EG Takes On Mason City Newman
East Greene is seeded eighth among eight teams in the Class 1A State Baseball Tournament and will face top-seeded Newman (Mason City) is the opening game of the four-class tournament at 6 p.m. tonight at Principal Park in Des Moines.
Newman finished the season ranked No. 1 in the state in Class 1-A at 30-1 and rolled through the district and substate outscoring opponents 59-3 to moves its season mark to 34-1. EG however put together its longest win streak of the season to go from the seventh-place team in the West Central Conference to a state tournament qualifier.
Interestingly, EG began sectional tournament play at 10-14 and by beating last year’s state tournament qualifier Grandview Park Baptist, 2-1, in the substate game, the Hawks not only evened their season record at 14-14, but they qualified for the state tournament, coming out the winner of a substate with some impressive teams, most notably Earlham, Van Meter, Martensdale-St. Mary’s and Iowa Christian Academy.
East Greene is making its first appearance in the state tournament along with Adair-Casey, Alta and Tri-County (Thornburgh). Calamus-Wheatland from eastern Iowa played in the 1955 tournament as Calamus, losing in the championship game.
Newman is making its 12th appearance at state. The Knights have qualified three out of the last four years. Newman won it all in 2002 and 1998 and finished as runner-up in 2004 and 1967, the first year it advanced to state.
Newman’s only loss this season was to cross-town rival Mason City, a 4-A school. The Knights have victories over nearby Clear Lake (twice), Webster City and Forest City--all 3A schools. Newman won the North Iowa Conference with a perfect 14-0 record. Other schools in the North Iowa are Belmond-Klemme, Lake Mills, Garner-Hayfield, North Iowa (Buffalo Center), Osage, West Hancock (Britt) and Forest City. Newman and North Iowa are 1A schools and other than 3A Forest City, the other league teams are all 2A.
Newman also has a 2-1 win over Don Bosco (Gilbertville), winner of the Iowa Star Conference and the No. 3 ranked team in Class 1A. The Dons were eliminated by Northern University High (Cedar Falls) 5-2 in the opening round of the district in Traer. NUH went into the game ranked No. 6. Kee of Lansing, ranked No. 4 in the state, sidelined NUH 7-2 in the substate final at Oelwein.
Kee (38-6) is seeded second in the tournament and faces seventh-seed Tri-County (19-6) in the second half a doubleheader tomorrow night at Principal Park. In the opener tomorrow night at 6 p.m., third-seeded Lenox (21-3) takes on sixth-seeded Calamus-Wheatland (18-9).
The EG-Newman game tonight is followed by an 8 p.m. match-up between Adair-Casey, seeded fifth, and fourth-seed Alta (30-3). Adair-Casey, a member of the Rolling Hills Conference, is 20-5, and advanced to state by winning the substate at Coon Rapids. The Bombers knocked out perennial West Central baseball power Coon Rapids-Bayard in the semifinal round of the district, also held on Crusaders’ home field in Coon Rapids.
First round winners advance to the semifinal games starting at noon and 2 p.m. next Thursday (July 30) at Principal Park with the winners of those games meeting for the 1A State Championship on Saturday (August 1) at noon at Principal.
EYE ON GJ SAYS: Well, Newman certainly brings some lofty credentials with them as they head down from Mason City. But the Hawks have been playing a “new season” since the districts got underway on July 14. And EG is a central Iowa team playing in its backyard. EG goes in and out of Des Moines year-round playing baseball and basketball at Iowa Christian at AIB on Fleur Drive, Des Moines Christian in Urbandale, Ankeny Christian in Ankeny and Grandview Park Baptist on the east side of Des Moines. So a quick drive back to DM and over to the stadium, could be regarded as just another game. And in years’ past some EG teams have had regular season games at the Principal.
Each team is playing on the same turf within the same seven-inning framework. And if the Hawks stayed focused on the matters at hand, anything came happen. EG is the upstart here so the pressure is really on the hands-down favorite, Newman, and its veteran-laden team. EG is lead by two sophomore pitchers, Tyler Cooklin and Wes Onken. Leading hitter is senior BradLee Clark. Conference rival Van Meter rolled into the state tournament in 2003 relatively unknown as Martensdale-St. Mary’s, the top-ranked team in the state, was the favorite and northwest Iowa power Granville (Spalding) was in the field. Yet the Bulldogs emerged the champion. So, anything can happen.
