Author: Slaten Swords

Postseason Softball

For Class 3A Region 5, Mediapolis put up eight runs in the first inning as the Bulldogs crushed West Burlington/Notre Dame last night 10-2. Payton Harris and AvaLynn Prall each collected two RBIs in the win, while Lyndsey Kelley and Madalynn Knapp capped their careers with an RBI apiece. The Falcons ended the season with a 15-21 record. 

Mediapolis will await the winner between Assumption and Camanche as their game was paused entering the fourth inning with the Knights holding a 4-0 lead. The Bulldogs will play tomorrow, July 12th, at 7 pm.

Central Lee dominated Monticello, 11-0, and Washington walloped Midland, 22-0, to set up a rematch of last year’s regional semifinal. The Demons and Hawks will meet tomorrow at 7 pm in Washington.

In Class 3A Region 8, Fairfield was upset by Davis County last night, 6-4. Leah Helmick crushed a two-run homer in the losing effort. The Trojans ended the season with a 20-16 record. 

In the Class 4A Region 3 bracket, Mt. Pleasant fell to Oskaloosa last night 10-2. Chaley Cook had a phenomenal game, collecting a pair of hits, including her first career solo home run. The Panthers finished the season with a 6-30 record. 

Fort Madison moved past Keokuk last night 8-2. Laci Gathers clapped a two-RBI double in the victory. Keokuk ended the season with a 3-30 record. The Bloodhounds will travel to square off against Norwalk tomorrow at 7 pm.

Burlington was eliminated by Maquoketa last night 11-8. The Grayhounds finished the season with a 13-14 record. 

For Class 1A Region 1, Holy Trinity Catholic versus Seymour has been postponed for tonight. The game will be played at either Seymour at 5 pm or Centerville at 7 pm tomorrow, July 12th, depending on the field conditions. 

Postseason Baseball

New London will act as the home team against Pekin for the District 10 Championship tomorrow, July 12th, at 7 pm at Sigourney High School. KILJ 105.5 FM, kilj.com, will be on the call with the pregame show at 6:45 pm.

Moving to Class 2A Substate 4 District 7, #5 Mediapolis will host Durant tomorrow at 7 pm.

Over in Class 2A Substate 5 District 9, Central Lee will venture back to Chariton tomorrow to face off against the Chargers at 7 pm.

For Class 3A Substate 5, Washington will face off against Assumption tonight at 7 pm.

In Substate 6, Mt. Pleasant will square off against Fairfield today at 1 pm on the road. KILJ 105.5 FM, kilj.com, will be on the call. Panther head coach Brent Broeker talked about the opportunity that sits in front of his squad,

“Yeah, I was talking to the coaching staff earlier today, you know, they beat us by 14 the first game, they beat us by 8 the second game, they only beat us by one at their place last time we played them. So, you know, we’re making progress. We just gotta, you know, get that, get that big hit when we need it.”

Keokuk will travel to Pella at 5 pm tonight.

Fort Madison versus Xavier has been postponed to tomorrow at noon.

For Class 4A Substate 3, Burlington grabbed the #4-seed and will hit the road to compete against the #3-seed Muscatine today at 3 pm.

Mt. Pleasant Summer Camps

Mt. Pleasant will be hosting Panther Hoopla: A Southeast Iowa Basketball Camp from July 16^th through the 18^th. Coaches will work with the campers in a fun and challenging environment, filled with drills, player development, and competitive games.

The morning session is for 6^th through 8^th graders, and it runs from 8:30 am to 10:30 am. The afternoon session will go from 1 pm to 3 pm for 3^rd through 5^th graders.

Check out this link for other local summer athletic camps: School Summer Camps

Prospect League

The Burlington Bees have won their past three contests after smacking the Springfield Lucky Horseshoes last night 16-6. Kooper Schulte clocked a double for two RBIs, while Owen Nowak led the squad with six RBIs as he hit a grand slam to start the game. The Bees will stay on the road, looking to sweep the Lucky Horseshoes tonight at 6:30 pm.

The Clinton LumberKings had their matchup against the Quincy Doggy Paddlers postponed last night. The two will duel in a doubleheader tonight in Quincy with game one at 5 pm.

This Day in Sports History

1900 – Charlotte Cooper beats Hélène Prévost to become the first female Olympic tennis champion and the first individual female Olympic champion in any sport.

1914 – Future Baseball Hall of Fame slugger Babe Ruth makes his MLB debut as a pitcher for Boston Red Sox; earns a 4-3 win against the Cleveland Naps at Fenway Park.

1985 – Astros’ Nolan Ryan is the first to strike out 4,000.

