Author: Nathan Bloechl

By: Nathan Bloechl — sports@kilj.com 

Panther Baseball Stays Hot, Wins 5th in a Row:

The Mount Pleasant baseball kept their winning ways up, as Corbin Broeker, Jaxon Hoyle and Chase Williamson each pounded out three hits — rolling by Mediapolis 10-2, last night.

Jack Johnson was sublime for the Panthers on the bump, yielding one run on eight hits while striking out six Bulldogs  over six innings.

Max McClure drove home Mediapolis’ first run in the 6th inning, a ringing double to the left-center field gap — but it was not nearly enough.

Williamson doubled twice and drove home three runs in win.

Nik Coble also had two hits for the Panthers, who won for fifth straight time.

The Panthers improved to 11-5 — they’ll be off today before traveling to Knoxville for a non-conference twin-bill on Thursday.

You can hear game one on KILJ FM 105.5 and online at kilj.com.

Mount Pleasant Softball Upsets #14 W-MU:

Winfield-Mount Union junior Madi Anderson worked all seven innings allowing just one earned run while striking out 14, but it was not enough as the #14 ranked Winfield-Mount Union Wolves fell to Mount Pleasant 4-3, last night.

Anderson did a little bit of everything for Winfield, drilling a home run, while driving in two runs as well.

Sophomore shortstop Carlee Sloan had two hits for the Wolves as well.

The win for Mount Pleasant improved them to 4-12.

They’ve now won two of their last three.

They’ll take on Davis County tonight in non-conference doubleheader, set to begin at 5:00 p.m at Davis County High School.

Regional Baseball Scoreboard:

Central Lee 5, Burlington Notre Dame 0

• Jadon Hawk fired scoreless inning after scoreless inning as Central Lee clinched a SEISC-South Division title for the second consecutive season. Alex Sandoval finished 2-for-3 for the now 9-1 Hawks. Mitchell Brent suffered the loss for Notre Dame, who dropped to 10-2.

New London 17, Keota 5

• Holvin Catala had three hits, while Josh Catala, Kooper Schulte, Carter Allen and Seth Bailey each had two nights as New London rolled to a 17-5 win over Keota. Karter Allen was the winning pitcher for the Tigers, working five innings allowing four runs while striking out three. New London improved to 11-3.

Fort Madison 13, Van Buren County 5

Regional Softball Scoreboard:

Mediapolis 4, Holy Trinity 3

Central Lee 8, Keokuk 2

Van Buren 13, New London 1

#2 Louisa-Muscatine 12, Hillcrest Academy 2

Growing Unrest Between NFL and NFLPA as Training Camp Looms:

(via Associated Press) 

The NFL and the NFL Players Association have yet to come to an agreement on all protocols for training camp and the preseason as the report date for teams draws closer.

The two sides finalized the protocols regarding team travel, media, and treatment response, and have also updated the facilities protocol to specifically address training camp based on recommendations from a joint committee of doctors, trainers and strength coaches formed by the league and players’ union.

The league sent a 42-page memo to teams last Friday outlining those proposals. But the NFL Players Association and its president, Cleveland Browns center JC Tretter, say testing and the number of preseason games remain unresolved.

The league last week decided to cut the preseason schedule from four games to two and pushed back the start of exhibition play an extra week to give teams more time to prepare because the coronavirus pandemic forced the cancellation of on-field workouts.

Players are still expected to report by July 28th for the start of training camp.

 

By: Nathan Bloechl — sports@kilj.com 

Mount Pleasant Baseball Clinches a Share of SEC Title:

The Mount Pleasant baseball team picked up a huge pair of wins yesterday, when they knocked off Southeast Conference rival Washington 9-0 and 8-2.

The two wins clinched Mount Pleasant at least a share of the conference championship.

In game one Clayton Lowery finished 3-for-3 with a double and three runs batted in, en route to the 9-0 victory.

