Author: Nathan Bloechl

By: Nathan Bloechl — sports@kilj.com

Mount Pleasant — The Iowa Wesleyan football team has released their 2021 fall schedule, taking the field for the 125th season of Tiger Football.

This will be their first year in the NAIA, competing in the North Star Athletic Conference.

Iowa Wesleyan will open their season on the road at Saint Ambrose University on August 28th.

They’ll host their home opener the following weekend against Missouri Baptist.

Homecoming will be October 2nd against Crown College.

Here’s the full schedule:

• August 28th at Saint Ambrose University
• September 4th vs Missouri Baptist University
• September 11th at Quincy University
• September 18th vs Trinity International University
• September 25th vs Valley City State University
• October 2nd vs Crown College — HOMECOMING 
• October 16th at Dickinson State University
• October 23rd at Dakota State University
• October 30th vs Presentation College
• November 6th vs Waldorf University
• November 13th at Mayville State University

By: Nathan Bloechl — sports@kilj.com 

Prep Baseball: Mount Pleasant Loses Two, New London Dominates, Other Area Finals:

Fort Madison 15, Mount Pleasant 0

Fort Madison 14, Mount Pleasant 4

The Mount Pleasant baseball team was swept at the hands of Fort Madison yesterday at Mapleleaf Athletic Complex losing 15-0 and 14-4.

In game one, Fort Madison’s Matt Hopper fired a one-hitter over four innings to lead the Bloodhounds.

Colten Hutson had Mount Pleasant’s lone hit.

Jack Johnson took the loss for the Panthers working 3.1 innings allowing eight runs, seven of which were earned. He walked fived and struck out one.

Fort Madison soaked up 12 walks from Mount Pleasant pitching over four innings as they scored seven runs in the 3rd and 4th innings.

In game two, Will Edeker worked a solid three innings allowing two hits and three earned run, but the Bloodhounds scored six times in the 4th and seven in the 5th as they rolled to the run rule victory.

Cooper Keldgord allowed 10 runs in one inning on six hits and five walks, which helped Fort Madison take the game over.

Carter Amos and two hits and two RBI while Dalton Gardner also had two hits for the Panther offense.

The pair of losses moved Mount Pleasant to 2-11.

They’re now 1-8 in conference action.

New London 14, Pekin 3 

New London jumped out to a 9-0 lead, as they rolled past Pekin yesterday 14-3.

Camden Kasel had three hits and drove in four runs, while Josh Catala had a three hit evening as well, scoring a run and driving in one.

Yesterday marked the eighth time in nine games where New London scored in double digits.

Brendan Richey went three innings to start the game for the Tigers, while Tucker Gibbar earned the win, working one scoreless inning striking out two.

New London improved to 9-0.

Louisa-Muscatine 18, Winfield-Mount Union 3 

Louisa-Muscatine’s 10-run 6th inning helped the Falcons pull away for an 18-3 win over Winfield-Mount Union last night.

Winfield scored a single tally in the 1st inning and scrapped for two in the 4th.

Jared Woerly had two hits and drove in three for Louisa-Muscatine.

Stats were not made available for Winfield.

The Wolves fell to 1-12.

Wapello 6, Mediapolis 3 

Wapello busted loose for four runs in the 4th inning as they defeated Mediapolis 6-3 yesterday.

Cooper Garrison and Owen Housman each had two hits for the Indians, who moved to 4-6.

Chase Witte earned the win for Wapello hurling five innings, scattering nine hits.

Mediapolis senior Josh Darbyshire and teammate Tyler Samuel each had a three hit night.

The Bulldogs fell to 8-6.

Prep Softball: Louisa-Muscatine Rallies, Mount Pleasant Swept:

Louisa-Muscatine 6, Winfield-Mount Union 5

Kylee Sanders had three hits and scored three runs as No. 2 Louisa-Muscatine rallied for a 6-5 win over Winfield-Mount Union yesterday.

The UNI Panther recruit had two singles, a triple while driving in two for the Falcons.

Winfield-Mount Union ace Madie Anderson struck out ten hitters hurling seven full innings scattering eight hits.

Molly Miller had two hits including a home run, Carlee Sloan also had a two hit evening for the Lady Wolves.

Winfield-Mount Union fell to 9-3.

Fort Madison 14, Mount Pleasant 4

Fort Madison 13, Mount Pleasant 1 

Fort Madison steamed to a pair of wins yesterday over Mount Pleasant, winning 14-4 and 13-1 at Mapleleaf Athletic Complex.

Bethany Drury drove in two runs in game one for the Panthers, while Jersey Beachy doubled and Courtney Raub had two steals.