EG is central Iowa’s representative in 1A, having bested such Des Moines area teams at Madrid in the district in Ames and Grandview Park Baptist in the substate in Ankeny. Hopefully the home folks in Des Moines will get behind the East Greeners! Other central Iowa/Des Moines area teams qualifying for state are Gilbert and I-35 (Truro) in 2A, Boone and Norwalk in 3A, and Dowling (West Des Moines) and Johnston in 4A. Go Hawks!
Friday, July 24, 2009
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
ON TO STATE!!
EG Beats Grandview Park Baptist, 3-2
East Greene downed Grandview Park Baptist 3-2 in the substate championship in Ankeny tonight to secure its first-ever state baseball tournament berth.
The Hawks are one of eight teams to qualify for the Class 1A State Tournament which gets underway Friday at 6 p.m. at Principal Park in Des Moines. Seedings and pairings will be announced Wednesday after the completion of three substate finals around the state that were postponed tonight due to rain.
Other winners tonight in substate finals were Adair-Casey, Lenox, Alta and Kee (Lansing). Adair-Casey, a Rolling Hills Conference member, beat AHST (Avoca) 6-4, in Coon Rapids to advance to state.
Tomorrow night’s substate games are Newman (Mason City) at Garrigan (Algona), Notre Dame (Burlington) vs. Tri-County (Thornburgh) in Fairfield, and Calamus-Wheatland vs. New London in Lisbon.
EYE ON GJ SAYS: This is the first trip to state for East Greene of Grand Junction, but not the first trip for Grand Junction, as the Bluejays were the State Fall Baseball Champions in 1939. This flock (of Hawks) is clearly flying high with the spirit of that '39 team which will mark the 70th anniversary of that championship this fall. The 1939 Bluejays played their baseball games on what was then the recently built Dutton Memorial Park field which is now the home of the East Greene Hawkettes softball team on the East Greene campus in the heart of Grand Junction. The historic Dutton Memorial Park grandstand is at the corner of Kelly and 14th Streets. The Hawks’ home baseball park in Rippey also has a deep history as it was the longtime home of the Rippey Merchants and Rippey Demons semipro teams and the Rippey High Bulldogs, and site of the Iowa State Summer High School Baseball Championship in 1953, 1959 and 1960 and the state high school Fall Baseball Championship in 1962. Go Hawks!
East Greene downed Grandview Park Baptist 3-2 in the substate championship in Ankeny tonight to secure its first-ever state baseball tournament berth.
The Hawks are one of eight teams to qualify for the Class 1A State Tournament which gets underway Friday at 6 p.m. at Principal Park in Des Moines. Seedings and pairings will be announced Wednesday after the completion of three substate finals around the state that were postponed tonight due to rain.
Other winners tonight in substate finals were Adair-Casey, Lenox, Alta and Kee (Lansing). Adair-Casey, a Rolling Hills Conference member, beat AHST (Avoca) 6-4, in Coon Rapids to advance to state.
Tomorrow night’s substate games are Newman (Mason City) at Garrigan (Algona), Notre Dame (Burlington) vs. Tri-County (Thornburgh) in Fairfield, and Calamus-Wheatland vs. New London in Lisbon.
EYE ON GJ SAYS: This is the first trip to state for East Greene of Grand Junction, but not the first trip for Grand Junction, as the Bluejays were the State Fall Baseball Champions in 1939. This flock (of Hawks) is clearly flying high with the spirit of that '39 team which will mark the 70th anniversary of that championship this fall. The 1939 Bluejays played their baseball games on what was then the recently built Dutton Memorial Park field which is now the home of the East Greene Hawkettes softball team on the East Greene campus in the heart of Grand Junction. The historic Dutton Memorial Park grandstand is at the corner of Kelly and 14th Streets. The Hawks’ home baseball park in Rippey also has a deep history as it was the longtime home of the Rippey Merchants and Rippey Demons semipro teams and the Rippey High Bulldogs, and site of the Iowa State Summer High School Baseball Championship in 1953, 1959 and 1960 and the state high school Fall Baseball Championship in 1962. Go Hawks!
Saturday, July 18, 2009
Hawks Advance to Ankeny!
EG Wins District Championship
East Greene beat GMG of Garwin 6-1 in the district championship at Ames tonight.