Brennan Bender and Corbin Broeker each had two hits in game one, as well.

Nik Coble was outstanding on the hill, working six scoreless innings allowing just three hits while striking out five.

Coble’s line was helped out by some spectacular glove work by the Panthers, as they turned three double plays to get Coble out of a handful of jams early in the game.

Clayton Lowery pitched the 7th inning for Mount Pleasant, allowing one hit while striking out one.

In game two, Jaxon Hoyle scattered four hits over six strong innings propelling Mount Pleasant to the sweep victory.

Hoyle allowed two runs — just one earned — while striking out five to guide the Panthers to their 10th victory of the season.

The bats were out in full force in game two — Rylan Seberg went 3-for-4, while Clayton Lowery finished 2-for-4 with a triple and two runs batted in.

Nik Coble also got involved in the fun, drilling a home run, driving in three with two hits in four at-bats.

The Panthers will be back on the diamond tonight, when they travel to Mediapolis to do battle with the Bulldogs in a non-conference affair. The varsity game is set to begin at 7:00 p.m. — you can listen along tonight on KILJ FM 105.5 or online at kilj.com.

Mount Pleasant Softball Splits with Demons:

The Mount Pleasant softball snapped their losing streak when they picked up a dramatic, walk-off 7-6 game one victory over Washington last night. The Panthers trailed Washington 6-0 early, but began chipping away inning after inning.

The win ended a Panther eight game losing streak and secured their third victory of the campaign.

In game two, Washington jumped on Mount Pleasant early and often, as they earned a 21-2 win.

The triumph improved the Demons to 7-12, while Mount Pleasant fell to 3-12.

Mount Pleasant will take on Winfield-Mount Union tonight at Winfield in a non-conference tilt at 7:00 p.m.

Area and Regional Baseball Round-Up:

West Burlington 18, Winfield-Mount Union 3

• Dawson Bergthold had two hits for Winfield, but West Burlington earned an 18-3 win. Ty Hill had four hits for the Falcons in the victory .

Cardinal 6, Central Lee 2

• TJ Stutes and Jaden Hawk had two hits, but it was the talents of Cardinal’s Landon Becker shining brightest as Cardinal picked up a 6-2 Super Conference South Division win.

Notre Dame 17, Wapello 1

Danville 12, Louisa-Muscatine 10

Area and Regional Softball Round-Up:

New London wins via forfeit over Danville

• Danville administration pulled the plug on their against New London citing COVID-19 concerns. Two New London players who may or may not have been exposed to the virus tested negative over the weekend. Danville administration did not want to take any added risk. The Bears will continue their season as normal despite taking the forfeiture loss last night.

Cardinal 6, Central Lee 5

#2 (2A) Louisa-Muscatine 9, #15 (5A) Bettendorf 1

#14 (3A) West Burlington/Notre Dame 15, Lone Tree 1

Cyclones Add JUCO Transfer to 2021 Fold:

The Iowa State Cyclone football team has continued on like business as usual in the recruiting cycle — and their hot start to the Class of 2021 got warmer when they secured a commitment from Blinn College safety Ben Langston, yesterday.

Langston, listed at 6’2 and 190 pounds, picked the Cylcones over an offer from the University of Missouri, as well.

Langston finished his freshman season at Blinn with 52 tackles and four interceptions.

He’s the 15th known commit for Iowa State’s class of 2021.

Chiefs, Mahomes Agree on Massive 10-Year Extension:

The Kansas City Chiefs made sure they’ll have Super Bowl MVP Patrick Mahomes around as long as possible.

Mahomes agreed to a 10-year extension worth up to $503 million, according to his agency, Steinberg Sports. The deal is worth $477 million in guarantee mechanisms and includes a no-trade clause and opt-out clauses if guarantee mechanisms aren’t met.

It’s the richest contract in professional sports history, surpassing Mike Trout’s $426.5 million deal with the Los Angeles Angels.

