Mattoon Journal Gazette • Tuesday, November 1, 2011 10:18 pm
Pride 18s win tourney
COLUMBUS, Ind. - Getting an early start toward next season, Mattoon's 18-and-under pride softball team went 7-0 winning the AFA Spooks, Ghosts, and Goblins Tournament.
Katie Lange and Kacey Starwalt each allowed just one earned run in 12 innings pitched and Lindsay Floyd allowed just one earned run in 11 innings,
Floyd worked four scoreless innings in the 5-1 championship game win over Championship Fastpitch of Indiana. Starwalt had a double and a single in that game.
The Mattoon team, which brought up some players from 16U and 14U teams to fill spots from four college players unable to play this fall, is to play in a tournament this weekend at Terre Haute.
Game 1 vs Anderson (Ind.) Crush
Mattoon Pride 233 03 - 11-10-0
Anderson Crush 000 0 1 - 1-2-2
Winning pitchers: Katie Lange: 3 innings, 0 earned runs, 0 hits, 4 strikeouts. Relief: Jamie Packer: 2 innings, 1 earned run, 3 hits, 2 walks, 1 strikeout.
Mattoon hitters: Shelby Tate single; Kaitlyn Bath triple; Marlee Sulsberger 3 singles; Jamie Packer 2 singles; Katelyn Fisher double, single; Katie Lange 1 single
Game 2 vs. Louisville (Ky.) Derby City Crush
Mattoon Pride 032 10 - 6-8-0
D C Crush 000 01 - 1-2-3
Winning pitcher: Kacey Starwalt 3 innings, 0 earned runs, 0 hits, 1 walk, 7 strikeouts. Relief: Lindsay Floyd: 2 innings, 1 earned run, 2 hits, 1 walk.
Mattoon: Melanie Sparks double; Bath single; Lindsay Floyd 2 singles; Packer single; Fisher - single; Samantha Thompson 2 singles
Game 3 vs. Championship Fastpitch (Ky.)
Championship FP 000 00 - 0-3-0
Mattoon Pride 103 2x - 6-7-0
Winning pitcher: Lange: 4 innings, 0 earned runs, 3 hits, 1 strikeout. Relief: Starwalt: 1 inning, 0 earned runs, 2 hits, 1 strikeout
Mattoon: Tate 2 singles; Kacey Starwalt double; Sparks single; Sulsberger single; Fisher single; Thompson - single
Game 4 vs. Bambinos (Ind.)
Bambinos 000 0-1-2
Mattoon Pride 75x - 12-12-0
Winning pitchers: Starwalt 2 innings, 0 earned runs, 0 hits, 3 strikeouts. Relief: Floyd 1 inning, 1 hit, 2 strikeout..
Mattoon: Starwalt double, Sparks 2 singles; Sulsberger single; Bath 2 singles; Packer triple, single; Floyd double; Lange triple; Thompson single.
Game 5 vs. Derby City Crush
Mattoon Pride 202 001 - 5-6-1
DC Crush 001 000 - 1-6-3
Winning pitcher: Lange 3 innings, 0 earned runs, 4 hits, 1 walks, 2 strikeouts. Relief: Floyd 3 innings, 0 earned runs, 2 hits.
Mattoon: Tate 2 singles; Bath single; Packer single; Deidre Ledbetter single; Thompson single
Game 6 vs. Championship Fastpitch
Mattoon Pride 060 000 - 6-12-2
Championship FP 020 101 - 4-5-4
Winning pitchers: Starwalt 4 innings, 1 earned run, 3 hits, 1 walk, 5 strikeouts. Relief: Lange 2 innings, 1 earned run, 2 hits
Mattoon: Tate single; Starwalt triple, single; Sulsberger - single; Floyd - 2 singles; Bath - single; Packer - double, single; Fisher - 2 singles; Ledbetter - single.
Game 7 vs. Championship Fastpitch
Championship FP 000 000 1 - 1-6-1
Mattoon Pride 301 010 - 5-9-1
Winning pitcher: Floyd 5 innings, 0 earned runs, 3 hits, 2 strikeouts. Relief: Starwalt: 2 innings, 0 earned runs, 3 hits, 3 strikeouts.