Postseason Softball

For Class 1A Region 1, Holy Trinity Catholic’s Sydney Jarvis and Wapello’s Quinn Zweibohmer combined to twirl 19 strikeouts in last night’s showdown, but a three-run fifth inning that saw two runs score on passed balls saw the Crusaders pull off the comeback victory, winning 4-2. Crusader head coach Loren Menke predicts more matchups like this between the two programs in the upcoming future,

“Sydney pitched a great game against a great team. You know, Wapello is a really good program. They had a really good year, and this was a tough game and I’m guessing that going forward in the future, we’re probably going to have some battles together.”

Holy Trinity Catholic’s Makayla Simpson had struck out in her first two at-bats of the game, but with the lessons learned in their previous matchup against the Arrows, the 8th grader was able to line an RBI-single to start the rally in the 5th inning. Coach Menke talked about his team’s approach to the game,

“One key we learned from the first time we played them is to not get down. We know she’s a good pitcher. We know she’s going to make some good pitches. But you know, keep your head up. Each pitch is a new pitch and battle up there. And I thought we did a pretty good job of that tonight.”

Quinn Zweibohmer collected 10 strikeouts as the Arrows finished with a 14-13 record.

Holy Trinity Catholic will travel to Seymour tomorrow, July 11th, at 5 pm.

Over in Class 2A Region 2, Van Buren County threw everything they had at #2 Louisa-Muscatine last night but came up short against the Falcons, falling 10-6. The Warriors collected a 9-13 record. 

Columbus was shutout by Eddyville-Blakesburg-Fremont last night, 4-0. Ellie Sanders was the only Wildcat to tab a hit in the loss. Columbus finished the year with a 12-12 record. 

In Class 3A Region 2, Fairfield will face off against Davis County tonight at 7 pm.

For Class 3A Region 5, Mediapolis will host West Burlington/Notre Dame tonight at 7 pm.

Central Lee will compete against Monticello tonight at 7 pm with the winner taking on either Washington or Midland.

On the bottom half of the Class 4A Region 3 bracket, Mt. Pleasant will travel west to face off against Oskaloosa tonight at 7 pm. KILJ 105.5 FM, kilj.com, will be on the call with the pregame show at 6:45 pm.

Postseason Baseball

New London will act as the home team against Pekin for the District 10 Championship on Saturday, July 12th, at 7 pm at Sigourney High School. KILJ 105.5 FM, kilj.com, will be on the call with the pregame show at 6:45 pm.

Moving to Class 2A Substate 4 District 7, #5 Mediapolis will host Durant on Saturday at 7 pm.

Over in Class 2A Substate 5 District 9, Central Lee will venture back to Chariton on Saturday to face off against the Chargers at 7 pm.

For Class 3A Substate 5, Washington will face off against Assumption on the road. 

In Substate 6, Mt. Pleasant will travel to play Fairfield for the fourth time this season. KILJ 105.5 FM, kilj.com, will be on the call with the pregame show at 6:45 pm.

Keokuk will take on Pella and Fort Madison will venture to Xavier with both games on the road. 

For Class 4A Substate 3, Burlington grabbed the #4-seed and will hit the road to compete against the #3-seed Muscatine.

Classes 3A and 4A will start postseason action tomorrow, July 11th, with first pitch at 7 pm. 

Prospect League

The Burlington Bees trounced the Alton River Dragons last night 15-2 behind a 12-run sixth inning. Keanu Spenser smacked a grand slam, while Caleb Seibers collected four RBIs for the game after his three-run shot in the sixth inning. The Bees will stay on the road tonight to face off against the Springfield Lucky Horseshoes at 6:30 pm.

The Clinton LumberKings swept the Quincy Doggy Paddlers last night 11-0 in game one and 3-2 in game two. The LumberKings will host the rematch tonight at 6:30 pm.

This Day in Sports History

1968 – Major League baseball announces it will split into two divisions for 1969.

1992 – The US Major Soccer League folded after 14 seasons.

2002 – 10th ESPY Awards: Tiger Woods and Venus Williams win. The win made Woods the all-time ESPY award winner.

Postseason Baseball

In Class 1A Substate 5 District 10, New London rallied back with a four-run 4th inning to defeat Burlington Notre Dame last night 8-5. Tate Welcher and Gage Burden each tabbed multiple hits and two RBIs, while Gavin Menke-Bailey finished 2 for 2 at the plate with an RBI and a save on the mound, striking out two in the final two innings of relief. Jeremiah Crow, a senior, collected an RBI for the Nikes. Burlington Notre Dame finished the season with a 16-10 record.