The Hawks now head to Ankeny on Tuesday to take on Grandview Park Baptist of Des Moines in the Substate 6 Championship. The winner qualifies for the 1A State Baseball Tournament at Principal Park (formerly Sec Taylor Stadium) in Des Moines. Game time Tuesday is 7 p.m.
EG moves on with a 13-14 mark while GMG's season ends at 12-15.
Grandview Park Baptist beat Martensdale-St. Mary's on MStM's home field in St. Mary's tonight, 11-3. The Defenders, 12-11, are members of the Heart of Iowa-Small Conference, where they finished in fourth place at 7-9. Martensdale-St. Mary's ends its season at 25-11.
EYE ON GJ SAYS: East Greene is the lone team remaining from the West Central Conference in post-season play, as co-champ Panorama fell to Bondurant-Farrar 11-1 in six innings in a 2A district championship game in Adel. Woodward-Granger, another area 2A school, ended its season in a 5-3 loss to East Sac in the district hosted by Kuemper in Carroll. Adair-Casey won the 1A district at Coon Rapids, downing Walnut 9-1. The Bombers take on the winner of the AHST (Avoca) vs. Odebolt-Arthur game being played in Dunlap in the Substate 8 Championship on Tuesday, also in Coon Rapids.
East Greene beat GMG of Garwin 6-1 in the district championship at Ames tonight.
The Hawks now head to Ankeny on Tuesday to take on Grandview Park Baptist of Des Moines in the Substate 6 Championship. The winner qualifies for the 1A State Baseball Tournament at Principal Park (formerly Sec Taylor Stadium) in Des Moines. Game time Tuesday is 7 p.m.
EG moves on with a 13-14 mark while GMG's season ends at 12-15.
Grandview Park Baptist beat Martensdale-St. Mary's on MStM's home field in St. Mary's tonight, 11-3. The Defenders, 12-11, are members of the Heart of Iowa-Small Conference, where they finished in fourth place at 7-9. Martensdale-St. Mary's ends its season at 25-11.
EYE ON GJ SAYS: East Greene is the lone team remaining from the West Central Conference in post-season play, as co-champ Panorama fell to Bondurant-Farrar 11-1 in six innings in a 2A district championship game in Adel. Woodward-Granger, another area 2A school, ended its season in a 5-3 loss to East Sac in the district hosted by Kuemper in Carroll. Adair-Casey won the 1A district at Coon Rapids, downing Walnut 9-1. The Bombers take on the winner of the AHST (Avoca) vs. Odebolt-Arthur game being played in Dunlap in the Substate 8 Championship on Tuesday, also in Coon Rapids.
Thursday, July 16, 2009
EG TO DISTRICT FINALS
Hawks Get By Madrid, 7-5
The third time proved to the charm for East Greene as they beat Madrid 7-5 in Rippey tonight in the semifinal round of District 12. The Hawks had previously dropped two West Central Conference contests to the Tigers this season, including a 5-3 loss in their season finale last Friday in Madrid.
The win upped the Hawks’ record to 12-14. Madrid ends the season at 13-13.
EG moves on to the district championship game against GMG of Garwin on Saturday in Ames. Game time is 7 p.m.
GMG (12-14) advanced with a semifinal win over Northeast Hamilton, 8-4, tonight in Ackley, after dispatching Colo-Nesco, 4-0, in the first round on Tuesday.
GMG finished in a tie for fifth place in the 9-team Iowa Star Conference, just ahead of Northeast Hamilton at 8-8. NEH finished the season at 15-11 overall.
The winner in Ames advances to the substate championship game Monday night in Ankeny versus the winner of the Martensdale-St. Mary’s vs. Grandview Park Baptist game in St. Mary’s.
The third time proved to the charm for East Greene as they beat Madrid 7-5 in Rippey tonight in the semifinal round of District 12. The Hawks had previously dropped two West Central Conference contests to the Tigers this season, including a 5-3 loss in their season finale last Friday in Madrid.
The win upped the Hawks’ record to 12-14. Madrid ends the season at 13-13.
EG moves on to the district championship game against GMG of Garwin on Saturday in Ames. Game time is 7 p.m.
GMG (12-14) advanced with a semifinal win over Northeast Hamilton, 8-4, tonight in Ackley, after dispatching Colo-Nesco, 4-0, in the first round on Tuesday.
