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High school baseball

Lincoln varsity baseball vs. Lanphier

[MAY 18, 2001]  The Lincoln Railers tangled with the 2001 Central State Eight conference champs on Thursday. Lanphier, who nipped Lincoln 8-7 on Monday, demonstrated why they deserve such conference recognition. Lanphier (26-6) had three innings of three or more runs and proceeded to dominate the game offensively, winning 11-2 on 15 hits.

Lincoln’s two runs came on a game total of three hits and were all scored in the fourth inning. Down 4-0, the inning began with Blake Schoonover reaching base on an infield error and stealing second. Derek Schrader then beat out an infield hit and stole second, putting runners at second and third. Chris Phillips brought home Schoonover on a sacrifice fly to right field. Andy Knopp recorded Lincoln’s second game hit with an RBI single to right field. A sacrifice bunt by Danny Schick put Knopp at second, and when no one was looking, Knopp went on to third base. A long fly out to right field by Matt Boyer ended the inning. The only other Railer hit on the day was a two-out bunt by Matt Aper in the fifth inning.

Lanphier’s 11 runs came on an unfortunate mixture of Lincoln errors, luck and some downright good hitting. With sophomore starter Ryne Komnick on the mound, Lanphier scored three runs in the first inning with two outs. Senior P.J. Finigan singled and reached second on an errant pickoff throw. Senior Chris Workman singled to left and was allowed to move to second on a throw to home that couldn’t be cut off. With runners at second and third, senior Ryan Bietsch singled up the middle, scoring Finigan. This time, the throw from the outfield was cut off (by the Railer first baseman), and Bietsch was caught taking a long turn past first. Danny Schick, playing right field, came all the way to first on the play. But as he arrived, the errant throw to nab Bietsch rolled, and rolled, and rolled into right field with no one there to get it. As a result, Workman scored, and Bietsch was able to go all the way around the bases himself.

[Senior catcher Andrew Bartman tries to rally the troops.]

Lanphier scored a single run in the fourth, and Ryan Williams prevented a second run by running down a two-out long fly ball over his head in center field. But Lanphier’s firepower rained on Lincoln in the fifth and sixth innings. Komnick gave up a leadoff walk in the fifth, followed by a triple and three singles. Three runs scored with no outs registered. With runners at first and second, junior Andy Knopp relieved Komnick. Knopp quickly helped the cause by prompting a weak liner back to the mound and doubling up the runner at second. Two pitches later, Lanphier’s Mike Phillips lined a shot at Knopp’s left shoulder that he nabbed to end the inning.

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[[Andy Knopp on the mound, with Blake Schoonover at short and Derek Schrader in left field.]

[Coach Pat Hake contemplates the loss to Lanphier.]

In the sixth inning, Lanphier got to Knopp with some bad breaks and a couple of hard-hit balls. The first three hitters had a triple and two singles. The second single was a high two-hopper to Matt Aper at second base. What could have been a double-play ball ended up taking an unexpected jump over Aper’s head into the outfield. Michael Martin, the center fielder, helped redeem the play by throwing out the runner at third base. Then P.J. Finigan, who had three hits on the day, nubbed a full-count inside fastball on the handle toward third. He probably would have beaten the throw to first anyway, but it sailed past Phillips at first, scoring another. Chris Workman, who went 4-4 on the day, followed Finigan with an RBI triple over Martin’s head in center field. With that, Knopp yielded the mound to Martin who, after a walk, was able to elicit a ground out and infield fly out to end the four-run inning.

Lincoln finished the conference schedule with a 6-8 record and stands at 20-14 overall. The Railers will play one more non-conference game, at East Peoria next Tuesday, before starting their regional tournament. Lincoln is seeded second in the Mattoon regional and will host Decatur Eisenhower in the first round on Thursday, May 24.

Area high school baseball games

[MAY 18, 2001] 

Hartsburg-Emden competed against Tri-Valley at Downs yesterday afternoon. Tri-Valley beat Hartem 12-2. The game was called due to the 10-run rule.

Ryan Anderson was Hartsburg-Emden’s pitcher. Blaine Fletcher replaced him in the fifth inning. Matt Gleason was the team’s catcher.

Brett Haas pitched for Tri-Valley, and Tanner Springer was the team’s catcher.

Hartem’s baseball record is 12-19, and Tri-Valley’s is 21-12.

Hartsburg-Emden   002 000 – 2-4-1

Tri-Valley               214 203 – 12-15-2

Illini Central and Midwest Central met in Mason City for a baseball game. Illini Central won 3-1.

Anthony Fletcher (seven innings, seven hits, no earned runs, five strikeouts) pitched the game for Illini Central, and Luke Bohm was the team’s catcher.

Doty pitched for Midwest Central, and Fredrick was the catcher.

Illini Central          100 002 x – 3-5-2

Midwest Central   000 010 0 – 1-7-0

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Blue Ridge traveled to Stanford yesterday afternoon for a high school baseball game against Olympia. Olympia cleaned house, 12-2, so the game was called due to the 10-run rule.

