Prep Baseball
HANNIBAL, Mo. — Jansen Lawson couldn’t possibly do it, too, could he? Yes, he could. And he did. After Quincy High School graduate Brady Lowe hit an inside-the-park grand slam in the top of the first inning of Saturday’s Missouri vs. Illinois All-Star Game at the Veterans Sports Complex, Lawson, also a former Blue Devil,…
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QUINCY — The afternoon sun hung high in a cloudless sky above an empty parking lot, making it impossible to escape just how luminous it can be. Ethan Rose didn’t shy away from it, even when brightness is his nemesis. “There’s nothing like having your eyesight,” he said. “It’s something you take for granted. Like…
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QUINCY — The puzzle is not complete, but the picture is becoming clearer. Quincy American Legion Post 37 has been without a baseball team since 2018, but it could return as soon as 2025. Matt Anderson and John Gosney are spearheading the effort to revive it. “There’s definitely a void to be filled,” said Anderson, Post…
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ALTON, Ill. — The Quincy High School baseball team erased a three-run deficit once. Doing it twice was asking too much, especially when giving away free bases. Trailing Alton 3-0 after two innings in Thursday’s Class 4A Alton Regional semifinal, the Blue Devils rallied to take a 5-3 lead going into the bottom of the…
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CHILLICOTHE, Ill. — Sometimes putting the ball in play is enough to get the job done. The Illini West baseball players took that approach to heart. The Chargers continually applied pressure to Rockridge’s defense during Wednesday’s Class 2A Chillicothe IVC Sectional semifinal, using a mix of hard ground balls, solid liners and strategically timed bunts…
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CARTHAGE, Ill. — Ethan Carlisle is only a sophomore, but he had the composure of a veteran on Saturday. Carlisle tossed six shutout innings as the Illini West baseball team defeated Macomb 5-0 to capture the Class 2A Illini West Regional title at Jake Burling Field. Carlisle’s poise was put to the test in the…
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LIBERTY, Ill. — A freshman pitcher’s poise and presence is going to allow the seniors on the Winchester West Central baseball team to thoroughly enjoy the road trip that lies ahead. It should enable Grant DeWitt to have a more casual drive, too. Right-hander Anthony Hance wriggled out of a sixth-inning with a five-run lead…
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PITTSFIELD, Ill. — The start was nearly perfect. The ending proved imperfect. After Pittsfield senior first baseman Brennan Tomhave launched a one-out home run to center field in the top of the first inning Saturday, Saukees right-hander Konner Allen retired Sacred Heart-Griffin without trouble in the bottom of the frame. However, the lead didn’t last.…
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CARTHAGE, Ill. — Illini West baseball coach Zack Burling told left-handed starter Nick Bruns he was only going to face Eureka’s leadoff hitter in the bottom of the eighth inning Thursday before the Chargers went to the bullpen. “I just begged him to let me try to finish this game,” Bruns said. “And he did.…
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QUINCY — Here is a look at the schedule for regional play in Illinois in baseball, softball and girls soccer, as well as the Missouri district baseball tournaments: Illinois baseball Class 2A Pleasant Plains Sectional Wednesday, May 22 Game 1 — Winner North Mac Regional vs. Winner Pittsfield Regional, 4:30 p.m. Game 2 — Winner…
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LIBERTY, Ill. — Patience, persistence and pitching have put the Mendon Unity baseball team on the verge of both a 20-win season and the program’s first regional title in more than 30 years. The second-seeded Mustangs took advantage of 10 free bases, broke through to take the lead in the third inning and finished off…
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PITTSFIELD, Ill. — One swing changed everything. Quincy Notre Dame right-hander Abram Wiewel held the second-seeded Springfield Sacred Heart-Griffin baseball team hitless for a 4 ⅓ innings Wednesday in the semifinals of the Class 2A Pittsfield Regional. Then SHG designated hitter Gage Luttrell blasted a one-ball, one-strike pitch to center field for a solo home…
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QUINCY — Abram Wiewel, Evan Kenning and the Quincy Notre Dame baseball team are trying to rekindle some postseason magic. Monday was a good start. The Raiders used seven RBIs from Wiewel and five solid innings from Kenning to dispatch Beardstown 10-4 at Ferd Niemann Jr. Memorial Ballfield and advance to Wednesday’s semifinals of the…
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PAYSON, Ill. — The top of the Payson Seymour baseball team’s lineup set the tone for a 10-5 victory over Southeastern in Monday’s opening round matchup in the Class 1A Liberty Regional. It made history possible, too. Indians leadoff hitter Nolan Sparks went 3 for 4 with two RBIs and two runs scored, while No.…