Drury took the loss in the circle.

In game two, Madison Helling was the losing pitcher.

Savana Walls had two hits and a run scored, while Grace Kelley went 1-for-2 with a RBI.

The two losses fell Mount Pleasant to 0-17.

Central Lee 2, Danville 1

Carlea Beckman and Morgan Waste each had two hits but Central Lee rallied for a walk-off 2-1 win over Danville last night.

Ava Smith was the tough luck loser, hurling 6.2 innings, striking out six.

She allowed just one earned run.

Meghan Hopp and Makayla Marrison each had a pair of hits for the Hawks.

Central Lee moved to 8-4.

Danville dropped to 3-8.

Wapello 15, Mediapolis 3 

College Volleyball: Wesleyan Names Ashley Miller as Head Coach:

Iowa Wesleyan has named Ashley Miller the next head volleyball coach, the school announced yesterday.

Miller comes to Iowa Wesleyan from William Penn University, where she spent the past two years as the graduate assistant coach for the women’s volleyball program.

She assisted in bringing the Statesmen from a 12-19 record in 2019 to an impressive 17-9 record in 2020-21.

Miller assisted in the day-to-day operations of the Statesmen volleyball program, helping with recruiting, social media, overseeing the varsity reserve team, and developing and implementing practice and game plans.

She was also a strength and conditioning coach for the Statesmen, training their men’s soccer, baseball, and women’s volleyball teams.

Iowa Wesleyans’ volleyball team will begin their season with a scrimmage on August 28th at home against Eureka.

College Football: Wesleyan Football Schedule Released:

The Iowa Wesleyan football team has released their 2021 fall schedule, taking the field for the 125th season of Tiger Football.

This will be their first year in the NAIA, competing in the North Star Athletic Conference.

Iowa Wesleyan will open their season on the road at Saint Ambrose University on August 28th.

They’ll host their home opener the following weekend against Missouri Baptist.

Homecoming will be October 2nd against Crown College.

Here’s the full schedule:

• August 28th at Saint Ambrose University
• September 4th vs Missouri Baptist University
• September 11th at Quincy University
• September 18th vs Trinity International University
• September 25th vs Valley City State University
• October 2nd vs Crown College — HOMECOMING 
• October 16th at Dickinson State University
• October 23rd at Dakota State University
• October 30th vs Presentation College
• November 6th vs Waldorf University
• November 13th at Mayville State University

By: Nathan Bloechl — sports@kilj.com

West Burlington — The Mount Pleasant softball team was swept this weekend playing against No. 4 (3A) West Burlington-Notre Dame on Saturday.

The Panthers lost 12-0 and 15-0 to fall to 0-15.

Falcon ace Lauren Summers threw a no-hitter in game one, completely dominating in the circle.

Elise Oleson and Logan Kelley homered in game one for the Falcons.

In game two, Abbey Bence held Mount Pleasant to just one hit — a Savana Walls base knock — as the Falcons cruised.

Bence had Lauren Krieger each had two hits.

The pair of wins moved West Burlington to 18-1.

By: Nathan Bloechl — sports@kilj.com

Winfield — The red-hot Winfield-Mount Union softball team will take on No. 2 (2A) Louisa-Muscatine tonight in our featured matchup on KILJ-FM tonight.

Winfield has won four of their last five matchups, with their lone loss coming in 4-3 fashion to Central Lee just five days ago.

Jobey Malone has been terrific for Walt Jackson’s group at the plate this season hitting .545 with seven runs batted in, four doubles and two home runs.

In the circle, Madie Anderson has been as advertised and then some.

The Indian Hills commit has thrown 69.2 innings while racking up 127 strikeouts.

Her ERA is a microscopic 0.40.

On the other side is UNI recruit Kylee Sanders who is 5-3 in the circle with a 0.95 ERA.

Opponents are hitting .133 against her.

Sanders is also hitting .607 with two doubles, a triple and four runs batted in.

Louisa-Muscatine, now 7-6, has won 12 straight games against Winfield-Mount Union, including a 7-0 victory earlier this year.

Tonight’s game will begin at 7:00 p.m.

You can listen on KILJ-FM 105.5.

Other area softball tonight:

• Holy Trinity at Cardinal
• Danville at Central Lee
• Lone Tree at Columbus
• New London at Pekin
• Mediapolis at Wapello
• Mount Pleasant at Fort Madison (Doubleheader)

By: Nathan Bloechl

KILJ — The New London baseball team will look to stay unbeaten tonight when they take on Pekin in a Super Conference crossover.

New London has been scorching to begin the season, scoring double digit runs in seven of their first eight games.