Mattoon: Tate double; Starwalt double, single; Floyd single; Packer single; Bath 2 singles; Ledbetter single; Thompson single
Mattoon Journal Gazette • Monday, June 20, 2011 10:18 pm
Pride 18s beat Quad City for NSA state title
EAST PEORIA - Led by Tana Rentschler's double and three RBIs, the Mattoon Pride 18-and-under softball team defeated the Quad City Firebirds 5-0 to win the National Softball Association Illinois state championship.
In a rematch of the winners' bracket contest between Firebirds hurler Jordan Kasbohm, the winning pitcher for Moline in the Illinois state 4A softball final, and the Pride's Katie Bertelsen, the winner for Monmouth United in the 1A final, Lake Land players Michelle Glenn and Rachel Bull reached base to lead off the third inning.
Hannah Cole's double scored Glenn and Rentschler's double scored Bull and Cole.
Bertelsen scattered six hits and struck out nine in the final win. She previously outdueled Kasbohm in a 1-0 win, striking out 13.
Cole's single, Rentschler's sacrifice bunt and Paige Roytek's single provided the winning run in the seventh inning.
Amber Shedelbower ran her record to 6-0 with five shutouts by winning three games in the state tournament. The Pride is to travel to Collinsville this weekend with a 14-0 record.
GAME 1: Pride 9, Downers Grove Outlaws 0
Winning pitcher: Shedelbower)
Pride: Cole, Rentschler, Bull triple, single; Roytek triple; Alison Kimble single.
GAME 2: Pride 6, Lone Wolves 1
Winning pitcher: Kimble
Pride: Bailiegh Basham 3 singles; Bull triple, single; Glenn and Rentschler 2 singles; Chelsea Knight double; Kimble, Roytek and Shedelbower single.
GAME 3: Pride 10, Mid-Illini Mayhem 0
Winning pitcher: Shedelbower
Pride: Cole triple 2 singles; Glenn 3 singles; Basham double, single; Roytek double; Jordyn Fones and Knight single.
GAME 4: Pride 4, Black Widows 2
Winning pitcher: Bertelsen
Pride: Fones, Rentschler and Roytek 2 singles; Basham double; Kimble, Cole and Glenn single.
GAME 5: Pride 7, Downers Grove Outlaws 1
Winning pitcher: Shedelbower
Pride: Bull double, 2 singles; Cole home run, single; Fones and Glenn 2 singles; Basham double; Kimble, Roytek and Shedelbower single.
GAME 6: Pride 1, Quad City Firebirds 0
Winning pitcher: Bertelsen
Pirde: Roytek 2 singles; Cole and Fones single.
GAME 7: Pride 5, Quad City Firebirds 0
Winning pitcher: Bertelsen
Pride: Rentschler double, single; Cole and Roytek double; Glenn, Basham, Bull and Fones single.
Mattoon Journal Gazette • Friday, January 28, 2011
Rentschler gets her wish at Parkland
By BRIAN NIELSEN
Sports Editor
MATTOON - In this process of becoming a college softball prospect, maybe Tana Rentschler's easiest task was the college choice.
"I've always wanted to play softball," the Mattoon senior said. "It was a lot of hard work and dedication."
After those years of youth leagues and then high school, the opportunity came when Rentschler was recruited by Parkland College.
"When I visited Parkland the first time I fell in love with it," she said. "I knew this was the one. I like the location of the school and the girls on the team are so nice."
So Rentschler is headed to Champaign. On Thursday she signed with the softball program that last year finished ninth in the NJCAA Division II national tournament with a 47-18 record.
"She is just a tremendous, versatile softball player," Parkland coach Chuck Clutts said. "When coaches heard she was visiting, they said ‘you need to sign her.' "
By adding Rentschler to his recruiting class, Clutts is getting player who was named All-Big 12 Conference as a junior when she hit .441, including nine doubles and two home runs while driving in 31 runs for Mattoon's 28-7 Class 3A Centralia Sectional finalist.
The success was not by accident.
"Tana works very hard," Mattoon coach Nikki Trower said. "She deserves everything she gets and we wish her well and Parkland. I look for her to take over the leadership role this year along with (senior classmates) Paige (Roytek) and Brandi (Hall)."