Jeff Darnall was credited with his fifth pitching win in as many games. Chris Frank pitched in the third inning, Cam Cheek in the fourth inning and Steve Raleigh in the fifth inning. Steve Raleigh and Rush Olson were the catchers for the game.

Brandon Gale hit a home run for Oly in the second inning. Ben Lee, Chris Frank, Brandon Gale and Lance Leesman each batted in two runners during the game. Ben Lee also made four hits and a double. Chris Frank made three hits, and Brandon Gale made two.

Dan Askew pitched for Blue Ridge, with Kurt Burton replacing him in the second inning. Rusty Wollung was the team’s catcher.

Olympia’s record improved to 33-2. Blue Ridge’s record is 20-15.

Olympia       820 02 – 12-15-2

Blue Ridge    000 02 – 2-1-2

[LDN]

High school softball

[MAY 18, 2001] 

Hartem traveled to Mackinaw yesterday afternoon for a softball game against Dee-Mack. Hartem was shut out 3-0.

Danielle Bergman pitched for Hartsburg-Emden. Leann Alberts was the catcher.

Lisa Westendorg pitched for Dee-Mack, and Alissa Kruse was the catcher.

Hartem’s softball record is 8-20. Deer Creek-Mackinaw’s record is 16-14.

Hartsburg-Emden            000 000 0 – 0-4-1

Deer Creek-Mackinaw   201 000 0 – 3-5-0

Olympia welcomed Central Catholic to Stanford yesterday afternoon but sent them packing, 10-0. The game was called due to the 10-run rule.

Jessie Shay (two-hitter, no walks, three strikeouts) pitched her 21^st winning game of 26, and Al Flessner was the team’s catcher.

Mindy Bachman and Jessie Shay each made two hits and batted in two runners. Erin Canopy and Tiffany Prager each batted in two runners. Nicole Prager made two hits.

Meghan Mikel pitched for Central Catholic, and Katie Reeter was the catcher.

Olympia’s record is 28-7-1. Central Catholic is 6-19-1.

Olympia 403 12 – 10-12-0

Central Catholic 000 00 – 0-2-5

[LDN]

High school baseball

[MAY 16, 2001] 

Yesterday afternoon, Hartem’s and Fieldcrest’s baseball teams competed in Minonk. Hartem won by one point, 3-2.

Chapman pitched for Hartsburg-Emden, with Jones replacing him in the seventh inning. Gleason was the team’s catcher.

Gleason hit a home run in the fifth inning, with two men on base. He also batted in two runners. Aper hit twice during the game.

Andy Craig (11 strikeouts, one walk) pitched for Fieldcrest, and Drew Glowacki was the catcher.

Hartem’s record improved to 12-17, and Fieldcrest’s record is 20-7.

Score by innings

Hartem        100 020 0 – 3-4-1

Fieldcrest     110 000 0 – 2-10-2

Mount Pulaski welcomed Niantic-Harristown to Mount Pulaski yesterday afternoon for a baseball game but sent them packing, 11-1. The game was called after the fifth inning due to the 10-run rule.

Colton McClellan pitched his fifth winning game of six this season (four innings, no hits, no runs, five strikeouts, two walks).

During the game, the Hilltppers made six points with just two home runs. Brian Clements hit a home run in the first inning, with two men on base. Korey Davis hit a home run in the second inning, again with two men on base. Clements made another hit and brought in a runner. Davis also had another hit.

Cody Rogers pitched for Niantic-Harristown.

Mount Pulaski’s record is at an even 13-13.

Score by innings

Mount Pulaski          540 02 – 11-10-0

Niantic-Harristown   000 01 – 1-1-1

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Olympia creamed Bloomington’s baseball team in Stanford yesterday afternoon. The game was called due to the 10-run rule; the final score was 10-zip.

Brandon Gale pitched his 10th game and 10th win for Oly (six strikeouts, one walk). Rush Olson and Steve Raleigh were the catchers.

Brandon Gale hit a home run for his team in the second inning, with one man on base. He also batted in two other runners during the game and made a double. Ryan Kendrick hit a triple and two doubles for the Spartans and batted in one runner. Chris Frank and Nick Hieser each hit a double for their team. Hieser also batted in one runner. Cam Cheek, Jeff Darnall and Ryne Sherman each batted in one runner.

Pete Stone (four strikeouts, one walk) pitched for Bloomington, and Ryan Enata (two strikeouts) replaced him in the fourth inning.

Olympia’s baseball record is now 32-2, and Bloomington is 22-7.

Score by innings

Olympia           630 1x – 10-12-0

Bloomington     000 00 – 0-2-2

[LDN]

High school softball

[MAY 16, 2001] 

Illini Central and South Fulton competed in a softball game in Mason City yesterday. Illini Central won 11-5.

Holly Skelton pitched for Illini Central (nine strikeouts), and Brooke Oney was the catcher.

Reba Winkelman made two hits, a double and batted in three runners. April Francis hit two doubles.

Phillips pitched for South Fulton, with Richey replacing her in the fourth inning. Jones was the team’s catcher.