GMG finished in a tie for fifth place in the 9-team Iowa Star Conference, just ahead of Northeast Hamilton at 8-8. NEH finished the season at 15-11 overall.
The winner in Ames advances to the substate championship game Monday night in Ankeny versus the winner of the Martensdale-St. Mary’s vs. Grandview Park Baptist game in St. Mary’s.
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
EG BEATS SWG!
Down Eagles 8-2 in Tourney Opener
East Greene opened tourney action on its home field tonight (Tuesday) with an 8-2 win over Southeast Webster-Grand (Burnside). With the win, EG advances on to Thursday night’s semifinal round game against Madrid, a 7-1 winner over Glidden-Ralston. Game time at Walt Anderson Field is 7 p.m. The winner on Thursday advances to the district championship game in Ames on Saturday.
In other area Class 1A and 2A games:
CRB 6, Ar-We-Va 3
Adair-Casey 6, Exira 0
Van Meter 5, Earlham 4 (8 innings)
Martensdale-St. Mary’s 5, Iowa Christian 2
Panorama 16, WCV 1
Bondurant Farrar 11, DMC 1 (5 innings)
Woodward-Granger 1, Ogden 0
EYE ON GJ SAYS: The Hawks win over the Eagles breaks their five-year streak of opening round district tourney losses. Last year the Hawks went to CRB and took on the conference co-champs, losing 5-2. Two years ago, EG was hosting the tourney at Rippey but lost to Pomeroy-Palmer 8-6 in 8 innings in the first round. In the three previous years, EG dropped opening round games to GR in 2006, CRB in 2005, and Southern Cal in 2004. EG is usually placed in the same district as CRB and usually the games are played on the Crusaders’ home diamond in Coon Rapids. And each of the last five years, CRB has advanced to the district title game. CRB won the district in 2007, then took the substate crown and advanced on to the state tournament, where they made it to the semifinal round. CRB also won the district in 2005, but lost in the substate game to Walnut, repeating the same scenario from 2004, when they made it to substate, but were knocked out by West Harrison of Mondamin.
EG was the last team to keep CRB out of the district finals. EG beat Ar-We-Va in the first round 4-2 in 2003, then downed the Crusaders 8-4 on their home diamond in the semifinal round. EG took on Adair-Casey in the championship game in Coon Rapids, but lost to the Bombers, 4-2. AC lost to West Harrison 8-7 in the substate game, the first of two straight trips to state for West Harrison. WC foe Van Meter won the 1A state championship that season.
EG and CRB are in different districts--and substates--this year. CRB hosts all three rounds of district play and the substate game too. The Crusaders face Adair-Casey in Thursday’s semifinal round. The winner will play either Walnut or Elk Horn-Kimballton in the district final Saturday in Coon Rapids.
East Greene opened tourney action on its home field tonight (Tuesday) with an 8-2 win over Southeast Webster-Grand (Burnside). With the win, EG advances on to Thursday night’s semifinal round game against Madrid, a 7-1 winner over Glidden-Ralston. Game time at Walt Anderson Field is 7 p.m. The winner on Thursday advances to the district championship game in Ames on Saturday.
In other area Class 1A and 2A games:
CRB 6, Ar-We-Va 3
Adair-Casey 6, Exira 0
Van Meter 5, Earlham 4 (8 innings)
Martensdale-St. Mary’s 5, Iowa Christian 2
Panorama 16, WCV 1
Bondurant Farrar 11, DMC 1 (5 innings)
Woodward-Granger 1, Ogden 0
EYE ON GJ SAYS: The Hawks win over the Eagles breaks their five-year streak of opening round district tourney losses. Last year the Hawks went to CRB and took on the conference co-champs, losing 5-2. Two years ago, EG was hosting the tourney at Rippey but lost to Pomeroy-Palmer 8-6 in 8 innings in the first round. In the three previous years, EG dropped opening round games to GR in 2006, CRB in 2005, and Southern Cal in 2004. EG is usually placed in the same district as CRB and usually the games are played on the Crusaders’ home diamond in Coon Rapids. And each of the last five years, CRB has advanced to the district title game. CRB won the district in 2007, then took the substate crown and advanced on to the state tournament, where they made it to the semifinal round. CRB also won the district in 2005, but lost in the substate game to Walnut, repeating the same scenario from 2004, when they made it to substate, but were knocked out by West Harrison of Mondamin.