Tiger head coach Jayden Flowers knows his team has gotten used to playing in the clutch this season,

“It’s huge because we’ve been battling that all year. Tonight, it was just, you know, if we made an error: we had one out in right field and had one at short stop. The big thing is what we did after. So, we had to get that out after we had to battle back, we couldn’t pile up error after error after error and we decided to play our cleanest 7 innings that we could and we did tonight.”

New London will take on Pekin for the District 10 Championship after the Panthers shutout Moravia 4-0 last night. The two will play on Saturday, July 12th, at 7 pm. KILJ 105.5 FM, kilj.com, will be on the call with the pregame show at 6:45 pm.

Moving to Class 2A Substate 4 District 7, #5 Mediapolis took down West Liberty last night 4-0 behind 6.2 dominant innings from Lance Ludens, who allowed only two hits and struck out four. The Bulldogs will host Durant on Saturday at 7 pm.

Over in Class 2A Substate 5 District 9, Central Lee shut down Wilton last night 3-0 as Chase Johnson and Blake Davis allowed only two hits and combined for eight strikeouts in the winning effort. The Hawks will venture back to Chariton on Saturday to face off against the Chargers at 7 pm.

For Class 3A Substate 5, Washington will face off against Assumption on the road. 

In Substate 6, Mt. Pleasant will travel to play Fairfield for the fourth time this season. KILJ 105.5 FM, kilj.com, will be on the call with the pregame show at 6:45 pm.

Keokuk will take on Pella and Fort Madison will venture to Xavier with both games on the road. 

For Class 4A Substate 3, Burlington grabbed the #4-seed and will hit the road to compete against the #3-seed Muscatine.

Classes 3A and 4A will start postseason action on Friday, July 11th, with first pitch at 7 pm. 

High School Baseball

Mt. Pleasant fell to Mt. Vernon last night 9-6. Grayson Lowery smacked a double for an RBI in the losing effort. 

Postseason Softball

For Class 1A Region 1, Holy Trinity Catholic will host Wapello tonight at 7 pm. KILJ 105.5 FM, kilj.com, will be on the call with the pregame show at 6:45 pm.

Over in Class 2A Region 2, Van Buren County will compete against #2 Louisa-Muscatine tonight at 7 pm on the road.

Columbus will take on Eddyville-Blakesburg-Fremont tonight at 7 pm in the top half of the bracket.

In Class 3A Region 2, Fairfield will face off against Davis County tomorrow at 7 pm.

For Class 3A Region 5, Mediapolis will host West Burlington/Notre Dame tomorrow, July 10th, at 7 pm.

Central Lee will compete against Monticello tomorrow at 7 pm with the winner taking on either Washington or Midland.

On the bottom half of the Class 4A Region 3 bracket, Mt. Pleasant will travel west to face off against Oskaloosa tomorrow at 7 pm. KILJ 105.5 FM, kilj.com, will be on the call.

High School Softball

Fairfield poured on five runs in the 7th inning to run away from Knoxville in a 10-7 final last night. Vanessa Kessel led the way with four RBIs with Maddy Martin contributing three RBIs of her own. 

Mediapolis swept Davis County last night in two tight contests, winning game one in walk-off fashion, 4-3, and taking game two 6-4. Maycie Thornburg collected three hits and a trio of RBIs in the winning effort. 

Prospect League

The 2025 Prospect League All-Star game was rained out last night. 

The Burlington Bees will travel to the Alton River Dragons tonight at 6:35 pm. 

The Clinton LumberKings will square off against the Quincy Doggy Paddlers tonight in a home doubleheader with game one at 5 pm.

This Day in Sports History

1877 – First ever Wimbledon tennis championship begins as it was also the first official lawn tennis tournament – men’s singles only.

1948 – Satchel Paige, 42, debuts in the majors pitching two scoreless innings for Cleveland in St. Louis.

1968 – Wilt Chamberlain becomes the first reigning NBA MVP to be traded the next season when he moves from the Philadelphia 76’ers to the Los Angeles Lakers.

Postseason Softball

For Class 1A Region 1, Wapello took down WACO last night 9-1 as Quinn Zwelbohmer fanned 12 in six innings of work, allowing only three hits in the winning effort. 

Holy Trinity Catholic will host Wapello tomorrow, July 9th, at 7 pm. KILJ 105.5 FM, kilj.com, will be on the call with the pregame show at 6:45 pm.

Over in Class 2A Region 2, Van Buren County’s Addison Brauns and Danville’s Brynley Wenig engaged in a pitching duel with Wenig allowing only four runs on five hits, while Brauns dealt a complete game one-hitter with six strikeouts in the 4-0 win for the Warriors. Kayley Snowgren led the way with two RBIs.

Van Buren County will take on #2 Louisa-Muscatine tomorrow at 7 pm on the road.

Pella Christian eliminated New London/Winfield-Mt. Union 11-0. The Tigers finished the season with a record of 3-21. 

