High School Baseball

Mt. Pleasant and Fairfield are now tied atop the Southeast Conference standings at 8-3 after the Trojans routed the Panthers 13-1 last night. Everything was bouncing Fairfield’s way last night as the Trojans worked nine walks and tallied 12 hits as a team. 

Cason Miller did most of the damage, going 3 for 5 with a triple and five RBIs in the win. Luke Konczal slugged two doubles as he and Caden Allison combined for another five RBIs. Payson Coleman tabbed the lone RBI for the Panthers.

Fairfield will look for another road win tonight at Albia with first pitch at 7:30 pm.

Mt. Pleasant will square off against Fort Madison on Monday, June 24th, at home in a doubleheader 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. 

Danville’s four-run third inning propelled the Bears past Mediapolis last night 5-3. Jaden Bauer slapped a triple and tallied two RBIs for the Bears. Danville will host Central Lee tonight at 5:30 pm.  

Burlington Notre Dame will face off against Mediapolis tonight at 5:30 pm on the road. 

Winfield-Mt. Union will travel to Louisa-Muscatine tonight for first pitch at 5:30 pm. 

New London will stay at home to take on West Burlington tonight at 5:30 pm. 

Van Buren County will compete at the Moravia Triangular tomorrow, June 22nd, at 10 am. 

Postseason Baseball

The Iowa High School Athletic Association (IHSAA) released their Class 1A and Class 2A postseason brackets with the first round of postseason action scheduled for July 6th. Here’s a look at our local teams and their matchups.

For Class 1A Substate 6: District 11, Burlington Notre Dame, the #2 team in Class 1A according to the Iowa High School Baseball Coaches Association, took the top seed in the district, earning the Nikes a bye into the second round. 

#4 New London will face off against #5 Pekin at 5 pm at Keota with the winner to take on the Nikes in the second round. #2 Moravia will host #7 Moulton-Udell at 7 pm. The winner will take on the winner between #3 Keota and #6 Danville as they will compete at Keota at 7 pm.

Class 2A Substate 5: District 10, will feature three of our local teams. #1 Anamosa earned a bye and will take on the winner between #4 Winfield-Mt. Union and #5 Louisa-Muscatine at 5 pm at Mediapolis. #3 Mediapolis will tango with #6 West Burlington at 7 pm at Mediapolis. The winner will compete against #2 Mid-Prairie.

Substate 6: District 12 will also have our attention as #4 Cardinal and #5 Van Buren County will fight for the right to play #1 Interstate 35 in the second round. #3 Central Lee will compete against #6 Centerville with the winner facing off against #2 Pleasantville. The first-round matchups will take place at Central Lee.

Stay tuned to KILJ to find out our postseason broadcast schedule. Moreover, the Class 3A and Class 4A postseason brackets will be released on June 27th.

High School Softball

Mediapolis clobbered Danville last night 22-9. The Bears will square off against Central Lee tonight at home at 7 pm. 

Mediapolis will face off against Winfield-Mt. Union on Monday, June 24th, at home at 6 pm. 

Winfield-Mt. Union stopped their 9-game skid last night with a 9-2 win over WACO. Katie Miller led the Wolves with two RBIs as Makiah Lower picked up the win in the circle with 8 strikeouts. Natalie Wagner smacked a triple for the Warriors. 

WACO will take on Hillcrest Academy at home tonight at 7 pm. 

Winfield-Mt. Union will travel to Louisa-Muscatine tonight at 6 pm. 

Mt. Pleasant and Fairfield battled in a conference showdown last night and the Trojans slammed the door to end the Panthers’ late surge, winning 9-6. Savannah Hollander clubbed a three-run home run to help seal the win. The Panthers will host Fort Madison on Monday for a doubleheader with game one at 5:30 pm. 

Fairfield will travel to Clear Creek-Amana today for a tournament. 

West Burlington will take on New London tonight at 7 pm on the road. 

Van Buren County will face off against Holy Trinity Catholic tonight at 7 pm at home.

