Photo by Keith Stewart
Pictured are the seven Arthur-Lovington/Atwood-Hammond seniors that were celebrated Tuesday evening before the team’s game against Sullivan. From left to right: Ross Ryan, Hunter Kamm, Avery Schrock, Tyler Schuring, Chris Crabtree, Jeremy Plank, and Christopher Davis.

Schuring and company stop red-hot Redskins

May 13, 2015

by Keith Stewart
keith@newsprogress.com

Whether it was the three-up, three-down pitching of Tyler Schuring, the 2-run homer by Hunter Kamm, or the final out by Chris Davis, Arthur-Lovington/Atwood-Hammond’s seniors showed up to play Tuesday night and knocked Sullivan off 8-5.
“We put the ball in play, got some guys on, and that got contagious,” said head coach Craig Moffett. “The guys are very energetic in the dugout and ran the bases hard, and backed up throws. We played pretty clean defense, too.”
Things certainly appeared at first to go in Sullivan’s way, however. Dylan Hart got the scoring started with a solo-bomb over the left-field wall in the first. After Nick Frerichs’ single down the third-base line, Levi Nadler doubled to deep center field to put Sullivan up 2-0.
On the mound for Sullivan was Zach Hrvol who helped retire the side in the bottom frame after just 10 pitches.
Sullivan then scored again in the bottom of the second thanks to one of just two Tyler Schuring walks on the day. Read More

Photo by Keith Stewart
Pictured are the Okaw Valley softball team’s six seniors, who were recognized last Wednesday between a double-header against Argenta-Oreana. From left to righ: Paige Harlin, Amy Orris, Savannah Birch, Hayley Carlson, Amanda McClain, and Keeley Benning.

May 13, 2015

Now in position to win division

by Keith Stewart
keith@newsprogress.com

After letting the first game slip by in the seventh inning, the Okaw Valley softball team got downright mad.
Or so it appeared.
The Lady T-Wolves came back and began the second game of last Wednesday’s double-header against conference foe Argenta-Oreana by taking a 10-0 lead. The Lady Bombers would resist later in the game, but OV eventually snuffed out any comeback by way of a six inning 10-run margin to split the series 1-1.
“I was pleased with the way we bounced back. In game one, we looked like we were sleep walking,” said head coach Dave Benning. “Argenta was the aggressor. We’ve talked about it all season, how the style of Argenta is to put pressure on you constantly and force you to make plays. I think we had four maybe five errors–some very crucial errors. And Argenta did make some mistakes themselves but in their case, their explosion was the result of our missed plays.”
In game one, OV struck first with a lone run in the bottom of the second, but Argenta came back to take a 3-1 lead in the third. A back-and-forth affair then ensued with the Timberwolves pushing three runs across the plate in the fourth to retake the lead and then four more in the fifth but only after Argenta managed two of their own to make it a 5-8 game in favor of OV. The Bombers tacked on one more run in the sixth to pull within two, but heading into the seventh, the Timberwolves just needed three outs to wrap up the game a half-inning early. Read More

Photo Courtesy of Michelle McClain
The SOV girls’ track and field team celebrated its seniors last Tuesday during the Redskin Invitational. Pictured, from left to right, are the team’s five seniors: Caity Ohm, Amanda McClain, Kennedy
Lucas, Emily Neuhauser, and Tori Murphy.

Finish fourth at CIC meet

May 13, 2015

by Keith Stewart
keith@newsprogress.com

Competing at their last home invite of the year, SOV’s girls came away with a second place finish and celebrated their five seniors including Tori Murphy, Caity Ohm, Kennedy Lucas, Emily Neuhauser, and Amanda McClain.
And the five didn’t disappoint as each finished in the top five of at least one event.
“My five seniors have done a great job leading the team both by their actions and by continuing to encourage, motivate, and mentor the underclassmen,” said girls’ head coach Kali Taylor. “As a high school coach, it is always neat to see how they grow and mature throughout their high school careers…Amanda and Emily continue to prove that they are two of the toughest, strongest sprinters in the state, consistently improving on their times, splits, and pushing each other and the rest of their competitors to a higher level each meet. Caity, Tori and Kennedy may not score as many points as the other two, but each have brought their own leadership abilities and dynamics to the team over the course of their careers.” Read More

Photo by Keith Stewart
Sullivan senior and softball player Elissa Stewart signed her letter of intent committing to play softball at Parkland in a ceremony held January 28. Pictured, front row, from left to right: brother Blake, mother Amy, Elissa, and father John. Back row: Sullivan head softball coach Ben Richter and Parkland head softball coach Chuck Clutts.

Sullivan senior will play as Cobra beginning this fall

May 6, 2015

by Keith Stewart
keith@newsprogress.com

Amy Stewart still recalls one of her daughter’s earliest tests on the ball diamond.
Just five years old at the time, Elissa Stewart was participating in an instructional league in her hometown of Hoopeston when she was on the receiving end of the ball.
“She got hit, and you could tell she was hurt, but she picked up the ball and made the out,” recalled her mother Amy. “She didn’t cry. She made the play and went on.”
These days, the Sullivan shortstop is, if ever, not without a smile streaked across her face regardless of whether she is leaping high in the air with the audacity for the catch or off to the races after laying down a bunt. But this past January, that smile was perhaps a little wider as she signed her letter of intent, committing to play softball as a Cobra come next fall. Read More

May 6, 2015

More than a week away from the field didn’t seem to affect the Knights, as they returned to action and defeated Marshall 6-1 Tuesday.
ALAH was led by both Brad Miller and Marcus Vanausdoll who each had two hits a piece. Ross Ryan, meanwhile, worked all seven innings from the mound, allowing six hits, one run, and one walk while striking out five. Read More