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[APRIL 26, 2002]  They just wouldn’t let it happen again. Two days before, Lincoln’s varsity baseball team had a one-run lead against conference leader Chatham-Glenwood going into the seventh inning. Chatham hit a homer to tie the game. And after scoring a go-ahead run in the ninth inning, Lincoln gave up two runs to Chatham in the bottom of the ninth for the loss. Thursday, it looked like deja vu.

Lincoln held a 4-3 lead going into the seventh inning, and Chatham scored two to take the lead and possibly crush the Railer spirit. But this time, the die-hard Railers refused to go away, scoring twice in the bottom of the seventh to defeat Chatham 6-5.

In some ways it was a tale of revenge — for the team and for several Railers in particular. In the seventh inning, senior Blake Schoonover committed Lincoln’s third error of the game on a grounder to short that should have ended the inning and prevented Chatham from taking the lead on the next hitter’s single. But it was Schoonover in the bottom of the seventh who created a two-out 0-2 count RBI single to tie the game and give new life to the Railers.

[Matt Boyer threw 136 pitches and struck out nine in the win against Chatham.]

Revenge was also on the mind of senior Matt Boyer. Boyer threw 136 pitches over 6 2/3 innings for the Railers and struck out nine. Going into the sixth inning he had a 4-2 lead. In the sixth, he surrendered a leadoff double that resulted in a Chatham run which put the score at 4-3. In the seventh, he gave up a triple and a double that tied the game. He came back with a strikeout for the second out with a runner in scoring position. And then he witnessed the Schoonover error that allowed another batter to the plate. On his 136th pitch, he gave up one more RBI single, which put Chatham ahead 5-4.

After that hit, coach Pat Hake replaced Boyer with junior Ryne Komnick. After all that extraordinary effort, Boyer left the game facing a heartbreaking loss. But Boyer got his chance at the plate in the bottom of the seventh inning after Schoonover’s game-tying hit. With Danny Schick, the winning Railer runner, at third and two outs, Boyer slapped an outside pitch over the head of the second baseman. The ball dropped to the turf and sent home Lincoln’s victory run.

[to top of second column in this article]

Ryne Komnick also had his revenge. In the Tuesday game with Chatham it was Komnick who took the mound in the eighth inning and had a 6-5 lead going to the bottom of the ninth. Chatham scored twice and Komnick took the loss. In this game Komnick replaced Boyer on the mound in the top of the seventh with a one-run deficit. The one batter he faced, Mark Clayton, had doubled and scored the tying run against Komnick in the ninth inning of the first game. But this time, he struck out Clayton with four pitches and left two Titan runners stranded on base. With the Railers’ two runs in the bottom of the inning, Komnick picked up the win. (In addition, Komnick didn’t get to plate in the game Tuesday, but he had two singles and an RBI double on Thursday.)

Junior Derek Schrader also had his share of revenge. Although Schrader had a home run in the first meeting with Chatham, he was also hit by a pitch and intentionally walked twice. In this game, Schrader got his second hit of the game in the bottom of the seventh, and he scored the tying run on Schoonover’s RBI single.

In addition to the multiple-hit games by Schrader and Komnick, Jeremy Ohmart continued his hot hitting with two singles in the contest.

It was a sweet victory for the Railers — probably their most notable win of the year. The victory puts the Railer record at 10-12 and 4-4 in the conference. (Chatham is now 6-2 in conference play.) This Saturday, weather permitting, the Railers will play a doubleheader at home against Morton and will use the day to express special appreciation to the graduating senior baseball players.

[Rich Knopp]

[APRIL 26, 2002]  Glenwood High School shut out Lincoln High School 7-0 in sophomore baseball action at Lindstrom Field in Lincoln Thursday afternoon. The loss drops the Lincoln record to 7-7 for the season. Lincoln plays at Clinton Friday and at Pekin on Saturday.

Lincoln was able to collect just two hits, both off the bat of Bob Maestas. The Railer defense let down the pitching staff, committing nine errors.

Chance Berger was the starting and losing pitcher, giving up eight hits and seven runs, two of which were earned.

Paul Phillips hurled the final four innings, giving up one hit and no runs.

Score by innings:

Glenwood       014 200 0 — 7-9-3

Lincoln           000 000 x — 0-2-9

Myers, O’Brien (6) & Kinger; Berger (L), Phillips (4) & Melton. 

[Bill Martinie]

[APRIL 26, 2002]   

At Mason City

Dee-Mack             000 001 —   1-  4-5

Illini Central            121 322 — 11-10-3

Called because of 10-run rule.

For Illini Central:  Bryce Cunningham and Travis Scott.  Outstanding hitters:  Trevor Scott, 2 hits; Cunningham, 2 hits, 4 RBIs.

