Author: Slaten Swords

High School Baseball

The weather washed out all of last night’s action, here’s a look at the games that got postponed.

Danville and #6 Mediapolis moved their matchup back to tonight and it will be a doubleheader with game one at 5:30 pm.

West Burlington and Van Buren County postponed last night’s matchup to Monday, June 23rd. 

Mt. Pleasant will travel to Fairfield tonight at 7:30 pm. KILJ 105.5 FM, kilj.com, will be on the call with the pregame show at 7:15 pm.

Winfield-Mt. Union will make the trip to Louisa-Muscatine at 5:30 pm tonight.

Central Lee will compete against Highland at 5:30 pm tonight to celebrate their senior night. 

Wapello will square off against Hillcrest Academy tonight at home with first pitch at 7 pm.

Burlington Notre Dame will get to host West Burlington tonight at 5:30 pm.

New London will travel to Van Buren County tonight at 7 pm.

Postseason Baseball Brackets

The Iowa High School Athletic Association released the Class 1A and Class 2A postseason brackets with first pitch scheduled for 5 pm on Saturday, July 5th. Here’s the matchups for our local teams.

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

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.

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 on July 8th at 5 pm at Chariton Middle School.

The Class 3A and Class 4A brackets will be released next week. 

High School Softball

West Burlington/Notre Dame and Van Buren County postponed last night’s matchup to Monday, June 23rd. 

Mt. Pleasant and Mediapolis had their contest last night canceled. 

Fairfield will face off against Mt. Pleasant tonight at 7:30 pm at home.

Danville will compete in a doubleheader at home tonight against Mediapolis with game one at 5:30 pm. 

Holy Trinity Catholic will take on West Burlington/Notre Dame tonight at 5:30 pm for a make-up game. 

New London will travel to Van Buren County tonight at 7 pm.

Wapello will host Hillcrest Academy tonight at 7 pm.

Columbus will travel to WACO tonight at 7 pm.

#15 Central Lee will celebrate senior night tonight against Highland at 7 pm.

High School Cross Country

The Mt. Pleasant Cross Country team’s summer runs are underway until their camp in mid-August. The runs are available to any 7th through 12th grader with paces and plans dependent on the level of experience. Coaches may not be present at every run as upperclassmen often lead the runs.

On Mondays and Wednesdays, the runs will begin at 6:30 am at the Old Threshers Museum Theatre. On Tuesdays and Thursdays, the runs will begin at Saunders Park by the swimming pool at 7 pm. If you have any questions, then contact Coach Murray at 319-850-0867. 

Prospect League

The Burlington Bees had their matchup against the Illinois Valley Pistol Shrimp postponed due to weather last night; the game will be made up on Tuesday, June 24th, as part of a doubleheader. The Bees will host the Quincy Doggy Paddlers tonight at 6:30 pm.

The Clinton LumberKings had their doubleheader postponed last night against the Quincy Doggy Paddlers. The LumberKings will take on the Normal CornBelters tonight at 6:30 pm at home.

This Day in Sports History

1943 – NFL’s Philadelphia Eagles and Pittsburgh Steelers merge to become the Steagles.

 1970 – Jim Bouton’s controversial baseball diary “Ball Four” is published.

1999 – Stanley Cup, Marine Midland Arena, Buffalo, NY: the Dallas Stars edge the Buffalo Sabres 2-1 in triple overtime for a 4-2 series win; Brett Hull clinches the series with infamous “No Goal” ruling.

High School Baseball

Mt. Pleasant evaded the rain last night and handled Davis County 11-3. Payton Walker and Cooper Coleman did not register a hit but combined for five RBIs. J.C. Sitar collected the win on the mound with three strikeouts, pitching four innings, while whacking an RBI double at the plate. The Panthers will travel to Fairfield tomorrow, June 19th, at 7:30 pm. KILJ 105.5 FM, kilj.com, will be on the call with the pregame show at 7:15 pm.

New London’s offensive surge in the middle innings led to a 6-4 victory over Winfield-Mt. Union last night. Gavin Strawhacker tripled home three runs for the Tigers. Riley Kaalberg smashed a home run for three RBIs for the Wolves. 

Winfield-Mt. Union will make the trip to Louisa-Muscatine at 5:30 pm tomorrow. 

New London’s contest against Lisbon scheduled for tonight has been canceled. 

Central Lee and Danville had their matchup postponed last night with a makeup date to be announced at a later time. 

Central Lee will compete against Highland at 5:30 pm tomorrow to celebrate their senior night. 

Danville and #6 Mediapolis have canceled their contest for tonight. A makeup date will be announced at a later date. 

West Burlington and Van Buren County have postponed tonight’s matchup to Monday, June 23rd. 

Wapello versus Calamus-Wheatland has been canceled for tonight due to the weather. 