Illini Central’s record is 3-17, and South Fulton’s record is 1-15.

Score by innings

Illini Central        032 240 x – 11-6-3

South Fulton      101 000 3 – 5-6-2

Mount Pulaski traveled to Athens yesterday afternoon to play a softball game. Athens won 7-3.

Becky Tobias pitched for Mount Pulaski, and C.C. was the catcher.

Hudson Chestnut pitched for Athens (eight strikeouts, five walks), and Harrington was the team’s catcher.

Mount Pulaski’s record is 1-21.

Score by innings

Mount Pulaski   300 000 0 – 3-2-3

Athens              401 200 x – 7-7-6

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Olympia’s and Illini Bluffs’ softball teams played a doubleheader in Stanford yesterday. Olympia won the first game 4-0, but Illini Bluffs kept up their spirits and won the second game 3-2.

Jessica Shay pitched the first game for Olympia (six strikeouts, six innings), and Alicia Flessner was the catcher.

Tricia Gaither hit twice for the Lady Spartans.

Jess Super pitched the first game for Illini Bluffs, with Bechy Buntz catching.

First game

Score by innings

Olympia       001 012 x – 4-4-0

Illini Bluffs    000 000 0 – 0-6-3

In the second game, Tricia Gaither pitched her sixth win of eight games for Olympia, and Liz Sunday was the catcher.

Nicole Prager hit twice during the game.

Denise Harris pitched her 11^th win and game for Illini Bluffs. Bechy Buntz was again the catcher.

Second game

Score by innings

Olympia       000 200 0 – 2-4-2

Illini Bluffs    100 200 0 – 3-4-0

Olympia’s softball record is now 27 wins, seven losses and one tie. Illini Bluffs’ record is 22-5.

[LDN]

High school baseball

Lincoln varsity baseball vs. Lanphier

[MAY 15, 2001]  Whenever you lose a game by one run, you might be tempted to point to just one play that would have made the difference. But a one-run loss doesn’t come down to a single play. There were five, six, and probably more plays and non-plays that could have made the difference. Monday’s 8-7 loss to Lanphier (now 25-6) was a great game for the fans to watch. It was a terribly tough game for the Railers to lose. But it wasn’t a loss by an individual or two; it was a team loss.

The conference matchup was about as close statistically as it could be. With Lanphier’s numbers first, note the comparisons: 8-7 score; 5-5 earned runs; 13-11 hits; 1-1 home runs; 3-4 errors; and each team scored in four innings.

Lanphier scored one in the first, off two Lincoln errors and a double by P.J. Finigan. The Railers took the lead in the second with two runs that were scored by Nick Bay (pinch running for Chris Phillips, who had walked) and Danny Schick (who reached on a fielder’s-choice bunt). Blake Schoonover and Andrew Bartman had RBI singles to score Bay and Schick.

In Lanphier’s fourth, P.J. Finigan (who had one of his three hits on the day) tied the game by scoring on a ground out. But in the bottom of the inning, Lincoln scored one of its own when Schoonover led off with a single, advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt by Bartman and to third on a fielding error that benefited Matt Boyer, and came home on an RBI single by Matt Aper.

The most decisive inning, however, was the fifth. Three of Lanphier’s first four hitters had singles to load the bases with one out. A sacrifice fly by Chris Workman scored one, and another single by Ryan Bietsch scored a second run. The big hit—and the big hurt—however, was credited to Scott Bietsch. With two on and two out, Bietsch hit a first-pitch, three-RBI home run to left field. The five runs put Lanphier on top 7-3.

But Lincoln came back in the bottom of the fifth. Justin Dedman led off with his second single of the game, and Derek Schrader towered a home run to left-center field. After Phillips lined out to right field, Andy Knopp hit a high shot to the fence in deep left-center field, prompting some confusion. To some spectators, it appeared as though the ball may have bounced off the center-fielder’s glove and over the fence for a home run. After some umpire consultation, however, it was ruled as a ground-rule double, with the judgment that the ball went over the fielder’s head and took one bounce over the fence as he was reaching for it with his bare hand. Two subsequent ground outs ended the inning and left Knopp at third base. In any case, the score was now 7-5 Lanphier.

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[Andrew Bartman lays down a sacrifice bunt in the fourth inning.]

[Chris Phillips faces his pitching counterpart, Marshall Pressler, in the fourth.]

Lanphier scored one in the sixth on a couple of hits and a Lincoln error, to move the score to 8-5. But in the bottom of the inning, Lincoln came back again. Bartman singled and Matt Boyer reached on a second baseman error. However, Jeremy Ohmart, who was pinch running for Bartman, tried to make it to third on the play and was tagged out. Matt Aper then walked, to put runners at first and second. Dedman laid down a successful sacrifice bunt, and Schrader and Phillips followed with RBI singles. But the inning ended on a high fly out to first base.

While no runs were scored by either team in the seventh, it was still an exciting inning. With bases loaded and one out, Lanphier’s Tom Hollinshead grounded to Matt Aper close to second, and Aper completed the double play with the force out and throw to first. In Lincoln’s seventh, Schick reached base on an infield error and stole second on a strikeout. After another strikeout, Schick was caught in a rundown between second and third for the final out of the game.

