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[MAY 11, 2002]

At Mason City

Olympia                   103 000 1 — 5-7-2

Illini Central              000 100 0 — 1-5-3

For Olympia:  Tyler Thornton (6-0), Steve Raleigh (7) and Rush Olson.

Outstanding hitter:  Chris Frank, 3 hits, 2 RBI.

Outstanding pitcher:  Thornton, 6 strikeouts, 0 walks.

For Illini Central:  Jason Thomas and Travis Scott.

Outstanding hitter:  Josh McDaniel, 2 hits.

LCHS sophomore baseball vs. Jacksonville

[MAY 11, 2002] 

JACKSONVILLE — The Lincoln High School sophomore baseball team was beaten 7-2 by Jacksonville here Thursday afternoon, dropping the Railer record to 9-10 before another meeting of the same two teams Friday afternoon at Lindstrom Field in Lincoln.

Lincoln scored a run in the second inning on a walk to Jason Melton, a single by Miles Musick and a double by Chance Berger. The final Lincoln run came in the seventh when Sean Ferguson was hit by a pitch and moved to second on an infield single off the bat of Trent Kavelman. Ferguson was then picked off second but managed to slide safely into third ahead of the throw. With Kavelman heading for second, Ferguson broke for the plate and again beat the tag.

Berger had two of the five Lincoln hits. Brandon Babbs, Musick and Kavelman had one hit each. Berger was the starting and losing pitcher for the Railers. Evans, a left-hander, struck out 11 Lincoln batters to gain the victory.

Score by innings

Lincoln             010 000 1 — 2-5-2

Jacksonville      202 030 x — 7-7-2

Berger (L), Matson (5) & Melton; Evans (W) & Seymour.

[to top of second column in this article]

LINCOLN — After losing to Jacksonville, 7-2 Thursday night, the Lincoln High School sophomore baseball team came back with a convincing 16-0 victory Friday at Lindstrom Field.  The victory gets the Railers back to the .500 mark (10-10) for the season.

Leading the Railers to victory with three hits, three runs scored and two runs batted in was Jason Melton.  Two of his hits were doubles.   Neil Rohrer also contributed three singles and scored a pair of runs.  Sean Ferguson had a pair of hits, one a triple, and drove in three runs while scoring two.  Corey Stoltzenburg had a pair of hits, including a triple, scored twice and drove in one run.

Bob Maestas, who went the distance on the mound, had a pair of hits, two RBI and scored a run.  Miles Musick had a bases clearing double and scored twice while Jason Williams had a single, scored twice and drove in one run.  Kyle Atteberry completed the hitting for the Railers with a single and a sacrifice fly for two RBI.   Maestas allowed only one hit while striking out seven and walking three.

Score by innings

Jacksonville      00  0   00 —   0-  1-3

Lincoln             03(11) 2x — 16-15-2

Lagergren (L), Scott (3) & Seymour, J. Tobin (4); Maestas (W) & Rohrer.

[Bill Martinie]

LCHS freshman baseball vs. St. Teresa

[MAY 11, 2002]  Lincoln High School defeated St. Teresa 4-2 and 8-4 in freshman baseball action at Lincoln Thursday afternoon. 

Mike McCullen picked up the victory in the first game, working the first three innings and striking out two. Paul Phillips hurled the final four innings with a pair of strikeouts and earned the save. Phillips and Andrew Gilmore had a pair of hits for the Railers and each scored a run. Neil Rohrer, Kevin Carroll, Alex Dahm, Jaron Harnacke, Chris Boward and Casper each had one hit for Lincoln.

In the second game, Harnacke picked up the win with three innings of work and a pair of strikeouts. Dahm earned the save with two innings (it was a five-inning game) and one strikeout. McCullen collected a triple and scored a run, while Boward also collected a triple with a run scored. Phillips connected for a triple and a single with a run scored, while Rohrer had a pair of singles. Harnacke, Adye and Olson each had one hit for the Railers.

[Bill Martinie]

[MAY 11, 2002]

At Washington

Olympia                202 001 0 — 5-6-1

Washington           060 000 x — 6-9-3

For Olympia:  Jessie Shay (16-3), Amanda Wilson (4) and Amber Lessen.

Outstanding hitters:  Becky Hieser, 2 hits; Tiffany Prager, 2 RBI.

High school track:  Class A sectional

[MAY 11, 2002]  Olympia, Mount Pulaski and Warrensburg-Latham competed in the Class A girls sectional at Monticello yesterday.  This tournament was to determine which teams advanced to state.  In most events, the top two places advanced; although in some, there were more advancing.  In team totals, Olympia placed third with 83 points; Mount Pulaski placed ninth with 17 points; and Warrensburg-Latham placed sixteenth with 1 point.  They competed against Argenta-Oreana, Blue Ridge, Central Catholic, Clinton, Heyworth, LeRoy, Lexington, Monticello, Prairie Central, Ridgeview, Tri-Valley, University High and Williamsville.