Rentschler played third base for the Lady Green Wave last season although her future position may be still determined.
"Everybody in this recruiting class can play more than one position," Clutts said. "Academics is actually our main focus."
Rentschler said, "It doesn't really matter where I play, just so I can contribute."
Clutts remembers getting a good impression of Rentschler in the summer before her junior season.
Rentschler first became aware of Clutts and Parkland's program last summer.
"I attended a softball camp there in June," she said. "It was a lot of fun and I learned a lot."
Rewards now include this college opportunity.
"It feels really good," Rentsclher said. "I feel I've worked really hard."
Contact Brian Nielsen at bnielsen@jg-tc.com or 238-6856.
Mattoon Journal Gazette • Friday, January 28, 2011
Lake Land takes Roytek as softball ‘athlete’
By BRIAN NIELSEN Sports Editor JG-TC.com
MATTOON - Paige Roytek chose Lake Land over the likes of Millikin and Parkland and softball over basketball.
That means Lake Land softball coach Nic Nelson can make his choice next year as whether to play the Mattoon product at shortstop, center field or elsewhere.
"The thing that stands out about Paige is her athleticism," Nelson said. "Other than pitchers and catchers we don't so much recruit position players as we do athletes. I've followed and watched Paige since she was 10-and-under and have seen her athletic ability. She is an athlete who can play in the middle of the infield or outfield."
With the position to be determined for the player who has spent most of her time at either shortstop or center field, Roytek made her choice signing with Lake Land's softball team.
"I had some pretty nice offers in both softball and basketball," she said. "I talked to Millikin and Parkland. I had a lot of nice offers but I like Nic's program because I know it's real competitive and I know how hard their players work."
After the past fall season, Roytek could learn about Lake Land softball from former Mattoon High School teammates Bailiegh Basham and Michelle Glenn as well as Mattoon Pride summer player Olivia Mintun, who are current freshmen on the Lakers team.
"When we look at area kids we look at players who have gotten good coaching with the Pride," Nelson said.
Roytek said, "It's nice to play with people you know but it's also nice to play with new people you don't know, so that really wasn't that much of a factor."
In the recruiting process, Nelson might have gotten a head start long before he took over as Lake Land's coach a year ago.
Roytek can remember around her 9th birthday going on a trip to Australia when her older sister Peyton played for one of the teams Nelson assembled.
From there Paige Roytek developed into a player who could become a college athlete, which he said was a goal "my whole life. I played every sport I could in middle school and high school."
In high school she became a starter the past two seasons for Mattoon High School teams that have reached sectional finals and a super-sectional when she was a sophomore.
The past season Roytek hit .384 including 13 doubles, three triples and two home runs while tying Basham for the most RBIs at 41 for a Mattoon team that went 28-7 reaching the IHSA Class 3A Centralia Sectional final.
"I think of her as a very dedicated, very enthusiastic, very self-motivated athlete," said Nikki Trower, who became the Lady Green Wave's coach last year. "I use the word athlete because she can do a lot of things."
Now Roytek has chosen to play at Lake Land as Trower did with the idea of also then moving on to a four-year school.
"People call us a community college or junior college but we don't like to use that," Nelson said. "We like to say we're a two-year program. We feel we have some opportunities here that aren't there at some four-year schools."
Contact Brian Nielsen at bnielsen@jg-tc.com or 238-6856.
Mattoon Journal Gazette • Thursday, January 20, 2011
Kimble to play Parkland softball
By MIKE MONAHAN Staff Writer JG-TC
TOLEDO - Like many softball players, Alison Kimble began playing the sport at a young age (4). Now the 5-foot-6 senior at Cumberland High School is going to play more softball as she has signed a National Letter of Intent to play at Parkland College.
"I looked at Lake Land also," said Kimble. "I just though Parkland would be a better fit for me. I like the school itself and I love Champaign and it just far enough from home that I can come home whenever I want. I also know people there and it will be a fun time."
Parkland, a school of 12,000 in Champaign, is a member of the Mid-West Athletic Conference in the National Junior Collegiate Athletic Association Division II level. The Cobras finished 47-18 last year, good for ninth place in the national tournament under coach Chuck Clutts, who is 450-148-2 in 10 years.