At Lexington

Olympia             001 229 2 — 16-14-0

Lexington           000 110 0 —   2-  6-2

Called because of 10-run rule.

For Olympia:  Jeff Darnall (5-0) and Ryan Kendrick.  Outstanding hitters:  Darnall, 1 HR (one on in seventh), 2 RBIs; Steve Raleigh, 1 HR (grand slam in sixth), 3 hits, 4 RBIs; Cam Cheek, 3 hits, double.  Outstanding pitcher:  Darnall (14 strikeouts).

[APRIL 26, 2002]   

At Stanford

Central Catholic      000 00 —   0-  0-1

Olympia                  055 0x — 10-13-1

Called because of 10-run rule.

For Olympia:  Jessie Shay (12-2) and Amber Lessen, Katie Tucker (5).  Outstanding hitters:  Tiffany Prager, 2 hits; Tricia Gaither, 2 hits, 2 RBIs; Lessen, 2 hits, 3 RBIs; Erin Canopy, 2 hits, 2 RBIs.  Outstanding pitcher:  Shay, 4 strikeouts.

At Warrensburg

Hartsburg-Emden           000 000 0 — 0-3-6

Warrensburg-Latham      134 100 x — 9-7-1

For Hartsburg-Emden:  Nikki Chapman (6-2) and Alyssa Moehring.

For Warrensburg-Latham:  Katy Kikk (6-3) and Amy McBride.  Outstanding hitter:  Katie Perry, 2 hits.  Outstanding pitcher:  Kikk, 12 strikeouts.

At Manito

[APRIL 26, 2002]  In team totals, Illini Central boys placed second with 71 points; Illini Central girls placed fourth with 36 points; Mount Pulaski boys placed third with 42 points; Mount Pulaski girls placed third with 46 points.  The teams compete against Midwest Central, Illini Bluffs and Delavan.

Illini boys

100 meters – 5. Hatfield, 12.5

200 meters – 2. Van Etten, 25.7

400 meters – 4. Barton, 54.9

800 meters – 1. Grimsley, 2:09.3

1,600 meters – 1. Grimsley, 5:02; 4. McDaniel, 5:08

3,200 meters – 3. Hunter, 11:47

110 high hurdles – 2. Van Etten, 18.1; 4. Benshoff, 19.7

300 int. hurdles – 2. Van Etten, 44.6; 4. Benshoff, 45.0

Long jump – 4. Wells, 16-7 1/4

High jump – 1. Wells, 5-8

Triple jump – 2. Buswell, 32-10; 5. Burton, 29-9

Discus – 2. Hayes, 130-5; 3. Auxier, 124-9

400 relay – 3. Illini Central, 50.8

800 relay – 5. Illini Central, 1:50

1,600 relay – 1. Illini Central, 3:48

3,200 relay – 2. Illini Central, 9:41

Illini girls

100 meters – 1. McDonald, 13.4

400 meters – 2. Daum, 1:10.1

800 meters – 3. Cave, 2:53.3

1,600 meters – 5. Herman, 7:10.2

300 hurdles – 2. Griffin, 1:03.0

Long jump – 5. McDonald, 13-2 3/4

Triple jump – 1. McDonald, 28-0

800 medley relay – 5. Illini Central, 2:15.8

1,600 relay – 1. Illini Central (McDonald, Price, Cave, Damm), N/A

3,200 relay – 2. Illini Central, 12:41.1

[to top of second column in this section]

Mount Pulaski boys

100 meters – 3. Davis, 12.2; 4. Coers, 13.4

200 meters – 3. Coers, 25.8; 4. Waymire, 26.2

400 meters – 3. Waymire, 54.4

800 meters – 3. Waymire, 2:11.0

Long jump – 3. Davis, 17-5 1/4

High jump – 3. Waymire, 5-6

Shot put – 2. Brooks 41-4 1/4; 5. Davis, 34-6

Discus – 4. Brooks, 121-9

400 relay – 1. Mount Pulaski, 49.9

800 relay – 1. Mount Pulaski 1:41

Mount Pulaski girls

200 meters – 2. Naylor, 29.6

800 meters – 5. Jones, 5:02.3

Long jump – 3. Naylor, 13-7; 4. Maske, 13-3

High jump – 4. Reeter, 4-2

Shot put – 2. Sanders, 33-7; 3. Rucks, 28-7

Discus – 1. Sanders, 94-4; 3. Rucks, 89-5

400 relay – 1. Mound Pulaski (Maske, Reeter, Craty, Naylor), 55.6

800 relay – 1. Mount Pulaski (Reeter, Craty, Rucks, Maske), 1:56.1

800 medley relay – 1. Mount Pulaski (Craty, Rucks, Reeter, Maske), 2:07.4

Lincoln College vs. Springfield College

[APRIL 26, 2002]  Lincoln College scored five times in the first inning, the big blow being a three-run homer off the bat of Chris Phillips, and was never headed as the team defeated Springfield College 10-0 in seven innings Thursday at Galen Shirley Memorial Field.

