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Saturday, May 3

High school baseball

[MAY 03, 2003] 

At Mason City

Midwest Central     040 010 0 - 5-10-3

Illini Central            002 000 1 - 3-7-2

Watson (W), Ziebart (7) and Roberst; Chris Norton (L, 4-1) and Travis Scott.

Records - Illini Central 10-5.

At Athens

Hartsburg-Emden     000 101 1 - 5-9-1

Gridley                     200 002 x - 4-4-1

Matt Gleason (L, 2-2) and Drew Olson; Riech, Chandler (S, 6), and Finley.

Home run - Hartem - Gleason (solo in sixth).

Hitting star - Hartem - Josh Sherwood (double, RBI).

Records - Hartem 8-5, Athens 7-6.

At Mount Pulaski

Mount Pulaski     000 001 000 - 1-4-2

Rochester            000 001 001 - 2-9-1

Brian Clements, Josh Blaum (7, L, 3-3) and Cameron McClellan; Wright (W) and Milner.

Records - Mt. Pulaski 13-5, Rochester 15-5.


High school softball

[MAY 03, 2003] 

At Athens

Hartsburg     002 215 2 - 12-16-2

Athens          001 000 0 - 1-8-4

Nikki Chapman (W, 6-5), Megan Leesman (7) and Alyssa Moehring; Hocking (L), Bock (7) and Mussleman.

Hitting stars - Hartem - Molly Klokkenga (3 hits), Moehring (3 hits, 3 RBI), Ashley Luken (3 hits).

Record - Hartem 8-8.

At Washington Tournament

Williamsville     000 000 0 - 0-1-0

Olympia           300 000 x - 3-4-1

WP - Shay (15-1), LP - Smith.

Hitting stars - Olympia - Shay (RBI), Darnall (2 RBI).

Pitching star - Olympia - Shay (7 IP, 1 H, 0R, 0 BB, 4 SO).

 

Olympia      102 000 0 - 3-7-0

Morris         000 000 0 - 0-4-1

WP - Shay (16-1), LP - Durkee.

Hitting stars - Olympia - Darnall (2 hits, double, 2 RBI).

Pitching star - Olympia - Shay (7 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 5 SO).

Record - Olympia 23-1.

 


High school track and field

[MAY 03, 2003] 

Boys

Dragon Invitational
At Pekin

4. Olympia 66.

(Olympia finishers)

400 METER - 2. Joyce, 51.3

800 - 1. McClain 2:03

400 RELAY - 4. Olympia 45.2

800 RELAY - 2. Olympia 36.2

1,600 RELAY - 1. Olympia (Joyce, Schmidgall, Brand, McClain) 3:30.7

3,200 RELAY - 3. Olympia, 8:30

SHOT PUT - 2. Schultz 56-2 1/2

DISCUS - 4. Schultz 153-2

HIGH JUMP - 2. Raes 6-2.

Girls

Herscher Invitational

3. Olympia 76.
(Olympia finishers)

100 METER - 2. Prater 12.98

200 - 2. Prater 26.85

100 HIGH HURDLES - 2. Hish 17.42; 4. Bennet   18.59

300 LOW HURLDES - 3. Fredricks 50.87; 4. Hish 51.38

HIGH JUMP - 2. Crawford 5-0

400 RELAY - 3. Olympia 53.87

800 RELAY - 2. Olympia 1:52.70

1,600 RELAY - 5. Olympia 4:25.22

3,200 RELAY - 2. Olympia 10:34.2

800 MEDLEY RELAY - 3. Olympia 2:00.45.

 

Meet of Champions
At East Peoria

5. Lincoln 144

(Lincoln finishers)