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GENESEO, Ill. — The Quincy High School boys tennis team made its lead last at the Western Big 6 Conference championships despite the continued dominance of Rock Island Alleman junior Nick Patrick. The Blue Devils placed two singles players in top four and the doubles tandem of Anderson Knapp and Jason Derian finished third, giving…
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HANNIBAL, Mo. — No baseball team in Hannibal High School history has ever won 20 games in a season. That will remain the case for at least one more day. The Pirates had a chance to become the first team to reach the 20-victory plateau Friday, but Hillsboro edged out them 2-1 in eight innings…
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GENESEO, Ill. — The Quincy High School boys tennis team positioned itself to claim the Western Big 6 Conference championship with a strong showing Friday. The Blue Devils lead the field with 12 team points, advancing two singles players and their No. 1 doubles team to Saturday’s semifinals. In singles play, third-seeded Trevor Nelson lost…
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CAMP POINT, Ill. — Carter Reeves did exactly what Mendon Unity baseball coach Tyler McAllister has wanted him to do with an outside pitch. Simply punch it into right-center field. With two outs in the top of the fifth inning Thursday, Reeves smacked the first pitch he saw from Camp Point Central reliever Garrett Neisen…
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CAMP POINT, Ill. — The final week of the regular season is mirroring the rest of the spring — windy, rainy and unpredictable. Thursday’s game between the Mendon Unity and Camp Point Central baseball teams saw sunny skies turn to dark clouds, wind kick up and a steady rain that halted play in the top…
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MT. STERLING, Ill. — Beating a Class 4A program gave the Brown County baseball team a major boost heading into next week’s Class 1A regional. Vlad Rebarcak scored in the bottom of the sixth inning when Quincy High School was unable to turn an inning-ending double play, and Hornets pitcher Eli Staton finished a complete…
Read Full Article QUINCY — A quick answer enabled the Quincy High School baseball team to fend off Camp Point Central on Tuesday at the QHS field. After the Panthers scored four runs in the top of the fourth to tie the game at 7, a two-out RBI single by Brady Lowe regained the lead for the Blue…
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CAMP POINT, Ill. — Braizley Allison came through in the clutch. With two outs in the bottom of the sixth inning Tuesday and the Camp Point Central and Payson Seymour softball teams knotted at 8, Allison singled through the left side of the infield to drive in Anna Peters with what turned out to be…
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QUINCY — Free bases are nothing but trouble as the Quincy Notre Dame baseball team’s pitching staff has come to know. Five QND hurlers combined to walk eight batters and hit two others during Tuesday’s 8-5 loss to Macomb at Ferd Niemann Jr. Memorial Ballfield. The Bombers’ four-run rally in the top of the fourth…
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QUINCY — Elliott Hendrian might as well have taken a flashing neon sign screaming “Hit it here” with him to second base. The baseball gods were well aware he was there. Quincy Notre Dame coach Rich Polak made an abrupt switch in the top of the fourth inning Monday, pulling starting second baseman Oliver Triplett…
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QUINCY — A pitcher’s duel turned in the favor of the Quincy Notre Dame baseball team when the Raiders were able to manufacture a pair of runs in the fifth inning of Monday’s 3-1 victory over West Hancock in West Central Conference action at Ferd Niemann Jr. Memorial Ballfield. Muddy River Sports Editor Matt Schuckman…
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STERLING, Ill. — Kyle Taylor’s final Western Big 6 Conference start will go down as his best. The senior right-hander tossed a one-hit shutout Monday in leading the Quincy High School baseball team to a 7-0 victory over Sterling and a split of the conference doubleheader. The Golden Warriors won the opener 15-0. Taylor struck…
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CARTHAGE, Ill — Wesley Robertson’s walk-off single was the exclamation point on the Illini West baseball team’s 6-5 victory over Lewistown-Valley-Cuba on Monday. With the game tied at 5 and one out in the bottom of the seventh inning, Carter Chapin reached on an error, and Colby Robertson singled to move the winning run to…
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LIBERTY, Ill. — Maverick Henry couldn’t stop smiling as he rounded the bases following his three-run home run in the second inning of the Brown County baseball team’s 15-0 five-inning victory over Liberty on Friday. As Henry approached third base, Hornets coach Jared Hoots — with a smile on his face as well — told…
