News Progress

April 8, 2015

By Matt Kracht
NP Sports Reporter

Arthur-Lovington/Atwood-Hammond baseball lost back-to-back games Saturday, the first 6-3 followed by a 9-4 loss to the undefeated Indians from Neoga.
Avery Schrock pitched the opener for the Knights, hurling five innings of two-run ball until a blown fair foul call cost the pitcher two runs and possibly the win.
Chris Davis started the second game for the Knights and showed he can be unhittable at times with his curve but also struggled with control issues. Regardless of the outcomes in both contests, one thing is for sure, the Knights’ bats are heating up. And head coach Craig Moffett was upbeat about how his players approached their at bats and the higher contact rate in both games.
“We are getting our timing down, and I think we are going to keep getting better as the year goes on.” Although the wins were not there this weekend, the effort from the Knights’ players was everything the coach wanted. Read More

Photo by Keith Stewart
When Arthur-Lovington/Atwood-Hammond’s second baseman Brooke Tabb wasn’t making back-to-back ending inning double plays, she was stepping to the plate to crush an in-the-park grand slam to win the game in extra innings last Thursday.

Brooke Tabb’s inside-the-park grand slam earns ALAH win

April 8, 2015

By Matt Kracht
NP Sports Reporter

Arthur-Lovington/Atwood-Hammond softball was down to their last out versus Oakwood trailing 3-2 in the bottom of the seventh last Thursday. In their first year under head coach Jerry Lane the young Knights quad showed off some moxy and wisdom beyond their years. Seeing Oakwood’s pitcher tiring, the Lady Knights started to work the count, crowd the pate—anything to see more pitches.
“We could tell that she was getting tired, and we were trying to do some things to get runners on and rattle her,” said Lane. “That was our main thing; we had to get runners on.”
The bottom of the seventh inning started with a leadoff walk and a fielder’s choice advancing the runner to third. With one out, a ground ball back to the pitcher sent the runner home, but she was cutdown at the plate maintaining Oakwood’s one run advantage. Heads up base running kept the Knights’ hopes alive by advancing to second on the throw, keeping the tying run in scoring position. Enter stage right Madison Brown who came up with a clutch RBI single to center tying the game and ultimately forcing extra innings. Read More

Hart goes 4-5 in 8-0 win

April 1, 2015
by Keith Stewart
keith@newsprogress.com
There was quite a bit to like about Sullivan’s 8-0 win over Tuscola Tuesday evening.
For starters, the team defense kept the clamp down on the Warriors, backing up a solid performance at the mound by Zach Hrvol who went the distance allowing just three hits, one walk, and striking out six.
“He was very efficient all day,” said Sullivan head coach Troy Rogers. “He pitched ahead in the count and had great command of all of his pitches.” Read More

Photo by Keith Stewart
Sullivan third baseman Kailyn Boyer tries to make the putout at first with a throw over older sister Brittin.

Unearned runs compound in loss

April 1, 2015

by Keith Stewart
keith@newsprogress.com

The only thing louder than senior Brittin Boyer’s pre-game chant Tuesday were the four errors by the Lady Red against Tuscola, whether it be a missed flyout or a grounder getting underneath a glove. The errors and lack of hustle at times helped account for six of the Warriors 10 runs as Tuscola defeated Sullivan 10-3.
“I’ve got four earned runs on the day today for them. You can attribute it to spring break and not being up and doing something. You can attribute it to nerves, playing these guys for the first time. We know we’ve got them in the regional. We know we’re going to see them probably three times this year. We just didn’t come out focused,” said head coach Ben Richter. “That first inning, letting three runs in off little flare hits that we routinely make plays on and then the floodgates opened from there, and they just chipped away, chipped away with their bunts and moving people around. And they’re a good team. They had 13 hits to our seven. But whenever their hit that is a single turns into a double or a triple, because we’re not making plays on the ball, you’re not going to win games like that.” Read More

Photo by Keith Stewart
Windsor/Stew-Stras' Kendall Knop makes the tag-out at second on Okaw Valley's Paige Robinson Thursday evening.

After a week of cancelled games, OV stays hungry

March 27, 2015
by Keith Stewart
keith@newsprogress.com
It may have been a blustery, cold evening in Windsor Thursday, but it only gave reason for third baseman Kayla Wheeler to bust a few dance moves in between Amanda McClain’s solid seventh inning pitches. Just a half inning before, Wheeler’s slap play helped senior Paige Harlin get to third base, and from there, Harlin tempted Windsor/Stew-Stras’ catcher to try and throw her out on each of the following pitches, advancing 10 or so feet down the line before finally walking back to the bag, smile streaked across her face. On the fourth, a wild ball low got away from Bayleigh Tabor, and the cheeky senior did more than threaten as she ran for the plate to score OV’s final run in their 10-0 victory over the Comets.
And Thursday’s victory resembled that of their season opener against Paris a week ago Wednesday, which also marked the last time the team played thanks to periodic rains canceling three games in between.
As in their 7-2 win over Paris, OV once again did most of their offensive damage in the first two innings, though this time it amounted to seven runs.
With one out in the first, Paige Robinson got things going with a walk. Senior Amy Orris then struck out, but Harlin then laced a single to left field to put runners at first and second. Freshman Natalie Jeffers drove the two in with a triple to the left center gap. Wheeler followed with a single to left to score Jeffers, and then Jessica Robinson made it a fourth consecutive hit with an RBI triple down the third base line to put OV up 4-0. Read More