Author: Parker Testa

Mount Pleasant

Mount Pleasant Baseball was defeated by Bettendorf Tuesday night by a score of 6-5 at Duane Banks Stadium in Iowa City. Cooper Keldgord had a double and an RBI at the plate. Zerek Venghaus had a single and an RBI. Jake Ensminger was given the loss on the mound, pitching 3 innings allowing 6 runs, 3 earned on 6 hits with 1 walk and 2 strikeouts. MP Baseball is back on the field on Friday night for their Class 3A-District 5 First Round contest on the road against Marion in Cedar Rapids. That game will start at 7 PM and you can catch live coverage on KILJ.

Mount Pleasant Softball will be on the field Thursday night for their Class 4A – Region 5 Quarterfinal matchup against Fairfield in Fairfield. That game will begin at 7 PM and you can catch live coverage on KILJ.

New London

New London Baseball defeated Pekin 6-2 in the second round of the IAHSAA Class 1A – Region 6 tournament Tuesday night. Tucker Gibbar went 1 for 2 at the plate with a double and 3 RBIs. Kooper Schulte went 2 for 3 with a double, a walk, and an RBI. Dereck Santiago got the start and the win for New London pitching 2 innings allowing no runs on 1 hit with no walks and 5 strikeouts. Tiger Baseball will take on Burlington Notre Dame on Saturday in the Class 1A – Region 6 Semifinals at New London Jr/Sr High School. That game will begin at 7:00 PM and you can catch live coverage on KILJ.

Panther Hoopla Basketball Camp

Coming up on July 20^th and 21^st, Mount Pleasant High School is hosting the Panther Hoopla Basketball camp. Panther Hoopla is a southeast Iowa basketball camp offering fundamental skill sessions for girls and boys 3^rd through 8^th grade. This two-day camp will provide you a great opportunity to get in the gym and practice skills to help you all season long. More information can be found on the Panther Hoopla Facebook page as well as the KILJ Facebook page.

This Day in Sports History

1933 – The first All-Star baseball game was held in Chicago. The American League beat the National League 4-2.

1983 – Fred Lynn of the California Angels hit the first grand slam in an All-Star game. The American League defeated the National League 13-3.

1995 – In Los Angeles, the prosecution rested at the O.J. Simpson murder trial.

2010 – It was reported that GM Place in Vancouver, British Columbia, would be renamed Rogers Arena.

Mount Pleasant

Mount Pleasant Varsity Softball played 2 games in the Rick Doran Classic at Iowa City West High School on Saturday. The Panthers were defeated by Davenport Central 7-3 in the first game of the day. Savana Walls went 2 for 3 and RBI in Game 1. Saige Burchett also had an RBI. Ty Alter pitched 6 full innings allowing 7 runs, 4 earned on 8 hits with 2 walks and 1 strikeout. Mount Pleasant was defeated by West Liberty 6-2 in Game 2 to conclude their regular season. Junior Jordan Crooks hit an RBI double while pinch hitting for Bethany Drury. Myah Starr pitched 5 innings allowing 6 runs, 4 earned on 5 hits with 6 walks and 1 strikeout. The Panthers will be back on the field for their first postseason game against Fairfield on Thursday at 7:00 PM in Fairfield. You can catch live coverage of that game on KILJ.

Mount Pleasant Varsity Baseball will travel to Iowa City tonight for a contest against Bettendorf. The game will be played at Duane Banks Stadium on the University of Iowa campus and is set to begin at 5:00 PM.

New London

New London Varsity Baseball came down with their first loss of the season Friday in the first game of a doubleheader with Anamosa with a Game 1 final of 3-0. Senior Seth Bailey went 3 for 3. Senior Josh Catala went 1 for 1 at the plate with a walk. Seth Bailey pitched 4.1 innings allowing 3 runs, 2 earned on 6 hits with 2 walks and 3 strikeouts.

The Tigers were victorious 11-2 over Anamosa in Game 2 Friday. Senior Kooper Schulte went 1 for 4 with 3 RBIs and a sacrifice fly. Senior Dereck Santiago went 3 for 5 with 3 doubles and 2 RBIs. Senior Josh Catala was awarded the win, pitching 5 full innings, allowing 2 runs on 3 hits with 2 strikeouts. New London Baseball finished the year 25-1 overall and they are back on the field tonight for their second-round postseason matchup with Pekin at New London Jr/Sr High School. That game is set for 7:00 PM and you can catch live coverage on KILJ.