The Lynx now stand at 11-27 for the season and 8-14 in the conference. Lincoln will play its final regular-season home game Friday against Spoon River at 3 p.m. The Lynx have a pair of road dates remaining at Springfield College Saturday and at Lincoln Christian College Monday.

Zach Rinaberger had a pair of hits, including a triple, and scored a pair of runs.  Tim May also had two hits for the Lynx with one RBI.

Dan Dunn was the winning pitcher for coach Tony Thomas, hurling a complete game shutout. Dunn struck out four and walked three.

Score by innings:

Springfield College      000 000 0 — 0-4-1

Lincoln College           532 000 x — 10-8-0

Alvey (L), Davis (4) & Seesengood; Dunn (W) & Pesce.

[Bill Martinie, Lincoln College
sports information director]

Lincoln Co-Ed Relays

[APRIL 25, 2002]  In team totals, Lincoln Community High School placed third, with 90 points. LCHS placings in individual and relay events are listed below.

Girls

Long jump – 3. Whalen

High jump – 4. N. Humbert, 4-8

Triple jump – 1. Whalen, 30-4

Pole vault – 1. Whalen, 7-3

400 relay – 2. Lincoln, 53.2

600 relay – 1. Lincoln, 1:54.1

1,600 relay – 4. Lincoln, 4:39.1

3,200 relay – 4. Lincoln, 11:15.3

Distance medley – 5. Lincoln, 11:44.7

Boys

Long jump – 2. K. Aderman, 19-11

High jump – 4. C. Sheley, 5-6

Triple jump – 4. B. Heidbreder, 36-7.5

Pole vault – 5. J. Barringer, 8-0

Shot put – 3. C. Neitzel, 43-0

400 relay – 4. Lincoln, 47.8

800 relay – 4. Lincoln, 1:40.0

1,600 relay – 3. Lincoln, 3:47.8

3,200 relay – 2. Lincoln, 9:03.1

Hurdle shuttle – 4. Lincoln, 1:03.5

Co-ed

Throwers relay – 4. Lincoln, 54.5

[APRIL 25, 2002]  The Lincoln American Legion and the Lincoln Heat baseball organizations are combining forces to host a golf tournament fund-raiser May 18 at the Northgreens Golf Course in Atlanta.

Funds raised from the tournament will be used to help support the Legion and the Heat baseball teams this summer. First-, second- and third-place prize money will be awarded.

Anyone interest in playing in the tournament should contact Bill Martinie, (217) 732-6951; Todd Courtwright, (217) 732-7886; or the golf course, (217) 648-5500. Entry fee for the scramble format tournament is $40 per person. The fee includes 18 holes of golf, cart, lunch and prizes.

The Heat and the Legion are also hosting a garage sale at the Lincoln Recreation Center on Sunday.  The Heat is sponsoring a large group garage sale from 10 a.m. until 3 p.m.  The event is open to the public. The Legion baseball team will be hosting a chili dinner from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. at the same location.

[Bill Martinie]

[APRIL 24, 2002]  Perhaps some people thought that the Railers would be dominated by the conference-leading Chatham-Glenwood Titans Tuesday, but they were wrong. Lincoln gave Chatham everything it could handle, requiring Chatham to score in the bottom of the seventh and again in the bottom of the ninth to tie or win the game. Unfortunately for the Railers, Chatham responded both times and came away with a 7-6 victory in nine innings.

Lincoln outhit the Titans 11-10, but Chatham’s big sticks proved to be their savior, whacking three homers that plated four runs. The Railers overcame a 3-1 deficit after two innings to take the lead 5-3 after 4 1/2 innings. But Chatham scored a run in the bottom of the fifth inning on a solo round-tripper by Johnny Clayton, his second home run of the game.

The "horrific" third homer came off the bat of the leadoff hitter in the bottom of the seventh inning — Hypke. With Lincoln ahead 5-4, Hypke turned on a 1-2 count inside fastball, hit the ball hard but high in the air, and let the strong wind blowing toward left field help it over the fence to tie the game. Given the wind’s strength and direction, it was probably the only pitch location where the diminutive Hypke could have generated a run off a single swing of the bat. To Lincoln fans, the blast was especially horrendous because it came right after a pitch that looked like a good fastball strike three at the knees but was called a ball.

[Blake Schoonover went seven strong innings against Chatham. Andy Knopp is at second base.]