Individual results

(* indicates advancement to state)

200 meters — 3. Prater (O), 27.1

400 meters — 4. Freshour (O), 1:03.3

800 meters — 4. Rader (O), 2:31.2

1,600 — 6. Floyd (O), 5:39.7

100 hurdles — 2. Hish* (O), 17.0; 6. Hentzen (O), 17.8

300 hurdles — 2. Hentzen* (O), 49.2

Long jump — 4. Naylor (MP), 15-1

High jump — 4. Crawford (O), 4-10

Shot put — 4. Sanders (MP), 32-1

Discus — 2. Cook* (O), 99-2

Pole Vault — 3. Hentzen (O), 7-0

400 relay — 4. Mount Pulaski, 53.9; 5. Olympia, 54.5

800 relay — 3. Olympia 1:53.3

800 medley relay — 1. Olympia* (Bennett, Hish, Prater, Crawford)1:54.1

1,600 relay — 4. Olympia* (Boone, Hentzen, Crawford, Freshour), 4:13.8

3,200 relay — 1. Olympia* (Boone, Floyd, Westerfield, Freshour), 9:57.1

[MAY 10, 2002]  Go to the Illinois Elementary School Association website for a complete list of qualifiers: http://www.iesa.org/activities/tr/2002/qualifiers_a.asp

Railers rip Jacksonville
for conference victory

[MAY 10, 2002]  The Lincoln varsity baseball team was not kind to the Crimsons on their Senior Day at Jacksonville. After a nice introductory ceremony for their baseball graduates, Jacksonville witnessed an 11-5 defeat at the hands of the Railers, who moved their conference record to 6-5 and their season record to 14-14.

Lincoln got on the scoreboard in the first inning with two runs. Derek Schrader and Ryan Williams reached base (on a fielder’s choice and a walk) and scored on a two-out fly ball by Danny Schick that popped out of the center fielder’s glove. Lincoln didn’t score for three more innings, but when they did, it was big.

In the fourth inning the Railers exploded with seven runs on only three hits, aided by four Jacksonville errors. Mitch Sheley bunt-hit the bases loaded after Matt Boyer and Jeremy Ohmart got on base on an error and a walk. Derek Schrader grounded to short, but a throwing error to second base scored Boyer and Ohmart. Ryan Williams smacked a two-RBI double to right-center field, which brought in Sheley and Schrader. After a Mike Martin walk, Williams scored on a fielder’s-choice error off the bat of Blake Schoonover. And both Martin and Schoonover scored on a two-RBI single by Andy Knopp.

[Photos provided by Rich Knopp]
[Matt Boyer delivers his pitch. Mitch Sheley is shown at third.]

Two more Railer runs came across in the sixth inning. Blake Schoonover pulled a one-out double down the third baseline, and Mike Aper later drew a walk. With two outs, Matt Boyer further helped his own pitching win by locating a two-RBI single to left field.

The only early scoring for Jacksonville was from the bat of center fielder Chuck Gullant. Gullant hit two home runs in his first two at-bats, but that was the only Crimson scoring until the bottom of the seventh inning.

Matt Boyer started on the mound for Lincoln and yielded only three hits in addition to the home runs by Gullant. Boyer struck out seven and walked three. His effort was helped by a fifth-inning double play turned by Blake Schoonover, Andy Knopp and Ryan Williams. Boyer stranded three Crimsons on base in the sixth inning, after giving up a single and two walks. Boyer pitched extremely well, and the defense played another game without an error.

[to top of second column in this article]

In the seventh inning, junior Chris Gosda took over the pitching duties for Lincoln. Gosda discovered that Jacksonville was not ready to roll over and play dead. The first three batters whacked two doubles and a single. After a walk, a single and a hit batter, and with the score 11-5 with the bases juiced, coach Pat Hake made the Crimsons see a left-hander. Ryan Williams got the call to the mound and struck out the two batters he faced to finalize the conference victory.

[Ryan Williams (left) and Matt Boyer were very effective on the mound for the Railers. Boyer went six innings for the win.]

Although the overall Railer record just stands at .500, many from the Lincoln team are having excellent individual conference performances. Based on Central State Eight conference stats provided last week, seven Lincoln Railers are among the top 21 hitters in the conference. Ranging from .362 to .344 in conference play are Andy Knopp, Blake Schoonover, Danny Schick, Jeremy Ohmart, Mitch Sheley, Derek Schrader and Ryan Williams. That’s a pretty deep lineup! And Blake Schoonover, Matt Boyer, and Ryan Williams are among the top 20 conference pitchers in ERA.