Burlington Notre Dame will travel to Regina Catholic tonight at 7 pm.

High School Softball

West Burlington/Notre Dame and Van Buren County have postponed tonight’s matchup to Monday, June 23rd. 

Mediapolis poured on the runs against Holy Trinity Catholic, winning 11-1. Avery Crear led the Bulldogs with two RBIs. The Crusaders will take on West Burlington/Notre Dame tomorrow at 5:30 pm for a make-up game. 

Mt. Pleasant and Mediapolis have canceled their contest for tonight.

Wapello’s Quinn Zweibohmer was impervious in the circle last night for the Arrows, tossing an 11 strikeout complete game shutout against Columbus for a 1-0 victory. 

Wapello will host Hillcrest Academy tomorrow at 7 pm.

Columbus will travel to WACO tomorrow at 7 pm.

WACO had their matchup against Highland last night postponed to June 25th. 

Danville and #15 Central Lee had their game postponed last night to July 1st.

Danville will compete in a doubleheader at home tomorrow against Mediapolis with game one at 5:30 pm. 

#15 Central Lee will celebrate senior night tomorrow against Highland at 7 pm.

Fairfield will face off against Mt. Pleasant tomorrow at 7:30 pm at home.

New London will travel to Van Buren County tomorrow at 7 pm.

High School Cross Country

The Mt. Pleasant Cross Country team’s summer runs are underway until their camp in mid-August. The runs are available to any 7th through 12th grader with paces and plans dependent on the level of experience. Coaches may not be present at every run as upperclassmen often lead the runs.

On Mondays and Wednesdays, the runs will begin at 6:30 am at the Old Threshers Museum Theatre. On Tuesdays and Thursdays, the runs will begin at Saunders Park by the swimming pool at 7 pm. If you have any questions, then contact Coach Murray at 319-850-0867. 

Prospect League

The Burlington Bees’ losing streak extended to four games after last night’s 6-2 loss to the Illinois Valley Pistol Shrimp. Corey Boyett clocked a solo home run in the losing effort. The Bees will get a rematch with the Pistol Shrimp tonight on the road at 7:05 pm. 

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

This Day in Sports History

1911 – The Detroit Tigers trail the Chicago White Sox 13-1 at Bennett Park, Detroit; the Tigers recover to win 16-15 for the biggest comeback in Major League Baseball history at the time.

1972 – The US Supreme Court, 5-3, confirms the lower court rulings in the Curt Flood case, upholding baseball’s exemption from antitrust laws.

2000 – 100th US Open Men’s Golf, Pebble Beach GL: Tiger Woods wins his first US Open by a major championship record-setting 15 strokes over Ernie Els and Miguel Ángel Jiménez.

Mt. Pleasant, IA- Over half of the regular season is in the books for baseball and softball and exactly half of the Southeast Conference (SEC) slate of contests in the rearview mirror. Two teams have cemented themselves as the favorites to grab the crown, but there’s still plenty of ball left to play.

Baseball SEC Standings

1. Burlington (8-0)
2. Fairfield (6-2)
3. Pleasant (5-3)
4. Fort Madison (3-5)
5. Washington (2-6)
6. Keokuk (0-8)

Last night’s doubleheader was a true test of where every team lies on the spectrum of the SEC. Burlington had the helpful advantage of home field advantage and took that opportunity to outperform Iowa’s #15 offense in terms of batting average to win game one 9-8, then displayed their top #10 offense in a 10-3 victory.

When it comes down to conference games for Burlington, their offense has been unstoppable, averaging over 10 runs per game, while keeping their opponents to less than three runs per game.

Fairfield has on the defensive end with three of their games being decided by three runs or less, two of which against teams with a losing record in conference. Surprisingly, their team ERA sits at a fair 3.49, which is first in the conference.

Mt. Pleasant just cannot get out of their own way early in the season with a team ERA of 10.40 in their seven losses this season. It gets even worse against the best in the conference, allowing 20, 14, and 12, respectively, as they were swept by Fairfield and lost to Burlington.

Moreover, the Panthers have the unfortunate distinction of either being tied with or leading after the fourth inning in two of the three games. An appealing sight for Mt. Pleasant’s conference hopes was a sweep of Fort Madison and getting complete game finishes from Zach Newton and Grayson Lowery. Panther head coach Brent Broeker said they were chasing Fairfield and Burlington for the crown in a preseason interview; the race officially heats up on Thursday, June 19^th, in Fairfield at 7:30 pm with KILJ on the call.

There’s no answers for Fort Madison, just pain. The Bloodhounds swept Keokuk to start the year without much resistance and held a Fairfield offense to just two runs, though falling 2-1 in the contest. That loss has been a microcosm for the season, as their 6-4 loss to Mt. Pleasant last night marked their fifth loss in conference and their fifth loss of the season by two runs or less. Moreover, the Bloodhounds are still winless in non-conference games.