High School Cross Country

Mt. Pleasant’s optional summer runs officially get underway this week. The runs are a great way to get in shape and to run with others. The runs are available for 7th through 12th graders and will often be led by upperclassmen as coaches may not be present for every run.

On Mondays and Wednesdays the runs will start at 6:30 am at the Old Threshers Museum Theatre and on Tuesdays and Thursdays they will be at Saunders Park by the swimming pool at 7 pm. 

If you have any questions, contact Coach Murray at 319-850-0867. 

Prospect League

The Burlington Bees tried to keep up with the offense of the Normal CornBelters, but ultimately fell short 16-7. Skylar Agnew clocked a home run and three RBIs in the losing effort. The Bees will look for their revenge against the Cornbelters tonight at 6:30 pm on the road. 

Weather halted the game between the Clinton LumberKings and the Illinois Valley Pistol Shrimp last night in the 3rd inning. The game will resume on July 12th. The LumberKings will host the Cape Catfish tonight at 6:30 pm. 

This Day in Sports History

1970 – FIFA World Cup Final, Estadio Azteca, Mexico City: Brazil and Pelé become first team and player to win World Cup three times, beating Italy, 4-1 in front of 107,412.

1994 – Tennis superstar Steffi Graf becomes the first defending champion to lose in the first round of a major tournament (Wimbledon to Lorrie McNeal).

1997 –  The Women’s National Basketball Association begins as the New York Liberty beats the Los Angeles Sparks.

Prep Baseball- The Iowa High School Athletic Association (IHSAA) released their Class 1A and Class 2A postseason brackets with the first round of postseason action scheduled for July 6^th. Here’s a look at our local teams and their matchups.

Class 1A

For Class 1A Substate 6: District 11, Burlington Notre Dame, the #2 team in Class 1A according to the Iowa High School Baseball Coaches Association, took the top seed in the district, earning the Nikes a bye into the second round. They will attempt to make it back for the second consecutive year.

#4 New London will face off against #5 Pekin at 5 pm at Keota with the winner to take on the Nikes in the second round. #2 Moravia will host #7 Moulton-Udell at 7 pm. The winner will take on the winner between #3 Keota and #6 Danville as they will compete at Keota at 7 pm.

Substate 6: District 12 will feature #6 Wapello facing off against BGM at Hillcrest Academy at 5 pm as the #2-seed Hillcrest Academy will host HLV at 7 pm. #1 Sigourney will host the top half of the bracket as they face off against English Valleys and #4 Highland takes on #5 Lone Tree at 5 pm.

The district 11 champion will clash with the district 12 champion on July 16^th to see who will advance to the state tournament.

Class 2A

Class 2A Substate 5: District 10, will feature three of our local teams. #1 Anamosa earned the bye and will take on the winner between #4 Winfield-Mt. Union and #5 Louisa-Muscatine at 5 pm at Mediapolis. #3 Mediapolis will tango with #6 West Burlington at 7 pm at Mediapolis. The winner will compete against #2 Mid-Prairie.

The district 10 champion will face off against one of these six teams to advance to the state tournament: #1 Sumner-Fredericksburg, #2 Alburnett, #3 Jesup, #4 Columbus Catholic, #5 West Liberty, and #6 West Branch.

Substate 6: District 12 will also have our attention as #4 Cardinal and #5 Van Buren County will fight for the right to play #1 Interstate 35 in the second round. #3 Central Lee will compete against #6 Centerville with the winner facing off against #2 Pleasantville. The first-round matchups will take place at Central Lee.

District 11 will feature #1 Des Moines Christian, #2 Pella Christian, #3 Albia, #4 PCM, #5 Eddyville-Blakesburg-Fremont, and #6 Central Decatur with the district champion advancing to the substate 6 final.

Up Next

Stay tuned to KILJ to find out our postseason broadcast schedule. Moreover, the Class 3A and Class 4A postseason brackets will be released on June 27^th.

High School Baseball

Winfield-Mt. Union and West Burlington participated in a thrilling contest last night that saw the Wolves score four runs in the bottom of the 7th to force extras just for the Falcons to put up a run in the top of the 8th inning to eventually win 7-6. Isaac Beard and Emry Watson each totaled two RBIs for the Falcons, while Riley Kaalberg crushed a home run and tallied three RBIs for the Wolves. 