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QUINCY — Avary Hlubek could not and would not be denied. The sophomore center fielder hit home runs in the second, fourth and fifth innings of the Quincy High School softball team’s 12-4 victory over Illini West on Friday. Her second inning home run came just three batters after Carlee Gilker hit a two-run home…
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QUINCY — Abram Wiewel understands the need for a pitch count, but it doesn’t dampen the disappointment of being pulled one out away from a complete game. “I wanted to finish it really bad,” said Wiewel, the Quincy Notre Dame junior right-hander who left Tuesday’s game against the Quincy High School baseball team with a…
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QUINCY — It all comes down to the rubber match. The Quincy High School and Quincy Notre Dame baseball teams split their first two meetings this season, with the Raiders evening the series with a 5-1 victory Tuesday night at the QHS field. The third meeting comes next Monday at Ferd Niemann Jr. Memorial Ballfield.…
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HANNIBAL, Mo. — Kane Wilson’s diving stop in the fifth inning of the Hannibal baseball team’s 3-0 victory over Mexico at the Veterans Sports Complex on Monday did not result in an out, but the Pirates shortstop made arguably the most important play of the game. With a runner on second, no outs and the…
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HANNIBAL, Mo. — The Hannibal baseball team is at the top of the heap once again, having defeated Mexico 3-0 on Monday at the Veterans Sports Complex to win the North Central Missouri Conference title. It is the Pirates’ second NCMC crown in the past three seasons. Muddy River Sports Writer Shane Hulsey spent Monday…
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MT. STERLING, Ill. — A catcher’s interference call on a bunt attempt in the top of the ninth allowed the go-ahead run to score and the Quincy Notre Dame baseball team tacked on another to pull out a 7-5 victory over Brown County on Monday. After each team scored a run in the eighth inning,…
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FULTON, Mo. — Alaina Power and Maggie Routh each scored their first career goal as the Hannibal girls soccer team defeated Fulton 8-0 in a North Central Missouri Conference game. This is the Pirates’ sixth straight win and fourth consecutive shutout. Goalkeeper Ava Turner has notched 12 shutouts this season. Ashley Davis netted a hat…
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VINCENNES, Ind. — Tyler Dance found his footing. The John Wood Community College freshman right-hander threw six scoreless innings Saturday, striking out eight and walking one as the Trail Blazers opened a four-game Mid-West Athletic Conference series with an 8-0 victory over Vincennes University. JWCC also won the nightcap of the doubleheader 14-4. Dance, a…
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CAMP POINT, Ill. — It takes a certain toughness to play catcher. As Camp Point Central freshman infielder Caleb Petersen put it, “There’s no such thing as a good sissy catcher.” His older brother is as tough as they come and has an iron man streak to prove it. Cole Petersen, a senior, has caught…
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QUINCY — The heart of the Quincy Notre Dame baseball team’s lineup got the ball rolling when the Raiders needed to pad their lead. Evan Kenning and Nolan Robb opened the bottom of the fourth inning Wednesday with back-to-back singles, which led to a three-run rally and catapulted the Raiders to a 5-2 victory over…
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LANCASTER, Mo. — One day after playing in a hail storm, Trevor Biggerstaff and the Canton boys golf team enjoyed teeing it up under a sun-splashed sky. The Tigers’ play mirrored the weather. Biggerstaff earned individual medalist honors by shooting a 1-under 71 and Canton won the team title with a 328 total Wednesday in…
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QUINCY — There’s a first time for everything. Clark County baseball coach Shaun Parker delivered that message to his team before Tuesday’s game against Quincy Notre Dame. The Indians listened and believed in what Parker said. Clark County scored a 4-0 victory at Ferd Niemann Jr. Memorial Ballfield for the program’s first victory against QND.…
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QUINCY — Off the field, Quincy Notre Dame junior Abram Wiewel is a light-hearted jokester. On the field, he turns into a junkyard dog. “When I’m pitching, I get into a completely different mindset,” Wiewel said. “I want to hunt you down and destroy you.” Monday, Wiewel annihilated the Mendon Unity baseball team’s offense, throwing…
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PITTSFIELD, Ill. — Mired in a midseason slump, the Pittsfield baseball team needed a turn-things-around moment. Ending Mendon Unity’s 13-game win streak may be it. Two Saukees combined to limit the Mustangs to two hits, and a five-run fifth inning helped propel Pittsfield to a 9-0 victory Saturday. The Saukees had lost three of their…