Washington might have a losing record but look out for the Demons for the rest of the season. This squad has led in four of their losses and even forced extras against Fort Madison. The clobbered Keokuk last night, scoring 12 runs in both contests. A confident Washington squad could create some noise in Burlington on Thursday to start the second half of SEC play.

The Chiefs have not scored more than three runs in one game this season and have only one win. They currently have a negative run differential of 72 runs against the Southeast Conference. They will get an opportunity to flip the script on Thursday at home versus Fort Madison.

Softball Rankings

1. #9 Washington (8-0)
2. Fairfield (5-3)
3. Fort Madison (4-4)
4. Burlington (4-4)
5. Pleasant (2-6)
6. Keokuk (1-7)

Washington has been tested a handful of times this year with three conference wins coming by three runs or less. Still, the Demons have also beaten four of their five conference foes by at least nine runs. The Salazars have the Demons cooking with Leighton hitting above 0.500 from the plate and nabbing 28 bags on the basepath, while Isabella is dealing a 3.12 ERA, all conference leaders.

Fairfield is smoking the ball through half of the season with a conference leading batting average of 0.344, which is helping the Trojans produce 7.6 runs per game. However, in their three conference losses Fairfield has been outscored 39 to 13. Leah Helmick has cemented herself as a star for the Trojans with a conference leading 23 RBIs and a team leading 4.63 ERA as a sophomore.

Fort Madison has hit a cold spell in the conference, inversing their 3-1 start in SEC play, including dropping their first game to Mt. Pleasant since 2020 in last night’s mayfly infested doubleheader. Without Brylie Lorence, this team would be in trouble as she poses a slash line of 0.452/0.511/0.905, while slugging five home runs and knocking in 17 RBIs.

Burlington’s lack of pitching has reared its ugly head for the first time since the mid-2010s with a team ERA of 4.94. Their star player, Kylee Hill, has appeared in only six games this season and has done wonders in the circle, twirling a 1.91 ERA with 41 strikeouts, but is hitting just 0.143 for the season. Burlington will try to avoid losing their third straight game against Washington on Thursday, June 19^th, in front of their home crowd.

Mt. Pleasant has now won multiple conference games in a season since 2020, matching their two wins in the COVID-shortened year. The Panthers are a young team and certainly play one with bursts of offensive production at times overrun by defensive miscues as they have held only three of their 19 opponents under seven runs this season. Still, plenty reason to celebrate a team batting near 0.300 for the year as Paityn Ensminger is swinging at a 0.396 average for four doubles, a home run, and 11 RBIs. Mt. Pleasant will travel to Fairfield on Thursday.

It has been a season to forget for Keokuk, nabbing just two wins in 18 tries this season after returning three of their main producing seniors from a squad that won double digit games a year ago for the first time since 2018. The issue? Those three seniors are producing their best seasons at the plate and while Ada Wood has taken a step back in the circle, the Chiefs are furiously searching for young talent to step up. A home game against Fort Madison on Thursday will see how gauge how motivated this squad is for the rest of the season.

High School Baseball

Mt. Pleasant picked up a pair of Southeast Conference wins last night, whacking Fort Madison in game one 13-3 and sneaking out a game two victory with a 6-4 final. 

After allowing three runs on three hits in the first two innings of game one, Zach Newton pitched lights out, retiring the next 12 batters with three strikeouts to get the win on the mound. Cooper Coleman clocked a two-RBI double in a five-run 4th inning. 

Game two saw the Panthers trailing for most of the game before grinding out three runs in the sixth inning behind an RBI single by J.C. Sitar, who doubled home a run in the seventh inning, and an RBI double by Grayson Lowery, who also took home the complete game win on the mound with four strikeouts. 

Mt. Pleasant will head back home tonight to face off against Davis County at 7 pm.

New London walked-off Hillcrest Academy last night to win 5-4. Tate Welcher smacked a double to lead the squad with three RBIs. The Tigers will compete against Winfield-Mt. Union tonight on the road at 5:30 pm.

Burlington Notre Dame clobbered Highland last night 14-1. The Nikes will travel to #6 Mediapolis tonight at 7:30 pm. 

Fairfield and Burlington entered last night tied atop the Southeast Conference standings, but the Grayhounds made a strong push to take over sole lead of the conference standings after sweeping the Trojans last night.

Game one was a back-and-forth affair with Burlington scoring two in the bottom of the 5th inning and keeping Fairfield off the scoreboard for the rest of the game to win 9-8. Dayson Workman led the way with a double and three RBIs.

Game two was just as close with the pair tied at three entering the bottom of the 6th inning but the Grayhounds struck for seven runs to thump Fairfield 10-3. Archer Kreuter went 3 for 4 with an RBI in the losing effort. 