Lincoln will get another shot at improving their conference record as they serve as hosts to Jacksonville on Friday, May 10. On Saturday, Lincoln will host a doubleheader against a very successful Olympia team, beginning at 10 a.m.

[Rich Knopp]

[MAY 10, 2002]

At Bloomington

Hartsburg-Emden         110 000 0 —   2-  9-4

Tremont                        300 404 x — 11-11-1

For Hartsburg-Emden:  Matt Gleason (5-3), Kyle Hoerbert (5) and Drew Olson, Matt Gleason (5).

[MAY 10, 2002]

At Stanford

Mahomet              000 000 —   0-  1-2

Olympia                222 301 — 10-12-0

For Olympia:  Amanda Wilson (10-1), Tricia Gaither (5) and Amber Lessen, Katie Tucker (5).

Outstanding hitters:  Brandi Short, 2 hits, double; Tricia Gaither, 3 hits, 2 RBI; Jessie Shay, 3 hits.

Outstanding pitcher:  Wilson, 4 IP, 1 H, 5 strikeouts.

[MAY 9, 2002]

At Mason City

A-C Central         000 113 1 — 6-10-2

Illini Central          001 000 1 — 2-  3-0

For Illini Central:  Brandon Grimsley (4-1), Josh McDaniel (7) and Travis Scott.

[MAY 8, 2002]

At Stanford

Flanagan              010 000 —   1-  4-1

Olympia               113 402 — 11-15-2

For Olympia:  Jeff Darnall, Chris Frank (3, 1-0), Lance Leesman (5), Ryne Sherman (6) and Ryan Kendrick, Rush Olson (4).

Outstanding hitters:  Sherman, 2 hits; Frank, 3 hits; Kendrick, 2 hits; Cullen Hayes, 2 hits.

At Manito

Hartsburg-Emden        100 100 1 — 3-5-2

Midwest Central          102 002 x — 5-7-0

For Hartsburg-Emden:  Ryan Anderson (3-4) and Matt Gleason.

[MAY 8, 2002]

At Pontiac

Olympia               700 000 2 — 9-11-0

Pontiac                021 000 0 — 3-  8-1

For Olympia:  Jessie Shay (17-2), Amanda Wilson (3) and Amber Lessen.

Outstanding hitters:  Erin Canopy, 2 hits, 2 RBIs; Tricia Gaither, 2 hits; Lessen, 2 hits, 2 RBIs; Tiffany Prager, 2 hits.

At Emden

Tremont                   000 00 —   0-3-7

Hartsburg-Emden     323 02 — 10-7-0

For Hartsburg-Emden:  Nikki Chapman (8-6) and Alyssa Moehring.

Outstanding hitters:  Danielle Bergman, 2 hits, 2 RBIs; Monica Proefrock, 2 RBIs.

Corn Belt Conference track meet at Mahomet

[MAY 8, 2002]  In team totals, Olympia boys placed second with 134 points; Olympia girls placed fourth with 80 points.  The teams played against Central Catholic, Mahomet-Seymour, Pontiac, Prairie Central and University High.

Boys results

100 meters — 2. Weaver, 11.8

200 meters — 5. Garey, 24.8

400 meters — 2. Joyce, 51.7; 6. Brand, 54.5

800 meters — 6. Horton, 2:07.9

1,600 — 6. Lingle, 4:57.9

3,200 — 5. Seline, 10:56

110 high hurdles — 1. Sholty, 15.6; 6. Neisler, 17.6

300 int. hurdles — 1. Sholty, 40.7

Long jump — 6. McClure, 18-11

High jump — Raes, 6-2; 3. Neisler, 6-0

Triple jump — 5. Canopy, 34-6

Pole Vault — 3. Slager, 10-0

Shot put — 1. Schultz, 49-4; 5. Boudeman, 40-8

Discus — 1. Schultz, 148-9; 4. Hieronymus, 134-3 1/2

400 relay — 1. Olympia (Sholty, Dillenburg, Weaver, Joyce), 44.4

1,600 relay — 1. Olympia (Dillenburg, McClain, Sholty, Joyce), 3:32.4

3,200 relay — 2. Olympia, 8:31.1

[to top of second column in this article]