Columbus will take on Eddyville-Blakesburg-Fremont tomorrow at 7 pm in the top half of the bracket.

For Class 3A Region 5, Mediapolis will host West Burlington/Notre Dame on Thursday, July 10th, at 7 pm.

Central Lee will compete against Monticello on Thursday at 7 pm with the winner taking on either Washington or Midland.

On the bottom half of the Class 4A Region 3 bracket, Mt. Pleasant will travel west to face off against Oskaloosa on Thursday at 7 pm. KILJ 105.5 FM, kilj.com, will be on the call. Panther head coach Derek Coleman knows his squad needs this time off heading into the contest,

“Well, first I was thinking we needed to find a game to play so we didn’t sit for a week. But where we’re at right now, we need a break. So, it’s going to be big. Hopefully we can recharge, get healed up and head to Oskaloosa and go have a game.”

High School Softball

West Burlington/Notre Dame split their doubleheader against Mid-Prairie, winning game one 11-7 and dropping game two 10-8. The Falcons will host Fort Madison at 5:30 pm tonight. 

Central Lee had their doubleheader against Burlington canceled last night.

Fairfield will face off against Knoxville at 7 pm on the road tonight.

Mediapolis will host Davis County tonight at 5:30 pm.

Postseason Baseball

In Class 1A Substate 5 District 10, Burlington Notre Dame and New London will meet up tonight at 7 pm at New London with the winner advancing to the District Championship. KILJ 105.5 FM, kilj.com, will be on the call with the pregame show at 6:45 pm.

Moving to Class 2A Substate 4 District 7, #5 Mediapolis will host West Liberty tonight at 7 pm.

Over in Class 2A Substate 5 District 9, Louisa-Muscatine pushed a run across in the 7th inning to down West Burlington last night 8-7. Ayden Figuereo finished the night 2 for 4 at the plate with three RBIs. The Falcons ended the season with an 8-12 record. 

Winfield-Mt. Union fell to Wilton last night 15-2. The Wolves collected a 5-15 record for the season.

Central Lee will face off against Wilton tonight at 5 pm at Chariton Middle School. 

For Class 3A Substate 5, Washington will face off against Assumption on the road. In Substate 6, Mt. Pleasant will travel to play Fairfield for the fourth time this season, while Keokuk will take on Pella and Fort Madison will venture to Xavier with both games on the road. 

For Class 4A Substate 3, Burlington grabbed the #4-seed and will hit the road to compete against the #3-seed Muscatine.

Classes 3A and 4A will start postseason action on Friday, July 11th, with first pitch at 7 pm. 

High School Baseball

Fairfield fell to Mt. Vernon last night 7-3. Cason Miller knocked a double with an RBI in the losing effort. 

Mt. Pleasant will host Mt. Vernon tonight at 7 pm.

Prospect League

Burlington Bee Kooper Schulte competed in the Home Run Derby last night as the #7-seed and advanced to the second round after winning a swing off against Brady Lester, hitting a combined eight home runs between the first round and two rounds of swing offs. His night would end in the semifinals after Schulte launched seven balls out of the park, needing one more to force another swing off. 

The 2025 Prospect League All-Star game is scheduled to start tonight in Springfield, Illinois at Robin Roberts Stadium at 6:30 pm with five Bees in attendance. 

This Day in Sports History

1889 – John L. Sullivan successfully defends the last officially sanctioned, bare-knuckle world heavyweight prizefighting championship; Jake Kilrain’s trainer throws in the towel after 75 rounds in Mississippi.

1991 – Major league umpire Steve Palermo and former NFL defensive lineman Terence Mann are shot trying to help two waitresses from being robbed.

2010 – During the first round of the John Deere Classic, Paul Goydos became the 4th and oldest player in PGA Tour history to shoot 59; the round included 12 birdies and six pars.

Postseason Baseball Brackets

In Class 1A Substate 5 District 10, Danville had Moravia on the ropes, scoring a run in the top of the first and keeping the Mohawks off the board for the first three innings, but it was not enough as the Bears fell 3-1. Jaden Bauer struck out five on the mound in five innings of work and tabbed the lone RBI at the plate. Danville ended the season with a 1-19 record. 

Van Buren County lost to Pekin over the weekend 12-1. Leo Jirak knocked in the lone run for the Warriors. Van Buren County finished the season with a 9-15 record. 