Fairfield will look to get back in the win column tonight at home against Albia with first pitch at 7:30 pm.

Central Lee will host Danville tonight at 7:30 pm.

West Burlington will tangle with Van Buren County tonight at 5:30 pm at home.

Wapello will face off against Calamus-Wheatland tomorrow, June 18th, at 5:30 pm at home.

High School Softball

Mt. Pleasant collected their second conference victory of the season last night after splitting their doubleheader with Fort Madison, losing game one 9-6 and taking game two 11-9. Paityn Ensminger led the offensive effort in game one with three RBIs, while Saige Burchett and Lila Cook each tabbed three RBIs in game two. 

Mt. Pleasant will host Mediapolis tomorrow, June 18th, with first pitch at 7 pm. KILJ 105.5 FM, kilj.com, will be on the call with the pregame show at 6:45 pm.

Fairfield also split their matchup against Burlington last night, falling 14-6 in game one and winning game two 10-4. The Trojans will face off against Mt. Pleasant on Thursday, June 19th, at 7:30 pm at home.

West Burlington/Notre Dame struck first against #2 Louisa-Muscatine, leading 5 to 2 after four innings, but Louisa-Muscatine proved to be too tough, scoring 10 unanswered runs to snatch a 12-5 victory. Madalynn Knapp pushed across three runs as she collected the only extra-base knock. West Burlington/Notre Dame will play at home tonight against Van Buren County with gametime at 7 pm.

Wapello got the better of Van Buren County last night, winning 7-5. Kaylor Veach led the Arrows with three RBIs. Wapello will hit the road to face off against Columbus tonight at 7 pm.

Holy Trinity Catholic defeated Highland last night 7-5. Mediapolis will host the Crusaders tonight at 7 pm.

Danville lost a nail-biter last night 3-2 against Lone Tree. The Bears will take on #15 Central Lee tonight at 7 pm on the road. 

WACO will make the trip to Highland tonight at 7:30 pm.

New London will travel to Van Buren County on Thursday at 7 pm.

High School Cross Country

The Mt. Pleasant Cross Country team’s summer runs are underway until their camp in mid-August. The runs are available to any 7th through 12th grader with paces and plans dependent on the level of experience. Coaches may not be present at every run as upperclassmen often lead the runs.

On Mondays and Wednesdays, the runs will begin at 6:30 am at the Old Threshers Museum Theatre. On Tuesdays and Thursdays, the runs will begin at Saunders Park by the swimming pool at 7 pm. If you have any questions, then contact Coach Murray at 319-850-0867. 

Prospect League

The Burlington Bees will remain on the road tonight against the Illinois Valley Pistol Shrimp with gametime at 7:05 pm.

The Clinton LumberKings will travel to the Quincy Doggy Paddlers tonight at 6:30 pm.

This Day in Sports History

1880 – Providence Grays MLB pitcher John M. Ward threw a perfect game, beating the Buffalo Bisons, 5-0; the second perfect game in the National League in six days. It would take 84 years before another National League pitcher threw a perfect game. 

1976 – The ABA merges into the NBA, bringing the New York Nets, Denver Nuggets, Indiana Pacers, and San Antonio Spurs. 

2003 – “Moneyball,” a book about the 2002 Oakland Athletics baseball team and GM Billy Beane’s sabermetric approach, inspired by Bill James, is published.

High School Baseball

New London traveled to Burlington over the weekend for the Brieholz tournament and split their matchups, beating Cedar Rapids Washington 11-10 but falling to Burlington 7-6. 

The Tigers put up three runs in the top of the 7th inning to down the Warriors as Sullivan Barron and Gage Burden each brought home three runs with Burden clocking a triple. 

The squad was unable to duplicate the results against the Grayhounds, despite Kye Reighard’s expression of power with a double, a home run, and four RBIs in the loss.

New London will take on Hillcrest Academy tonight at 7 pm at home.

Central Lee made the trip to Hillcrest Academy over the weekend for a triangular and swept the competition, destroying Keokuk 21-2 and holding off a Raven comeback to sneak away with an 8-7 victory.

Central Lee slugged their way past the Chiefs with four home runs, including two from Gage VanAusdall as he totaled seven RBIs in the win. Blake Davis finished with two home runs and three RBIs at the plate and a 10-strikeout performance against the Ravens for the win on the mound.

Central Lee will host Danville tomorrow, June 17th, at 7:30 pm.

Burlington Notre Dame was swept at the Lancer Invitational over the weekend, losing 7-4 to Cedar Falls and falling 8-1 to #8 Don Bosco. Maddox Diewold tabbed a double and an RBI against the Tigers, while Landry Haberichter slugged an RBI double against the Dons. 

Burlington Notre Dame will face off against Highland tonight at home at 5:30 pm.