EG was the last team to keep CRB out of the district finals. EG beat Ar-We-Va in the first round 4-2 in 2003, then downed the Crusaders 8-4 on their home diamond in the semifinal round. EG took on Adair-Casey in the championship game in Coon Rapids, but lost to the Bombers, 4-2. AC lost to West Harrison 8-7 in the substate game, the first of two straight trips to state for West Harrison. WC foe Van Meter won the 1A state championship that season.
EG and CRB are in different districts--and substates--this year. CRB hosts all three rounds of district play and the substate game too. The Crusaders face Adair-Casey in Thursday’s semifinal round. The winner will play either Walnut or Elk Horn-Kimballton in the district final Saturday in Coon Rapids.
HAWKS HOST DISTRICT
EG Falls at Madrid, 5-3
Madrid got by East Greene 5-3 in the final regular season game in Madrid on Thursday night. The loss dropped the Hawks to 7-11 in the West Central Conference, where they finished seventh. EG takes an overall record of 10-14 in tonight’s opening round district game against Southeast Webster-Grand in Rippey.
Tom Beger and Brock Lyons were on the mound for the Hawks at Madrid, giving up 10 hits, 2 walks, advancing 1 hit batter and striking out 3. Brock Hinkel got the win for the Tigers. He struck out 8, walked 3 and gave up 3 hits.
Bradlee Clark led the charge offensively, going 2-for-3 and batting in all three EG runs. Tyler Cooklin rounded out the hitting with a double.
Des Moines Christian and Panorama clinched a tie for the West Central championship on Thursday night and Coon Rapids-Bayard had the chance to make it a three-way finish at the top, but the Crusaders fell at Van Meter, 4-3, in a makeup game on Friday. It was payback for the Bulldogs as CRB had quashed their title hopes, beating them in Coon Rapids on Tuesday.
2009 West Central Conference Baseball
Des Moines Christian 14-4 18-8
Panorama 14-4 16-4
Coon Rapids-Bayard 13-5 23-6
Earlham 13-5 18-7
Van Meter 11-7 16-13
Madrid 10-8 14-11
East Greene 7-11 10-14
West Central Valley 5-13 6-20
Glidden-Ralston 3-15 5-19
Guthrie Center 0-18 1-24
DISTRICT PREVIEW: The spotlight shines on Rippey tonight as four teams square off in the first two rounds of district play at Walt Anderson Field. Madrid (14-11) takes on Glidden-Ralston (5-19) in the opener at 5 p.m. with East Greene taking on Southeast Webster-Grand (4-19) in the nightcap at 7 p.m.
Tonight’s winners meet in the semifinal game on Thursday at 7 p.m. The winner on Thursday advances to the district final in Ames at 7 p.m. on Saturday where they face the winner of the lower bracket of District 12 at Ackley. Facing off in Ackley tonight are GMG of Garwin (10-14) and Colo-Nesco (1-21) in the opener followed by the host school, Ackley-Geneva/Wellsburg-Steamboat Rock (4-13) and Northeast Hamilton (14-10).
The Ames winner moves on to the one-game substate championship and the winner there advances on to the State Class 1A tournament in Des Moines. The substate game is Tuesday, July 21, at 7 p.m. in Ankeny.
EYE ON GJ SAYS: Madrid has to be the favorite in the Rippey bracket as it has downed the Hawks twice this season, the first win coming in Rippey, 14-3, on June 8. The Hawks did show big improvement though in their second go at the Tigers, losing by just two runs in their Friday game at Madrid.
EG must first get by Southeast Webster-Grand, a team they beat 3-2 in Rippey in the third game of the season. SWG finished 4-19 and 2-8 in the Twin Lakes Conference, but that is a bit deceiving as the other five TLC teams play in Class 2A. EG, though, played a demanding 18-game conference schedule in a conference with four 2A teams. EG will definitely need to bring its “A” game to get by the Eagles and move on to the semifinal round.
Madrid should take care of GR pretty easily as they’ve downed the Wildcats twice already this season, 16-1 and 10-2. Should EG get by SWG, the Hawks would have a home field advantage in their third go-round against Madrid.
Northeast Hamilton seems to be the team-to-beat in the Ackley bracket as they are 14-10 and the only team with a winning record.