"I have watched her for three years just because of Cumberland and different things," said Clutts. "We have always had an eye on her and she has been getting better and better. She has become so versatile. She flat out hit, and then she does a lot of pitching at the high school level. I got to watch her this past fall and summer play third base and shortstop. We like the fact she is versatile. Very seldom do we have a player that just plays one position unless she is a pitcher or catcher. The more positions they play the better. It helps me make the team the best it can possibly be."
Also playing for Parkland is 2010 Cumberland graduate Macy Shupe, and Amy Simpson, a 2010 Charleston graduate.
"They let me know how much fun they are having and how much they love it there," said Kimble. "They really helped me decide."
At Cumberland Kimble earned third-team Illinois Coaches Association All-State honors the last two years and was on the second team as a freshman as a first baseman/pitcher and has been a first team all-Little Illini Conference player all three years. She hit .361 last year and was 12-2 on the pitching circle for the 23-8 IHSA Class 1A Elite Eight team. As a freshman she hit .457 with an 11-1 record. In her three seasons she has helped the Lady Pirates go 77-15 with two Elite Eight appearances and three regional titles.
"I think Parkland, No. 1 is getting a really good kid, a good student (Illinois State Scholar), who just happens to be a really good softball player," said Cumberland coach Dave Shawver, who has coached Kimble the last two years (freshman year was coached by Sarah Lemond). "She is a versatile player who may not be a pitcher there, but she will play several different positions. It always makes you feel good as a coach when players go on to further their education and when softball is a part of it; it just makes it that much better. We have sent several kids to Parkland and we have a good relationship wit coach Clutts. Parkland is a great program and we hope to send more kids there."
Kimble, the daughter of Dan and Jill Kimble, was a member of the Cumberland Vets 10-and-under state championship team and has played for the Mattoon Pride 14, 16 and 18-and-under, where she has helped the Pride earn third place in the American Softball Association Northern National championship, second in the National Softball Association Eastern World Series, third in the NSA Class A World Series and helped the 18's reach the NSA National Tournament last summer.
"We don't only recruit softball players, we recruit personalities, and we recruit parents too," said Clutts. "She is a good student and we are very excited to have her. She is gong to fit in great with the other seven coming in. It is school, then softball than social life."
Parkland is to lose eight players from this year's team, including All-Americans Sarah Gray and Sam Inman (who is to play at the University of Illinois at Springfield in 2011-2012.
"I think I will be mainly a utility player and could play first base," said Kimble. "It will be different not pitching. I have always wanted to play college softball and I am so excited and so happy for the opportunity. It is a great program It is awesome to have the opportunity to play for a program that does so well."
Contact Mike Monahan at mmonahan@jg-tc.com or 238-6854.
Mattoon Journal Gazette • Wednesday, November 10, 2010
Windsor’s Cole headed to play softball at Eastern
By MIKE MONAHAN Staff Writer JG-TC
WINDSOR - Hannah Cole, a senior at Windsor High School, has been playing softball since she was five. Wednesday she signed to continue her softball career at Eastern Illinois University.
"I have always wanted to play college softball," said Cole. "I just didn't know where."
In three years at Windsor, Cole, who has been a first-team all-National Trail Conference player and earned third-team Illinois Coaches Association All-State honors last year, is currently batting .533 for her career with 139 hits in 261 at-bats, including 14 home runs. She is 27-21 on the pitching circle as well.
"Her strength is her athleticism and her ability to play anywhere on the field," said Windsor softball coach Brian Lee. "I use her here as a shortstop and as a pitcher. Yet in the summer with the Mattoon Pride organization she catches and plays third base. Her strengths are her athleticism followed closely by her bat. She has a solid bat."
Cole is to join an EIU team that was 24-27 last year and has three seniors on this year's squad. The Panthers are coached by Kim Schuette, who is in her sixth year and is a 2001 graduate of Indiana State.
"It (EIU) is close and I like the coaches," said Cole on why she picked EIU. "I went to camp there and Schuette talked to me last summer after seeing play last spring and for the Pride. They offered me a scholarship last summer."