Burlington Notre Dame handled business against Keota, clipping the Eagles in five innings with an 11-1 final. Kyler Cameron, Payne Prottsman, and Curtis Randall each knocked in two runs. Nike head coach Chip Chiprez thought his team executed the game plan to a tee,

“You know, that was our plan going in, you know, Payne Prottsman, he hasn’t thrown since the Burlington game, which would have been a week ago, so we wanted to get him 25 pitches and then get him out of there. Luckily for us, you know, we scored five runs right away, so we felt comfortable pulling him out, you know, and Curtis Randall, he’s just coming off the DL with the hip flexor injury. So, you know, we threw him a couple of innings the other night against Fort Madison and then brought him in tonight. So, you know, our philosophy in the postseason is to try to get guys in and out so we have everybody available for the next game, the next game, the next game, so it’s worked out.”

New London got off to a slow start against Wapello as Wyatt Marlette slapped in the first run of the game and kept the Tigers off the board for the first three innings. Nevertheless, the Tigers battled back and scored three runs in the bottom of the fourth inning to go on to win 4-1. Sully Barron and Riley Rains collected an RBI apiece, while Memphis Watson struck out seven in the win.

Burlington Notre Dame and New London will meet up tomorrow, July 8th, at 7 pm with the winner advancing to the District Championship. Tigers’ head coach Jayden Flowers discussed the upcoming matchup,

“Yep, Notre Dame is a great team. We have to come to play. Like I said, we can’t fall asleep on them. Early innings against teams like that. So, we have to come ready to go and I think we’ll be ready for it.”

Moving to Class 2A Substate 4 District 7, #5 Mediapolis will host West Liberty tomorrow at 7 pm.

Over in Class 2A Substate 5 District 9, Saturday’s doubleheader at Wilton was postponed to tonight with West Burlington and Louisa-Muscatine playing at 5 pm in the battle of the Falcons and Winfield-Mt. Union will take on the hosts at 7 pm.

For Class 3A Substate 5, Washington will face off against Assumption on the road. In Substate 6, Mt. Pleasant will travel to play Fairfield for the fourth time this season, while Keokuk will take on Pella and Fort Madison will venture to Xavier with both games on the road. 

For Class 4A Substate 3, Burlington grabbed the #4-seed and will hit the road to compete against the #3-seed Muscatine.

Classes 3A and 4A will start postseason action on Friday, July 11th, with first pitch at 7 pm. 

High School Baseball

Mt. Pleasant will travel to Davenport Central tonight at 5 pm.

Fairfield will face off against Mt. Vernon tonight at 7 pm on the road. 

High School Softball

Fairfield competed in the Ottumwa Classic over the weekend and split their contests, beating #8 Albia 4-1 and losing to Pleasant Valley 6-5. Lilly Bergren’s grand slam broke the game open against the Lady Dees. Emma Septer slapped a two-RBI double against the Spartans. The Trojans will face off against Knoxville at 7 pm on the road tomorrow, July 8th.

West Burlington/Notre Dame will take on Mid-Prairie tonight at home with game one of a doubleheader starting at 5:30 pm.

Mediapolis will host Davis County tomorrow at 5:30 pm.

Postseason Softball

For Class 1A Region 1, game one will pin WACO against Wapello tonight at 7 pm with the Arrows getting a home game. The winner of the matchup will play Holy Trinity Catholic at West Point South Park on Wednesday, July 9th, at 7 pm.

Over in Class 2A Region 2, Van Buren County will host Danville tonight at 7 pm with the winner advancing to play #2 Louisa-Muscatine on Wednesday in a road showdown. KILJ 105.5 FM, kilj.com, will be on the call with the pregame show at 6:45 pm.

Also playing tonight will be New London/Winfield-Mt. Union, as the Tigers will make the pilgrimage to Pella Christian High School to face off against the Eagles at 7 pm.

Columbus will take on Eddyville-Blakesburg-Fremont on Wednesday at 7 pm in the top half of the bracket.

For Class 3A Region 5, Mediapolis will host West Burlington/Notre Dame on Thursday, July 10th, at 7 pm.

Central Lee will compete against Monticello on Thursday at 7 pm with the winner taking on either Washington or Midland.

On the bottom half of the Class 4A Region 3 bracket, Mt. Pleasant will travel west to face off against Oskaloosa on Thursday at 7 pm. KILJ 105.5 FM, kilj.com, will be on the call.

Prospect League

The Burlington Bees split their weekend series against the Alton River Dragons, falling 14-3 then coming back to win 9-4 last night. Owen Nowak hit a three-run homer as he finished the night with four RBIs. The Bees will stay on the road to compete against the River Dragons on Wednesday, July 9th, at 6:35 pm.

The Clinton LumberKings swept the weekend, defeating the Normal CornBelters 5-1 on Saturday and the Springfield Luck Horseshoes 12-2 last night. The LumberKings will take on the Quincy Doggy Paddlers on Wednesday in a doubleheader with game one at 5 pm.