Whichever team makes it to Ames and then advances on to Ankeny will face the winner of the powerful Martensdale-St. Mary’s district winner. The top half of the bracket at Bussey has Southeast Warren (Liberty Center) taking on Melcher-Dallas and the host school, Twin Cedars, facing Grandview Park Baptist, a team that made it to state last year.
The lower bracket has host Martensdale-St. Mary’s (23-10), a longtime power in state 1A baseball, taking on Iowa Christian Academy (16-2), champions of the Rolling Hills Conference in the nightcap. West Central rivals Van Meter and Earlham square off in the first game. Earlham (18-7) just missed tying for the league crown with 2A schools DMC and Panorama, while Van Meter (17-13) is a major force. Van Meter, who won the state title in 2003, will looking to make amends from last year, when after tying for the league crown with CRB, DMC and Panorama and having 21 total wins to its credit, was bounced out in the first round by Guthrie Center, a team that finished eighth in the conference.
The winner of this district will clearly be the favorite in the substate battle at Ankeny next Tuesday.
CLASS 2-A UPDATE: Three of the four Class 2A West Central teams advanced in 2A opening round district action on Saturday. The fourth team, Guthrie Center, was sidelined by conference foe West Central Valley, 8-2 in Guthrie Center. Panorama pummeled Nodaway Valley of Greenfield, 17-2 in 5 innings, in the second half of a doubleheader in Guthrie. WCV and Panorama face off tonight, also in Guthrie. Des Moines Christian got by Colfax Mingo, 8-6, and advances on to play Bondurant-Farrar. Ogden opened 2A play at home with a 5-2 win over Prairie Valley. Jefferson-Scranton also played at Ogden, but was dispatched in 5 innings by Woodward-Granger, 12-2. The Rams ended the season at 10-14. Perry and Boone open 3A tourney play on Friday.
Madrid got by East Greene 5-3 in the final regular season game in Madrid on Thursday night. The loss dropped the Hawks to 7-11 in the West Central Conference, where they finished seventh. EG takes an overall record of 10-14 in tonight’s opening round district game against Southeast Webster-Grand in Rippey.
Tom Beger and Brock Lyons were on the mound for the Hawks at Madrid, giving up 10 hits, 2 walks, advancing 1 hit batter and striking out 3. Brock Hinkel got the win for the Tigers. He struck out 8, walked 3 and gave up 3 hits.
Bradlee Clark led the charge offensively, going 2-for-3 and batting in all three EG runs. Tyler Cooklin rounded out the hitting with a double.
Des Moines Christian and Panorama clinched a tie for the West Central championship on Thursday night and Coon Rapids-Bayard had the chance to make it a three-way finish at the top, but the Crusaders fell at Van Meter, 4-3, in a makeup game on Friday. It was payback for the Bulldogs as CRB had quashed their title hopes, beating them in Coon Rapids on Tuesday.
2009 West Central Conference Baseball
Des Moines Christian 14-4 18-8
Panorama 14-4 16-4
Coon Rapids-Bayard 13-5 23-6
Earlham 13-5 18-7
Van Meter 11-7 16-13
Madrid 10-8 14-11
East Greene 7-11 10-14
West Central Valley 5-13 6-20
Glidden-Ralston 3-15 5-19
Guthrie Center 0-18 1-24
DISTRICT PREVIEW: The spotlight shines on Rippey tonight as four teams square off in the first two rounds of district play at Walt Anderson Field. Madrid (14-11) takes on Glidden-Ralston (5-19) in the opener at 5 p.m. with East Greene taking on Southeast Webster-Grand (4-19) in the nightcap at 7 p.m.
Tonight’s winners meet in the semifinal game on Thursday at 7 p.m. The winner on Thursday advances to the district final in Ames at 7 p.m. on Saturday where they face the winner of the lower bracket of District 12 at Ackley. Facing off in Ackley tonight are GMG of Garwin (10-14) and Colo-Nesco (1-21) in the opener followed by the host school, Ackley-Geneva/Wellsburg-Steamboat Rock (4-13) and Northeast Hamilton (14-10).
The Ames winner moves on to the one-game substate championship and the winner there advances on to the State Class 1A tournament in Des Moines. The substate game is Tuesday, July 21, at 7 p.m. in Ankeny.
EYE ON GJ SAYS: Madrid has to be the favorite in the Rippey bracket as it has downed the Hawks twice this season, the first win coming in Rippey, 14-3, on June 8. The Hawks did show big improvement though in their second go at the Tigers, losing by just two runs in their Friday game at Madrid.