Mt. Pleasant will look to get back in the win column tonight on the road in a doubleheader against Fort Madison with game one at 5:30 pm. KILJ 105.5 FM, kilj.com, will be on the call with the pregame show at 5:15 pm. Panther head coach Brent Broeker will have his two aces ready to go tonight,

“You know, they’ll be tough. They always are against us down there, you know, we’ll have our two guys on the mound. So hopefully you know… we walk into Fort Madison and sneak out two.”

#7 Mediapolis will square off against Winfield-Mt. Union tonight at home at 5:30 pm.

Danville will host Lone Tree tonight at 5:30 pm.

Fairfield will travel to Burlington tonight for a doubleheader with game one at 5:30 pm with the top of the conference on the line.

West Burlington will tangle with Van Buren County tomorrow at 5:30 pm at home.

Wapello will face off against Calamus-Wheatland on Wednesday, June 18th, at 5:30 pm at home.

High School Softball

The Fairfield invitational finished up play over the weekend with Mt. Pleasant, Central Lee, Mediapolis, and Van Buren County having all competed. Here’s the results.

Mt. Pleasant was swept by Fairfield, 7-1, and Van Buren County, 13-1, in the doubleheader. Against the Trojans, Chaley Cook took home an RBI double, while Leah Helmick smoked a home run and tallied two RBIs at the plate along with the complete game win in the circle with four strikeouts. 

The Warriors were led by Teagan Sickles at the plate with the freshman grabbing a double and five RBIs, while Keagyn Coleman knocked home the only run for the Panthers.

Fairfield surrendered seven unanswered runs to Chariton to lose 7-3. Helmick concluded the weekend with three RBIs and two doubles. 

#15 Central Lee whacked Mediapolis 10-1. It was a complete effort for the Hawks with Olivia Day, Kenna Sandoval, Jalyn Hawk, and Aubree Bunnell each tabbing two RBIs in the win. 

Mediapolis concluded their weekend with a 5-0 loss to Albia. 

Van Buren County finished with a split, losing to Chariton 9-1. Aida Troutman slugged a triple in the loss. 

Mt. Pleasant will travel to Fort Madison for a doubleheader tonight with game one at 5:30 pm.

Fairfield will make the trip to Burlington tonight with game one of their doubleheader scheduled for 5:30 pm.

#15 Central Lee will compete against Pekin tonight on the road at 7 pm.

Mediapolis will host Holy Trinity Catholic tomorrow, June 17th, at 7 pm.

Wapello will tangle with Van Buren County tonight at 7 pm on the road. 

Holy Trinity Catholic and Danville participated in a tournament at Hillcrest Academy over the weekend and the Crusaders walked away undefeated.

Holy Trinity Catholic handled business in game one, beating English Valleys 16-1, while game two saw the Crusaders fend off a late rally by Hillcrest Academy to win 4-3. 

Danville split their weekend slate of games, defeating English Valleys 6-2 but losing 7-4 to the Ravens. 

Sadie Smith tagged a double and two RBIs in the winning effort, while Brynley Wenig clouted two doubles for two RBIs against Hillcrest Academy.

Holy Trinity Catholic will take on Highland tonight at home at 7:30 pm.

Danville will face off against Lone Tree at home tonight at 5:30 pm.

West Burlington/Notre Dame finished 1-1 at “The Cabin” Classic over the weekend with an 11-3 loss to Class 5A’s #6 Pleasant Valley and a 15-2 thrashing of Keokuk. Tannisyn Christofferson slugged a two-run shot against the Spartans, while Orayana Gonzales smacked a home run for three RBIs against the Chiefs.

The Falcons will compete against Louisa-Muscatine at home at 7 pm.

Columbus’s Kennedy Woepking slugged a home run for two RBIs to beat Iowa Valley 5-4 at the West Branch tournament over the weekend before losing 13-6 to the hosts. The Wildcats will host Wapello tomorrow at 7 pm.

New London will take on Hillcrest Academy tonight at 7 pm at home.

WACO will make the trip to Highland tomorrow at 7:30 pm.

High School Cross Country

The Mt. Pleasant Cross Country team’s summer runs are underway until their camp in mid-August. The runs are available to any 7th through 12th grader with paces and plans dependent on the level of experience. Coaches may not be present at every run as upperclassmen often lead the runs.

On Mondays and Wednesdays, the runs will begin at 6:30 am at the Old Threshers Museum Theatre. On Tuesdays and Thursdays, the runs will begin at Saunders Park by the swimming pool at 7 pm. If you have any questions, then contact Coach Murray at 319-850-0867. 