Blake Schoonover started on the mound for Lincoln and pitched an excellent game for seven innings. He struck out four, walked two and allowed only seven hits (three of which were home runs). Two of his strikeouts were third-out strikeouts with Titan runners in scoring position. Nonetheless, the game was tied after seven innings and Schoonover, who had thrown 118 pitches at that point, was replaced by junior Ryne Komnick. Komnick faced only three batters in the eighth inning but surrendered two doubles and a game-winning RBI single in the bottom of the ninth.

The Railers certainly had several excellent opportunities to score more runs and change the game’s outcome. Lincoln left runners at second and third in the first inning. And in the fourth and the seventh innings, Lincoln had the bases loaded with one out and failed to get the runners home.

[to top of second column in this article]

Leadoff hitter Jeremy Ohmart scored Lincoln’s first run after a single, a stolen base and an RBI double by sophomore Mitch Sheley, who had three hits on the day. Sheley and Danny Schick scored in the third inning to tie the game 3-3. Sheley singled and was sent to third on a hit-and-run single by Schick. Sheley scored on a fielder’s choice, and Schick later scored on a wild pitch.

Lincoln’s go-ahead run came in the fourth inning when Blake Schoonover singled and Andy Knopp sent an RBI double that landed at the fence in left-center field. Although the Railers ended up with the bases loaded, Schoonover was the only Railer to score in the inning. In the fifth inning, Derek Schrader gave Lincoln a 5-3 lead with a solo home run to left field.

[Derek Schrader (fourth from left) is congratulated by teammates after his home run.]

In the top of the ninth inning, Lincoln once again came out on the short end on a call by the plate umpire. With the score tied 5-5, Danny Schick drew a walk and stole second and then third. With two outs, Derek Schrader was intentionally walked (for the second time) and took second on a catcher’s fielder’s choice. Blake Schoonover then singled up the middle, scoring Schick and sending Schrader toward home. The throw came, Schrader slid, and Lincoln fans were going crazy, believing that Schrader slid well under the catcher’s tag. Then the judgment came: Schrader was called out.

The loss of Schrader’s run proved very significant. At worst, Chatham’s two runs in the bottom of the ninth would have tied the score rather than winning the game. But sometimes that’s just the way it goes.

The loss moves the Railer record to 9-12 and 3-4 in conference play. Lincoln will have another shot at Chatham when the Titans come to town at 4:30 on Thursday. Saturday’s home doubleheader against Morton (11 a.m.) will be "senior appreciation" day for 10 Railer baseball seniors.

[Rich Knopp]

[APRIL 24, 2002]  CHATHAM — The Lincoln High School sophomore baseball team lost 6-4 to Glenwood in action here Tuesday night. The Railers, now 7-6, will host Glenwood Thursday.

Glenwood led 6-0 before Lincoln rallied for a run in the sixth and three in the seventh.   Neil Rohrer singled with one out in the sixth, and Bob Maestas collected an infield single. Rohrer and Maestas each moved up a base when the shortstop overthrew first on Maestas’ hit. Corey Stoltzenburg drew a walk to load the bases, and Jason Williams hit a grounder to short, driving in Rohrer with the first run.

In the seventh, the first two batters were retired before Mitch Sheley drew a walk. Sean Ferguson then struck out on a wild pitch and reached first when the catcher was unable to handle the pitch. Rohrer then connected for his second hit of the game, driving in Sheley with the second run. Maestas then tapped to the mound and the Glenwood pitcher threw wildly to first base, allowing Ferguson and Rohrer to score.

[to top of second column in this article]

Maestas was the starting and losing pitcher for Lincoln, giving up six hits and six runs in five innings. Only two of the six runs were earned, as the Railers committed six errors.  

Score by innings

Lincoln         000 001 3 — 4 - 4 - 6

Glenwood     101 040 x — 6 - 7 - 3

Maestas (L), Williams (6) and Melton; Parnell (W), Ruppert (7) and Krager.

[Bill Martinie]

[APRIL 24, 2002]  CHATHAM — The Lincoln High School freshman baseball team was beaten by Glenwood 12-2 in five innings here Tuesday afternoon.

Lincoln scored its two runs in the third inning. Jaron Harnacke and Paul Phillips singled after two were out, and Chance Berger drew a bases-loaded walk.  Kevin Carroll then singled in a pair of runs. The hit by Carroll knotted the game at 2-2; however, Glenwood hit the Railers with seven runs in the bottom half of the inning and then scored three more times in the fourth to end the game due to the 10-run rule.

Harnacke took the loss for the Railers, working the first three innings.

Lincoln         002 00 — 2-3-1

Glenwood     207 3x — 12-11-0

Harnacke (L), Phillips (4) and Neitzel; Derosa (W) and Bryant.