EG must first get by Southeast Webster-Grand, a team they beat 3-2 in Rippey in the third game of the season. SWG finished 4-19 and 2-8 in the Twin Lakes Conference, but that is a bit deceiving as the other five TLC teams play in Class 2A. EG, though, played a demanding 18-game conference schedule in a conference with four 2A teams. EG will definitely need to bring its “A” game to get by the Eagles and move on to the semifinal round.
Madrid should take care of GR pretty easily as they’ve downed the Wildcats twice already this season, 16-1 and 10-2. Should EG get by SWG, the Hawks would have a home field advantage in their third go-round against Madrid.
Northeast Hamilton seems to be the team-to-beat in the Ackley bracket as they are 14-10 and the only team with a winning record.
Whichever team makes it to Ames and then advances on to Ankeny will face the winner of the powerful Martensdale-St. Mary’s district winner. The top half of the bracket at Bussey has Southeast Warren (Liberty Center) taking on Melcher-Dallas and the host school, Twin Cedars, facing Grandview Park Baptist, a team that made it to state last year.
The lower bracket has host Martensdale-St. Mary’s (23-10), a longtime power in state 1A baseball, taking on Iowa Christian Academy (16-2), champions of the Rolling Hills Conference in the nightcap. West Central rivals Van Meter and Earlham square off in the first game. Earlham (18-7) just missed tying for the league crown with 2A schools DMC and Panorama, while Van Meter (17-13) is a major force. Van Meter, who won the state title in 2003, will looking to make amends from last year, when after tying for the league crown with CRB, DMC and Panorama and having 21 total wins to its credit, was bounced out in the first round by Guthrie Center, a team that finished eighth in the conference.
The winner of this district will clearly be the favorite in the substate battle at Ankeny next Tuesday.
CLASS 2-A UPDATE: Three of the four Class 2A West Central teams advanced in 2A opening round district action on Saturday. The fourth team, Guthrie Center, was sidelined by conference foe West Central Valley, 8-2 in Guthrie Center. Panorama pummeled Nodaway Valley of Greenfield, 17-2 in 5 innings, in the second half of a doubleheader in Guthrie. WCV and Panorama face off tonight, also in Guthrie. Des Moines Christian got by Colfax Mingo, 8-6, and advances on to play Bondurant-Farrar. Ogden opened 2A play at home with a 5-2 win over Prairie Valley. Jefferson-Scranton also played at Ogden, but was dispatched in 5 innings by Woodward-Granger, 12-2. The Rams ended the season at 10-14. Perry and Boone open 3A tourney play on Friday.
Thursday, July 9, 2009
REGIONAL SOFTBALL
Hawkette’s Season Ends at CRB
Coon Rapids-Bayard ended the Hawkettes’ season in the opening round of the regional softball tournament in Coon Rapids last night, 11-4.
CRB’s freshman pitcher Marissa Spoo picked up the win, giving up five hits and striking out five EG batters. The Hawkettes gave up 5 hits and 5 walks and allowed the Crusaders to steal base seven times. EG finished the year at 4-19.
CRB (17-12) advances to the quarterfinal round Friday night, taking on Glidden Ralston (22-7). In other Region 4 games, Earlham (27-8) eliminated CAM 12-0 in Anita and Exira (12-6) beat Adair Casey. Earlham and Exira square off Friday in Anita.
In the lower bracket of Region 4, Madrid (16-17) beat Colo-Nesco in Madrid, and Van Meter downed Grandview Park Baptist 3-0 in Van Meter. Madrid takes on Van Meter (10-19) in quarterfinal action Friday in Madrid.
TONIGHT’S CLASS 2A SCORES: Three of the four West Central Conference teams competing in Class 2A were sidelined in opening round regional action tonight (Thursday) with West Central Valley seeing its game at Nodaway Valley rained out until tomorrow. Two other area 2A teams, however, advanced on to the quarterfinal round. Jefferson-Scranton beat Prairie Valley and Ogden sidelined Gilbert.
