zion games, but obviously we had work to do here.

A. I give him credit for keeping us healthy.

A. I’m a lot more calm this year. I’m not bothered by the media or the hype now. I took that experience and learned from it. It’s a mental thing…my attitude is so much better this season. I remembered that in last year’s NCAA’s I had two rebounds in two games. I’m not going to let that happen again. I’m just trying to come out and do my job.

[MARCH 22, 2001]  One year ago, Brian Cook was disappointed, dejected and despondent. His Fighting Illini had looked lethargic, lifeless and totally lost as the Florida Gators kicked the stuffing out of Illinois on their way to an NCAA title date. Even though the media seldom reports on the strong character and integrity that Cook possesses, we all knew that Brian would blame himself. And that’s exactly what he did. Never mind that the rest of the team failed to show up as well on that fateful day. Cook vowed that if his chance rolled around again that he would be ready…and ready he was, firing in 31 points and crashing down with 16 rebounds. The LDN spoke with Brian at the press conference last Friday in Dayton and then in a joyous Illini locker room after the game.

Q. Brian, once again you came out on fire, scoring eight straight points.

A. Yes. I just tried to come out with a lot of energy and a lot more focus than I came out with last year. I think that experience from last year helped me prepare for this year.

Q. Were you relaxed playing a team like Northwestern State in the first round?

A. No. They really pressured us in the first half, and after a few minutes they were picking their spots. We made some nice adjustments at halftime, and then their pressure was no factor after that.

Q. Did you guys need a game like this to get your confidence back and to get rolling into the NCAAs?

A. No. We’re just going to take it one game at a time. We played well today. We all worked the ball around and played unselfishly. Whoever we play tomorrow, we know that we’ll have to bring our A game (I forgot to ask Brian if he’s been talking to Tiger Woods with that A-game crack).

Q. You guys seem to be playing unselfishly, making lots of extra passes out there.

A. At the end we were just having fun, especially when the entire bench got in.

Q. Did all of the upsets on Thursday affect your thinking going into your game?

A. Yes. It affected us a little bit. You know…we didn’t want to get popped. But we came in here focused, with the mentality that we want to keep playing.

Q. After winning so handily, are you still able to see areas that can be improved on?

A. We’ve got to guard the ball more. When people try to pressure us, especially full court, we can’t let it bother us like it did for a few minutes.

Q. How did last year’s tournament help you this year, and do you feel redeemed?

A. Actually we all played well. I went out there and tried to get some easy baskets underneath and basically do my job. It feels real good that I could contribute and play as well as I did. I think I’m a lot stronger and much more mentally focused than I was last year. And like I said earlier, the experience from last year really helped me this year.

Q. For our loyal readers that don’t know, tell us about the shaved-head thing.

A. My hair was just long and I wanted to cut it. I wore it like this in high school during tournament time. I mean, I just wanted to bring it back.

Q. What a balanced attack! That should make us a scouting nightmare, huh?

A. We’re really moving the ball well and finding each other.

[to top of second column in this section]

Q. It seems like the Big Ten really struggled the first day. Were you weary of that?

A. We want the Big Ten to do well, but our main focus is us. We are selfish in that regard. We’re just going to go out and try to do our best.

Q. Any secret good-luck charms besides shaving your head…like your mom’s chicken?

A. No. I ate the hotel’s chicken.

Q. Compare this year with last year.

A. Last year I felt a little bit intimidated with all the media coverage and with all the hype flying around. That year to think about it and deal with it has helped me grow. Last year I was even shy with the media. This year my teammates and I were much more calm than we were a year ago.

Q. How fun was it to see your teammates get some playing time?

A. It was really fun. They work so hard trying to get us prepared. It was great to see them go out and be able to do their thing.

Q. What did this win mean, especially after losing to Indiana?

A. It means a lot. Everybody was knocking down shots…Cory shot it well, Sean shot it well…everyone was shooting it well. We’ve got a lot of weapons, and hopefully we can continue to use them all. We were disappointed after the Indiana game, but since the next day was selection Sunday, I think we got that out of our minds quickly. We immediately started focusing on the NCAA Tournament. I thought we came out with that kind of focus and jumped on ’em early today and came away with the victory.

Q. Did you watch the games Thursday on TV?

A. We watched as many games as we could. But mostly, we’re concerned with ourselves; we’re not concerned with other teams. We’re concerned with Illinois basketball and what goes on amongst our own players.

Q. Some people say that you weren’t really tested.

A. They played better pressure defense than most people thought. We came out in the second half and broke their press. Give credit to them. They didn’t back down the whole game. They did beat us to some loose balls and got a few boards, but that’s what we expected from them.

Q. Are you sick of answering questions about what happened last year, and is it a weight around your neck?

A. No. It’s not a weight. I knew the questions would be coming. I just thought I would take that experience and not let it happen again.

Stay tuned for Part 2 of LDN’s exclusive interview with Lincoln’s Brian Cook tomorrow!

[Jeff Mayfield]

[click here for Part 2 of interview]

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