The 2025 Prospect League All-Star game is scheduled to start tomorrow, July 8th, in Springfield, Illinois at Robin Roberts Stadium at 6:30 pm. Kooper Schulte will compete in the Home Run Derby tonight at 8 pm.

This Day in Sports History

1912 – American athlete Jim Thorpe wins 4 of 5 events to win the Pentathlon gold medal at the Stockholm Olympics, medal stripped 1913 (played pro baseball), reinstated 1982.

1934 – Mary Hirsch, daughter of 3-time Kentucky Derby winning trainer Max Hirsch, becomes the  first woman to be licensed to train thoroughbred horses in the United States.

1985 – Wimbledon Men’s Tennis: Boris Becker beats South African Kevin Curren 6-3, 6-7, 7-6, 6-4 to become the youngest man (17) to win a Wimbledon singles title.

New London, IA- Tarp on, tarp off. No, this philosophy won’t properly train you for an upcoming karate tournament, but it would have served you well on a rainy Saturday evening in New London where Burlington Notre Dame and the Tigers advanced to the second round of the Class 1A Substate 5 District 10 bracket.

Despite the warm temperatures and the rain playing against the defense and pitching staffs, it was small ball that produced the runs in the doubleheader showdown.

Burlington Notre Dame 11, Keota 1

Three-years ago to the day, Notre Dame made the trip to Keota as the underdog and took down the Eagles 11-1, needing the full seven innings. This time the Nikes needed only five to get the job done.

The game did not appear to start that way as the Eagles got the first two runners on base via a hit-by-pitch and a single by Brenna McGuire and Ashton Galindo and an eventual walk loaded the bases in the top of the first inning.

Yet, Payne Prottsman, the ace for the Nikes, kept peppering the strike zone and collected a pair of strikeouts to strand the three Eagles on the basepath. That’s all head coach Chip Chiprez needed from the junior as he was yanked after the Nikes scored five in the bottom half of the frame.

For Coach Chiprez, it could not have played out better for the Nikes,

“You know, that was our plan going in, you know, Payne Prottsman, he hasn’t thrown since the Burlington game, which would have been a week ago, so we wanted to get him 25 pitches and then get him out of there. Luckily for us, you know, we scored five runs right away, so we felt comfortable pulling him out, you know, and Curtis Randall, he’s just coming off the DL with the hip flexor injury. So, you know, we threw him a couple of innings the other night against Fort Madison and then brought him in tonight. So, you know, our philosophy in the postseason is to try to get guys in and out so we have everybody available for the next game, the next game, the next game, so it’s worked out.”

It was a mixture of experience and youth that got the Nikes on the board first with a Jeremiah Crow sacrifice fly and an Eli Oelson RBI gave the squad a 2 to 0 lead before, Kyler Cameron, an 8^th grader, punched an RBI-single and Tatum Warner punctuated the inning with a two-RBI knock.

In relief, Curtis Randall threw 38 pitches, allowing just one-run on two hits and striking out four. One of those two hits was the only extra-base hit of the day as Notre Dame worked six walks and three hit-by-pitches to compliment eight singles as the squad put up three in the 2^nd and 3^rd innings to cap off the scoring.

Prottsman and Cameron would tie Warner with a game-high two RBIs as Maddox Diewold and Landry Haberichter combined for four steals and five runs scored with Diewold adding an RBI.

The final show of the talented youth on the Nikes’ roster was Isaac Lehman, another 8^th grader, finished the game on the mound, tossing a strikeout and allowing just one hit in 1.2 innings. For the Notre Dame youth, the coaches instill the expectations at the junior high level,

“We go down to the junior high, you know, throughout the season, the high school coaches go down there and then you know they help the junior high coaches and kind of teach them our philosophy and what we expect when we work with them,” said coach Chiprez. “You know, we treat them just like the high school guys and we expect them to do what what the high school guys do. So I think at a very early age as far as, you know, 7th Grade, I think they, not to the extent that that the you know, the JV or varsity understand, but they start it’s they start processing things and they start getting getting how we run things and then when they when they get to us it’s you know they’re ready to go.”

That youth movement will have to continue to play a big role if the Nikes want to make a run back to the state tournament.

New London 4, Wapello 1

The nightcap game was supposed to be a runaway for New London, especially basing it off of their five-inning 10-0 no-hitter against Wapello in early June; yet much like most of the season, the Tigers would have to battle all seven innings.

It all started with a Kinnick Richenberger single to start off the game. He was able to move over to second on a fielder’s choice then score after Wyatt Marlette slapped a single to give Wapello to 1 to 0 lead after the top of the first.