Carter Allen has been right in the the thick of it, hitting .519 with a homer, a triple and two doubles.

He’s driven in 13 already this year.

Hecniel Rodriguez has been equally as impressive.

The senior has 19 runs batted in, four triples, three homers and six stolen bases.

He’s also been superb on the bump, as has New London’s entire staff.

The Tigers pitching staff has a miniscule 1.17 team ERA.

Josh Catala leads the way with 12.2 innings, he’s struck out 15, allowed just two hits and has not had a run scored against him.

Pekin enters tonight’s scrap at 5-5.

They’re led at at the dish by Chase Stansberry, a junior, who hits .417 with a home run and 16 RBI.

New London has won the last three matchups against Pekin.

Tonight’s game will begin at 7:00 p.m. at Pekin High School.

Other area matchups tonight:

• Louisa-Muscatine at Winfield-Mount Union
• Danville vs. Central Lee
• Mediapolis at Wapello
• Notre Dame at West Burlington
• Mount Pleasant at Fort Madison (Doubleheader)

By: Nathan Bloechl — sports@kilj.com 

Mount Pleasant — The Mount Pleasant track and field team has announced their 2021 awards.

Starting with the boys’:

• Most Improved: Bryce Wilson
• MVP: Cooper Pullis
• Panther Award: Jack Johnson
• Newcomer of the Year: Ben Carthey

And the girls’:

• Most Improved: Grace Kelley
• Leading Scorer: Karsyn Lamm
• Top Performer: Jadan Brumbaugh
• Newcomer of the Year: Josie Gilmore
• Panther Award: Cristina Carthey

The Panther track programs also had five Academic All-State performers:

• Jack Johnson
• Cooper Pullis
• Cristina Carthey
• Grace Kelley
• Karsyn Lamm

 

By: Nathan Bloechl — sports@kilj.com 

Prep Baseball: New London Dominates, Other Prep Finals:

New London 14, Hillcrest Academy 4 

New London pounded out 15 hits in a 14-4 win over Hillcrest Academy last night.

Hecniel Rodriguez and Josh Catla both hit two home runs a piece, while driving in four runs.

The win moved New London to 8-0.

Danville 12, Winfield-Mount Union 0 

Danville scored six runs in the 6th inning, as they rolled by Winfield-Mount Union 12-0 last night.

Sawyer Nelson was dominant on the mound rolling to a one-hit shutout.

Grifen Molle paced Danville’s offense with two triples.

Nelson had three hits and drove in one.

Mediapolis 6, West Burlington 2 

Lance Ludens fired 3.2 innings of one run ball as Mediapolis came away with a 6-2 win over West Burlington last night.

Jaxon Brooks was the pacemaker for Mediapolis’ offense, doubling and singling.

Cole Lipper drove in two, as well for the Bulldogs, who pulled to 7-5.

Highland 10, Notre Dame 3 

It’s been a tough week for the Nikes, who saw Highland punch in for 10 runs in a 10-3 loss last night.

Logan Brent had a double and a pair of singles, while Carson Chiprez had two hits despite the loss.

Notre Dame slipped to 5-4.

Prep Softball: New London Puts Up Fight, Other Area Finals: 

New London hled a 5-4 lead but could not keep it, as Clear Creek-Amana rallied for a 10-6 win over the Tigers last night in the Fairfield Invitational.

New London scored twice in the 1st, once in the 2nd and two times in the 3rd, in the loss.

They rallied for a single tally in the 6th but could not overcome the Clipper offense.

The loss moved the Tigers to 3-10.

Other softball finals last night:

Holy Trinity 9, Columbus 8 

Van Buren 12, Lone Tree 4

Fairfield 8, Pekin 2

ADM-Adel 4, Louisa-Muscatine 2

College Sports: Hawkeyes Permit Beer and Wine Sales at Athletic Facilities:

(Via Radio Iowa)

The University of Iowa Athletics Department announced the creation of a pilot program to expand beer and wine sales at athletic facilities.

Beginning this fall, beer and wine will be available for purchase throughout Kinnick Stadium, with the exception of areas immediately adjacent to the respective student section.

Athletic events at Carver-Hawkeye Arena, Duane Banks Field and Bob Pearl Field will also be included in the pilot program during the 2021-22 school year.

Thirty percent of net alcohol sales will be directed towards research-based initiatives developed and supported by the UI Alcohol Harm Reduction Committee, formed in 2009 to decrease high-risk drinking and the related harmful consequences.

Iowa joins seven other Big Ten schools who currently sell beer and/or wine in public areas at its home football games. Approximately half of the schools from the Power 5 conferences will sell beer and/or wine at their home football games this fall.