Chris Phillips took the loss for the Railers, pitching a complete game. Phillips struck out seven and walked only one. Lanphier’s Marshall Pressler got the victory, going 5 1/3 innings, striking out one, walking one and giving up nine hits. P.J. Finigan got the save, yielding two hits, no walks and striking out two.

Thursday, the Railers will travel to Springfield to "even the score" with Lanphier. Lincoln’s record is now 20-13 and 6-7 in the conference.

[Rich Knopp]

[Box scores and stats vs. Lanphier (May 14)]

High school softball

[MAY 15, 2001] 

Olympia’s high school softball team traveled to Normal to play Normal West at Champion Fields. Normal beat Olympia by one run, 4-3.

Jessica Shay pitched for Olympia (10 hits, two earned runs, one walk, two strikeouts), and Alicia Flessner was the catcher.

Nichole Prager hit twice for the Lady Spartans.

Jilian Widick pitched for Normal, and DesaRae Myers was the team’s catcher.

Score by innings

Olympia           000 003 0 – 3-6-4

Normal West   000 210 1 – 4-11-2

[LDN]

High school track and field

Capital Area Classic

[MAY 15, 2001]   Team scores were not kept at the Capital Area Classic in Springfield.

Area girls’ results

100 meters—3^rd place: Jillian McDonald of Illini Central, 13.4

400 meters—2^nd place: Sara Conklen of Lincoln, 1:00.8

Long jump—2^nd place: Dominique Dawson of Lincoln, 16-5¼

Triple jump—5^th place: Abby Cave of Illini Central, 32-6½

Pole vault—2^nd place: Jennifer Whalen of Lincoln 7-6

Shot put—6^th place: Mallory Coons of Lincoln, 32-11½

Discus—4^th place: Becca Hahn of Lincoln, 106-8

400 relay—5^th place: Illini Central, 53.4

800 relay—4^th place: Illini Central 1:51.2

[to top of second column in this report]

Area boys’ results

100 meters—1^st place: Tommy Gallagher of Lincoln, 10.8

1,600 meters—4^th place: Brandon Grimsley of Illini Central, 4:42.5

1,600 relay—2^nd place: Lincoln, 3:29.1

Normal Invitational

[MAY 15, 2001]   Twelve freshman and sophomore boys track-and-field teams competed in the Normal Invitational in Normal West. Olympia took fifth place with 56 points. Lincoln made 11^th place with 16 points.

[LDN]

Bronco League

[MAY 15, 2001]  In the Bronco League season opener Monday evening, Graue Pharmacy defeated Waterstreet Catering 8-6.

Josh Edwards capped off a three-run first inning with a two-run home run, two runs scored and two RBIs.

Matt Schick went 2-for-3, hitting a triple and single. He had one RBI and scored two runs.

Cale Dahm also went 2-for-3. He hit two singles and batted in one run.

Justin Mason, Andrew Uhlry and Lincoln Moore each added one hit.

The winning pitcher was Kaleb Gordan (1-0), and Matt Schick picked up his first save.

Waterstreet Catering 6

Matt Xamis and Matt Leslie each scored two runs.

Tyler Schleder and Dustin Eimer each scored one run.

High school baseball

Lincoln varsity baseball vs. Olympia

[MAY 14, 2001]  Saturday’s baseball matchup between Lincoln (at 20-10) and Olympia (at 28-2) was greatly anticipated, and understandably so. Year after year since junior high school, the diamond encounters between these players have been hard fought and sometimes filled with controversy. Saturday’s games were no exception. At the end, however, the Spartans came out on top this time, winning 7-2 and 6-2.

In the first game, the score was knotted at 2-2 through five innings. Lincoln drew first blood in the second. Andy Knopp walked, moved to third on an errant pickoff throw by the Spartan pitcher, Ryne Kendrick, and was brought in on a sacrifice fly by Danny Schick. Olympia scored two runs in the third. Ryan Sherman singled, Chris Frank walked, and Ben Lee singled. With two outs, the plate umpire initially called out Jeff Darnall on a strikeout. In response, Lincoln’s catcher, Andrew Bartman, took a couple of steps away from the plate as Darnall took off for first and as Frank and Lee advanced. However, it was then ruled that the ball hit the dirt before Bartman gloved strike three, requiring a throw to first base to complete the strikeout. By then, Darnall reached first safely, and Frank ended up scoring on the play.

Another controversial incident occurred in Lincoln’s fifth. Michael Aper, pinch running for Matt Boyer, who had walked, stole second and reached third on a catcher throwing error. Nick Bay plated Aper by reaching first on a third-base error. After Bay stole second, an errant pickoff throw went into center field and was then thrown wildly past third, allowing Bay to head home. However, before he reached the plate, the umpire made him return to second, claiming that time had been called before the pickoff throw was made.