Girls

100 meters — 5. Prater, 13.7

200 meters — 2. Prater, 27.9; 5. Bennett, 28.9

400 meters — 5. Freshour, 1:04.2

800 meters — 6. Boone, 2:35.1

1,600 meters — 3. Floyd, 5:47.9

3,200 meters — 5. Wade, 14:13

100 hurdles — 3. Hentzen, 49.4; 6. Fredericks, 51.9

High jump — 3. Craford, 4-10

Pole vault — McNeil, 6-0

Discus, 5. Cook, 88-8

400 relay — 5. Olympia, 54.1

800 relay — 4. Olympia, 1:57.2

800 medley — 5. Olympia, 2:09.0

1,600 relay — 4. Olympia, 4:19.4

3,200 relay — 2. Olympia, 10:17.9

Railers run into an above-normal team

[MAY 7, 2002]  Normal Community’s varsity baseball record was 12-9 coming into its game with Lincoln on Monday. Thanks to eight runs in its last three at-bats, Normal played an above-normal game and handed the Railers an 11-7 defeat.

After two innings, Normal had scored three runs, while Lincoln put just six batters at the plate in the same two frames. Senior Andy Knopp helped to open the Railer bats when he led off the third inning with a home-run blast over a deep center-field fence. Ryan Williams led off the fourth inning with a single and a stolen second base; and after two outs, Knopp lined a shot up the middle to bring Williams home.

[Blake Schoonover smacks his second hit (a double) to right-center field.]

In the fifth inning, the Railers exploded with five more runs. Normal’s sophomore hurler, Shawn McElyea, developed some control problems and granted four free passes and a single before being replaced by a pitcher who threw a couple of wild pitches that allowed three Railers to score. Senior Blake Schoonover added to the score with an RBI line-drive single to center field. After that Railer at-bat, Lincoln held a 7-6 edge.

Unfortunately, that was the last scoring that Lincoln would do. Lincoln left two runners on base in the sixth inning and two more in the seventh.

[to top of second column in this article]

Three Railers had two hits in the game: Andy Knopp (home run and RBI single), Blake Schoonover (RBI single and double) and Matt Boyer (two singles). Jeremy Ohmart, Mitch Sheley and Ryan Williams had the other hits for Lincoln.

Junior Ryne Komnick took the pitching loss. After 4 1/2 innings, Komnick had allowed seven hits and six runs (earned) but still held a 7-6 lead. In the bottom of the fifth, he quickly recorded two outs on two pitches. But then back-to-back doubles produced the tying run for Normal. In the sixth inning, the top of Normal’s batting order opened the frame with a home run and two doubles. Lincoln’s Chris Gosda then took the mound but yielded an RBI double before finishing the inning with a strikeout and two ground outs. The four runs, however, were sufficient to seal the victory.

[Andy Knopp is ready to take another cut. Knopp had a home run and an RBI single.]

In spite of the loss, the Railers hit the ball well and played an errorless game. They hope to get back on the winning track as they pick up their conference schedule against Jacksonville this Tuesday and Thursday.

[Rich Knopp]

[MAY 7, 2002]

Olympia vs. Monticello

Game 1

Monticello            100 000 00 — 1-5-1

Olympia               000 100 01 — 2-8-0

Battery: J. Shay and A. Lessen

Game 2

Monticello            000 01 — 1-5-2

Olympia               011 1x — 3-8-0

Battery: A. Wilson and K. Tucker

Okaw Valley Conference Meet

[MAY 7, 2002]  In team totals, Warrensburg-Latham boys placed fourth with 74 points; Warrensburg Latham girls placed eighth with 21 points.

Individual results

Boys

100 meters — 1. A. Kronshagen

400 meters — 1. A. Kronshagen

110 high hurdles — 1. A. Poppe

Girls

No results available

[MAY 6, 2002]  The mayor of Washington, Ill., may have to officially declare Saturday, May 4, 2002, as Lincoln Illinois Day or maybe Logan County Day in his town.  [New pictures added Tuesday, May 7]

For while 12 excellent teams were assigned to come to his town on Saturday for the 2002 IESA Girls and Boys Track Sectionals, two teams, the Wolverines of West Lincoln Broadwell and the Panthers of Chester East Lincoln, left with most all of the major hardware and a ton of state qualifiers. Hartsburg-Emden was strong in the Boys 8^th Grade Division.

[West-Lincoln Broadwell -- First place in
Girls 8^th Grade Division]

The Wolverines came home with first place in the Girls 8^th Grade Division, second place in the Girls 7^th Grade Division and second place in the Boys 7^th Grade Division. The Panthers, not to be outdone by their friendly crosstown rivals, brought home a first place in the Girls 7^th Grade Division, third place in the Girls 8^th Grade Division and first place in the Boys 7^th Grade Division.