Bondurant-Farrar 2, Des Moines Christian 0
North Polk 9, Panorama 0
Woodward-Granger 12, Guthrie Center 0
Jefferson-Scranton 5, Prairie Valley 1
Ogden 5, Gilbert 3
EYE ON GJ SAYS: No big surprises with the WC 2A teams, as they each faced formidable opponents. North Polk pitcher Sammy Snygg had 12 strikeouts in the win over Panorama, giving her a career record 2,178 strikeouts. Snygg, a senior, broke the old mark held by Jen Bice of Woodward-Granger who notched 2,175 strikeouts in her high school softball pitching career from 1995 to 1999.
J-S and Ogden got off to good starts. J-S will take on the winner of South Hamilton and Fort Dodge, which was postponed by rain from Thursday to Friday, in the quarterfinals, now scheduled for Saturday at 7 p.m. at Rogers Complex in Fort Dodge, site of the state tournament. Ogden takes on South Hardin in Roland at 7 p.m. on Friday. The winner of that game advances to the regional semifinal in Fort Dodge on Monday to take on the winner of the J-S and South Hamilton or St. Ed’s game. The Fort Dodge semifinal winner will take on the Humboldt semifinal winner in the regional final on Wednesday, July 15, at 7:30 p.m., also in Fort Dodge. All Fort Dodge games will be at Rogers.
The 1A teams in the West Central had an excellent opening night, going 3-0 against competition from other leagues. The league went to 2-0 against the Heart of Iowa-Small and 1-0 against the Rolling Hills. With CRB’s win over EG and Glidden-Ralston’s bye, the league has five teams still in play after round one. However, four of them face off against each other in the quarterfinals
Coon Rapids-Bayard ended the Hawkettes’ season in the opening round of the regional softball tournament in Coon Rapids last night, 11-4.
CRB’s freshman pitcher Marissa Spoo picked up the win, giving up five hits and striking out five EG batters. The Hawkettes gave up 5 hits and 5 walks and allowed the Crusaders to steal base seven times. EG finished the year at 4-19.
CRB (17-12) advances to the quarterfinal round Friday night, taking on Glidden Ralston (22-7). In other Region 4 games, Earlham (27-8) eliminated CAM 12-0 in Anita and Exira (12-6) beat Adair Casey. Earlham and Exira square off Friday in Anita.
In the lower bracket of Region 4, Madrid (16-17) beat Colo-Nesco in Madrid, and Van Meter downed Grandview Park Baptist 3-0 in Van Meter. Madrid takes on Van Meter (10-19) in quarterfinal action Friday in Madrid.
TONIGHT’S CLASS 2A SCORES: Three of the four West Central Conference teams competing in Class 2A were sidelined in opening round regional action tonight (Thursday) with West Central Valley seeing its game at Nodaway Valley rained out until tomorrow. Two other area 2A teams, however, advanced on to the quarterfinal round. Jefferson-Scranton beat Prairie Valley and Ogden sidelined Gilbert.
Bondurant-Farrar 2, Des Moines Christian 0
North Polk 9, Panorama 0
Woodward-Granger 12, Guthrie Center 0
Jefferson-Scranton 5, Prairie Valley 1
Ogden 5, Gilbert 3
EYE ON GJ SAYS: No big surprises with the WC 2A teams, as they each faced formidable opponents. North Polk pitcher Sammy Snygg had 12 strikeouts in the win over Panorama, giving her a career record 2,178 strikeouts. Snygg, a senior, broke the old mark held by Jen Bice of Woodward-Granger who notched 2,175 strikeouts in her high school softball pitching career from 1995 to 1999.
J-S and Ogden got off to good starts. J-S will take on the winner of South Hamilton and Fort Dodge, which was postponed by rain from Thursday to Friday, in the quarterfinals, now scheduled for Saturday at 7 p.m. at Rogers Complex in Fort Dodge, site of the state tournament. Ogden takes on South Hardin in Roland at 7 p.m. on Friday. The winner of that game advances to the regional semifinal in Fort Dodge on Monday to take on the winner of the J-S and South Hamilton or St. Ed’s game. The Fort Dodge semifinal winner will take on the Humboldt semifinal winner in the regional final on Wednesday, July 15, at 7:30 p.m., also in Fort Dodge. All Fort Dodge games will be at Rogers.
The 1A teams in the West Central had an excellent opening night, going 3-0 against competition from other leagues. The league went to 2-0 against the Heart of Iowa-Small and 1-0 against the Rolling Hills. With CRB’s win over EG and Glidden-Ralston’s bye, the league has five teams still in play after round one. However, four of them face off against each other in the quarterfinals
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