Cole has played for the Pride since she was nine and last summer helped the Pride 16-and-under squad win the National Softball Association World Series championship. She had two singles in the 8-1 win over the Schamburg Sluggers. The team was third the year before in the American Softball Association Northern National Championship
Cole plans to study kinesiology and said she might play first or third base. Cole has hit third or fourth in the lineup. Last year the right-hander was 61-of-110 for a .555 batting average, which was second in the Journal Gazette/Times-Courier area behind Neoga's Olivia Mintun. Cole helped the Lady Blue Devils to a school record 25 wins (25-13) and its first-ever IHSA Class 1A regional title.
Cole, had a signing ceremony with her parents Karyn and Cary Cole and brother Hayden, who is a freshman, as well as her grandmother and several students and volleyball coach Lori Bennett. Cole played volleyball all four years, winning the regional her last three seasons.
"I found out yesterday about the ceremony and I was kind of nervous," said Cole. "I got more nervous as the day went on. I didn't know what to expect. It was exciting. It is awesome to be able to play at the Division I level. It seemed like it would be too big of a jump from Windsor (enrollment 156) to a big Division I school. Eastern was my first choice. I was also looked at by many other colleges. I am looking forward to going to different places that I have not been. I like that part especially."
This might not be it for Cole, who has aspirations of playing in the Olympics as well.
"Playing in the Olympics used to be one of my goals, but for now I will play the four years here and focus on that," said Cole.
In 2009 Cole batted .526 with seven home runs and her freshman year she hit .507 with two home runs and a 6-4 record on the pitching circle. Cole was coached by Rick Allen her freshman year and attributes her softball success to her father as well as the Mattoon coaches Tony Sparks, Jeff Hutchinson, Jim Glenn, Dave Starwalt, Dave Basham as well as Allen and Lee.
She joins Mitch Hilligoss, a 2003 Windsor grad, who went on to play at Purdue as two recent grads from Windsor to play at the Division I level. Lee also coached Hilligoss.
"It is not about me," said Lee, a Windsor grad. "It is about them. Hannah Cole fully deserves it and I am lucky to have been here the last three years and had a chance to coach her and teach her a little bit. By the time I got here she knew most of the stuff. She has what she needs. It has been a joy. She is a great student and a great kid and you couldn't ask for a better kid."
Contact Mike Monahan at mmonahan@jg-tc.com or 238-6854.
Friday, July 30, 2010 * Mattoon Jounal Gazette
A new Pride success story
ROCK HILL, S.C. - After years of success but no NSA championships for the Mattoon Pride, this year's 16-and-under Pride has changed that.
Three come-from-behind wins on Friday, capped by an 8-1 rout over the Schaumburg Sluggers, gave the Pride the National Softball Association World Series championship.
"We finally cracked the ice," Pride coach Wade Bradley said. "I'm very proud of the kids and very proud of the organization. It's a good achievement."
Previous Pride teams had four second places, two thirds and a fourth in NSA tournaments.
"I'd say it's more unexpected than expected," Bradley said. "I don't guess you ever expect to win a national championship. But I thought we could go in there and finish in the top four. Things kind of came together for us."
Nothing was easy as Mattoon had to rally from deficits in each game and overcome an injury to pitcher Kacey Starwalt.
The Pride's Friday began with a 4-2 win over the Virginia Shooting Stars team that had sent Mattoon to the losers' bracket on Thursday.
This time Katie Lange continued her strong national tournament pitching the win while Morgan King contributed three hits sending the Pride into the all-Illinois finals against a Schaumburg team that had lost to Mattoon earlier in the season but stood unbeaten in the NSA double-elimination tournament.
The Pride fell behind 1-0 in the fourth inning then had Starwalt injured in the fifth when diving for a popped up bunt and hitting her face on catcher Hannah Cole's kneeguard.
The game was delayed for 20 minutes as Starwalt was taken from the field on a stretcher but was diagnosed with no concussion.
The Pride stayed behind until the seventh when Maura Cummins reached on an error on a hard-hit grounder.
She was on second base with two outs and then stole third on what Bradley called the play of the game.