[Bill Martinie]

[APRIL 24, 2002]   

At Mason City

Athens             000 010 0 — 1-3-3

Illini Central      201 000 x — 3-6-2

For Illini Central:  Josh McDaniel (4-0), Jason Thomas (6) and Travis Scott.  Outstanding hitters:  Bryce Cunningham, 2 hits, double.

At Morton

Olympia           103 203 0 — 9-  8-0

Morton            205 000 0 — 7-11-3

For Olympia:  Cam Cheek, Ryne Sherman (3, 4-0), Steve Raleigh and Rush Olson.  Outstanding hitters:  Jeff Darnall, 3 hits, 3 RBIs; Chris Frank, 2 hits, double.

At Delavan

[APRIL 24, 2002]  Illini Central boys took second place with 80 points against Delavan, Havana, Heyworth, Illini Bluffs, Lowpoint-Washburn, Midwest Central, Peoria Heights, Porta, Springfield Ursuline and Tremont.

Individual results:

800 meters — 1. Grimsley, 2:08.0; 4. McDaniel, 2:15

1,600 meters — 2. Grimsley, 5:07.0

3,200 — 6. Hunter, 11:38

110 high hurdles — 2. Vanetten, 18.03

300 hurdles — 5. Benshaff, 52.5

Long jump — 4. Wells, 16-8 1/2

High jump — 1. Wells, 5-8

Discus — 3. Auxier, 120-8; 4. Hayes, 116-5 1/2

400 relay — 6. Illini Central, 51.57

F-S 800 relay — 6. Illini Central, 1:56.4

1,600 relay — 1. Illini Central, 3:51.45

3,200 relay — 1. Illini Central, 9:19.50

At Pontiac

[APRIL 24, 2002]  Olympia boys took second place with 97 points against Bradley Bourbonnais, Herscher, Mahomet-Seymour, New Lenox Providence, Ottawa, Pontiac and Prairie Central.

Individual results:

High jump — 3. Raes, 6-0

F-S high jump — 5. (tie) Hodge, 5-2

F-S triple jump — 4. Canopy, 35-5

Discus — 1. Schultz, 155-3; 2. Heironymus, 145-8

F-S discus — 2. Schmidgall, 124-8

Shot put — 1. Schultz, 51-1

F-S 400 relay — 4. Olympia, 47.5

800 relay — 1. Olympia, 1:33.6

F-S 800 relay — 5. Olympia, 1:42.6

1,600 relay — 1. Olympia, 3:30.3

F-S 1,600 relay — 2. Olympia, 3:43.5

3,200 relay — 2. Olympia, 8:43.5

F-S 3,200 relay — 3. Olympia, 9:20.7

Middle dist. relay — 4. Olympia, 9:11.5

440 hurdle shuttle — 1. Olympia, 1:07.4

Open 1,600 — 1. Seline, 5:07.7

Co-ed 400 relay — 4. Olympia, 53.6

Lincoln College vs. Parkland

[APRIL 24, 2002]  Top-ranked Parkland College handed Lincoln College a pair of baseball setbacks Tuesday afternoon at Galen Shirley Field in Lincoln. Parkland won the first game 12-2 and took the nightcap 3-1. The victories raise the Parkland mark to 38-6 for the season and 15-4 in the conference. Lincoln College is 9-27 and 7-14 in conference play.

In the first game Anthony Hoffert took the loss. Hoffert retired the first two batters, then a pair of errors followed, and before the third out was recorded, Parkland had plated three runs. Lincoln managed three hits in the opener and committed six errors.

Jonathan Cave suffered the loss in the second game, 3-1.  Kenny VanHouten collected two of the four Lincoln hits.

"We played much better in the second game," said coach Tony Thomas. "We were tied at 1-1 before Parkland scored twice, and then we loaded the bases with two outs but were unable to get the key base hit."

Lincoln will host Millikin JV for a doubleheader Wednesday at 2 p.m. and then close out its home season with single games against Springfield College Thursday and Spoon River on Friday.  Both games start at 3 p.m.

[Bill Martinie, Lincoln College
sports information director]

[APRIL 23, 2002]   

Pontiac       001 00 — 1-3-3

Olympia      742 3x — 16-12-1

Winning pitcher:  Tyler Thornton 

Hitting:  Raleigh (3 hits, 3 RBIs), Kendrick(2 hits, 3B, 2B), Horner (2 hits), Cheek (2 RBIs)

Illini Central         002 110 1 — 4-7-1

Midwest Central  200 000 1 — 3-9-0

Winning pitcher:  Brandon Grimsley

Hitting: McDaniel (2 hits), Giesler (2 RBIs)

[APRIL 23, 2002]   NORMAL — Marcus Arnold, a 6-foot-8, 225-pound post player, signed a national letter of intent Monday morning to continue his education and basketball career at Illinois State.