Prospect League

The Burlington Bees had a rough weekend, losing all three of their contests. The Bees were swept in their home doubleheader on Saturday against the Clinton LumberKings, 3-2 in game one and 11-6 in game two before losing to the Quincy Doggy Paddlers in walk-off fashion last night 7-6. Mason Schwalbach and Kooper Schulte each finished the weekend with two RBIs.

The Burlington Bees will remain on the road tomorrow, June 17th, against the Illinois Valley Pistol Shrimp with game one at 7:05 pm.

The LumberKings concluded their weekend with a Brytton Clements walk-off RBI double in the 10th inning to beat the Springfield Lucky Horseshoes last night 7-6.

The LumberKings will travel to the Quincy Doggy Paddlers tomorrow at 6:30 pm.

This Day in Sports History

1909 – Jim Thorpe makes his pro baseball pitching debut for Rocky Mount (ECL) with 4-2 win, this will cause him to forfeit his Olympic gold medals.

1975 – NBA Milwaukee Bucks trade Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Walt Wesley to L.A. Lakers for 4 players.

1989 – In the 88 previous U.S. Opens, there had only been 17 holes-in-one, then Doug Weaver, Mark Wiebe, Jerry Pate, and Nick Price each got a hole-in-one on the par-three, 160-yard sixth hole.

High School Baseball

Mt. Pleasant surrendered three runs in the bottom of the 7th inning to lose in walk-off fashion to Atlantic last night, 7-6. The Panthers will look to get back in the win column on Monday, June 16th, on the road in a doubleheader against Fort Madison with game one at 5:30 pm. KILJ 105.5 FM, kilj.com, will be on the call with the pregame show at 5:15 pm.

Winfield-Mt. Union’s five-run 7th inning extinguished Lone Tree last night 10-1. Kohlby Newsom was a home run away from the cycle as he knocked in three RBIs. 

#7 Mediapolis put away Van Buren County last night 10-4. Kayden Simmons tabbed an extra-base hit for a team leading two RBIs in the loss. 

Mediapolis will square off against Winfield-Mt. Union on Monday at home at 5:30 pm.

New London eked out a 9-8 victory last night in walk-off fashion against West Burlington. Gavin Strawhacker collected three RBIs in the winning effort. The Tigers will compete in the Brieholz tournament today in Burlington.

The Falcons will tangle with Van Buren County on Tuesday, June 17th, at 5:30 pm at home.

Fairfield lost to Chairton last night 8-4. Dayson Workman slashed an RBI double in the loss. The Trojans will travel to Burlington on Monday for a doubleheader with game one at 5:30 pm with the top of the conference on the line.

Wapello fell to Highland last night 13-3. Wapello will face off against Calamus-Wheatland on Wednesday, June 18th, at 5:30 pm at home.

Central Lee will play in a tournament today at Hillcrest Academy.

Burlington Notre Dame will compete in the Lancer Invitational today.

Danville will host Lone Tree on Monday at 5:30 pm.

High School Softball

Danville clobbered WACO last night 15-0. The Warriors will make the trip to Highland on Tuesday, June 17th, at 7:30 pm.

Holy Trinity Catholic and Danville will compete in a tournament today at Hillcrest Academy.

West Burlington/Notre Dame handled New London last night 11-2. Madelyn Thomas notched six strikeouts in the circle and three RBIs and a double at the plate for the Falcons.

New London will take on Hillcrest Academy on Monday, June 16th, at 7 pm at home.

West Burlington/Notre Dame will travel to Cedar Rapids Jefferson today for “The Cabin” classic. 

Columbus lost 6-3 to Pekin last night, dropping their third straight contest. Lily Coil slapped an RBI double for the Wildcats. Columbus will make their way to West Branch for a tournament today. 

Wapello lost a barn burner to Highland last night 3-2. Jaden Ecklund and Kaylor Veach each had an RBI for the Arrows. Wapello will compete against Van Buren County on Monday at 7 pm on the road. 

Fairfield hosted their invitational yesterday with Mt. Pleasant, Mediapolis, #15 Central Lee, and Van Buren County making the trip. The hosts were shutout by Cardinal last night, 5-0.

Mt. Pleasant fell to Albia yesterday 8-0. Paityn Ensminger broke up the no-hitter with a single.

#15 Central Lee defeated Chariton yesterday 6-2.

Mediapolis’ late offensive surge lifted the Bulldogs over Van Buren County in a 12-4 final. Payton Harris smoked a home run for five RBIs in the win.

The invitational will continue today.

High School Cross Country

The Mt. Pleasant Cross Country team will be starting up their optional summer runs on Monday, June 16th. The runs are available to any 7th through 12th grader with paces and plans dependent on the level of experience. Coaches may not be present at every run as upperclassmen often lead the runs.

On Mondays and Wednesdays, the runs will begin at 6:30 am at the Old Threshers Museum Theatre. On Tuesdays and Thursdays, the runs will begin at Saunders Park by the swimming pool at 7 pm. The runs will continue through mid-August until the cross country camp. If you have any questions, then contact Coach Murray at 319-850-0867. 