"She saw the catcher framing a pitch," the Pride coach said. "Based on that she gambled. That's just a gutsy move on her part. When she saw something she could do something with she took advantage of it."
Then Cummins scored on a passed ball to score the tying run.
With Tana Rentschler on second base using the international tie-breaker rule in the top of the eighth, King put the Pride ahead with a single to left-center field, Kali Gosser advanced Rentschler with a sacrifice and Kayla Jacobs drove in an insurance run with a single.
In the bottom of the eighth Gosser, playing second base, caught a hard liner and turned that into a double play to stop Schaumburg's threat.
Elizabeth Everingham got the win with 3 1/3 innings scoreless relief innings after Starwalt's injury and then started the final game throwing a five-hitter with Schaumburg's only run unearned.
Schaumburg did score in the first inning and the Pride was scoreless until the fourth when Cole singled, Everingham had a sacrifice, Rentschler hit the game-tying single, King singled, Gosser had an RBI single and Jacobs, batting ninth in the order, made it 3-1 with a two-out single.
The Pride broke things open in the fifth as Rentschler singled, King singled and one out later, Lange's squeeze bunt got home a run and Jacobs had an RBI double. Jordyn Fones followed with a walk and after a double steal, Jacobs scored on a pickoff attempt. Cole singled in the last run.
"It seemed like all week long we'd make an error that put us behind by a run or two," Bradley said. "It just seemed like we'd come out too relaxed sometimes. But when the chips were on the table our hitters stepped up. Two-out hits in key situations were really the road to victory, I'd say."
Winning eight of nine games at the NSA tourney, the Pride 16s finished the season 39-7.
"Not too bad," Bradley said. "I think we'll have five kids that will move up to 18-and-under and six that will stay down. It's kind of a good mix.
"We played all year without Melanie Sparks, who had an injured knee, and Paige Roytek couldn't make the trip down here. We had kids out of position in the infield on Friday and they really adapted to whatever we needed."
Game 1
Stars 200 000 0 - 2-9-0
Pride 003 010 x - 4-13-1
Winning pitcher: Katie Lange 7 innings, 9 hits, 2 earned runs, 1 walk, 1 strikeout
MATTOON: Jordyn Fones single; Maura Cummins, single, RBI; Hannah Cole double, 2 RBIs; Elizabeth Everingham 2 singles; Tana Rentschler single; Morgan King 3 singles, RBI; Kalli Gosser single; Lange single; Kacey Starwalt 2 singles
Game 2
Pride 000 000 12 - 3-4-1
Sluggers 000 100 00 - 1-6-1
Winning pitcher: Elizabeth Everingham 3 1/3 innings, 2 hits, 0 runs, 0 walks, 2 strikeouts; Starting pitcher: Kacey Starwalt, 4 2/3 innings, 4 hits, 1 earned run, 1 walk, 2 strikeouts
MATTOON: King single, RBI; Lange single; Kayla Jacobs single, RBI; Starwalt single
Championship
Sluggers 100 000 0 - 1-5-1
Pride 000 350 x - 8-12-1
Winning pitcher: Everingham 7 innings, 5 hits, 1 unearned run, 2 walks, 1 strikeout
PRIDE: Fones 2 singles; Cole 2 singles; Rentschler 2 singles; King 3 singles, 2 RBIs; Gosser single, RBI; Lange RBI; Jacobs double, single, 2 RBIs
Monday, June 21, 2010 * Mattoon Jounal Gazette
Pride 16s come back to capture NSA state title
KANKAKEE - The Mattoon Pride 16-and-under softball team rallied to beat the Black Widows 8-7, after trailing 5-0 Saturday, and went on to win the National Softball Association state tournament by beating the Schaumburg Sluggers 3-1 and the Quad City Firebirds 9-1 Sunday.
The Pride finished the tournament with a 6-1 record.
After pool play Friday the double elimination tournament started Saturday with the Pride beating the Iroquois County Chaos 8-0 and the Lemont Rockers 7-3.
Kacey Starwalt picked up two victories, while Elizabeth Everingham had two as well and Katie Lange had one.
Starwalt pitched a three-hit shutout in the win over Iroquois County and Hannah Cole of Windsor had two doubles, a home run and four runs batted in as the Pride beat Lemont.
