By: Nathan Bloechl — sports@kilj.com
Mount Pleasant Baseball Gets Match-Up with Assumption:
The Mount Pleasant baseball team will get a match-up tonight with #1 Davenport Assumption in a Class 3A-Substate 5 semifinal.
The Knights, the number one seed in the district, rolled past Keokuk on Friday night 12-0 to get to this evening’s semifinal.
Mount Pleasant thrashed Fort Madison 9-2 on Friday to set up with the bout with Assumption, who have won the previous 19 games against the Panthers — most recently 8-6 and 8-7 wins back in 2018.
The Knights are led at the plate by senior Seth Adrian, who finished this season with a .389 batting average with five doubles, four home runs and a team-best 22 runs batted in.
Nate Schlichting has also been a catalyst up top the Assumption line up, with a robust .369 average with six doubles, one home run and 20 RBI.
Alex Pollmiller, the ace of the Assumption staff, pitched Friday but exceed the 65-pitch limit — meaning Mount Pleasant will likely see Keegan Shovlain tonight.
The sophomore for the Knights threw 28 innings this season — second on the team — compiling a 3-1 record with an ERA of 0.75. He has only struck out 15 in those 28 innings.
The Panthers will rely once again on the talented duo of Nik Coble and Jaxon Hoyle tonight.
The two piggy-backed with each other in Friday’s game against Fort Madison, with Coble getting the start and Hoyle coming on in relief.
They’ll both need to be sharp in order for Mount Pleasant to pull an upset.
First-pitch tonight is set for 7:00 p.m. at Modern Woodmen Park in Davenport.
The bottom of the bracket will see second-seed Clear Creek-Amana battle Solon in Solon.
The winners will play on Wednesday for a berth to the 2020 State Baseball Tournament.
New London Playing for State, Tangos with Lynville-Sully:
In the first match-up all-time for the programs, the New London softball will lock horns with fourth-ranked Lynville-Sully with a berth to the 1A State Softball Tournament on the line.
The Tigers have taken the long road to tonight’s District 6 regional championship, defeating Holy Trinity 11-1, Winfield 5-1 and most recently North Mahaska 3-2 in extra innings.
Tonight’s beast are the 17-2 Hawks of Lynville-Sully, winners of eight of their last nine.
They took down Tri-County 12-0 and Sigourney 15-14 in 12 innings to advance to the region championship.
The Hawks are led by a talented crop of juniors including Laci Keen and Caitlin Alberts.
Keen hit .448 with two home runs and 24 runs batted in, while Alberts finished the season with a sparkling .472 average, six doubles, and a team-best 30 runs batted in.
In the circle, Denali Conover will get the ball for Lynnville-Sully.
She has started 18 of the teams 19 games, going 16-2 with an ERA of 2.32, striking out 55 hitters in 105.2 innings pitched.
New London will counter with freshman Elly Manning, who has been dynamite for Mark Chiri’s group in the postseason.
On the year, Manning is 8-5 with a 3.21 ERA and 25 punch-outs in 76.1 innings.
She’ll need to be up to her usual tricks tonight against a Lynville-Sully group that hit .370 at the plate as a team this season.
Senior center-fielder Kara Krieger has been lights out over the last month for New London. Her batting average has swelled to .395 with six doubles, two triples and a team-best 14 runs batted in.
She’s been sublime in the post-season, as well.
Tonight’s game, being played at Lynnville-Sully High School, will begin at 7:00 p.m.
In other regional action tonight, Wilton will battle Louisa-Muscatine in a Class 2A-Region 8 Championship.
Mount Pleasant’s Beatty Honored by USTF for All-Academic Award:
Former Mount Pleasant standout and now Central College Dutch track athlete Sam Beatty has earned a U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association All-Academic Award.
It was Beatty’s first honor by the organization.
To qualify, an athlete must post a minimum 3.30 GPA and qualify for the NCAA Division III Indoor Championship, finish the regular season ranked in the top 50 in an individual event or in the top 35 in a relay event.
Beatty was ranked in the high jump and posted a 3.35 GPA with an environmental studies major.
IHSAA Says Fall Sports Are a Go…For Now:
The Iowa High School Athletic Association has announced they currently plan to begin the 2020 fall sports season as scheduled.
In the release, the IHSAA stated “The health and safety of student-athletes and their communities has been a priority as we work to provide opportunities during this pandemic, and will remain so as we move forward into the 2020-21 school year.
The IHSAA added that they will intend to provide more guidance about fall sports the week of July 27th.