High School Baseball
Mt. Pleasant traded wins with Burlington last night with the Grayhounds snatching game one 13-2 and the Panthers grabbing game two 11-7. J.C. Sitar extended his RBI-streak to eight games after recording a sacrifice fly in game one, while Griffen Jones led the way in game two with three RBIs followed by Payton Walker with two RBIs as he cracked a double.
West Burlington was thwacked by Hillcrest Academy last night 17-6. Levi Fletcher-Bates logged two hits and an RBI in the loss.
Mt. Pleasant will travel to West Burlington tonight at 7:30 pm.
Central Lee’s late offensive production saw the Hawks outscore Burlington Notre Dame 8 to 4 in the final three innings to steal the win 11-8. Kayden Calfee collected three RBIs in the winning effort.
Central Lee will take on Danville at home tonight with first pitch at 7:30 pm.
Burlington Notre Dame will host Fort Madison tonight at 7 pm.
Danville fell to Wapello last night 8-5. Kolton Small led the effort for Wapello with a two-RBI double, while Alex Holtkamp, Addison Clayton, and Zander Stotlar each notched an RBI for the Bears.
Wapello will face off against Highland tonight at 7 pm at home.
New London hammered Lone Tree last night 16-1 to end their regular season. Everyone got involved in the win for the Tigers with Cale Westerbeck slugging a double for three RBIs, Gavin Menke-Bailey sprinted around the basepath for a triple and two RBIs, while Memphis Watson clouted a double for an RBI, got the win on the mound, and set the school record for stolen bases in a year with his 38th.
Fairfield’s sweep of Keokuk last night, 11-1 in game one and 13-3 in game two, sets up a winner-takes-all conference showdown on Thursday between Burlington and the Trojans. Dayson Workman clobbered a double with three RBIs in game one, while Zandrik Allison slashed the same stat line in game two.
Fairfield will compete against Clear Creek Amana at home at 7:30 pm tonight.
#5 Mediapolis will travel to Class 1A’s #2 Sigourney tonight at 5:30 pm.
Winfield-Mt. Union will face off against Lone Tree tonight at 5:30 pm at home.
Van Buren County will celebrate their Senior Night tomorrow, July 2nd, at 5:30 pm against Davis County.
High School Baseball Rankings
The Iowa High School Baseball Coaches Association released their final rankings for Class 2A yesterday and Mediapolis claimed the #5 spot with a 22-1 record heading into their toughest contest of the year against Class 1A’s #2 Sigourney, who also only has one loss on the year.
Compared to last year, the Bulldogs are a complete team. Their squad’s pitching staff touts a 2.39 ERA much like last year with a stellar defense backing them up with a 0.940 fielding percentage. But, their greatest improvement has been at the plate with a team batting average of 0.315, that’s 53 points better than last year.
Lance Ludens has been unstoppable at the plate and the mound with a 0.559 batting average, knocking in 24 runs, while striking out 46 with an ERA of 1.83 to go along with a perfect 6-0 record on the mound.
High School Softball
Mt. Pleasant picked up their first win over Burlington since 2019, defeating the Grayhounds 4-0 in game two. Chaley Cook spun a complete game six-hitter, notching a strikeout in the win. Saige Burchett and Keagyn Coleman each tabbed two hits for an RBI in the win. The Panthers fell in game one 8-1 as Linzy Striegel had the lone RBI.
Mt. Pleasant will take on West Burlington/Notre Dame on the road tonight at 7 pm.
West Burlington/Notre Dame’s Senior Night was spoiled by Hillcrest Academy last night in a narrow 3-2 loss. Tannisyn Christofferson and Madalynn Knapp both clocked RBI doubles for the Falcons.
Wapello crushed WACO last night 15-0. Macey Hackett slugged a double and a home run for three RBIs in the win.
Wapello will host Highland tonight at 7 pm.
Holy Trinity Catholic will face off against WACO tonight at 7 pm on the road.
Fairfield outsprinted Keokuk last night 10-8 in game one and 12-7 in game two. Leah Helmick collected three RBIs in game one with a double, while Laney Norris knocked in three in game two. The Trojans will take on Burlington at home on Thursday, July 3rd, at 7:30 pm.
Columbus lost 9-1 to #2 Louisa-Muscatine last night. Lily Coil’s solo home run was the only source of offense for the Wildcats. Columbus will travel to Pekin tonight at 7 pm.
Danville will host Central Lee tonight for a senior night doubleheader with game one at 5:30 pm.
Van Buren County will hit the road to take on Centerville tomorrow, July 2nd, at 7 pm.
New London will face off against Holy Trinity Catholic tomorrow at 7 pm at home.
Mediapolis will host Davis County on July 8th at 5:30 pm.
Postseason Softball
The Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union released the postseason brackets for all five classes, here’s a look at our local matchups.
For Class 1A Region 1, game one on 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 July 9th at 7 pm.
Over in Class 2A Region 2, Van Buren County will host Danville on July 7th at 7 pm with the winner advancing to play #2 Louisa-Muscatine on July 9th 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 July 9th 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. 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 will travel to face off against the Quincy Doggy Paddlers tonight at 6:30 pm.
The Clinton LumberKings will take on the Normal CornBelters tonight on the road at 6:30 pm.
This Day in Sports History
1859 – First intercollegiate baseball game, Amherst beats Williams 66-32 in Pittsfield, Massachusetts, under rules that differ wildly from today’s baseball rules.
1904 – The III Summer (Modern) Olympic Games opened in St Louis, the first held in the United States.
1982 – Cal Ripken Jr. makes the first of his record 2,216 consecutive MLB starts at shortstop for the Baltimore Orioles.