Southeastern Community College

The baseball team’s Michael Farina earned First Team All-American honors from the NJCAA for the 2025 season. Farina ranked second in the NJCAA in RBIs with 84, third in runs with 84, and seventh in hits with 88.

Additionally, Jackson Petsche was named Honorable Mention All-American. In his debut season at Southeastern, Petsche made an immediate impact, finishing with a .369 batting average. He ranked top 10 in the conference in both RBIs (69) and doubles (17), and nationally placed 15th in RBIs and 20th in doubles.

They both helped SCC finish the season with 50 wins.

Prospect League

The Burlington Bees and Clinton LumberKings had their matchup scheduled for last night postponed to today. It will be played as a home doubleheader at Community Field with game one at 5 pm.

This Day in Sports History

1870 – The all-pro Cincinnati Red Stockings suffered their first loss in 130 games.

1966 – Miami beats St. Petersburg (Florida State League) 4-3 in 29 innings. It is the longest uninterrupted game in professional baseball history.

2021 – Cristiano Ronaldo removes sponsors’ coke bottles from his press table at the European Championships, prompting the company share price to drop $4 billion.

High School Baseball

Mt. Pleasant kept responding to Burlington’s call for offense until Austin Donahoe entered in relief and allowed only two hits in the final five innings, leading to a Grayhound 12-8 win last night. Payton Walker clubbed two doubles for two RBIs as Grayson Lowery collected his first double of the season for two RBIs. Panther head coach Brent Broeker discussed the message to his team after the game,

“You know, I told them. I said, you know, ‘I was proud of them, that they fought.’ You know, we were down 5 runs in that first inning. And it’s one of those where you could just, you know, pitch the tent and just call it quits or battle back. And we put up three in the bottom of the first. And we just kept bouncing back. Got it back to 8-8. So, we’re right in that game. We had one bad inning defensively when we brought in Rich and they got through that one last punch and scored four, and we just couldn’t come back from that.”

The Panthers will make the trip to Atlantic tonight at 7:30 pm.

Winfield-Mt. Union lost a pitchers duel to Hillcrest Academy last night, 3-2. Kason Dopler struck out six in six innings of work. The Wolves will make the trip to Lone Tree tonight at 5:30 pm.

Central Lee is on a five-game winning streak after walking-off Van Buren County last night, 3-2. Bo Herdrich smacked a solo home run in the winning effort, while Kayden Simmons knocked home a run for the Warriors. 

Central Lee will travel to Burlington Notre Dame tonight at 7:30 pm.

Van Buren County will host Mediapolis at 7 pm tonight. 

Danville was smacked by Burlington Notre Dame last night 10-0. The Bears will face off against Pekin at 7:30 pm at home.

New London nearly pulled off the upset last night but fell to #7 Mediapolis, 5-4. Kye Reighard led the Tigers, slugging a triple for four RBIs. 

New London will compete against West Burlington tonight at home at 7 pm.

West Burlington’s offense was unstoppable last night in a 24-9 walloping of Lone Tree. Brock Thuleen clouted a home run for four RBIs, while Garret Bence totaled six RBIs behind two doubles.

Fairfield remained undefeated in Southeast Conference play last night after shutting out Keokuk, 12-0. Aiden Westercamp and Luke Konczal each clocked triples, combining for seven RBIs. Dain Burkhart collected seven strikeouts in four innings of work. The Trojans remain on the road tonight to face off against Chariton at 7 pm.

Wapello will tangle with Highland tonight at 7:30 pm on the road. 

High School Softball

Holy Trinity Catholic defeated Danville 12-0 last night. The Crusaders will compete in a tournament tomorrow, June 14th, at Hillcrest Academy.

Danville will host WACO at 7 pm tonight.

West Burlington/Notre Dame handled Lone Tree last night, winning 8-2. The Falcons will make the trip to New London tonight at 7 pm.

Columbus lost to Louisa-Muscatine last night, 10-0. The Wildcats will battle Pekin tonight at 7 pm.

WACO was shutout by Wapello last night, 10-0. Mila Jordan pitched four innings of two-hit ball, fanning eight in the win. 

Wapello will square off against Highland tonight at 7:30 pm.

Mediapolis and New London needed nine innings to decide who would score the first run of the game and it was Layne Price who walked it off for the Bulldogs in a 1-0 victory.

Fairfield’s 13-run 3rd inning helped the Trojans snap a three-game losing streak, blowing past Keokuk 17-0. Emmelia Miller smacked a double for four RBIs in the win. 

Mt. Pleasant fell to Burlington last night 9-2. 

#15 Central Lee defeated Van Buren County last night 5-4 after pushing across the winning run in the 9th inning.