Mahomes is 24-7 as a starter, completing 65.9% of his passes with 76 touchdowns and only 18 interceptions — he also helped guide the Chiefs to their first Super Bowl in 50 years with a come-from-behind triumph over the San Francisco 49ers.

 

 

By: Nathan Bloechl — sports@kilj.com 

IGHSAU Rankings: Winfield Down to #14 in 1A:

The Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union has released their updated state softball rankings and Winfield-Mount Union, now at 6-2, checks in at #14 in 1A.

The Wolves suffered a tough, 2-1 loss to Highland before knocking off 3A #14 West Burlington/Notre Dame.

Winfield-Mount Union will take on the winner of New London-Holy Trinity in Winfield on July 15th at 7:00 p.m in the first round of the 2020 IGHSAU Softball playoffs.

Collins-Maxwell, Newell-Fonda and Clarksville are the top three in 1A.

In 2A, North Linn — at a pristine 16-0 — the #1 team. They’re followed up by Super Conference power Louisa-Muscatine and Ogden.

Davenport Assumption remains the top-ranked program in Class 3A, followed up by Humboldt and Albia.

4A’s lead dog is Carlisle, with North Scott and ADM checking in at #2 and 3.

And in 5A, Fort Dodge, Waukee and Cedar Rapids Kennedy go 1-2-3.

Mount Pleasant Baseball, Softball At Home Tonight:

Fresh off a huge sweep of Fort Madison, the Mount Pleasant baseball team will to keep things rolling tonight at home, when they host rival Washington for a Southeast Conference twin-bill.

The top of the conference has turned into a photo finish, Burlington, the new leader, is 5-1 — Mount Pleasant and Fort Madison are each 6-2.

Washington is 5-3 in Southeast Conference action, but have won four straight to up their overall record to 7-4.

They’ll begin play tonight at 5:30 p.m.

Meanwhile, losers of eight straight, the Mount Pleasant softball will look to get back in the win column tonight when they host Washington. The Demons check in at 6-11 and have lost two straight themselves.

The last time the two clubs met, it was Demon sweep, including a 12-0 run-rule victory in game two.

First pitch is set for 5:30 p.m.

Super Conference Busy Tonight in Baseball, Softball:

The Southeast Iowa Super Conference will have a busy night, with several area and regional schools getting back into the swing of things this evening.

In baseball:

• Cardinal at Central Lee, 7:00 p.m.
• Louisa-Muscatine at Danville, 7:00 p.m.
• Notre Dame vs. Wapello, 7:00 p.m.

And in softball:

• Cardinal vs. Central Lee, 7:00 p.m.
• West Burlington/Notre Dame vs. Lone Tree, 7:00 p.m.
• Bettendorf vs. Louisa-Muscatine, 7:00 p.m.
• Danville vs. New London, CANCELLED

Cardinals, White Sox Set to Play in Dyersville:

The St. Louis Cardinals and Chicago White Sox will play each other in the first ever MLB baseball game held in the State of Iowa.

The two teams will tango at the historic Field of Dreams in Dyersville.

The game was originally scheduled to be between the Yankees and White Sox, but due to the coronavirus shortened season, MLB made the switch to St. Louis.

August 13th was the originally scheduled date for the bout, but a new date has yet to be announced.

NHL Agrees on Restart Protocols:

(via Associated Press)

The NHL and NHL Players’ Association agreed Sunday on protocols to resume the season, a major step toward the return of hockey this summer.

Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly told The Associated Press there was an agreement on protocols for training camps and games and the sides are still negotiating an extension of the collective bargaining agreement, which is crucial to the process.

If everything is ratified, it will end a pandemic-forced shutdown that began in mid-March. Games would resume in late July or early August with 24 teams taking part in an expanded playoffs, finishing with the Stanley Cup being awarded in October.