Justin Dedman walked, to put runners at first and second with two outs. Derek Schrader hit a single in the hole between short and third, but the shortstop was able to make a throw to home in time to nab Bay, who was stealing third and who tried to score on the infield hit. Lincoln’s second (and only other) hit of the game was a single by Knopp in the sixth. Any scoring threat was immediately stifled, however, when Schick grounded back to the pitcher for a pitcher-to-second-to-first double play to end the inning.

The decisive inning was Olympia’s sixth. Lincoln’s starter, Ryne Komnick, had faced just 20 hitters through five innings, giving up two runs on two hits and two walks. But the Spartan sixth included a triple by Steve Raleigh and singles by Darnall, Brandon Gale, Kendrick and Frank. Before it was done, Olympia scored five runs—enough for the 7-2 win.

[to top of second column in this article]

[Lincoln’s Chris Phillips faces Oly hurler Jeff Leesman. At second, Derek Schrader runs.]

[Michael Martin focuses on the mitt while Blake Schoonover watches.]

In the second game, Lincoln escaped a Spartan threat in the first inning when starter Ryan Williams ended the scoreless inning with a strikeout that stranded three Olympia base runners. But Olympia’s big inning was the second. Six runs scored on three walks and two singles (against Williams) and a three-RBI double by Gale and two singles (against reliever Michael Martin). While Spartan runners got in scoring position in the third, fourth and sixth against Martin, the six runs in the second inning were all that Olympia scored and all that they needed. After the second inning, Martin allowed just one hit for the next four innings.

Olympia’s starter, Jeff Darnall, went four innings and allowed just one (earned) run on four hits. All four hits came in the fourth inning, by Dedman, Schrader, Chris Phillips and Aaron Matson. Even so, Lincoln scored just one. Lincoln’s only other run was registered by Knopp, who drew a leadoff walk in the sixth inning, advanced on a wild pitch and a single by Schrader, and scored on another wild pitch. But with two on and one out, a ground-out double play to second, short and first ended the Lincoln inning.

While Lincoln was granted nine walks in the two games, their bats were relatively quiet. Only five players produced the seven Lincoln hits in the two games. Schrader had three, and Knopp went 1-for-1, drew three free passes and scored two of Lincoln’s four runs on the day.

Lincoln, now 20-12, plays its final two conference games this week against a strong 24-6 Lanphier team: Monday at home and Thursday in Springfield.

[Rich Knopp]

LCHS freshman baseball vs. Peoria Limestone

[MAY 14, 2001]  The Lincoln High School freshman baseball team scored seven runs in the bottom of the seventh inning to post a 17-16 victory in the first game of a doubleheader against Peoria Limestone. Lincoln continued the onslaught in the second game, posting a 17-7 win in six innings.

Miles Musick picked up the pitching victory in game one in relief of Trent Kavelman, and Chris Matson went the distance for the second victory.

In the first game Musick, Corey Stoltzenburg and Jason Williams each had a pair of hits.  Musick scored two runs and drove in two, while Stoltzenburg had a pair of RBIs and Williams scored three runs.

Bobby Ward and Williams each had four hits in the second game.  Ward had a double, three runs scored and an RBI.  Williams had a double, four runs scored and three runs batted in.  Brad Reinhart had three hits, including a pair of doubles, scored three runs and drove in two.  Kyle Charron and Musick each had two hits.

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First game

Limestone       070 053 1 – 16 - 14 - 6

Lincoln            223 012 7 – 17 - 12 - 5

Gray (L) & Zachman; Kavelman, Musick (6-W) & Melton.

Limestone       313 000 –  7 - 11 - 6

Lincoln            271 034  – 17 - 18 - 4

Vernon (L), Roehm (3), Newby (4) & Gray; Matson (W) & Kavelman. 

[Bill Martinie]

High school softball

[MAY 14, 2001] 

Olympia’s and Midwest Central’s high school softball teams met in Stanford for a doubleheader. Olympia won both games. The first game was a 7-0 shutout, and the second ended 5-3.

Jessica Shay pitched her 20^th win of 24 games for Oly (four strikeouts, no walks). Alicia Flessner was Shay’s catcher.

Tricia Gaither batted in two runners for the Lady Spartans.

Brooke Woiwode pitched for Midwest Central, and Megan Ganise was the catcher.

First game

Score by innings

Olympia                 031 300 x – 7-9-0

Midwest Central    000 000 0 – 0-5-4

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Tricia Gaither pitched the second game for Olympia (eight strikeouts, one walk). Liz Sunday was her catcher.

Mindy Bachman hit a home run during the fifth inning. Rebecca Alberts hit a double and batted in two runners.

Jennifer Lewis pitched her ninth game for Midwest Central—this was her first loss. Megan Ganise was Midwest’s catcher again in the second game.

Second game

Score by innings

Olympia                 030 020 x – 5-7-0

Midwest Central    003 000 0 – 3-9-0

Olympia’s softball record is 26 wins, five losses and one tie. Midwest’s record is 24 wins and five losses.