Read Full Article EAST MOLINE, Ill. — The Quincy High School baseball team surrendered eight runs in Saturday’s Western Big 6 Conference doubleheader against United Township. Not a single run was earned. The Blue Devils committed five errors total in getting swept 3-0 and 5-3, running their conference losing streak to five straight games. They have committed 11…
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QUINCY — On the first pitch Ethan Rose saw, he knew he shouldn’t swing. On the second pitch, he knew he couldn’t pass. He made the right call on both. With one out in the bottom of the second inning Friday and runners on second and third after Gavin Doellman’s double, Rose jumped on a…
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QUINCY — Four pitchers — two each from the Quincy Notre Dame and Illini West baseball teams — combine to strike out 14 batters and allow just five hits during Friday night’s showdown at Ferd Niemann Jr. Memorial Ballfield. The Raiders won 4-2 on the strength of Ethan Rose’s three-run home run and Evan Kenning’s…
Read Full Article EDWARDSVILLE, Ill. — The Quincy High School boys tennis team continues to pile up dual victories. Friday night’s effort against a traditional Western Big 6 Conference powerhouse is a sign of good things to come. The Blue Devils beat Moline 7-2 in a neutral-site dual, winning a pair of tiebreakers and getting solid play from…
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PAYSON, Ill. — Relief. That was Hunter Miller’s overwhelming emotion as he rounded the bases for the first home run of his baseball career Wednesday. “It’s taken way too long,” Miller said. The sophomore’s two-run fourth-inning home run helped Payson Seymour secure a 9-6 West Central Conference victory over Camp Point Central. “I’ve been waiting…
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HANNIBAL, Mo. — Hannibal fans who made it to the Veterans Sports Complex on Wednesday afternoon were treated to a two-for-two. Two Pirates teams playing and two victories. The Hannibal girls soccer team continued its dominance of the North Central Missouri Conference, picking up an 8-0 victory over Kirksville. Malia Stolte scored four goals, Ashley…
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BUSHNELL, Ill. — With two runners on base and two outs in the bottom of the fifth inning, the Bushnell-Prairie City baseball team was one run away from a 10-run rule victory. The Spartans didn’t get it, and that gave Mendon Unity new life. The Mustangs scored five times in the top of the sixth,…
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SHELBINA, Mo — Jaaron Durbin and Noah Wilt took advantage of their home course knowledge and shared medalist honors Wednesday as the South Shelby boys golf team won its own invitational at Lakeside Golf Course. The Cardinals shot a 310, while Palmyra was second at 333 and Canton third at 344. Durbin and Wilt each…
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QUINCY — The Quincy High School baseball team dropped both ends of a Western Big 6 Conference doubleheader Saturday against league front-runner Moline at QU Stadium. The Maroons won the opener 5-3 despite getting outhit by the Blue Devils, while the nightcap turned into a rout as Moline won 14-1. In the first game, Quincy…
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CONCORD, Ill. — The streak keeps building. A pair of victories Saturday in the Triopia Slam enabled the Mendon Unity baseball team to extend its winning streak to double digits following a 6-1 victory over Payson Seymour and a 12-0 victory over Triopia. The Mustangs have won 11 games in a row and are 12-2…
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TOLONO, Ill. — The Quincy Notre Dame baseball team’s pitching staff gave it a chance to win both games Saturday in the Tolono Unity Slam, but the Raiders’ offense couldn’t find that breakthrough moment. QND fell 1-0 to Tolono Unity and 4-1 to Teutopolis. Raiders junior right-hander Abram Wiewel tossed a two-hitter against Tolono Unity,…
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QUINCY — Rejuvenation became the name of the game. One team found it, the other now needs it — for decidedly different reasons. Back-to-back losses to begin the week, including an 11-run setback against Rock Island in Western Big 6 Conference play, made Wednesday’s 8-1 victory over Hannibal crucial for the Quincy High School baseball…
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QUINCY — With no rain in sight, it’s time to play ball. And the Quincy High School and Hannibal baseball teams are playing as much as possible. Wednesday marked the third consecutive day with at least one game for both squads as the Blue Devils picked up an 8-1 victory at the QHS field. Muddy…
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QUINCY — Just gotta shake it. Sophomore pitcher Bradi Lahr uttered those words — quite loudly — dozens of times during the Quincy Notre Dame baseball team’s game against Pittsfield on Wednesday at Ferd Niemann Jr. Memorial Ballfield. What exactly does this phrase mean? “Whatever you want to take it as,” Lahr said. Whatever it…