Assuming the protocols are approved, teams are expected to open training camps July 13 before traveling to the two hub cities for games. Players have been able to skate and train off-ice in voluntary, small-group workouts since June 8 — nearly three months after hockey was halted March 12 with 189 regular-season games remaining.

 

 

By: Nathan Bloechl — sports@kilj.com 

Softball Playoff Pairings Announced by IGHSAU:

The Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union has released their 2020 softball pairings, with playoffs beginning statewide in a little under two weeks.

Here’s a look at where and when area and regional teams will play come postseason time.

1A

In Class 1A, area teams are grouped in Class 1A-Region 6.

• New London will take on the Crusaders of Holy Trinity Catholic in a first round match-up at home on July 13th at 7:00 p.m.
• The winner of New London-Holy Trinity will take on #12 (1A) Winfield-Mount Union in Winfield on July 15th at 7:00 p.m.
• The top seed in the region is Lynville-Sully, who will await the winner of Tri-County and Keota for their first round match-up on July 15th.

2A

Class 2A area schools are have been placed in Class 2A-Region 8.

• Top seeded #2 (2A) Louisa-Muscatine will await the winner of Cardinal and Van Buren County who will meet up on July 13th at Cardinal at 7:00 p.m.
• Mediapolis will host Danville in a first round tilt at Mediapolis on July 13th at 7:00 p.m. The winner will move on to play Wilton on July 15th.
• Also in 2A-8 is Wapello, who will take on Durant in a quarterfinal clash  on July 15th at 7:00 p.m. in Wapello. The Arrows were a state qualifier in 2A last year, but the road gets significantly tougher as Louisa-Muscatine bumps down from 3 to 2A.

4A

Mount Pleasant and the rest of the Southeast Conference schools will tango in Class 4A-Region 7.

• Mount Pleasant will be on the road to begin their 2020 postseason push when head to Burlington to lock horns with the Greyhounds. That game will be played on July 16th at 7:00 p.m. The winner will await top-seeded Oskaloosa on July 18th — a 7:00 p.m. first pitch.
• Fort Madison and Keokuk will tango on July 16th in a first-round date, with the winner earning the right to scrap with Fairfield on July 18th at 7:00 p.m. in Fairfield.

Mount Pleasant Sweeps Fort Madison in Conference Doubleheader:

The Mount Pleasant baseball team earned themselves a huge sweep last night taking down previously unbeaten and conference leader Fort Madison.

In game one the Panthers scored two runs in the 7th inning to pull away for a 4-1 win.

Mount Pleasant, playing at home, was the road team as Friday’s games at Mapleleaf were treated as home games for Fort Madison after they cancelled due to poor field conditions.

In game two, Mount Pleasant secured an 8-5 victory to pull of the conference sweep.

The set of wins improved the Panthers to 8-5 overall and pulled them into a virtual tie for the conference lead with the Bloodhounds.

Corbin Broeker recorded the final three outs for Mount Pleasant in game two.

With the conference title now in reach, the Panthers will host Washington in Southeast Conference doubleheader on Monday at Mapleleaf.

Other regional scores last night in the baseball included:

• Lone Tree 14, Winfield-Mount Union 4
• Wapello 4, Louisa-Muscatine 3
• Burlington Notre Dame 6, Van Buren 2
• Cardinal 11, Danville 4

Mount Pleasant Softball Swept by Fort Madison:

The Mount Pleasant softball dropped a pair of Southeast Conference games last night to Fort Madison, losing 7-0 and 13-3.

The Panthers’ losing streak slumped to seven games with the set of losses, Friday.

Mount Pleasant, now 2-11, will host Washington next Monday.

First pitch is set for 5:30 p.m.