New London Varsity Softball was defeated by Lone Tree 9-7 in the first round of the Class 1A-Region 8 first round on Friday night. Sophie Malott went 2 for 4 with a home run and 2 RBIs. Olivia Hester went 1 for 4 with 2 RBIs. Marlianna Woodsmall pitched 6 full innings allowing 9 runs, 8 earned on 9 hits with 2 walks and 4 strikeouts.

Winfield-Mt. Union

Winfield-Mt. Union Varsity Softball was defeated by Holy Trinity Catholic Friday night by a score of 9-5. Melina Oepping went 2 for 2 with 2 doubles and 2 runs scored. Josie Nelson went 3 for 4 with a double and 2 runs scored.

Panther Hoopla Camp

Coming up on July 20^th and 21^st, Mount Pleasant High School is hosting the Panther Hoopla Basketball camp. Panther Hoopla is a southeast Iowa basketball camp offering fundamental skill sessions for girls and boys 3^rd through 8^th grade. This two-day camp will provide you a great opportunity to get in the gym and practice skills to help you all season long. More information can be found on the Panther Hoopla Facebook page as well as the KILJ Facebook page.

This Day in Sports History

1975 – Arthur Ashe became the first African-American man to win a Wimbledon singles title when he defeated Jimmy Connors in four sets.

1998 – Roger Clemens (Toronto Blue Jays) got his 3,000th career strikeout.

2005 – Roger Federer won his 15th Grand Slam tennis title.

Mount Pleasant

Mount Pleasant Varsity Softball played 2 games in the Rick Doran Classic at Iowa City West High School on Saturday. The Panthers were defeated by Davenport Central 7-3 in the first game of the day. Savana Walls went 2 for 3 and RBI in Game 1. Saige Burchett also had an RBI. Ty Alter pitched 6 full innings allowing 7 runs, 4 earned on 8 hits with 2 walks and 1 strikeout. Mount Pleasant was defeated by West Liberty 6-2 in Game 2 to conclude their regular season. Junior Jordan Crooks hit an RBI double while pinch hitting for Bethany Drury. Myah Starr pitched 5 innings allowing 6 runs, 4 earned on 5 hits with 6 walks and 1 strikeout. The Panthers will be back on the field for their first postseason game against Fairfield on Thursday at 7:00 PM in Fairfield.

This Day in Sports History

1959 – 23 year old South African Gary Player wins his first of 9 major titles at the British Open. 2 strokes ahead of runners-up Fred Bullock and Flory Van Donck.

1970 – California Angels pitcher Clyde Wright no-hits the Oakland A’s, 4-0.

1980 – The MLB had it’s biggest crowd in 7 years when 73,096 fans gathered at Cleveland Stadium to see the Indians beat the Yankees 7-0.

2020 – The MLB All-Star Game planned to be hosted in Los Angeles at Dodger Stadium at is cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Mount Pleasant

Mount Pleasant Varsity Softball will have a pair of games today in the Rick Doran Classic at Iowa City West High School. The first game against Davenport Central will begin at 10:45 AM. The second game against West Liberty will begin at 2:15 PM.

Mount Pleasant Varsity Baseball will travel to Iowa City on Tuesday to face Bettendorf. The game is scheduled for 5:00 PM and will take place at Duane Banks Stadium on the University of Iowa campus.

New London

New London Varsity Softball was defeated by Lone Tree 9-7 in the first round of the Class 1A-Region 8 first round on Friday night. Sophie Malott went 2 for 4 with a home run and 2 RBIs. Olivia Hester went 1 for 4 with 2 RBIs. Marlianna Woodsmall pitched 6 full innings allowing 9 runs, 8 earned on 9 hits with 2 walks and 4 strikeouts.

Winfield-Mt. Union

Winfield-Mt. Union Varsity Softball was defeated by Holy Trinity Catholic Friday night by a score of 9-5. Melina Oepping went 2 for 2 with 2 doubles and 2 runs scored. Josie Nelson went 3 for 4 with a double and 2 runs scored.

This Day in Sports History

1995 – Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Hideo Nomo is the first Japanese player to be selected for an MLB All-Star Game.

2008 – A settlement is reached allowing former NBA franchise the Seattle Supersonics to move to Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.

Mount Pleasant

Mount Pleasant Varsity Softball dropped both games of a doubleheader Thursday night on the road against Fairfield. The Panthers lost Game 1 by a score of 10-2. Ty Alter was given the loss on the mound. Jayden Housh went 2 for 3 at the plate. Savana Walls, Emma Starr, and Addison Clark all went 1 for 3. The Panthers were defeated in Game 2 by a score of 14-2. Ella McNamee was given the loss on the mound. Savana Walls went 2 for 2 with a double. Ella McNamee and Jersey Beachy both went 1 for 2 at the plate. MP Softball has a pair of games on Saturday during the Rick Doran Classic. The first game will be against Davenport Central at 10:45 AM with the second game against West Liberty starting at 2:15 PM. Both games will take place at Iowa City West High School.