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MENDON, Ill. — The manner in which the Palmyra baseball team rallied for two runs in the top of the seventh inning Monday to tie the game could have put Mendon Unity on its heels. Instead, the Mustangs proved they refuse to buckle. Cody Shaffer’s single through the left side of the infield with one…
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QUINCY — Patience is a virtue the Quincy Notre Dame baseball players took to heart Monday. Trailing Rushville-Industry by two runs going to the bottom of the seventh inning at Ferd Niemann Jr. Memorial Ballfield, the Raiders put themselves in position to rally by loading the bases with one out. Abram Wiewel reached on an…
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PITTSFIELD, Ill. — The Pittsfield baseball team wasted no time taking control. Run-scoring doubles by Brennan Tomhave, Konner Allen and Hayden Gratton in the bottom of the first inning Monday led to a three-run frame and catapulted the Saukees to a 5-3 victory over Quincy High School. The Saukees’ Luke Archer led off the fourth…
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LIBERTY, Ill. — The line drive hit Cody Shaffer’s upper right arm with enough force that the ricochet led to an out at first base and had people scrambling to check on the Mendon Unity right-hander. Immediately, the umpires called time and Mustangs coach Tyler McAllister popped out of the dugout to assess Schaffer’s injury…
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HANNIBAL, Mo. — Kane Wilson didn’t need to be perfect. Yet, he was. The Quincy Notre Dame brought 18 batters to the plate Thursday afternoon and the Hannibal senior right-hander sat all 18 down, tossing a six-inning perfect game in the Pirates’ 10-0 victory at the Veterans Field complex. Wilson struck out only four, but…
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LIBERTY, Mo. — A pair of right-handed hurlers engaged in a pitchers’ duel Thursday as neither Mendon Unity’s Cody Shaffer nor Liberty’s Jackson Sims allowed a run over the first six innings. The relievers were just a stingy in the seventh inning. It wasn’t until the eighth inning when a pair of errors enabled Unity…
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GRANITE CITY, Ill. — Jansen Lawson locked in instead of locking out. The Quincy High School senior right-hander allowed the Granite City baseball team to tie Thursday’s game at 1 in the second inning when he hit back-to-back batters with two outs to force in a run. A groundout ended the inning, and Lawson was…
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MACON, Mo. — The turf baseball field Macon High School installed in 2022 continues to show its benefits, like being able to absorb the rain from thunderstorms that knocked out the rest of the games scheduled for Tuesday across Northeast Missouri. The opportunity to play was all Palmyra needed to open Clarence Cannon Conference play…
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PITTSFIELD, Ill. — Justin Pennock wasn’t overly confident he have unhittable control as he warmed up Saturday morning. “Honestly, not really,” said Pennock, a senior right-hander on the Pittsfield baseball team. “I was still a little bit sore. I thought if I hit spots I’d be all right.” He hardly missed one. Pennock faced just…
Read Full Article CAMP POINT, Ill. — Friday began and ended with late-inning heroics. First, Garrett Neisen stranded the tying run in scoring position as the Camp Point Central baseball team rallied from a four-run deficit to beat Liberty 5-4. Then, the Central softball team allowed Liberty to score five times in the top of the sixth inning…
Read Full Article MENDON, Ill. — Trailing by two runs heading into the bottom of the seventh inning Thursday, the Mendon Unity baseball team needed baserunners to even think about a rally. Six consecutive batters safely reaching did the trick. Ben McClelland and Sawyer Allen started the rally with back-to-back singles before the Mustangs’ patience kicked in. Three…
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QUINCY — The Liberty baseball team wasn’t going to allow Nolan Robb to beat it. So Abram Wiewel did. After Quincy Notre Dame’s Logan Sutton singled with one out in the bottom of the seventh inning Thursday and stole second base, the Eagles chose to intentionally walk Robb. Wiewel followed by hitting a two-strike line…
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PITTSFIELD, Ill. — Three Pittsfield pitchers limited the Brown County baseball team to two hits and the Saukees used a four-run third inning to catapult themselves to a 7-1 victory to improve to 5-0 and highlight Wednesday’s action across the area. Pittsfield’s Draven Puterbaugh allowed one unearned run and two hits over the first four…
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MEMPHIS, Tenn. — The weather played havoc with the Quincy High School baseball team’s spring break trip, but the Blue Devils were still able to come away with a split on their final day playing in the USA High School Baseball Challenge. Senior right-hander Brady Lowe threw four scoreless innings Tuesday in a 4-1 victory…
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