100 METER - 3. Tricia Dorsey 12.75

200 - 3. Dorsey 27.6

400 - 7. Whitney Smith 1:11.9

800 - Christine Presswood 2:35.96

1,600 - 2. Presswood 5:44.9

3,200 - 5. Jennifer Cook 13:51.36

100  HIGH HURDLES - 6. Kendall Paulus 19.79

300 LOW HURDLES - 8. Nicole Humbert 57.2

HIGH JUMP - 4. Kylie Courtwright 5-0

POLE VAULT - 3. Jennifer Whalen 6-6

LONG JUMP - 7. Paulus 10-1

TRIPLE JUMP - 2. Whalen 31-3

SHOT PUT - 6. Kayla Washam 27-1

DISCUS - 8. Danna O'Brien 58-6

400 RELAY - 4. Lincoln 53.19

800 RELAY - 2. Lincoln 1:53.3

3,200 RELAY - 6. Lincoln 12:11.8

800 SPRINT RELAY - 6. Lincoln 2:02.5


Lincoln College softball

[MAY 03, 2003]  MATOON - Lincoln College lost its opening game in the Region 24 softball tournament, 8-0, to Lake Land College.   The Lynx then bounced back to win, 2-0, in the losers bracket over Lewis & Clark.

   Lincoln College will play at 1:15 p.m. Saturday against the loser of the Parkland-Lake Land game.   Another loss would eliminate the Lady Lynx.   Lewis & Clark, rated number two in the Region, lost twice Friday and was eliminated.
    Lincoln College and Lake Land were scoreless after three innings and the hosts pushed across three runs in the fourth and put the game out of reach with five in the fifth.  Marie Burasch had the lone hit for the Lynx.  Jen Polhemus was the losing pitcher.
    In the second game, Lincoln scored single tallies in the third and fifth.  Ashley Grayko opened the third with a walk, moved up on a single by Burasch and scored on a single by Loren Kohenes.   Grayko opened the fifth with a walk,  move up a base on a ground out and scored on a single by Nicole Dearing.  
    Beth Conner was the winning pitcher for Coach Allen Pickering.

 

[to top of second column in this article]

 

FIRST GAME

Lincoln College     000 000 0 - 0 - 1 - 0
Lake Land            000 350 x - 8 -11 - 1
Polhemus (L) & JoJo Halko; Karen Warner (W) & Sam Pernine.
 
SECOND GAME
Lincoln College     001 010 0 - 2 - 5 - 1
Lewis & Clark       000 000 0 - 0 - 3 - 1
Beth Conner (W) & Halko; Carol Graham (L) & Lauren Wiseman.

 

[Bill Martinie, Lincoln College
sports information director]


Lightning Strike Cancels WJBC Webcasts For Weekend Games

[MAY 03, 2003]  NORMAL, Ill -- A lightning strike earlier in the week caused damage to the WJBC server. The damages sustained from the strike made it impossible for the station to provide webcasts for Friday's Illinois State baseball game against Indiana State and tomorrow, Sunday's, softball game against Southwest Missouri State.


Redbird Wins First Friday Valley Game, 8-5, Over Indiana State
[MAY 03, 2003]  NORMAL, Ill -- Jon Peacock went 3-for-4 with a homer and four RBI and Illinois State starter Todd Stein recorded a career-high nine strikeouts as the Redbird baseball team won its first Missouri Valley Conference game on a Friday this season against Indiana State, 8-5, at Redbird Field in Normal, Ill.
     "I felt like I had good stuff tonight," said Stein.  "It wasn't my best, but it worked tonight. I really went out there and battled and it paid off. I am glad that the team was able to rally around me to pick up the win."
     Illinois State improves to 16-25 overall and 7-13 in Valley play, while Indiana State drops its overall record to 29-14 overall and 10-11 in the league.  The Redbirds totaled 12 hits in the game, while Indiana State had 11.
     "Todd pitched really well for us tonight and our bats were really on tonight with timely hitting," said Illinois State head coach Jim Brownlee.  "We haven't won any Valley games on Friday up to this point in the season, so this is a very big win for us."
     Stein got out of a big jam in the top of the first inning with the bases loaded and two outs as Jeremy Hatler sent a bouncing ball straight to Lance McMillan for the unassisted putout at first base.  The Redbirds jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first when McMillan hit an infield, RBI single to short that scored Jeremy Accardo from third.
     After a scoreless second inning, the Sycamores plated two with back-to-back RBI singles by Chris Hall and Hatler respectively to take a 2-1 lead. Illinois State tied the game, 2-2, in the bottom of the third when Peacock brought home Jay Molina from second with an RBI single to left-center. Indiana State got two more runs in the top of the fourth inning off a fielding error by Accardo and a balk by Stein that gave the Sycamores ahead by two, 4-2, after four innings of play.