The Hartsburg-Emden eighth-grade boys carried home the third-place plaque and had numerous state qualifiers in several events. Lincoln’s Carroll Catholic also had several state qualifiers.

Click here for a list of all the qualifiers.

[Jamie McFadden -- First place in
seventh-grade high jump]

Seventh-grade girls

The closest team title race was among the seventh-grade girls, where the final point spread was a narrow three points. CEL narrowly defeated WLB by a final score of 78-75. Both CEL and WLB had strong and deep seventh-grade teams, garnering not only first- and second-place victories but also those all-important team points in third through sixth places.

Ashley Bonaparte led the way for CEL, while Melissa Ramlow and Natalie Boward were leaders for the WLB squad. Notable first-place finishers among Logan County seventh-grade girls were Jordan Gallagher (CEL, 100-meter hurdles); Ashley Bonaparte (CEL, 100-meter and 200-meter); Jamie McFadden (CEL, high jump); and Melissa Ramlow (WLB, long jump). WLB’s 4x100 relay team, consisting of Natalie Boward, Katelyn Atteberry, Leslie Curry and Kylie Sparks, was first in their event. The CEL 4x200 relay team also brought home a first.

[Christine Presswood from WLB in 4x400 relay]

Melissa Ramlow had two additional second-place victories, in both the 100-meter dash and the 100-meter low hurdles. Natalie Boward (WLB) had two-second place wins, in the 200-meter dash and the long jump. Also, the 4x200 relay team from Carroll Catholic ran to a second-place victory. In the discus throw and the shot put, Hartem’s Abby Olson qualified for state with second-place throws.

Eighth-grade girls

Among the eighth-grade girls, WLB dominated the field with 104 points. CEL was third with 57 points. WLB’s Kylie Courtwright and Christine Presswood led WLB to victory with all-around performances in both track and field events.

[Curt Courtwright  of CEL in the 100- meter dash]

[to top of second column in this article]

[Melissa Ramlow of WLB in the 100-meter hurdles]

Courtwright had first-place wins in the 200-meter dash and the high jump. She also won a first with the WLB 4x100 relay team consisting of Melissa Ramlow, Chelsay Browning and Hilary Hobler. She was also second in the 100-meter dash.

Presswood was dominating in the 1,600- and 800-meter runs, jumped to second place in the long jump and was part of the winning WLB 4x400 relay team consisting of Rachel Clarke, Natalie Boward and Stacy Elliott.

Other first-place victories among the eighth-grade girls went to Shanan McLaughlin of Carroll Catholic in the 110-meter low hurdles and Katelyn Beavers (CEL) in the shot put.

[Ashley Bonaparte (CEL) and Natalie Boward (WLB) in the  seventh-grade 200-meter photo finish.]

Seventh-grade boys

CEL ran to a 20-point victory over second- place WLB.

Standouts for Logan County teams were Clark Schoonover (CEL), first in 110 hurdles and long jump; Wes Umphyres (HE), first in 100-meter dash and high jump; Justin Ritchhart (CC), first in the shot put, second in high jump; Brandon Farmer (WLB), first in the 1,600-meter and pole vault; Matt Schick (CC), first in 400-meter dash; and Jon Toft (CEL), first in the 200-meter and second in the 100-meter. The WLB 4x100 and 4x200 relay teams each won first place in their event. CEL’s 4x100, 4x200 and 4x400 teams racked up second-place finishes in each of these events.

Ryan Sanders (WLB) was second in the discus throw, while Josh Conrady (HE) brought home a second in the 800-meter run.

[CEL seventh-grade girls receive their first-place trophy]

Eighth-grade boys

Among the eighth-grade boys, Hartsburg-Emden outdistanced all other Logan County teams with a third-place finish. Hartem had a first-place finish by their 4x200 relay team. Hartem also had second-place finishes by Billy Detmers (400 meters), Curtis Conrady (800 meters) and Scott Ubbenga (discus throw). They also brought in a third-place win and a state qualifier in Jacob Moehring in the 200-meter dash.

CEL’s strong finish was dominated by the performances of Curt Courtwright. Courtwright won the 100-meter dash, the 200-meter dash and the long jump. CEL also got third-place wins and state qualifiers in the 800-meter run by Andrew McQuellan and in the 4x200 relay.

Carroll Catholic was victorious in the high jump, where Jeff Oller jumped 5 feet, 7 inches to take first place.

[Kylie Courtwright of WLB took first place in eighth-grade high jump.]

WLB was able to pull out a second-place victory in the 4x400 relay.