Mount Pleasant Varsity Baseball had a pair of games Thursday night on the road against Fairfield. The Panthers led most of the way in Game 1 but fell to the Trojans 5-4. The Panthers won Game 2 of the night 11-7, scoring 6 of their 11 runs in the 6^th inning. MP Baseball is back on the field Tuesday night for a game on the road against Bettendorf. That game will be played at Duane Banks Stadium on the University of Iowa campus in Iowa City. First pitch is set for 5:00 PM.

New London

New London Varsity Softball will face Lone Tree tonight in the first round of regionals at 7:00 PM at Lone Tree High School.

New London Varsity Baseball was victorious over Cascade 12-4 Thursday night. Dereck Santiago was 1 for 4 with a triple and 4 RBIs. Josh Catala went 4 for 5 at the plate with 3 RBIs. Brendan Richey notched the win on the mound allowing 4 runs, 3 earned on 6 hits with 2 walks and 3 strikeouts over the course of 4 innings. New London Baseball will finish their regular season tonight with road game against Anamosa at Anamosa Middle School. First pitch is set for 7:00 PM. The Tigers will play the winner of Pekin and Lone Tree in round 2 of postseason play on Tuesday night at 7:00 PM at New London Jr/Sr High School.

Winfield-Mt. Union

Winfield-Mt. Union Varsity Softball will take on Holy Trinity Catholic at 7:00 PM tonight in the first round of regionals. That game will take place at West Point South Park and you can catch live coverage of the game on KILJ.

Winfield-Mt. Union Varsity Baseball will take on West Liberty in their first round of postseason play tomorrow at West Liberty Elementary School. That game is set for 7:00 PM Saturday night.

Iowa Wesleyan Men’s Basketball

Iowa Wesleyan Men’s Basketball will host a 3 vs. 3 basketball tournament on July 4th at Ruble Arena on the Iowa Wesleyan University campus in Mount Pleasant. All ages are welcome from 3rd grade on through adult ages. There will be a DJ playing music during the event and concession stand availability. The cost to enter is $60 per team. Each team must have at least 3 players with a maximum of 4 players. Payment is required before the start of the first game. Checks can be made payable to Iowa Wesleyan Men’s Basketball. Each athlete must sign a waiver of liability and complete a health information form prior to competing. That form can be sent via email (listed below).

Registration, questions, or concerns may be directed to Head Men’s Basketball Coach, Jordan Ashton, at jordan.ashton@iw.edu

NCAA

USC and UCLA have a new home. The Big Ten conference notified two of the Pac-12s premiere programs Thursday night that their application to join the conference had been approved. The Big Ten is the first conference with member schools that stretch from coast to coast. Texas and Oklahoma announced last year that they are heading to the SEC in 2025. The Big 12 announced in the Fall of 2021 that they are also adding new members. BYU, Central Florida, Cincinnati, and Houston are all joining the Big 12 and will become members no later than the 2024-25 athletic year.

This Day in Sports History

1905 – Frank Owen (Chicago White Sox) pitched two complete games in one day.

1910 – White Sox Park opened. The park’s name was later changed to Comiskey Park.

1982 – Cal Ripken began playing shortstop for the Baltimore Orioles.

1995 – The NBA locked out its players. It was the first work stoppage in the league’s history.

Mount Pleasant

Mount Pleasant Varsity Softball was defeated by Davis County by a score of 12-0 Wednesday night. Ella McNamee was given the loss on the mound allowing 8 runs, 7 earned on 6 hits with 2 walks. Panther Softball is back on the field tonight for a doubleheader on the road against Fairfield. The first game is scheduled for 5:30 PM with the second to follow at 7:30 PM.

Mount Pleasant Varsity Baseball defeated Knoxville in Knoxville by a score of 10-4 Wednesday night. Cooper Keldgord was awarded the win on the mound for Mount Pleasant pitching 4.1 innings and allowing 4 runs, 2 earned on 5 hits with 7 walks and striking out 5. Jake Ensminger went 3 for 4 with a double and 2 RBIs at the plate. Trevor Wellington was 2 for 3 with 2 doubles and 2 RBIs. Carson Coleman was 2 for 4 with a double and an RBI. Panther Baseball is back on the field tonight on the road for a doubleheader against Fairfield. The first game is set for 5:30 PM with the second to start at 7:30 PM. Live coverage of both games on KILJ.