Not the start Memphis Watson wanted on the mound. He would start the game with a single and his 39^th stolen base of the year at the plate, but Marlette preserved the lead after getting Watson caught in a pickle between second and third base after striking out Gavin Strawhacker and getting Kye Reighard to pop out to end the first.

Wapello, behind strong defense, was in the lead 1 to 0 over the favorites. A big surprise considering Wapello had averaged five errors per game entering the contest.

That 1 to 0 lead would persist as Memphis Watson found his groove on the mound, striking out three of the next six outs, while Tate Welcher caught his first runner trying to steal against him. Marlette, with the help of some fine defense by Coy Wiley at third base kept the Tigers off the board, stranding two in the second and third innings.

After a neat double play that went Watson to Gavin Menke-Bailey to Sully Barron to end the top of the fourth inning, the Tigers were still down 1 to 0 and struggling to push across runs. Nevertheless, Watson never had any doubts in his teammates,

“I got confidence with the guys, you know, they can all put the ball in play, and they can have good things happen. One through nine, I wouldn’t say we have a weak spot.”

The rally started with a Gage Burden walk and a steal of second base. Riley Raines followed it up with a singe and he proceeded to take his own bag. A balk, Marlette’s second of the game, would tie the game at one before Sully Barron broke the tie with an RBI-blooper.

Tigers now led 2 to 1. It took four innings, but head coach Jayden Flowers’ squad was on top,

“Yeah, we’ve been off to some slow starts recently” said coach Flowers. “We’re trying to get that figured out. Bats have been a little slow to start of games, but once we see the guy once or twice, then we finally start getting it. We’re just trying to take advantage of those early innings, we gotta start taking advantage of. We can’t fall behind in those.”

One more run would come to cross after some more wild pitching from the relief man Treyton Schulz to give New London a 3 to 1 lead.

“Yeah, Memphis is great. He throws a lot of strikes” exclaimed coach Flowers. “They’re gonna hit the ball. It’s not like we’re going to send him out there to strike everybody out. But he did fantastic job of battling all night and battling back, I think when we can make plays behind him, we look pretty good. So, I think he did a fantastic job tonight on the mound.”

Watson faced adversity in the 5^th inning when Wapello’s Schulz and Richenberger hit back-to-back singles but another throw out from Welcher quickly eliminated the threat as Watson again kept Wapello off the board.

A Riley Raines RBI-single in the bottom of the fifth inning would score Gage Burden and cap off the scoring for the night, as Reighard collected the save, striking out one in an inning of relief as the final out was another throw out from behind the plate in Welcher, his third of the night.

Watson would finish the night with the win on the mound, fanning seven in six innings of six-hit ball. He also collected three hits and stole three bases to bring his season total to 41 as the team collected 11 steals for the night. The Tigers are now 5-0 when stealing double-digit bases this season.

Wapello finished the season with a 2-17 record.

New London will now face off against Notre Dame for the fourth straight year in the postseason, with the Nikes having won the past two matchups by a combined score of 21 to 1. For coach Flowers, his squad has to strike early,

“Yep, Notre Dame is a great team. We have to come to play. Like I said, we can’t fall asleep on them. Early innings against teams like that. So, we have to come ready to go and I think we’ll be ready for it.”

New London beat Notre Dame 10-9 in their first matchup of the season, while the Nikes answered back with a 13-2 win in their most recent contest.

You can catch the matchup on KILJ 105.5 FM, kilj.com, on Tuesday, July 8^th, at 7 pm with the pregame show at 6:45 pm.

(New London audio courtesy of Andy Krutsinger of the Southeast Iowa Union)

Prep Baseball- Saturday’s slate of matchups provided a mixed bag as early July storms rolled throughout Iowa, flooding fields and leaving them unplayable. Yet, a couple of games were still able to played and here’s the full update for our local teams.

Class 1A Substate 5 District 10

New London 4, Wapello 1

Burlington Notre Dame 11, Keota 1

The Tigers and Nikes are slated to to play on Tuesday, July 8th, at 7 pm. KILJ 105.5 FM, kilj.com, will be on the call with the pregame show at 6:45 pm.

Moravia 3, Danville 1

Pekin 12, Van Buren County 1

The Mohawks and Panthers will face off on Tuesday.

No games for District 9 were able to be played and were moved to Monday, July 7th.

Class 2A Substate 4 District 7

West Liberty thrashed Camanche for an 11-1 final. The Comets will travel to #5 Mediapolis on Tuesday with first pitch at 7 pm.

Substate 5 District 9

Wilton was one of the locations that got their field rained out, so the battle of the Falcons between West Burlington and Louisa-Muscatine has been moved to Monday at 5 pm at Wilton. The nightcap will feature the hosts taking on Winfield-Mt. Union at 7 pm with the winner taking on Central Lee on Tuesday at 5 pm.