[to top of second column in this article]

      In the top of the fifth, another costly fielding error at third base by Chris Shepherd allowed Indiana State another run with two outs to give the Sycamores a 5-2 advantage. A two-run homer to right field by Peacock with two outs in the bottom of the fifth narrowed the Indiana State lead to one, 5-4.
     Stein seemed to get hotter as the game wore on recording five strikeouts in the sixth and seventh innings. Chris Shepherd gave the 'Birds a big lift in the bottom of the seventh with an RBI double down the left field line that sent McMillan across the plate and Peacock was able to score on the same play as a result of a throwing error by Hatler, the Sycamore left fielder, to give Illinois State back the lead, 6-5.
     Accardo came in to relieve Stein to start the eighth inning. With the bases loaded and one out in the bottom of the eighth, McMillan drew an RBI walk off Sycamore reliever Brian Omogrosso to give the 'Birds an insurance run to their lead, 7-5. Peacock drew in another run in the eighth with a sac bunt to put the Redbirds ahead, 8-5, heading into the ninth inning.
     After loading the bases in the top of the ninth with one out, Accardo was able to turn a 1-6-3 double play to seal the victory.
     Illinois State continues its series with Indiana State Saturday with a doubleheader starting at 1 p.m. The first game will be seven innings, while the nightcap will be a nine-inning affair.

[Rob Huizenga, Athletics Media Relations
Illinois State University
]


Larson steps down as coach of Redbird gymnastics

[MAY 3, 2003]  NORMAL -- Beth Larson resigned from her position as the head coach of the Illinois State gymnastics team Friday to pursue a career in the private sector, according to Illinois State Director of Athletics Perk Weisenburger.

The Cherry Valley native was the Redbirds' head coach for two years and enjoyed much success with her team, not only as a coach but also as a former student-athlete.

"I truly enjoyed my time here, not only as a coach but athlete as well, and at this time, for personal reasons, I am looking forward to taking the next step and meeting new challenges in my life," Larson said. "I feel that this program has been set up extremely well with new recruits and a solid group of athletes returning, and I am looking forward to them coming in and making an impact next year and leading the Redbirds back to the NCAA Tournament.

"The biggest thing I will miss about Illinois State is the team atmosphere," Larson continued. "The support of the fans and community as well as the athletics staff is amazing. I have learned that life is always going to be changing, and you have to take hold of what you have at the moment and be able to adapt to change that comes your way. I am going to take hold of the moment and make a change, and I know the team will do the same and come out on top."

Weisenburger applauds Larson's dedication to Illinois State but understands this is her moment to move on.

"Beth has done a wonderful job with our Redbird gymnastics program these past two years," Weisenburger said. "She will definitely be missed as a head coach, a member of our coaching staff and as a person who cares very deeply for Illinois State University. She has had a very positive impact on all of us and particularly her student-athletes. We wish her all the best in her relocation and new endeavors."

[to top of second column in this article]

Larson took over the reigns of the Redbird gymnastics program in July 2001 from Jill Hollembeak, who coached Larson while she was a member of the squad. She inherited a team that was fresh off an NCAA regional appearance, and in her first season as head coach, she led the Redbirds to their second consecutive NCAA regional. Larson and her gymnasts posted an 11-16 record in 2002.