And while Saturday was a beautiful, sunny day in Washington, Ill., the athletic performances of many fine young women and men and the glow on parental faces outshone even the weather. The event was characterized by the event coordinator, St. Patrick’s coach "D," as undoubtedly one of the premier Class A sectionals in Illinois Illinois this year. And if times set, distances jumped and thrown, heights cleared and state qualifiers declared are any indication of quality, then it appears coach "D" was right.

The IESA Class A state finals will be this Friday and Saturday at EastSide Centre in East Peoria.

[Rick Hobler]

High jump — Courtwright (WLB)

Long jump — Presswood (WLB)

Shot put — Beavers (CEL); McLaughlin (CC)

100 hurdles — McLaughlin (CC); Fitzpatrick (CEL)

100 — Courtwright (WLB)

200 — Courtwright (WLB); Sparks (WLB)

800 — Presswood (WLB); Clark (WLB)

1,600 — Presswood (WLB)

4x100 relay — WLB (Ramlow, Hobler, Browning and Courtwright)

4x200 relay — CEL

4x400 relay — WLB (Presswood, Clark, Boward and Elliott); CEL

High jump — McFadden (CEL)

Long jump — Ramlow (WLB); Boward (WLB); Bonaparte (CEL)

Shot put — Olson (HE); Schonauer (CC)

Discus — Olson (HE)

100 hurdles — Gallagher (CEL); Ramlow (WLB)

100 — Bonaparte (CEL); Ramlow (WLB); Hyde (CEL); Hobler (WLB); Rankin (HE)

200 — Bonaparte (CEL); Boward (WLB)

4x100 relay — WLB (Boward, Curry, Sparks, Atteberry)

4x200 relay — CEL; Carroll Catholic

[to top of second column in this section]

High jump — Oller (CC)

Long jump — Courtwright (CEL)

Discus — Ubbenga (HE)

100 — Courtwright (CEL)

200 — Courtwright (CEL); Moehring (HE)

400 — Detmers (HE)

800 — Conrady (HE); McQuellon (CEL)

4x200 relay — HE; CEL

4x400 relay — WLB

Pole vault — Farmer (WLB)

High jump — Umphryes (HE); Ritchhart (CC)

Long jump — Schoonover (CEL)

Shot put — Ritchhart (CC)

Discus — Sanders (WLB)

110 hurdles — Schoonover (CEL)

100 — Umphryes (HE); Toft (CEL)

200 — Toft (CEL)

400 — Schick (CC); Umphryes (HE)

800 — Conrady (HE)

1,600 — Farmer (WLB)

4x100 relay — WLB; CEL

4x200 relay — HE; CEL

4x400 relay — WLB; CEL

[MAY 6, 2002]  Last Saturday was a particularly special day for 10 Railer baseball seniors and their families. Prior to the doubleheader with Washington, the seniors were introduced along with their parents in a fitting tribute to years of dedication and investment. As one of those parents, I must confess that the occasion was filled with joy and simultaneous sadness. It seems like just a couple of years ago that I and as many as seven other of the seniors’ dads were coaching these "little boys" in Little League. Without doubt, among my most cherished memories will be those that I’ve shared with the other dads, moms and siblings of this wonderful bunch of seniors.

Jeremy Ohmart, Mike Martin, Danny Schick, Ryan Williams, Blake Schoonover, Matt Boyer, Adam Schonauer, Michael Aper, Andy Knopp and manager Brian Boyer — a great group of guys. Head coach Pat Hake elected to start all of them in the first game against Washington, and they responded with an 11-8 win.

[Senior Ryan Williams and his parents, Don and Marla, symbolize the involvement of families. Moms were given flowers, and dads received a displayable baseball with signatures from all the seniors.]

[Seniors and their parents line up for recognition.]

Four of these seniors had two-hit games: Mike Martin (two stolen bases), Danny Schick (triple, two RBIs, three stolen bases), Blake Schoonover (double, three RBIs) and Andy Knopp (one RBI). Adam Schonauer and Ryan Williams also had a hit and an RBI each. And Matt Boyer had an RBI.

Ryan Williams had the starting role on the mound and went 5 1/3 innings while striking out three, walking three and allowing seven hits and just two earned runs. Mike Martin got a brief relief appearance to finish the sixth inning, recorded two outs and left two runners on base. Blake Schoonover finished the game in the seventh inning, giving up a couple of hits and a walk, but two runners were stranded when he struck out the final hitter.

Both Washington and Lincoln had 10 hits in game one, but the Railers refused to let Washington take control.