Mediapolis, Central Lee, Mt. Pleasant, and Van Buren County will meet up at Fairfield today for an invitational. 

High School Softball Rankings

The Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union released their updated rankings yesterday and two local teams remain in the top 15 for Class 3A.

Washington stayed put at #9 in the rankings after going 5-3 since the last round of rankings. The Demons cemented their position atop the Southeast Conference standings after sweeping Fairfield in a doubleheader earlier this week.

Central Lee’s victory over West Burlington/Notre Dame led to the Hawks taking over that #1 spot in the Southeast Iowa Super Conference South Division and the #15 slot in the rankings. Kenna Sandoval continues to lead the offense, batting 0.452 for the season with three home runs and 10 RBIs.

High School Cross Country

The Mt. Pleasant Cross Country team will be starting up their optional summer runs on Monday, June 16th. The runs are available to any 7th through 12th grader with paces and plans dependent on the level of experience. Coaches may not be present at every run as upperclassmen often lead the runs.

On Mondays and Wednesdays, the runs will begin at 6:30 am at the Old Threshers Museum Theatre. On Tuesdays and Thursdays, the runs will begin at Saunders Park by the swimming pool at 7 pm. The runs will continue through mid-August until the cross country camp. If you have any questions, then contact Coach Murray at 319-850-0867. 

Prospect League

The Burlington Bees clobbered the ball in last night’s 16-12 victory over the Quincy Doggy Paddlers, accumulating five extra-base hits. Cole Yearsley led the demonstration of power with a home run and a team-leading four RBIs. 

The Clinton LumberKings have rattled off three consecutive victories after taking down the Danville Dans last night 7-2. 

The Bees versus LumberKings matchup scheduled for tonight will be postponed to tomorrow, June 14th. It will be played as a home doubleheader at Community Field with game one at 5 pm.

This Day in Sports History

1924 – The New York Yankees win by forfeit over the Detroit Tigers after a brawl amongst the teams and spectators ensues in the 9th inning.

1973 – Steve Garvey, Davey Lopes, Ron Cey, and Bill Russell play together for the first time, setting the record of staying together as an infield for 8 1⁄2 years (LA Dodgers).

2012 – San Francisco Giants’ Matt Cain pitches the first perfect game in the franchise’s history against the Houston Astros.

Mt. Pleasant, IA- The girls’ and boys’ track teams made their way to Mt. Pleasant High School yesterday for their annual postseason banquet where memories are relived from throughout the season and awards are handed out to the top performers and leaders from the respective teams. With three new school records, the Panthers enjoyed a successful 2025 season.

(Picture Courtesy of Scot Lamm: Front Row (L-R): Kynlee White, Izzy Sloat, Ellie Freeman, Alexis Wagner, Natalie Freeman, Linzy Striegel, and Alex Scott)

(Back Row (L-R): Kaden Schadt, Silas Hulett, Avin Truong, and Mason Frueh)

Starting on the girls’ side, the Panthers rattled off six meet victories before reclaiming the Southeast Conference crown from Washington with a strong performance from their relay teams and short distance sprinters. 

The 4×200 meter relay team broke four meet records, including the SEC meet record before setting a new school record of 1 minute and 43 seconds at the state qualifier. The team of Kynlee White, Ellie Freeman, Kiyah Sanders (not pictured above), and Alex Scott finished in 10th at state in the 4×200. 

Izzy Sloat received rookie of the year as she attended state for two events: the sprint medley relay and the long jump, taking 12th place in the latter with a leap of 16 feet and 3.25 inches. Linzy Striegel joined her at the long jump pit, claiming 21st place at state, earning Most Improved along with Alexis Wagner.

Scott could not ask for a better season, breaking the school record in the 4×200 meter relay and the 200-meter dash, rushing to a time of 25.56 seconds at the state prelim for 13th place. Additionally, she finished in 6th place in the 100-meter dash and the 4×100 meter relay at state. She was the leading scorer of the team.

Also having an incredible season was junior Paityn Ensminger. The junior consistently reshaped the record book with her best toss of the season of 39 feet and 11.5 inches ranking 4th in school history. Ensminger would claim 3rd place at the SEC meet and 8th place at state.

For the boys’ team, Kaden Schadt took home Rookie of the Year as he led the team with a height of 6 feet in the high jump. Silas Hulett joined him in Rookie of the Year honors as he paced the long distance team. Mason Frueh earned Most Improved as the junior tossed the discus 140 feet and 10 inches for a team personal best.

Lastly, Avin Truong collected Leading Scorer for the season, despite suffering an injury in the later half of the season. Nevertheless, the senior broke the 23-foot mark in the long jump, setting a school record with a distance of 23 feet and 8 inches.

Payton Walker (not pictured above) and Natalie Freeman received the Panther Award.