‘We just did that’: Pair of inside-the-park home runs leads Illinois past Missouri in all-star game

Quincy High Schol product Jansen Lawson, center, gets congratulated after hitting an inside-the-park home run during Saturday's Missouri vs. Illinois All-Star Game at the Veterans Sports Complex in Hannibal, Mo. | Shane Hulsey photo

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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South Shelby’s Rich becomes first to play and coach in Missouri vs. Illinois All-Star Game

South Shelby coach Jacob Rich, right, peers out of the dugout during Saturday's Missouri vs. Illinois All-Star Game, while his assistant coach, North Shelby's Scott Gaines, looks on. | Shane Hulsey photo

HANNIBAL, Mo. — It felt different for Jacob Rich this time around. But at the same time, it all felt familiar. The South Shelby baseball coach took the reins of the Missouri team for Saturday’s 10th annual Missouri vs. Illinois All-Star Game at the Veterans Sports Complex. By doing so, he became the first person…

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Photo gallery: All-Stars enjoy time to shine during Missouri vs. Illinois baseball game

Hannibal's Ryan Ross goes through the line during introductions prior to Saturday's 10th annual Missouri vs. Illinois All-Star Game. | Shane Hulsey photo

HANNIBAL, Mo. — A number of the top prep baseball players from this region were able to represent their high school and their community one final time Saturday night during the 10th annual Missouri vs. Illinois All-Star Game at the Veterans Sports Complex in Hannibal, Mo. Muddy River Sports Writer Shane Hulsey was there and…

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Seeing through Rose-colored glasses: QND baseball product overcomes freak accident to thrive playing game he loves

A year after nearly losing the sight in his right eye permanently, Quincy Notre Dame product Ethan Rose earned All-West Central Conference honors as a first baseman and will play in Saturday's Missouri vs. Illinois All-Star Game at Veterans Field in Hannibal, Mo. | Matt Schuckman photo

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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Schuckman: Prep all-star game reminds us just how beautiful baseball can be

Several players from the Missouri and Illinois all-star teams who played in last Saturday night's all-star game at Veterans Field in Hannibal, Mo., grew up playing for the River City Dirtbags. | Submitted photo

HANNIBAL, Mo. — The beauty of baseball can be its simplicity. Pitch, catch, swing and hit. That’s the game at its most rudimentary level. The complexity of it can be just as alluring. Hit-and-runs, double switches, righty-lefty matchups and squeeze plays. The game makes you think, strategize and second guess, often all at the same…

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Schuckman: Return of prep all-star game showcases everything great about baseball

Quincy Notre Dame's Ben Kasparie, left, takes a selfie with Hannibal catcher Keaton Scott before leading off Saturday night's Missouri vs. Illinois All-Star Game at Clemens Field in Hannibal, Mo. | Matt Schuckman photo

HANNIBAL, Mo. — It started with a selfie and ended with a shower. Everything happening in between helped ensure Saturday night’s eighth installment of the Missouri vs. Illinois All-Star Game — the first since 2019 — became a full-tilt celebration of high school baseball. From bunts to bad hops, knee-bending curveballs to wild throws, and…

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Photo gallery: Missouri beats Illinois 7-4 in all-star baseball game at Clemens Field

Palmyra coach Mark Loman, who was the skipper for the Missouri all-stars, gets doused with a cooler of water after the Show-Me State won the eighth Missouri vs. Illinois All-Star Game on Saturday night at Clemens Field in Hannibal, Mo. | Matt Schuckman photo

HANNIBAL, Mo. — Muddy River Sports Editor Matt Schuckman spent Saturday night at Clemens Field as the eighth Missouri vs. Illinois All-Star baseball game unfolded. Here is a gallery of the images he collected both on the field and in the stands:

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Return of Missouri vs. Illinois All-Star Game comes with bevy of talent from both sides of Mississippi

Quincy High School teammates Grayson Cook, left, and Luke Mettemeyer will represent Illinois in Saturday's Missouri vs. Illinois All-Star Game at Clemens Field in Hannibal, Mo. | Matt Schuckman photo

HANNIBAL, Mo. — Like nearly every other big event during the summer of 2020, the Missouri vs. Illinois All-Star baseball game fell victim to a global pandemic. But Kevin and Aaron Peters, the Monroe City father-son duo who are the braintrust and the legs behind this event, never lost faith the game could return in…

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