[LDN]

Junior high state track-and-field meet at East Peoria

[MAY 14, 2001] 

Sixty-two seventh-grade girls track-and-field teams participated in the state meet this weekend in East Peoria. West Lincoln-Broadwell earned second place with 36 points. Mount Pulaski tied with four other teams for 27^th place with six points each. Hartsburg-Emden made five points and tied with eight other teams for 32^nd place. The events in which West Lincoln-Broadwell, Mount Pulaski or Hartsburg-Emden scored are as follows:

800 meters—1^st place: Christine Presswood of West Lincoln-Broadwell, 2:27.46

1,600 meters—1^st place, a meet record: Christine Presswood of West Lincoln-Broadwell, 5:16.66

100 hurdles—3^rd place: Beth Conaway of Mount Pulaski, 7.89

High jump—1^st place: Kylie Courtwright of West Lincoln-Broadwell, 4-10

Shot put—5^th place: Abby Olson of Hartsburg-Emden, 28-6

Discus—8^th place: Abby Olson of Hartsburg-Emden, 79-11

400 relay—2^nd place: West Lincoln-Broadwell, 56.82

Fifty-six eighth-grade girls track-and-field teams congregated in East Peoria this weekend for the state meet. Chester-East Lincoln earned 16 points, which gave them 10th place. Five teams tied Hartsburg-Emden’s eight points, in 24^th place. Six other teams earned 50^th place with Elkhart; they all had one point. The events in which Chester-East Lincoln, Hartsburg-Emden, or Elkhart scored are as follows:

400 meters—6^th place: Erin Dial of Hartsburg-Emden, 1:04.98

Long jump—1^st place: Brooklyn Robbins of Chester-East Lincoln, 16-5"

800 relay—3^rd place: Chester-East Lincoln, 1:57.52; 4^th place: Hartsburg-Emden, 1:57.54; 8^th place: Elkhart, 1:59.97

[to top of second column in this article]

Fifty-six seventh-grade boys track-and-field teams attended the state meet in East Peoria this past weekend. Mount Pulaski tied with three other teams, each having 16 points, for eighth place. Chester-East Lincoln took 24^th place with seven points. Hartsburg-Emden made two points and tied with five other teams in 46^th place. The events in which Mount Pulaski, Chester-East Lincoln or Hartsburg-Emden scored are as follows:

100 meters—6^th place: Shawn Delatorre of Mount Pulaski, 12.71

200 meters—4^th place: Shawn Delatorre of Mount Pulaski, 26.09

Long jump—6^th place: Chris McDonnough of Mount Pulaski,17-4¾

800 relay—4^th place: Mount Pulaski, 1:50.29; 7^th place: Hartsburg-Emden, 1:52.81; 8^th place: Chester-East Lincoln, 1:53.40

Fifty-two eighth-grade boys track-and-field teams participated in the state meet this weekend in East Peoria. West Lincoln-Broadwell earned 20 points and tied Potomac for eighth place. Elkhart tied Fox River Grove for 17^th place; each team made 11 points. Mount Pulaski got 48^th place along with four other teams, each making one point. The events in which West Lincoln-Broadwell, Elkhart or Mount Pulaski scored are as follows:

100 meters—3^rd place: Chris Schneider of West Lincoln-Broadwell, 12.10; 8^th place: Matt Davis of Elhart, 12.47

200 meters—2^nd place: Chris Schneider of West Lincoln-Broadwell, 24.85

Shot put—1^st place: Matt Davis of Elkhart, 47-9

400 relay—3^rd place: West Lincoln-Broadwell, 49.22

800 relay—8^th place: Mount Pulaski, 1:44.96

High school track and field

Boys track-and-field meet at Mahomet

[MAY 14, 2001]  Twenty-one boys track-and-field teams gathered at Mahomet for the Mahomet-Seymour Invitational this weekend. Olympia tied for eighth place with LeRoy, with 26 points. The events in which Olympia scored are as follows:

110 high hurdles—2^nd place: Sholty, 15.7

Pole vault—1^st place: DeLoriea, 12-6; 5^th place: Oehler, 11-6

Shot put—4^th place: Schultz, 52-7

3,200 relay—5^th place: Olympia, 8:33.7

Mount Pulaski vs. Warrensburg

Playing in Mount Pulaski Friday, the Hilltoppers rang in one more run than Warrensburg, winning 3-2.

Korey Davis pitched his fifth straight win for the Hilltoppers, with Cameron McClellan catching. Traughber (2-6) and Bolyard were pitcher and catcher for Warrensburg.

Outstanding hitters for Mount Pulaski were Chris Wilson, Brian Clements and Korey David, with two hits each.

Mount Pulaski is 12-13 overall for the season.

Score by innings

Mount Pulaski          000 002 1 – 3-9-0 

Warrensburg            010 001 0 – 2-3-2

Illini Central vs. Olympia

Did you hear the rumbling coming from Stanford Friday afternoon? That wasn't thunder. It was the Cougars and the Spartans pounding the ball field.

Illini Central took the early lead in the top of the first inning with the only run for the first inning. Olympia steamrolled the next two innings, bringing in six runs in the second inning and five in the third. The Cougars fought back in the fourth and fifth, bringing in two runs each inning, but the Spartans were in control and matched those four runs in the fifth, ending the game with a 10-run lead.

