David Adam, MRN Editor
CONCORD, Ill. — It was fitting that the last ball put into play during Tuesday’s Class 1A sectional semifinal softball game was handled flawlessly by Liberty shortstop Ava Heming. Every time a big play was needed, Heming came through. Heming flawlessly fielded two grounders in the seventh, helped turn a double play in the fifth…
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A 4-3 victory over Delavan in the semifinals of the Class 1A Concord (Triopia) Sectional on Tuesday night gave the Liberty softball team its 24th victory this season, breaking a school record for victories in a season. The Eagles will play for their first sectional championship since 2005 at 4 p.m. Friday when they meet…
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Photo Gallery: Raiders can't get runner past first base, strike out 10 times as season ends at 19-11
Sacred Heart-Griffin’s Nick Antonacci tossed a no-hitter and struck out 10 batters in Saturday’s Class 2A regional championship game against Quincy Notre Dame on Saturday in Quincy. He issued three walks and hit a batter, but he didn’t allow a runner to advance beyond first base. The closest QND came to a hit was in…
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BARRY, Ill. — Years from now, when people talk about Friday night’s Class 1A softball regional championship game, most will remember Camdyn Ormond’s sixth-inning single through the right side of the infield that brought home the winning runs for Liberty in a 3-1 victory on Friday night at Western High School. Pleasant Hill coach Ryan…
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Liberty’s Chandler John allowed just three hits and one walk in a complete game effort in a 3-1 victory over Pleasant Hill in the Class 1A softball regional on Friday night at Western High School in Barry. Pleasant Hill’s Ava Wombles also turned in a solid game in the circle, allowing five hits and walking…
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QUINCY — Morgan Winking’s first concern was to simply catch a fly ball. Gunning down a baserunner by doubling her off first base, however, proved to be the play that sealed Quincy Notre Dame’s victory on Wednesday night. Winking’s double play combination with first baseman Morgan Zanger in the top of the sixth inning ruined…
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Quincy Notre Dame scored four runs in the sixth inning to pull away late for a 7-0 victory over Petersburg PORTA on Wednesday night in the semifinals of the Class 2A regional tournament at Ferd Niemann Jr. Memorial Ballfield. The third-seeded Raiders improved to 19-10 and earned a date against second-seeded Springfield Sacred Heart-Griffin in…
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Quincy Notre Dame’s Caitlin Bunte was dominant in the circle on Wednesday afternoon, allowing just two hits and walking one to collect a 2-1 victory over Pittsfield in the Class 2A regional semifinals at the Backyard. She gave up one unearned run to a team that had scored 299 runs in 30 games before Wednesday.…
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Addie Flesch and Makayla Patton both scored three goals in Quincy Notre Dame’s 9-0 victory over Hillsboro in the Class 1A regional championship game on Tuesday afternoon at Advance Physical Therapy Field. QND advances to face Alton Marquette – a 6-0 winner Tuesday over Carlinville – at 4:30 p.m. Friday in the semifinals of the…
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QUINCY — After watching Jason Traeder narrowly miss an eagle putt that dropped him to his knees on the 17th hole, Alex McCulla was sure Traeder was going to make the birdie putt on the 18th hole and force a playoff. “I thought he looked good over it,” McCulla said. “He’d been playing well all day. He’d…
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Jason Traeder and Alex McCulla were no more than one shot apart during the final nine holes of the Quincy Men’s City Tournament on Sunday afternoon at Westview Golf Course. McCulla was victorious in the end, as Traeder missed an eagle putt on the 17th hole and a birdie putt on the 18th hole —…
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QUINCY — Mark Thomas hopes a difficult regular season schedule has prepared his girls soccer team at Quincy Notre Dame for a potentially successful postseason run. However, he knew that getting his team to forget Monday’s 5-0 loss to Pleasant Plains in the regular-season finale would still be difficult — especially when the Raiders and…
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HANNIBAL, Mo. — It has been seven seasons since Jack Schrader last walked the sideline as a basketball coach. After coaching men’s basketball teams for 23 seasons combined at Truman State University and Culver-Stockton College, Schrader will be coaching at the high school level during the 2025-26 season. Clint Graham, athletic director at Hannibal High…
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QUINCY — Ali Schagmeyer-Belger’s high school and college basketball career allowed her to travel all over Illinois and the United States. She went on to play professionally in five countries and on six continents for 18 coaches. “Antarctica is the one (continent) I haven’t touched yet,” she said with a smile. The road traveled through…
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Freshman catcher Maggie Neally collected a team-high three hits and fell a home run shy of hitting for the cycle during Tuesday’s 13-3 victory for the Quincy High School girls softball team over winless Galesburg. Neally is hitting .460 with three homers in her rookie season. Muddy River News Editor David Adam captured some of the…
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QUINCY — The first time Josh Rabe spoke with Ali Schwagmeyer-Belger about the women’s basketball coaching position at Quincy University, he immediately dismissed her lack of college experience. “I was like, ‘What would you do?’” Rabe asked her if she got the job. “She walked through some key hallmarks of program building, and I’m like, ‘OK,…
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QUINCY — Ali Schwagmeyer-Belger was introduced during a press conference at 1 p.m. Tuesday as the next women’s basketball coach at Quincy University. Schwagmeyer-Belger, who spent last season as the women’s basketball coach at John Wood Community College, was selected to replace Courtney Boyd, who announced April 4 that she was leaving after two seasons at…
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QUINCY — The most important at-bat in Wednesday afternoon’s 12-2 victory by the Quincy Notre Dame softball team over Western at the Backyard came in the second inning when it took the lead. No, it wasn’t Caitlin Bunte’s bases-clearing triple, breaking a scoreless tie. Instead, it was Morgan Winking’s two-out walk to load the bases,…
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The Quincy Notre Dame girls softball team on Wednesday played its first game at home in the Backyard after playing its last six games on the road, going 3-3. The Raiders knocked off Western 12-2 to improve their record to 16-4. MRN Editor David Adam captured some of the action from Wednesday’s game.