[to top of second column in this article]

Game two ended as a five-inning mercy-rule game, with the Railers dominating in an 11-1 lopsided win. In this contest, five Railers had multiple hit games. Andy Knopp was 2-2 with an RBI double; Steve Shanle was 2-2 with two RBIs; Luke Welchel was 2-3 with a double and an RBI; Josh Gallagher was 2-3; and Derek Schrader went 3-4 with four RBIs. Mitch Sheley contributed a two-RBI triple.

[Senior Andy Knopp readies himself at the plate. Knopp was 4-6 on "senior day."]

Junior Chris Gosda pitched the five-inning game, surrendering 11 hits but only one run (earned). Gosda struck out two and walked none. Nine Washington runners were left standing on base during the five-inning game. Gosda helped his own cause by initiating two double plays. In the third and fourth innings, Washington loaded the bases with fewer than two outs. In both frames, the next batter grounded back to Gosda, who threw to catcher John Peters for a force out, and Peters then threw to first for a second out. Peters also set the base-running tone for Washington when he threw out the first hitter of the game as the player attempted to steal second after a leadoff single. The Railers played a perfect defensive game behind Gosda, committing no errors.

The victories moved the Railer record to 13-13 on the season. This week, Lincoln has four days of games scheduled: Monday at Normal Community, Tuesday and Thursday against Jacksonville (Tuesday at home), and a Saturday home doubleheader against Olympia.

[Rich Knopp]

[MAY 6, 2002]

Olympia vs. Central Catholic

Central Catholic    100 120 0 — 4-8-1

Olympia                123 205 x — 13-14-2

Battery: C. Cheek (W 3-0), S. Raleigh (7), and R. Olson

Outstanding hitters: Darnall (4 hits), Raleigh (2 hits), Olson (2 hits), C. Hayes (2 hits), Darnall (3 RBIs), R. Kendrick (2 RBIs), T. Haning (2 RBIs)

[MAY 6, 2002]

Olympia vs. Hartsburg-Emden

Game 1

Olympia 000 400 0 — 4-6-1

Hartem 000 000 0 — 0-4-2

Battery: J. Shay (W, 14-2) and A. Lessen

Outstanding hitters: T. Prager (2 hits, RBI)

Game 2

Olympia 000 012 1 — 4-9-0

Hartem 000 000 0 — 0-1-0

Battery: A. Wilson (W, 8-1) and K. Tucker

Outstanding hitters: B. Hieser (2 hits, RBI), T. Prager (2 hits, RBI), A. Darnall (2 hits, RBI)

LCHS vs. East Peoria

Lincoln           101 000 0 — 2-4-1

East Peoria     006 100 x — 7-9-3

Battery: Goodman, Carmichael (5) and Wilkerson

Lincoln College baseball in tournament play

[MAY 6, 2002]  QUINCY — Lincoln College stayed alive in the Region 24 baseball tournament here Saturday by defeating Springfield College 9-6 after losing the first game, on Saturday, 8-4, to John Wood. The Lynx were scheduled to play John Wood at noon Sunday. A win for Lincoln would force a second game against John Wood. A loss to John Wood in either game would end the Lynx season.  

Lincoln College scored three times in the opening inning against Springfield and was never headed.  The Lynx built a 9-2 lead before Springfield closed the gap to 9-6 on a grand slam homer by Skip Clayton.

Zach Rinaberger led the Lynx with three hits in four trips to the plate, with three runs scored. Jake VanDyke, Dan Dunn and Kenny VanHouten each had a pair of hits for coach Tony Thomas, now 15-29 for the season.

Kyle Eastman was credited with the victory, working the first 7 1/3 innings, giving up seven hits and three earned runs. Eastman struck out four and issued seven walks. Josh Becker finished the eighth, and VanHouten struck out two in the ninth to earn the save.

John Wood scored four times in the first three innings of the first game Saturday and put the game out of reach with three runs in the fifth.  Dunn took the loss for the Lynx, giving up nine hits, seven runs, two walks and four strikeouts in 4 1/3 innings.

Rinaberger and Tim May each had a pair of hits for Lincoln College.

Lincoln College        010 000 201 — 4-8-0

John Wood              211 031 00x — 8-12-2

Dunn (L), Cave (5), Whetstone (6) & Bartman; Whicker (W) & Missen.

Lincoln College          310 122 000 — 9-12-0

Springfield College     002 000 040 — 6- 8-2

Eastman (W), Becker (8), VanHouten (9-S) & Pesce; Alvey, Rowe, Gray, Davis & Badman.

[Bill Martinie, Lincoln College
sports information director]

[MAY 6, 2002]  Or at least it was this past Saturday! If you ventured past the friendly confines of Lincoln Community High School this past weekend, you may not have been sure just which way to turn. There were literally sports activities everywhere you looked. The Railers were busy hosting a doubleheader against Washington. The Lady Railers were hosting a softball tournament of their own. Soccer was in full swing on the premises, and I think I saw the tennis team going somewhere.