Arnold, a native of Chicago, averaged 23 points, 12 rebounds and three blocked shots for Morgan Park High School. Head coach Tom Richardson is excited about adding the physical big-man to the Redbird roster.

"Marcus is just a great kid, and he has the size that we were looking for," Richardson said. "We think that he will be a player that will have an inside presence for us. His natural ability to rebound and block shots will be a nice addition to our team."

Arnold, ranked as the No. 16 senior prospect in the state of Illinois by www.highschoolelite.com, was named all-conference, all-city and all-area honorable mention his senior season. Morgan Park finished third in the conference and advanced to the third round of the City Championship.

As a junior, Arnold averaged 10 points, eight rebounds and three blocks as Morgan Park won the City Championship at the United Center and placed third in the IHSA Class AA State Tournament. He was also being recruited by Southern Illinois, Memphis, Tulane, Miami (Fla.), Bowling Green and Ball State.

Arnold joins AAU teammate Chris Burras from Leo High School and early-period signee Dana Ford of Egyptian High School. Arnold’s uncle, Kenny, played basketball at Iowa and will be inducted into the Illinois Basketball Coaches Association Hall of Fame on Saturday at Illinois State.

[Todd Kober, Illinois State University
director of media relations]

[APRIL 23, 2002]   NORMAL — Andy King, a 2001 first-team all-Gateway Football Conference selection, has signed a free agent contract with the St. Louis Rams of the National Football League.

Terms of the deal were not available.

The 6-foot-4, 310-pound tackle set the Illinois State single-game record with 23 knockdown blocks last season against Southeast Missouri State. King started all 11 games at left tackle for the Redbirds last season and led the team with 94 knockdown blocks and only two missed assignments, while playing 840 of 848 snaps on the year.

King, a native of Lincoln, is the first Redbird to sign a free agent contract this spring.

"I’m definitely excited," King said. "I’m looking forward to starting a new chapter in my life. (Being in St. Louis) is a nice side benefit, but I wasn’t going to let that be my deciding factor. I wanted to go to a place where I felt I had the best opportunity to play, and it just so happened that was in St. Louis."

King will travel to St. Louis on Thursday and will meet with the Rams’ coaching staff on Friday.

[Todd Kober, Illinois State University
director of media relations]

Related postings elsewhere:

•  Rams agree to terms with 10 rookie free agents

•  Rams sign 10 undrafted rookies

[APRIL 22, 2002]  Lincoln’s weekend varsity baseball tournament was a cold event — at least on Saturday — and that’s the day the Railers cooled off themselves. Friday’s matchup with Whitney Young produced an 8-7 Lincoln victory, but the Railers fell twice on Saturday — once to Oak Forest (2-10) and once to Tinley Park Andrew (4-10).

The competition against the Chicago-area teams was a good experience for the Railers. Whitney Young went to state last year, Oak Forest has a very solid ball team, and Andrew is currently ranked fourth in the state by the Chicago Tribune.

Ryne Komnick picked up the win on Friday, pitching a complete game while giving up nine hits, walking one and striking out three. The Railers found themselves down early after a three-run homer in the first inning, but they scored twice themselves in the bottom of the first frame, thanks to a double by Jeremy Ohmart and errors that allowed Derek Schrader to get on and score.

[Photos provided by Rich Knopp]
[Ryne Komnick picks up the pitching victory over Whitney-Young.]

Lincoln’s big inning was the fifth, when five runs were tallied. Five Railers had singles in that inning: Ryan Williams, Derek Schrader, Matt Boyer, Andy Knopp (RBI) and Blake Schoonover (two RBIs).

With the score 8-4 going into the seventh inning, things looked secure for Lincoln. However, three Railer miscues and a single and a double by Whitney-Young made the score 8-7 with runners at first and third. Fortunately, a ground out to Mitch Sheley at third base finalized the Lincoln win. Three Railers had a two-hit game: Ryan Williams, Mitch Sheley and Blake Schoonover.

Saturday’s first game against Oak Forest looked pretty good — except for one inning. In fact, Oak Forest scored in only two innings. The bad news is that in one of those innings, nine Oak Forest runs crossed the plate. Matt Boyer took the pitching loss for Lincoln, going 2 1/3 innings and giving up six hits, nine runs (five earned), walking two and striking out two. Chris Gosda had mound duty during the rest of the five-inning time-called game, allowing two hits, one run (not earned) and walking two. Jeremy Ohmart was the only Railer to register a hit in the game, managing two singles.

[Jeremy Ohmart is at the plate with Blake Schoonover at third. Ohmart batted 4-10 for the three-game tournament and Schoonover was 4-6.]

[to top of second column in this article]

Saturday’s second game against Andrew was a highly anticipated confrontation, since the Railers wanted to test their talent against the fourth-ranked AA team in the state. Andrew proved that it had good bats from top to bottom, with every starter getting at least one hit against Railer hurlers. Andrew scored nine runs through five innings.