Winfield-Mt. Union will travel to Louisa-Muscatine tomorrow for first pitch at 5:30 pm. 

New London will stay at home to take on West Burlington tomorrow, June 21st, at 5:30 pm. 

Van Buren County clobbered Wapello last night 18-4. Izaak Loeffler slugged two doubles and brought home three runs for the Warriors. Van Buren County will compete at the Moravia Triangular on Saturday, June 22nd, at 10 am. 

Mediapolis handled Highland last night 14-3. The Bulldogs will take on Danville tonight at 5:30 pm on the road. 

Central Lee’s late surge cemented the win for the Hawks over Hillcrest Academy yesterday 7-1. Cory Jones notched four RBIs for the Hawks as Blake Davis tallied 10 strikeouts and the win on the mound. Central Lee will travel to Danville tomorrow at 5:30 pm. 

Burlington Notre Dame demolished Regina Catholic last night 14-1. The Nikes will face off against Mediapolis tomorrow at 5:30 pm on the road. 

Mt. Pleasant will host 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. 

High School Softball

West Burlington squashed Winfield-Mt. Union last night 20-1. Logan Kelley swatted a home run and grabbed four RBIs along with Shona Andersen for the Falcons. West Burlington will take on New London tomorrow, June 21st, at 7 pm on the road. 

New London lost to Louisa-Muscatine last night 11-1. 

Van Buren County was shut out by Wapello last night 4-0 as Ada Boysen fanned 17 Warriors to earn the complete game win. Van Buren County will face off against Holy Trinity Catholic tomorrow at 7 pm at home. 

Mediapolis was handled by Highland last night 10-0. Avery Crear went 2 for 3 with a double for the Bulldogs. Mediapolis will face off against Danville tonight on the road at 7 pm.

Mt. Pleasant fell to Cardinal last night 11-1. The Panthers will take on Fairfield tonight at home at 7:30 pm. 

Fairfield and Washington continued their rain out game from last Thursday and the Trojans appeared poised to pull off the upset, leading 2 to 0 for three innings. Nevertheless, the Demons got the offense rolling to win 7-2. Faith Jones nabbed the lone RBI for the Trojans, while Colbie Greiner smacked a home run for Washington to total two RBIs. 

Central Lee walloped Hillcrest Academy last night 16-0. The Hawks will take on Holy Trinity Catholic tonight in a doubleheader with game one at 5:30 pm. 

WACO will travel to Winfield-Mt. Union tonight at 6 pm. 

High School Softball Rankings

The Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union released their fifth edition of the softball rankings and our local teams experienced a shakeup.

Class 4A saw Burlington fall out of the top 15 after a shaky seven games since the injury of their senior star Sydnee Plummer. The Grayhounds have surrendered 31 runs in their past seven games after allowing 14 runs in their first 11 games of the season.

In Class 3A, Washington returned to their #8 spot in the rankings after an 8-2 loss to Centerville curtailed what could have been a 15-game winning streak. The Demons tout a team ERA of 2.41, while Leighton Salazar is batting 0.571 on the year with 25 RBIs.

Central Lee advanced a spot in the rankings to end the week #14. Kenna Sandoval and Shana Buford have led the bats this season with slugging percentages over 1.000. Jayln Hawk touts an ERA of 2.23.

High School Cross Country

Mt. Pleasant’s optional summer runs officially get underway this week. The runs are a great way to get in shape and to run with others. The runs are available for 7th through 12th graders and will often be led by upperclassmen as coaches may not be present for every run.

On Mondays and Wednesdays the runs will start at 6:30 am at the Old Threshers Museum Theatre and on Tuesdays and Thursdays they will be at Saunders Park by the swimming pool at 7 pm. 

If you have any questions, contact Coach Murray at 319-850-0867. 

Prospect League

The Burlington Bees continued their matchup from June 13th against the Illinois Valley Pistol Shrimp and despite entering the game with the lead the Pistol Shrimp exited with the win 12-11. 