Other regional softball action last night:

• Louisa-Muscatine 10, Wapello 0
• Winfield-Mount Union 2, Lone Tree 0
• Highland 10, Holy Trinity 0
• Cardinal 16, Danville 0

NBA Barreling Towards Restart:

And in National Sports, the coronavirus numbers kept climbing Thursday, with a single-day record for new cases being set in Florida and the NBA revealing that the count of players and staff from the 22 remaining teams that have confirmed diagnoses of COVID-19 continues to grow — but the NBA is steadfast in beginning their Orlando restart.

The NBA numbers: nine more positive players from tests conducted between June 24-29 to bring the total to 25 who have been positive since mandated testing began June 23, as well 10 positive-testing staff members from the teams that will start arriving at the Disney complex near Orlando, Florida next week for the resumption of the season.

At Disney, preparations continued for the arrivals that start on Tuesday.

Practice courts have been put into place in what typically are hotel ballrooms.

The arenas that will play host to games are being set up for NBA needs, and some staff were getting set to arrive to begin their quarantines.

The NBA season is set to resume by July 30th.

By: Nathan Bloechl — sports@kilj.com 

KILJ — The pair of Southeast Conference doubleheaders  between Mount Pleasant and Fort Madison have been moved to Mount Pleasant High School tonight, per Mount Pleasant officials.

The fields at Fort Madison took “heavy, unexpected rain” and were deemed unplayable.

Both softball and baseball will begin with game one at 5:30 p.m.

Game two will begin shortly thereafter the conclusion of the first set of contests.

By: Nathan Bloechl — sports@kilj.com 

KILJ — The Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union has released their 2020 softball pairings, with playoffs beginning statewide in a little under two weeks.

Here’s a look at where and when area and regional teams will play come postseason time.

1A

In Class 1A, area teams are grouped in Class 1A-Region 6.

• New London will take on Holy Trinity in a first round match-up at home against the Crusaders of Holy Trinity Catholic on July 13th at 7:00 p.m.
• The winner of New London-Holy Trinity will take on #12 (1A) Winfield-Mount Union in Winfield on July 15th at 7:00 p.m.
• The top seed in the region is Lynville-Sully, who will await the winner of Tri-County and Keota for their first round match-up on July 15th.

2A

Class 2A area schools are have been placed in Class 2A-Region 8.

• Top seeded #2 (2A) Louisa-Muscatine will await the winner of Cardinal and Van Buren County who will meet up on July 13th at Cardinal at 7:00 p.m.
• Mediapolis will host Danville in a first round tilt at Mediapolis on July 13th at 7:00 p.m. The winner will move on to play Wilton on July 15th.
• Also in 2A-8 is Wapello, who will take on Durant in a quarterfinal clash  on July 15th at 7:00 p.m. in Wapello. The Arrows were a state qualifier in 2A last year, but the road gets significantly tougher as Louisa-Muscatine bumps down from 3 to 2A.

4A

Mount Pleasant and the rest of the Southeast Conference schools will tango in Class 4A-Region 7.

• Mount Pleasant will be on the road to begin their 2020 postseason push when head to Burlington to lock horns with the Greyhounds. That game will be played on July 16th at 7:00 p.m. The winner will await top-seeded Oskaloosa on July 18th — a 7:00 p.m. first pitch.
• Fort Madison and Keokuk will tango on July 16th in a first-round date, with the winner earning the right to scrap with Fairfield on July 18th at 7:00 p.m. in Fairfield.

By: Nathan Bloechl — sports@kilj.com 

Class 1 and 2A Postseason Brackets Released:

The Class 1 and 2A postseason is just ten days away and today the Iowa High School Athletic Association has released their playoff brackets in both Class 1 and 2A.

Area and regional teams in Class 1A are seeded in 1A-8.

• Winfield-Mount Union will take on Columbus Community in a play-in game on July 9th at Winfield-Mount Union. The winner of that game will take on top seed Burlington Notre Dame on July 11th at 7:00 p.m.
• New London will host Wapello at 7:00 p.m. on July 11th in a quarterfinal match-up.
• Other teams in the region include Lone Tree, who will take on Hillcrest Academy — and Highland, who will battle second seed Lisbon at New London on July 11th at 4:30 p.m.