New London

New London Varsity Softball was defeated by Fort Madison 8-0 Wednesday night. Senior Ashlyn McSorley went 1 for 3 with a double. Megan Lee pitched the complete game for New London allowing 8 runs, 3 earned on 7 hits with 5 walks and striking out 4. Tiger Softball will be back on the field on Friday against Lone Tree in the first round of regionals. That game will take place at Lone Tree High School and is scheduled for 7:00 PM.

New London Varsity Baseball handed Mediapolis their second loss of the season Wednesday night. The Tigers improve to 23-0 on the season after defeating the Bulldogs 5-0. Camden Kasel went 2 for 2 with 1 RBI. Tucker Gibbar went 2 for 4 with an RBI. Dereck Santiago pitched 6 full innings, allowing no runs on 1 hit with 1 walk and 8 strikeouts. Tiger Baseball will face Cascade tonight at Mount Mercy University, first pitch is set for 5:00 PM.

Winfield-Mt. Union

Winfield-Mt. Union Varsity Softball will take on Holy Trinity Catholic in the first round of regionals Friday night at 7:00 PM. That game will take place at West Point South Park and you can catch live coverage of the game here on KILJ.

Winfield-Mt. Union Varsity Baseball will face West Liberty Saturday in the first round of 2A District 5 postseason play. That game will take place at West Liberty Elementary School and is set to start at 7:00 PM.

Iowa Wesleyan Men’s Basketball

Iowa Wesleyan Men’s Basketball will host a 3 vs. 3 basketball tournament on July 4th at Ruble Arena on the Iowa Wesleyan University campus in Mount Pleasant. All ages are welcome from 3rd grade on through adult ages. There will be a DJ playing music during the event and concession stand availability. The cost to enter is $60 per team. Each team must have at least 3 players with a maximum of 4 players. Payment is required before the start of the first game. Checks can be made payable to Iowa Wesleyan Men’s Basketball. Each athlete must sign a waiver of liability and complete a health information form prior to competing. That form can be sent via email (listed below).

Registration, questions, or concerns may be directed to Head Men’s Basketball Coach, Jordan Ashton, at jordan.ashton@iw.edu

This Day in Sports History

1962 – Los Angeles Dodger Sandy Koufax pitched his first no-hitter in a game with the New York Mets.

1970 – The Cincinnati Reds moved to their new home at Riverfront Stadium.

Mount Pleasant

Mount Pleasant Varsity Softball will go on the road tonight to take on Davis County. That game will take place at the Mustang Sports Complex and is scheduled to start at 7:00 PM.

Mount Pleasant Varsity Baseball will go on the road tonight as well. They will take on Knoxville at Knoxville High School. First pitch is set for 7:00 PM.

New London

New London Varsity Softball was defeated by Van Buren County Tuesday night by a score of 9-3. Junior Kaitlyn Lee went 2 for 3 with an RBI. Junior Elly Manning went 2 for 4 with a triple. Megan Lee pitched the complete game for New London allowing 9 runs, 4 earned on 12 hits with 5 walks and striking out 1. Tiger Softball is back on the field tonight on the road against Fort Madison. The first pitch is set for 5:30 PM.

New London Varsity Baseball defeated Van Buren County 8-1 Tuesday night. Tiger Baseball improves to 22-0 on the season. Senior Kooper Schulte went 2 for 4 with a home run and 2 RBIs. Senior Ryan Richey went 1 for 2 with a double, a walk, and 3 RBIs. Senior Carter Allen pitched the complete game, allowing 1 run on 7 hits with 2 walks and striking out 5. Tiger Baseball is back on the field tonight as they will take on 19-1 Mediapolis and 17-6 Fort Madison. That game against Mediapolis will begin at 5:30 PM with the game against Fort Madison set to begin at 7:00 PM.\

Iowa Wesleyan Men’s Basketball

Iowa Wesleyan Men’s Basketball will host a 3 vs. 3 basketball tournament on July 4th at Ruble Arena on the Iowa Wesleyan University campus in Mount Pleasant. All ages are welcome from 3rd grade on through adult ages. There will be a DJ playing music during the event and concession stand availability. The cost to enter is $60 per team. Each team must have at least 3 players with a maximum of 4 players. Payment is required before the start of the first game. Checks can be made payable to Iowa Wesleyan Men’s Basketball. Each athlete must sign a waiver of liability and complete a health information form prior to competing. That form can be sent via email (listed below).