Senior Ryan Williams suffered the loss, going four innings and granting 13 hits, nine runs (seven earned), walking none and striking out one. Freshman Railer Chance Berger saw his first varsity pitching action against the Chicago-area powerhouse. Berger threw 2 1/3 innings and gave up just one hit, one earned run and struck out one. Berger looked very promising for the Railers, although five of the 10 hitters he faced were pinch hitters. Nonetheless, the freshman had an excellent outing.

[Ryan Williams lies on the ground after a collision with Whitney-Young’s catcher. Andy Knopp, Danny Schick, coach Hake and assistant coach Brad Shaw look on.]

The Railers did not score until the fifth inning, when they came up with four runs. Michael Aper reached on an error and eventually scored on a hit by John Peters, who scored later on a wild pitch; Blake Schoonover singled and later scored on an errant pickoff throw to first base; and Ryne Komnick was walked and scored on a ground out by Mitch Sheley. Schoonover was the only Railer with two hits in the game.

The tournament outcome moved the Railer record to 9-11 on the year. This week Lincoln will face one of the toughest teams in the Central State Eight Conference when it faces off with Chatham on Tuesday and hosts Chatham on Thursday. The game on Saturday, April 27, will be a special event at Mike Curry field. During the doubleheader with Morton, the Railers will honor their last-year players in a Senior Appreciation ceremony.

[Rich Knopp]

[APRIL 22, 2002]   

Peoria Central       000 000 0 — 0-  1-2

Olympia                222 011 x — 8-12-0

For Olympia:  Jeff Darnall (4-0) and Rush Olson. Outstanding hitters:  Darnall, 3 hits; Ryne Sherman, 2 hits.  Outstanding pitcher:  Darnall, 11 strikeouts, 2 walks.

Peoria Central       000 000 2 — 2-  3-3

Olympia                233 010 x — 9-12-2

For Olympia:  Dusty Hayes (3-0), Olson (6), Cole Horner (7) and Derek Foley. Outstanding hitters:  Cam Cheek, 3 hits; Foley, 2 hits.  Outstanding pitcher:  Hayes, 5 innings, 0 runs, 1 hit, 6 strikeouts, 3 walks.

At Dunlap

[APRIL 22, 2002]  Olympia boys took second place with 86 points.  Olympia girls took fourth place (points NA).  The teams competed against Dunlap, Eureka, Farmington, IVC, University High, Kewanee, Kewanee Wethersfield, Knoxville, Lewistown and Monmouth .  The boys also competed against Galva; the girls also competed against Tremont.

Olympia boys:

High jump — 2. Raes, 5-11; 6. Neisler, 5-7

Discus — 2. Schultz, 151-8; 4. Heironymus, 149-4

400 relay — 1. Olympia (Weaver, Dillenburg, Sholty, Joyce), 44.6

F-S 400 relay — 3. Olympia, 47.8

Sprint medley — 3. Olympia, 1:43.0

1,600 medley — 6. Olympia, 3:43.7

1,600 relay — 1. Olympia (Raes, Dillenburg, Sholty, Joyce), 3:31.7

F-S 1,600 relay — 2. Olympia, 3:43.7

3,200 relay — 5. Olympia, 8:37.2

330 shuttle — 2. Olympia, 48.7

Olympia girls:

1,600 meters — 1. Floyd, 5:45.0

High jump — 4. Crawford, 4-10; 5. Rader, 4-10

Discus — 4. Cook, 98-11

800 relay — 5. Olympia, 1:57.0

800 medley — 4. Olympia, 2:01.4

1,600 relay — 2. Olympia, 4:17.4

3,200 relay — 3. Olympia 10:37.5

At Clinton

[APRIL 22, 2002]  Warrensburg-Latham girls took sixth place with 48 points.  The team competed against Argenta-Oreana, Monticello, Central Catholic, Clinton, Decatur St. Teresa, Blue Ridge, Niantic-Harristown, Meridian and Deland-Weldon.

Individual results:

200 meters — 6. Markus, 31.10

400 meters — 2. Weber, 1:06.89

3,200 — 4. Empie, 13:04.59

100 hurdles — 5. Loerzel, 19.57

300 hurdles — 4. Fozard, 56.74

Pole vault — 4. Layton, 5-0

400 relay — 4. W-L, 57.3

800 relay — 6. W-L, 2:07.15

800 medley — 3. W-L, 2:05.38

1,600 relay — 4. W-L, 4:53.04

3,200 relay — 4. W-L, 12:10.18

[APRIL 20, 2002]   

Limestone             200 511 1 — 10-11-6

Olympia                111 014 0 —   8-11-1

For Olympia:  Ryan Kendrick (4-1), Ryne Sherman (4), Lance Leesman (6), Steve Raleigh (6) and Rush Olson. Outstanding hitters:  Steve Raleigh, 3 hits; Ryan Kendrick, 2 hits, 3 RBIs.