District Finals in Class 1A will be played on Saturday, July 18th; Substate Finals on July 21st.

In Class 2A, regional teams will compete in Class 2A-10.

• Van Buren will take on West Burlington at 4:30 p.m. in a play-in bout at Burlington’s Community Field at 4:30 p.m. The winner of that game will get the top-seeded Hawks of Central Lee at 7:00 p.m. in Donnellson on July 14th.
• Danville will play in the nightcap at Community Field on July 11th against the Falcons of Louisa-Muscatine — they’ll begin at 7:00 p.m. The winner of that fixture will then move on to play Mediapolis, who will play in Donnellson at 4:30 p.m. on July 14th.

The District Final will be played in Donnellson at Central Lee regardless if the Hawks are still playing or not. That game will be July 18th at 7:00 p.m.

KILJ-FM 105.5 will be your home for area playoff action all throughout July.

Soggy Night Rains Out Area Contests:

A rainy night in southeast Iowa meant that several games in the Southeast and Super Conferences were postponed.

Mount Pleasant-Marion seemed like they were going to play, but the game was banged just an hour before first pitch — and mere minutes before the Panthers were set to arrive at Marion High School.

In the Super Conference, baseball games at Burlington Notre Dame and Central Lee were called early yesterday afternoon.

One game that did play was New London-Danville, where New London picked up a 13-2 win at Danville.

New London, up 3-1 into the 7th, scored 10 runs in their final frame to pull away for win number eight on the season.

Tucker Gibbar had a monster night at the plate, going 5-for-5 with two runs batted in for the Tigers.

Carter Allen got the start on the bump for New London, throwing five innings of one run ball, while striking out four.

Kooper Schulte and Jaxon Allen each threw a scoreless innings out of the bullpen, as well.

On the softball circuit last night, just a couple of games, but #12 (1A) Winfield-Mount Union blanked #13 (3A) West Burlington 1-0, for their signature win of the season.

A night after tossing a complete game no-hitter, junior pitcher Madie Anderson threw a complete game shut-out, while striking out eight.

Makiah Lower had the lone rune batted in for Winfield-Mount Union, who improved to 6-2 on the season.

Super Conference Slate Busy Thursday:

Action in the Southeast Conference and Super Conference is busy again tonight, with several area and regional teams getting back on the diamond.

In the Super Conference it’s a loaded baseball slate:

• Danville at Cardinal, 7:00 p.m.
• Mediapolis at Pekin, 7:00 p.m.
• Notre Dame at Van Buren County, 7:00 p.m.
• New London at West Burlington, 7:00 p.m.

In Southeast Conference baseball, after falling from the ranks of the unbeaten in conference play, Mount Pleasant will have a mammoth two-game set tonight against first-place Fort Madison.

The Panthers split with the Bloodhounds to open their season, tonight they’ll lock horns at Fort Madison High School, with the twin-bill set to begin at 5:30 p.m.

In Super Conference softball tonight, both Winfield and New London are back in action.

• #12 (1A) Winfield will travel to Lone Tree, 7:00
• Cardinal at Danville, 7:00 p.m.
• Holy Trinity at Highland, 7:00 p.m.
• Wapello at Louisa-Muscatine, 7:00 p.m.
• Pekin at Mediapolis, 7:00 p.m.
• West Burlington/Notre Dame at New London, 7:00 p.m.

NFL Cuts Preseason in Half:

(via Associated Press) 

The NFL will cut its preseason in half and push back the start of exhibition play so teams have more time to train following a virtual offseason made necessary by the coronavirus pandemic, reports have announced.

Teams will now play exhibitions Aug. 20-24 and Aug. 27-31 during what were originally the second and third weeks of exhibition play, with all 32 teams playing one home and one road game.