Illini Central is 14-11, and Olympia is 29-2 for the season.

Score by innings

Illini Central       100 22 – 5 - 6-4

Olympia             065 04 – 15-12-1

[LDN]

[APRIL 27, 2001]  This week's LDN Sports Talk takes on a different look than ever before. Since I couldn't get the LDN powers-to-be to send me out to Colorado Springs to do this interview, Race and I struggled together by e-mailing. I spent a Saturday coming up with a list of 20 to 25 questions and finally just told him to answer them when he could. He did that while going to class, studying for a test, practicing and, I think, writing a paper. It is very easy for a sports writer like me to have nothing but admiration for young men like Race Steinfort. I'm glad people like him are protecting Payne at night while he sleeps (or keeps his parents up). I hope you loyal LDN fans will enjoy Race's written response to my list of questions as much as I did! On behalf of the LDN, thank you, Race. We all wish you nothing but the best!

Response from Race Steinfort

[click here for Part 1]

I am majoring in aeronautical engineering as well as getting my math minor. I’d like to someday go into airplane design. However, once I graduate, I will go off to Undergraduate Pilot Training (UPT) where I will be trained for approximately one year to fly jets. Following UPT, I will have a 10-year commitment to the Air Force in which I hope to fly F-15s and/or A-10s.

[Race Steinfort]

I have been swimming competitively for about 16 years now, and yes, it has prepared me for swimming here. College is a whole new game, though. Instead of swimming every event possible, I now specialize in two to three events: the 100/200 back and the 1,650 (mile) free.

As for people I should thank, there are far too many to list. I think the main contributors were a man named Fred Plesé and my parents.

Mr. Plesé has been a huge inspiration in my life. This man, through rain, dark, snow, and hail, managed to show up at 5:30 in the morning at least three times a week and get into the water to swim with my father and me. He started from barely being able to swim for five minutes to swimming for an hour-plus and getting out hardly even breathing hard, with a giant grin on his face like he had just conquered the world (or at least the pool). To this day he still swims with my father every other morning. His dedication to swimming, his job and a giant family, and more importantly, his ability to, day after day, show up at 5:30 a.m. ready to jump in a cold pool with a giant smile on his face has made me believe that no matter how cold the water is or what lies ahead, the only way to go is just smile and jump in.

[to top of second column in this section]

I also have to thank my parents for all their support and love. They were there when I needed prodding and they were there to pick me up when I fell. They’ve been there through everything, and I know for sure that I wouldn’t be who and where I am today if it weren’t for them.

The only advice I have to give is to never underestimate yourself or your abilities and never take the easy way out. Some people believe that they can’t get anywhere because they were never given an opportunity. No one is ever given an opportunity; you have to make one for yourself, whether it’s in a pool, on a court or in a classroom.

The key is to take the harder path. Sometimes it takes giving up some things such as time and freedom, but in the end, it’s just like an investment. That which you gave up will turn into something much better. For me, the time and freedom and other things that I have given up in the past have allowed me to swim Division I and attend a great college; and the freedom and regular college life that I’m giving up right now will allow me to fly a $30 million aircraft at two times the speed of sound. You cannot give up everything, but unless you make some sacrifices, you will not be able to achieve your goals.

Yes, I would recommend the Air Force Academy and I am glad I came, but I would have to add one thing. It is not for everyone. It is a different life. I already told you a little about freshman year for me. It wasn’t easy and it was rarely fun. The academy offers a great education, great friendships, and I get paid to go to school, but in return I have pledged to give my life in the defense of our nation. I owe at least five years to the Air Force after I graduate and 10 years if I become a pilot.

It is something that must be well thought through before the decision is made. But I’d have to say jumping out of airplanes and flying fighters is an excellent way to spend a summer!

[APRIL 26, 2001]  This week's LDN Sports Talk takes on a different look than ever before. Since I couldn't get the LDN powers-to-be to send me out to Colorado Springs to do this interview, Race and I struggled together by e-mailing. I spent a Saturday coming up with a list of 20 to 25 questions and finally just told him to answer them when he could. He did that while going to class, studying for a test, practicing and, I think, writing a paper. It is very easy for a sports writer like me to have nothing but admiration for young men like Race Steinfort. I'm glad people like him are protecting Payne at night while he sleeps (or keeps his parents up). I hope you loyal LDN fans will enjoy Race's written response to my list of questions as much as I did! On behalf of the LDN, thank you, Race. We all wish you nothing but the best!

Response from Race Steinfort

I’ve been at the USAF Academy for almost three years now. I am currently a Second Class Cadet (junior) and I am still happy with my decision to come, though during my Fourth Class year (freshman) I wasn’t so sure about that one.

[Marshal Haylett and Lincolnite Race Steinfort, teammates on the U.S. Air Force Academy swim team, the Falcons, pose on a crisp-looking day in the Colorado Rockies.]