If you’re scoring at home, here are the actual scores from this weekend’s plethora of sporting events: The Railer varsity baseball team swept Washington 11-8 and 11-1 and are quickly putting themselves in position to be dangerous during the IHSA playoffs. The Lady Railer softball team did lose to East Peoria 7-2 and a heartbreaker to Deerfield, 2-1.

My boy and I witnessed the Deerfield game and thought the girls played them especially tough. It’s good to see JoBeth Borowiak back on the mound. She got out of a tough bases-loaded jam in the fifth by inducing one girl to hit a lazy fly ball and the next to hit a harmless ground out. Unfortunately, the ladies just couldn’t muster up enough offense to support the fine pitching effort! The girls also lost to East Peoria 2-1 on Friday, but they did beat Nokomis 2-0. Perhaps they have the confidence to turn it on in the days ahead.

The Lady Railers soccer club suffered an 11-0 loss to Pleasant Plains.

These are the only scores turned in to the LDN sports desk. If you have any score or sports story that you’d like to promote, just send it to ldneditor@lincolndailynews.com, fax (217) 732-7443 or call (217) 732-7443.

I will try to give you an update tonight at 6 p.m. on the new FIX 96.3 sports call-in show!

Tonight, the St. Louis Cardinals invade Wrigley Field for the start of a three-game series with the Chicago Cubs. However, the really big question is: Does anybody care? Seriously, the winner of this series might just be able to start turning their season around; the loser just gets mired in the pack. The Cubs are coming off a shutout of the Dodgers and a pretty successful road trip. The Cardinals had another disappointing showing by having a losing homestand. This might be a good time to show up as a Cards fan, as they are probably taking volunteers from the audience to join their pitching staff! I say to the fans of both clubs: Don’t worry about it. You know that these two teams will put on an entertaining series no matter what their records say!

[to top of second column in this section]

•  The Blues have dug a big hole for themselves going down 0-2 in Detroit. Will this series last more than five games? I doubt it! I just wonder how the Blues would have fared had they kept Cujo between the pipes all these years. I’m also not sure if anyone can beat the Red Wings. I do have one question for NHL players: Why doesn’t Brett Hull spend more time crashing into the boards or down on the ice? It just seems to me that it’s harder to score in one of those positions than it is camped out right in front of the net!

•  The Lakers look more vulnerable to me than I thought they would look at this juncture. I did think that the Pacers gave the Nets all that they wanted and then some! If the East team beats the West representative, then you will have a pretty big story. I just don’t see that happening.

•  How many more days until Illini basketball? I’m sorry… I know a lot of you get sick of basketball while it’s in season; I just miss it when it’s gone! They could play college basketball 12 months a year as far as I’m concerned!

•  Is it just me or is NASCAR getting more popular every week?

That’s easy… I have to give my team-of-the-week award to the Abraham Lincoln Memorial Hospital staff. They are celebrating 100 years in our community, and this semiprofessional writer has no idea what we would do without them?! So, to Mr. Woody Hester and to his entire staff, thank you from me and the LDN for everything you do on our behalf. We appreciate it!

[Jeff Mayfield]

Announcements

[MAY 9, 2002]  There is still time to sign up for the scramble golf tournament scheduled for May 18 at the Atlanta Golf Course. Proceeds from the tournament are being used to help finance the Lincoln American Legion and the Lincoln Heat baseball teams.

Anyone interested in playing in the tournament should contact Bill Martinie at (217) 732-6951, Todd Courtwright at (217) 732-7886 or the Northgreens Golf Course at (217) 648-5500.

Cost to play in the tournament is $40 per player, which includes golf, golf cart, lunch and prizes. Prize money will be based on the number of teams participating. 

This is the first time the Legion and Heat organizations have combined for a fund-raiser. If successful, this will likely become an annual event.

[Bill Martinie]

[MAY 2, 2002]  Starting this summer, the Lincoln Area YMCA will offer a coed track-and-field program for youth 5 to 12 years old and teens 13 to 18 years old. Participants will learn the fundamentals of track and field, as well as stretching, warm-up and cool-down.

LCHS track-and-field coach Michelle Aeilts, along with other volunteers, will teach participants the benefits of building a strong body, mind and spirit through running.

This new program will be offered in two six-week sessions. Session A, June 3-July 8, is for teens, and Session B, July 15-Aug. 19, is for youth. The program will meet on Tuesdays and Thursdays at the LCHS track.

For more information, call 735-3915 or (800) 252-3520.

[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.

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