Game two also did not go the Bees way as they fell 3-2. Jackson Lindquist smacked a home run in the losing effort. 

Burlington will host the Normal CornBelters tonight at 6:30 pm. 

Clinton will take on Pistol Shrimp tonight at home at 6:30 pm. 

This Day in Sports History

1949 – Tennis star Gussie Moran shocks Wimbledon by wearing a short dress “to look good” and “move more freely on the court.”

1968 – Jim Hines becomes the first person to run 100 meters in under 10 seconds.

2018 – FIFA World Cup: Cristiano Renaldo heads a goal against Morocco to become the all-time leading European goalscorer (85) in international competition.

Mount Pleasant, IA- The race for the softball Southeast Conference (SEC) crown features two of the best teams in their respective classes getting ready to clash for their three-game series next week, but there’s plenty of other meaningful matchups to discuss.

At the top of the conference standings, #7 in Class 3A Washington is a perfect 10-0 against other SEC opponents having outscored their foes by 93 runs. Their series against Keokuk will be interrupted tonight with a rescheduled game against Fairfield.

The Demons offense has impressed thus far, scoring 10 or more runs in nine of their conference showdowns. Add in a team earned-run-average (ERA) of 2.48 and the Demons are a tough squad to surmount.

Players to Watch: Isabella Salazar, Ella Greiner, and Alyvia Anderson

Burlington had been neck-and-neck with Washington, but a freak injury to senior star Saydee Plummer has led to a slew of losses for the Grayhounds: 2-4 in their last six games. Understandably, Plummer rocked a 0.81 ERA and 0.412 batting average before the injury.

Their struggling offense has been exposed during this streak, scoring four runs or less in half of their contests. This led to a 3-1 loss to Fort Madison in game one of their Monday doubleheader this week before they answered with an 11-1 thrashing in game two.

The Grayhounds (9-1 in SEC play) will need to exit with the win tomorrow against the Bloodhounds to have an opportunity to defend their conference title.

Players to Watch: Kylee Hill, Lillian Hand, and Aubrey Hesler

Fort Madison sits tied with Keokuk in terms of record at 4-6, but the Bloodhounds have a -1-run differential compared to a -33-run differential for the Chiefs. In their head-to-head matchups, Keokuk boasts a 2-0 record, winning 7-4 in game one and 9-7 in game two.

Despite committing seven errors between the two games, Keokuk hit over 0.300 in game one and nearly 0.470 in game two. The Bloodhounds held the lead in game two at one point, but their defense and pitching struggled.

The Chiefs will attempt to upset the Demons tomorrow, while Fort Madison will look to win the series against Burlington.

Players to Watch (Keokuk): Ada Wood, Ellianna Brewer, and Suzie Whitaker

Players to Watch (Fort Madison): Gabrielle Ruble, Lauryn Helmick, and Alivia Holmes

Fairfield entered this week without a win against an SEC opponent (not in a tournament setting). After Monday’s handling of Mt. Pleasant, the Trojans escaped the cellar and tout a 2-8 mark in conference play with a -38-run differential.

In their eight losses, the Trojans managed only 21 runs but in their two games against the Panthers the offense woke up and scored 24 runs. Pitching has been the biggest question mark since the Trojans saw their ace Coty Engle graduate last year, their staff ERA is 6.67.

The Trojans will take on the Demons tonight before finishing their series against the Panthers tomorrow.

Players to Watch: Laney Norris, Savannah Hollander, and Leah Helmick

Mt. Pleasant is one of, if not the youngest roster in the state of Iowa as the Panthers routinely start four 8^th graders and a freshman. The inexperience has led to some growing pains as the Panthers are 2-17 on the year overall and 1-9 in the conference.

Offense has been the biggest issue for the Panthers as they have been shutout in seven of their losses and managed just five runs in their past six games. There have been bright spots this season with such as holding Burlington to a 2-2 tie until the 5^th inning.

Mt. Pleasant will be looking for revenge against Fairfield tomorrow and their first season of multiple conference victories since 2020.

Players to Watch: Emma Starr, Chaley Cook, and Kynlee White