The application process was a pretty lengthy one. It entailed sending in an application to both the academy and my congressmen, including my representative, the Illinois senators and the vice president. Any of those four government officials could give me a nomination to the academy. Rep. Dick Durbin gave me my nomination. The process for nomination consisted of a few questionnaires and an interview. The next step was to get accepted to the academy. This consisted of a physical fitness test, a very lengthy application with everything from medical history to police records to exactly why I wanted to attend the academy, an interview with an Air Force liaison officer, and an essay on why I wanted to come and what I wanted to do in the Air Force.

One of my requirements for a college was Division I swimming, with the other being aeronautical engineering. I planned on swimming here, and there’s no doubt that it has helped me make it through here. I have been one of the top backstrokers here, placing sixth in both the 100 back and 200 back at the Mountain West Conference, with a 50.02 and a 1:50.09 respectively. My best swim at that meet was in the morning, where I finally broke 1:50 in the 200 back to go a 1:49.39, my lifetime best.

We do get to travel quite a bit. We usually alternate with teams, going to their place one year and having them here the next. The main teams we always swim against are University of Washington, BYU, Utah, UNLV and Wyoming, to name a few. We also travel during Christmas break. We usually leave shortly after Christmas to go somewhere warm like California or Florida to train day in and day out for a little over a week.

[to top of second column in this section]

The question of whether or not being intercollegiate is an advantage is a pretty tough one. Yes, it has helped me a lot, but it has also made some aspects of life more difficult. The best part of being on a team here is the camaraderie and the friendships. We have a very close team here, and all the guys on the team look out for each other like brothers.

The hardest part of the academy is the loss of freedom during freshman year. You come from a high school where you are at the top of the chain, and you walk into a place where you are worth less than the dirt on the ground. It provides quite a bit of emotional stress among other things. I seriously doubted why I came, and I wasn’t sure that I wanted to stay. Everyone was always yelling at me and nothing seemed to be good enough. There was dust inside the smoke detector, a spot on the sink and my shoes were NEVER shiny enough (just a few of the things they’d pick on). The goal was to put as much stress on us as possible to weed out the people who didn’t want to be there and teach the rest of us how to deal with stress. That was pretty much all of basic training and freshman year.

This is where swimming and the team really helped me to get away and remember that I do have friends, and mainly, I wasn’t in this alone. Going down to the pool every day also helps to get away from the academic grind.

This, however, is also where sports are not so much an advantage. We, as intercollegiates, do not have a lighter academic load than anyone else here, despite the fact that we have three to four hours of our afternoon devoted to practice. This provides for many late nights and long weekends doing homework and studying. I’m taking 22.5 hours this semester as well as swimming for three hours every afternoon. Along with this, we, as cadets, have mandatory formations, In Rank Inspections (IRIs—uniform inspections) and Additional Morning Inspections (AMIs—room inspections) which we have to prepare and clean for at least twice a week and sometimes more depending on the leadership and how we did the previous week.

Traveling with the team is another bonus, in that for a weekend or at least a day or two you get to leave the academy and get away for a while. The only problem with that is that you miss classes and usually fall behind in the process, and catching up with 22 hours is not easy! Despite the disadvantages, the friends and the break from the grind for a day or two or even just a few hours in the day make being an intercollegiate well worth it in my mind.

(To be continued)

[click here for Part 2]

Announcements

Play ball with the Lincoln Park District

From Roy Logan, program coordinator

[APRIL 26, 2001]  The phase "play ball" is echoing all around the Lincoln Park District.  Teams for boys and girls have been chosen and practices are in full swing.  Registration for men's and women's softball is currently under way.  If you have not come to the office to pick up your roster and information, you will want to do so soon.

A new league offered this summer is Co-ed Over 40.  This league is strictly for the recreational player.  The season will not last as long.  Play will be at Memorial Park on Thursday nights.

The success of Lincoln's summer baseball and softball programs is directly related to the many local businesses that support the teams financially.  In these times of rising utilities and gas prices, we urge you to support the businesses whose names appear on the team shirts.  It takes not only money but volunteers as well.  Our thanks to the many people who donate their time and talent to coaching and keeping a great game on track.

Golf outing planned

[APRIL 12, 2001]  Abraham Lincoln Healthcare Foundation has set Friday, June 29, for their seventh annual golf outing at the Elk’s Country Club in Lincoln.

The format will again be a four-person scramble with a 7:30 a.m. and 1 p.m. shotgun start. The $75 entry fee includes greens fee and free cart rental, along with opportunities to win prizes and awards, including Hole-in-One, Top Foursomes, Longest Putt, Longest Drive and Closest to the Pin, for both men and women. Also provided are a continental breakfast and buffet luncheon.

In addition to golfing, a variety of sponsorships are available, including Tee, Cart and Prize Sponsorships. Appropriate recognition and benefits are provided for each sponsor.

All funds raised from the golf outing support the ALMH Care-A-Van service. The Care-A-Van is a specially equipped van, custom-built to provide non-emergency transportation for individuals who are wheelchair-bound or need transportation assistance to get to necessary appointments.

For more information on player registration or sponsorship opportunities, please call Cynthia Kelley at (217) 732-2161, Ext. 405.

[News release]

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