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BLOOMINGTON, Ill. — The Illinois High School Association (IHSA) published a letter on Tuesday to state representatives explaining its decision to allow transgender participation in athletics. President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Feb. 5 intended to ban transgender athletes from participating in girls’ and women’s sports. The order, titled “Keeping Men Out of…
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Wednesday’s 6-2 victory over Quincy High School moved the Quincy Notre Dame girls softball team one step closer to a sixth consecutive 20-victory season. Notre Dame has outscored Quincy 87-18 during that 11-game stretch. The last QHS victory against the Raiders came in April 2018. Muddy River News Editor David Adam captured some of the images from…
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ST. CHARLES, Mo. — The recipe for winning this weekend at the Great Lakes Valley Conference Tournament was uncommon but successful for the Quincy University women’s basketball team. The ingredients were a poor shooting first half, a halftime deficit, a re-dedication to pounding the ball inside, physically taking over the second half on defense and…
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ST. CHARLES, Mo. — A broadcaster with the Great Lakes Valley Conference Sports Network who made less-than-flattering remarks about Quincy University during the broadcast of a women’s basketball game in the GLVC Tournament on Saturday issued an apology before QU’s appearance in the GLVC title game on Sunday. John Edwards, listed as the “Voice of…
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ST. CHARLES, Mo. — As the Quincy University women’s basketball players began to pull on their championship T-shirts on the Hyland Arena court after Sunday’s 64-60 victory over Maryville in the title game of the Great Lakes Valley Conference Tournament, reserve guard Sydney Runsewe looked at Hawks coach Courtney Boyd and asked, “What time is…
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ST. CHARLES, Mo. — The Quincy University women’s basketball team was on the brink of seeing its season end Saturday night when Makaiya Brooks scored from the baseline with 4:47 left in the third quarter to put Drury ahead 50-42. “I was not worried at all, really,” Hawks senior Cymirah Williams said. Apparently, neither were…
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ST. CHARLES, Mo. — Karsyn Stratton hasn’t been much of a scorer for much of her college basketball career, so it would be considered surprising to many who are seeing her carrying so much of the scoring load lately for the Quincy University women’s basketball team. Hawks coach Courtney Boyd thinks she has an answer…
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ST. CHARLES, Mo. — It didn’t matter that Mikayla Huffine had missed eight of nine shots. She never lost her confidence. “I mean, they were leaving me open because obviously I wasn’t hitting the three,” said the Quincy University junior guard, who had missed all four of her 3-point shots in Friday night’s quarterfinal game…
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ST. CHARLES, Mo. — The Quincy University women’s basketball team probably ought to be in consideration for an at-large bid to the NCAA Division II Midwest Regional next week. Surprisingly, they’re not. Friday night’s 74-69 victory over Missouri S&T at Hyland Arena in the quarterfinals of the Great Lakes Valley Tournament improved the Hawks’ record…
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BLOOMINGTON, Ill. — Sure, winning a third consecutive championship at the State Farm Holiday Classic would be nice. The top-seeded Central-Southeastern girls basketball team received celebratory hugs and pats on the back after Saturday night’s 56-42 victory over Paris in the semifinals of the small school girls bracket. The Panthers earned a spot in Monday’s…
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BLOOMINGTON, Ill. — The first three quarters of Saturday afternoon’s game at the Shirk Center in the State Farm Holiday Classic showed just how good the Quincy High School girls basketball team can be. One moment halfway through the fourth quarter showed how fragile that success is. The Blue Devils posted a 61-42 victory over…
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