Most of those games will remain the same as originally scheduled, although some match-ups in that second slate will have to be changed so every team gets a game at home.

The exhibition finales on Sept. 3 were also scrapped, giving teams more time to get ready for the regular season, which opens Sept. 10 with Houston at Kansas City.

There are no changes to the regular season schedule as of now.

By: Nathan Bloechl — sports@kilj.com 

Winfield-Mount Union Gets Back in Win Column:

Madi Anderson threw a no-hitter as Winfield-Mount Union got back in the win column last night with a 6-0 win over Hillcrest Academy.

Anderson pitched seven innings without allowing a hit or a walk, while striking out 16 hitters.

The junior was just one error away from a perfect game.

Kayreanna Sharar and Carlee Sloan each had two hits for the Wolves, while Emma Haines drove in three.

The win moved Winfield to 5-2 on the season.

Other regional softball scores last night:

• Louisa-Muscatine 12, Pekin 0
• Wapello 5, Lone Tree 4
• #13 (3A) West Burlington took down Holy Trinity
• Washington 3, Regina 2; Washington 7, Regina 6

New London Baseball Improves to 7-3:

The New London baseball team picked up a an easy Super Conference victory last night, scoring the games’ final six runs en route to a 7-2 win over Van Buren.

Carter Allen and Tucker Gibbar each had two hits — Gibbar drove in two — as New London notched their seventh victory of the season.

Josh Catala, Kooper Schulte and Holvin Catala managed to combine to hold Van Buren to just three hits and two runs.

Holvin Catala worked the bulk of the game, pitching four innings, while striking out five.

Josh Catala threw two scoreless innings, while Schulte needed only 12 pitches to strikeout the side in his lone inning.

The Tigers will take on Danville tonight at 7:30 p.m. at Danville High School.

Other regional action from last night:

• Burlington Notre Dame 9, Mediapolis 2
• Hillcrest Academy 8, Winfield 2
• Lone Tree 6, Wapello 4
• Pekin 17, Louisa-Muscatine 5
• North Scott 11, Burlington 3; North Scott 8, Burlington 0
• Centerville 10, Fairfield 0

Mount Pleasant at Marion Tonight:

The Mount Pleasant baseball team is back at it tonight on the road at Marion — as they try to avenge a set of conference losses to Burlington, Monday night.

The Panthers will enter tonight’s non-conference tilt with a record of 6-5, while Marion, traditionally a state power, is just 1-7.

The Indians graduated several from last year’s top-10 ranked club.

Marion’s lone win came over Williamsburg on June 25th.

Tonight’s game will begin at 7:00 p.m. and can be heard on KILJ-FM 105.5 and online at kilj.com.

Mount Pleasant XC Beginning Summer Runs:

The Mount Pleasant cross country team will be having optional summer runs again. Starting July 1st, coaches can have face to face contact with athletes.

The runs are available for any runners in 7th through 12th grade. Parents should know that coaches may not be present at every run.

The runs are:

• Mon/Wed at 7:00 p.m.  at Saunders Park by the swimming pool.
• Tues/Thurs at 6:30 a.m. at the Old Threshers Museum Theater.

The runs will continue until roughly the middle of August when the Panthers will begin preseason cross country camp.

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact Coach Lyle Murray at 319-850-0867.

Minor League Baseball Cancels Season:

(via Associated Press)

Baseball’s minor leagues canceled their seasons Tuesday because of the coronavirus pandemic, and the head of their governing body said more than half of the 160 teams were in danger of failing without government assistance or private equity injections.

The National Association of Professional Baseball Leagues, the minor league governing body founded in September 1901, made the long-expected announcement.

Here in Iowa, that means no baseball this summer in Burlington, Des Moines, Cedar Rapids, Clinton and the Quad Cities.

The minors had never missed a season.

In addition, the Professional Baseball Agreement between the majors and minors expires September 30th and MLB has proposed reducing the minimum affiliates from 160 to 120.