Registration, questions, or concerns may be directed to Head Men’s Basketball Coach, Jordan Ashton, at jordan.ashton@iw.edu

This Day in Sports History

1897 – The Chicago Cubs scored 36 runs in a game against Louisville, setting a record for runs scored by a team in a single game.

1941 – Joe DiMaggio got a base hit in his 42nd consecutive game. He broke George Sisler’s record from 1922.

1958 – Brazil defeated Sweden 5-2 in the World Cup. Pelé, at age 17, scored a goal in the game.

1998 – With negotiations on a new labor agreement at a standstill, the National Basketball Association (NBA) announced that a lockout would be imposed at midnight.

Mount Pleasant

Mount Pleasant Softball was defeated in both games of a doubleheader Monday night against Burlington. The Panthers were defeated by a score of 7-1 in Game 1. Ella McNamee pitched 4 full innings allowing 5 runs, 2 earned. Panther Softball rallied late in Game 2 but came up short with the final being 8-5. Ty Alter pitched 3.2 innings and allowed four runs. Emma Starr went 2 for 3 with 2 RBIs. Jayden Housh went 2 for 3 with 2 stolen bases and 2 runs scored. Jersey Beachy was 2 for 4 with an RBI. MP Head Coach Mike Beason following last night’s games: “Our pitchers worked hard and pitched well overall. Good timely hitting in the second game. Proud of the players effort, attitude, and grit their showing.” Mount Pleasant Softball will be back on the field on Wednesday night for a 7:00 PM matchup on the road with Davis County.

Mount Pleasant Baseball squared off with Burlington in a doubleheader last night. Burlington took Game 1 over Mount Pleasant 12-2. Zerek Venghaus pitched 5 full innings allowing 7 runs, 6 earned on 6 hits with 6 walks and striking out 3. Jacob Ensminger finished the first game 2 for 3. The Panthers were defeated 3-2 in Game 2. Trevor Wellington pitched the complete game allowing 3 runs, 2 earned on 6 hits with 5 walks and striking out 4. Cooper Keldgord, Carter Amos, and Zerek Venghaus all had singles. MP Baseball will be back on the field on Thursday night for a doubleheader on the road against Fairfield. The first game starts at 5:30 with the second at 7:30 and you can catch live coverage of both games on KILJ.

New London

New London Baseball defeated Burlington Notre Dame 8-1 Monday night to improve to 21-0 on the season. Senior Kooper Schulte went 3 for 4 with a walk, a double, a home run, and 2 RBIs. Senior Tucker Gibbar was 2 for 4 with a double. Senior Seth Bailey pitched 5 full innings allowing 2 hits and striking out 6. Tiger Baseball is back on the field tonight at home against Van Buren County with a start time of 7:00 PM.

Winfield-Mt. Union

Winfield-Mt.Union Softball was defeated by Highland 9-1 Monday night. Wolves Softball will be back on the field tonight on the road against Hillcrest Academy. That game is set to begin at 7:00 PM.

Winfield-Mt. Union Baseball was defeated by Highland 8-3 on Monday night. Wolves Baseball is back in action tonight on the road against Hillcrest Academy. That game is set to start at 7:00 PM.

Iowa Wesleyan Men’s Basketball

Iowa Wesleyan Men’s Basketball will host a 3 vs. 3 basketball tournament on July 4th at Ruble Arena on the Iowa Wesleyan University campus in Mount Pleasant. All ages are welcome from 3rd grade on through adult ages. There will be a DJ playing music during the event and concession stand availability. The cost to enter is $60 per team. Each team must have at least 3 players with a maximum of 4 players. Payment is required before the start of the first game. Checks can be made payable to Iowa Wesleyan Men’s Basketball. Each athlete must sign a waiver of liability and complete a health information form prior to competing. That form can be sent via email (listed below).

Registration, questions, or concerns may be directed to Head Men’s Basketball Coach, Jordan Ashton, at jordan.ashton@iw.edu

This Day in Sports History

1971 – The U.S. Supreme Court overturned the draft evasion conviction of Muhammad Ali.

1995 – The NBA Draft was held at the Skydome in Toronto, Ontario. It was the first time the draft was held outside the United States.

1997 – Mike Tyson was disqualified for biting Evander Holyfield’s ear after three rounds of their WBA heavyweight title fight in Las Vegas, NV.

2000 – Jeff Cirillo (Colorado Rockies) hit three home runs and a double against San Francisco.

NFL Hall of Fame quarterback John Elway turns 62 today.