In 2003, she coached her team to a 5-16 record and fifth-place finish at the Midwest Independent Championships. While the team failed to make regionals, Larson guided two individual athletes to the national competition. At the regional meet Denise Houda and Lisa Klein both participated as individual competitors alongside the No. 1 team in the nation, UCLA.

Larson finished her career as a coach at Illinois State with a 16-32 overall record while setting a new standard for Redbird gymnastics that started during her days as a student-athlete. She was a four-year letter winner and served as team captain of the squad from 1999-2000. She also received the R.E.D.B.I.R.D. gymnastics award from 1997-2000. She qualified for regionals as an individual in 1999 and 2000 and was named most valuable performer from 1998-2000.

Larson, who received her bachelor's degree in exercise science from Illinois State in 2000, will still be hosting her summer camps scheduled for June.

[Erica Fricke, assistant director of media relations, Illinois State University]

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Articles from the past week

Friday:

  • High school softball

  • High school baseball

  • Johnson inks new deal

Thursday:

  • High school baseball

  • Lincoln College softball vs. Lewis & Clark

  • Guest speaker Dick Vitale inspires Redbird student-athletes and coaches

  • Bruce Weber named UI basketball coach

Wednesday:

  • High school baseball

  • High school softball

  • High school track and field

  • LCC signs Clinton player

Tuesday:

  • High school baseball

  • High school softball

  • Golfers sign with LC

  • Illinois basketball has a bright future

Monday:

Saturday:

  • (No new sports articles posted)

'Spring has sprung' mutterings

By Jeff Mayfield

[APRIL 28, 2003]  The Lincoln Railers put up a nice 4-3 win over Lanphier after losing to them 9-4 earlier in the week. These were two real Jekyll and Hyde performances, but according to coach Pat Hake, if the Railers come to play every night, they can expect more winning outcomes. With the victory Lincoln was able to even their league mark to 3-3 and push their season record over the .500 level at 8-7.

The Lady Railers track squad also took an impressive triad win over Pekin and Peoria Manual last week.

CONGRATULATIONS to Chris Bunch as he has inked with Parkland College. Also, to Matthew Stoltzenburg, who was named District 15 Coach of the Year!

The St. Louis Cardinals pulled out an epic 7-6 win over the Florida Marlins at Pro Player Stadium on Sunday. The win enabled the Birds to take the series, to move one game under the .500 mark and most importantly move within two games of the Cubs. Fernando Vina, who had gone 0-for-9 in the game, not the series, went from goat to hero as he knocked in the winning run. Hopefully, that will get him and his mates started back in the right direction. The Redbirds will be entertaining the pond scum, otherwise known as the New York Mets, starting on Tuesday.

Illinois' Eugene Wilson was drafted by the New England Patriots after the Bears passed on him. Don't know what the thinking was there, as he seems like an excellent fit for them. Brandon Lloyd went to San Francisco, as the Niners are anticipating pass catching needs. Two Illini O-lineman went in the fifth round, as Dave Diehl ended up with the Giants in New York and Tony Pashos was selected by the Baltimore Ravens. And the Carolina Panthers nabbed Walter Young in the seventh round. After the two-day draft event was over four more Illini inked free agent deals, with Greg Lewis to Philadelphia, Antoineo Harris to San Diego, Aaron Moorehead to Indianapolis and Jerry Schumacher to the Bears!

 

[to top of second column in this article]

All in all, it was a great weekend for Fighting Illini gridders. While I'm happy to see them realize their dreams in the NFL, I am sad to see them go, as I get way too attached to them while they are playing for us! They have all treated the LDN staff with great respect as they have given us tremendous accessibility. The LDN wishes them all great success at the next level!

How 'bout that Fred Couples winning the Houston Open? It's great to see a superstar coming back, after injuries and losing his edge, to recapture the swing and return to glory. Judging by the fans' reactions, they were glad to see him back on top!

Have a great week, everybody!

[Jeff Mayfield]


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