Illini Central           005 004 x — 9-10-1

Illini Bluffs             100 000 1 —  2- 5-3

For Illini Central:  Jason Thomas and Travis Scott. Outstanding hitters:  Bryce Cunningham, 3 hits, double, 3 RBI; Josh McDaniel, 2 hits; Trevor Scott, 2 hits; Travis Scott, HR (1 on in 3rd), 2 RBIs.

Mount Pulaski        304 022 x — 11-14-2

Springfield Calvary 000 000 x —   0-  4-2

For Mount Pulaski:  John Foley (2-0), Colt McClellan (5), Craige Erlenbush (6) and Cam McClellan, Blaum (4). Outstanding hitters:  Chris Wilson, 3 hits; Craige Erlenbush, 3 hits; Josh Blaum, 2 hits, 2 RBIs; Nate Tierney, 2 hits; Justin Anderson, 3 RBIs.

[APRIL 20, 2002]   

Morton                 102 000 0 — 3-5-2

Olympia                100 000 0 — 1-4-0

For Olympia:  Jessie Shay (10-2), Amanda Wilson (4) and Amber Lessen. Outstanding hitter:  Shay, 2 hits.

[APRIL 22, 2002]  The LDN has learned that, according to the ISU football office this morning, Lincoln’s Andy King has signed a free agent contract with the St. Louis Rams! This news makes King potentially the second player from Lincoln to play in the NFL in the last decade, joining offensive lineman Tony Semple of the Detroit Lions.

According to an ISU source, the New York Giants and the Chicago Bears had both shown considerable interest in acquiring King’s services, so it was pretty surprising to see him end up with the Rams. If he is able to make the roster though, what a coup for his family and friends — being able to watch him play just two hours from beautiful downtown Lincoln!

I just tried to call Andy on his cell phone and he was unavailable. I will keep trying to bring you loyal LDN fans the inside scoop as soon as I can get it for you. Tune in tonight at FIX 96.3 on your FM dial, and Greg Taylor and I will bring you all the latest developments on this incredible story!

CONGRATULATIONS, Andy! Nice going! We are all so proud of you and we wish you God’s best in this new adventure of your life!

•  Will the Cubs and the Cards just not taste the postseason until they change managers?

•  Even though the Blues are up 2-1 on the Hawks, I’m still not convinced that St. Louis is a solid playoff club.

•  Took my boy to see the Railer baseball and track teams last week. Both squads have as much potential as you could hope to see. Here’s hoping that they both really get it going at just the right time.

[to top of second column in this section]

•  When the Lakers are hungry, can anyone beat them?

•  Illinois’ Kurt Kittner ended up going late in the draft to Atlanta. I really think that that’s a good fit for him.

•  Other Illini that signed free agent contracts and their respective teams are:

Luke Butkus, Chicago Bears

Steve Fitts, Chicago Bears

Bobby Jackson, New York Jets

Jay Kulaga, New York Jets

Brandon Moore, New York Jets

Terrell Washington, Houston Texans

•  If the NBA players played as hard during the season as they do during the playoffs, they’d never have to worry about declining ratings and poor ticket sales.

•  Do you have the itch to play golf yet, or is it just me?

•  Speaking of golf. Justin Leonard tried to run away from the field this weekend, then he tried to give it away, then he reluctantly won his seventh tour event. I wonder what his new bride said when she saw that paycheck?

•  Is there ever any similarity between the game of golf that those PGAer’s play and the game that we play?

[Jeff Mayfield]

Announcements

[APRIL 17, 2002]  Central Illinois Select Soccer Club will have open tryouts for all interested players May 13-17, May 20-24, and June 17 and 19. Tryout dates and times for specific age groups are shown at www.cis-soccer.org/Tryouts/Tryouts.htm.   

All tryouts will be at Nord Field, located on Six Points Road, two miles west of Morris Avenue in Bloomington. More detailed directions are available at www.cis-soccer.org/Clubfolder/Facilities.htm. 

For more information about tryouts and CIS traveling soccer, visit the club’s website, www.cis-soccer.org.; e-mail Steve Berry, director of coaching and player development, at cissocceracademy@hotmail.com; or call (309) 378-4699.

Baseball and softball at the Lincoln Park District

[APRIL 17, 2002]  You know summer is coming when it’s time to sign up for baseball and softball. At the Lincoln Park District, registrations are still being taken for boys and girls. Teams will be drawn at the end of the month. Men’s and women’s softball registration will close the first Saturday in May.

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