More

Class 3A and 4A will get their tournament trails started on Friday, July 11th, at 7 pm.

High School Baseball

Fairfield’s two-run sixth inning claimed the Trojans their second consecutive Southeast Conference Title last night in a 3-2 win over Burlington. Cason Miller was the one to do it with the two-run blast to lift the squad over the Grayhounds. Dain Burkhart pitched the complete game, striking out three in the win. Fairfield will face off against Mt. Vernon on Monday at 7 pm on the road. 

Postseason Baseball Brackets

In Class 1A Substate 5 District 10, Danville and Van Buren County will be heading off to Moravia for a doubleheader tomorrow, July 5th. The Bears will square off against Moravia at 7 pm, while Van Buren County will start off the night at 5 pm.

On the bottom half of the bracket, Burlington Notre Dame will venture to New London to face off against Keota at 5 pm, while New London will host the nightcap against Wapello at 7 pm. KILJ 105.5 FM, kilj.com, will be on the call for both games with the pregame show at 4:45 pm.

Moving to Class 2A Substate 4 District 7, #5 Mediapolis earned a bye and will host the winner between West Liberty and Camanche on Tuesday, July 8th, at 7 pm.

Over in Class 2A Substate 5 District 9, West Burlington and Louisa-Muscatine will meet up in Wilton at 5 pm in the battle of the Falcons. Winfield-Mt. Union will take on the hosts at 7 pm, where the winner will advance to compete against Central Lee Tuesday at 5 pm at Chariton Middle School.

For Class 3A Substate 5, Washington will face off against Assumption on the road. In Substate 6, Mt. Pleasant will travel to play Fairfield for the fourth time this season, while Keokuk will take on Pella and Fort Madison will venture to Xavier with both games on the road. 

For Class 4A Substate 3, Burlington grabbed the #4-seed and will hit the road to compete against the #3-seed Muscatine.

Classes 3A and 4A will start postseason action on July 11th with first pitch at 7 pm. 

High School Softball

Mt. Pleasant fell to Fort Madison last night 10-2. Keagyn Coleman swatted an RBI-double after a leadoff triple by Lila Cook for her first career extra-base hit as a member of the Panthers. 

New London lost to Hillcrest Academy last night 13-5. 

Fairfield took down Burlington last night 8-1 behind Leah Helmick’s complete game, two-hitter. Lilly Bergren led the team with three RBIs as she hit one of the team’s four doubles. The Trojans will compete in the Ottumwa Classic tomorrow.  

West Burlington/Notre Dame will take on Mid-Prairie on Monday, July 7th, at home with game one of a doubleheader starting at 5:30 pm.

Mediapolis will host Davis County on Tuesday, July 8th, at 5:30 pm.

Postseason Softball

For Class 1A Region 1, game one on Monday, July 7th, will pin WACO against Wapello at 7 pm with the Arrows getting a home game. The winner of the matchup will play Holy Trinity Catholic at West Point South Park on Wednesday, July 9th, at 7 pm.

Over in Class 2A Region 2, Van Buren County will host Danville on Monday at 7 pm with the winner advancing to play #2 Louisa-Muscatine Wednesday in a road showdown.

Also playing on day one will be New London/Winfield-Mt. Union, as the Tigers will make the pilgrimage to Pella Christian High School to face off against the Eagles. The winner will take on Wilton in the quarterfinals.

Columbus earned a bye and a home game with the Wildcats gearing up for a contest with Eddyville-Blakesburg-Fremont on Wednesday at 7 pm in the top half of the bracket with Louisa-Muscatine expected to host the July 11th contest in the semifinals if both teams advance.

On the bottom half of the Class 4A Region 3 bracket, it is a repeat of the season opener as Mt. Pleasant will travel west to face off against Oskaloosa on Thursday, July 11th. The Panthers struck first that night with a two-run homer off the bat of Paityn Ensminger, but could not keep the momentum going as they fell 11-3. KILJ will be on the call.

Prospect League

The Burlington Bees returned the favor to the Clinton LumberKings last night, winning 15-7, to tie the series at one game apiece. Caleb Seibers walloped the ball for a three-run homer in the winning effort. The Bees and LumberKings will close out their three-game series tonight at 6:30 pm in Clinton.

This Day in Sports History

1939 – Lou Gehrig is the first MLB player to have his number (4) retired on his “Appreciation Day” at Yankee Stadium, making the iconic “luckiest man” speech.

1980 – Nolan Ryan becomes the fourth pitcher to register 3,000 MLB strikeouts.

1995 – The Birmingham Barracudas (based in Alabama) play their first CFL game beating Winnipeg 38-10 but the failed experiment only lasts one season.