Sunday in an 8 a.m. game Mattoon trailed 5-0 against the Black Widows after two and a half innings. The Pride climbed back to within one with four runs in their half of the third only to have the Black Widows score two in the fourth for a 7-4 lead. The Pride scored a run in the fourth and two in the fifth to force an extra inning game due to the time limit.
After holding the Black Widows scoreless in the international tiebreaker rule (the last person at-bat in the previous inning starts on second) Mattoon began with Kalli Gosser on second. She was sacrificed to third and Jordyn Fones drove her in on a fielder's choice as Gosser just beat the tag at home.
"Katie Lange threw a tremendous game and we ended up wining by one run," said Pride 16 coach Wade Bradley. "It was the key moment of the tournament because otherwise we would have had to play in the loser's bracket."
The Pride scored all three of its runs in the first two innings in the battle of two undefeated tournament teams to beat Schaumberg 3-1 with Fones driving in two runs and Kayla Jacobs hitting a single and a double.
Coming out of the losers' bracket was the Quad City Firebirds and the Pride scored four runs in the first, three on a two-out, two-strike home run over the fence in right field by Jacobs.
"That put us in the driver's seat," said Bradley of the four-run inning. The Pride added one in the second and third and ended up winning by the eight run after five inning rule.
"Hannah Cole hit three home runs in the weekend and all of them were not cheap shots," said Bradley. "We did all of this without two starters in Melanie Sparks, who is out for the year with a torn ACL (anterior cruciate ligament) and Paige Roytek was at a basketball game. It is a good feeling to win this. We beat four quality teams. This group of freshmen and sophomores - it is the first one (state title) for them and it is a good feeling for them to be involved in that. They had finished second and third in this tournament (as 12's and 14's) previously."
Mattoon, 13-1, is to travel to East Peoria Friday for an ASA tournament.
Saturday's games
Mattoon 103 40 8-10-0
Iroquois County 000 00 0-3-2
Winning pitcher: Kacey Starwalt 5 innings, 3 hits, 0 runs, 2 walks, 5 strikeouts
MATTOON: Jordyn Fones single; Hannah Cole 2-run homer; Elizabeth Everingham home run, 2 doubles; Tana Rentschler single; Kayla Jacobs 2 singles; Kalli Gosser 2 singles
Mattoon 202 03 -7-10-1
Lemont 100 11 -3-4-1
Winning pitcher: Everingham 5 innings 4 hits, 3 runs, 2 earned, 2 walks, 4 strikeouts
MATTOON: Fones single; Maura Cummins 2 singles, triple; Cole 2 double, home run, 4 RBIs; Everingham single; Rentschler single; Gosser single
Sunday
Black Widows 104 200 -7-4-1
Mattoon 004 121 -8-7-2
Winning pitcher: Katie Lange 3 2/3 innings, 3 hits, 2 runs, 1 walk, 1 strikeout: Starter: Kacey Starwalt 2 1/3 innings, 4 hits, 5 runs, 1 earned run, 3 walks, 1 strikeout
MATTOON: Fones 3 singles, 3 RBIs; Cummins single; Everingham single, 2 RBIs; Rentshler single; Lange single
Schaumburg 000 001 -1-9-0
Mattoon 120 000 -3-6-0
Winning pitcher: Everingham 6 innings, 9 hits, 1 run, 1 walk, 4 strikeouts
Pride: Fones 2 singles, 2 RBIs; Evringham single; Jacobs single,, double; Starwalt double
Mattoon 411 03 -9-7-0
Quad City firebirds 000 01 -1-5-1
Winning pitcher: Starwlat 5 innings, 5 hits, 1 run, 0 walks, 3 strikeouts
MATTOON: Fones 2 singles; Cole home run; Jacobs home run,, 4 RBI; Goser single, double; Lange single
Pride 18s finish in a tie for fifth at NSA qualifier
KANKANKEE - The Mattoon Pride 18-and-under softball team finished in a tie for fifth place in the National Softball Association qualifier, going 3-2 and playing all of its games on Saturday due to rain on Friday.
The Pride 18s played three straight games Saturday and five in nine and a half hours. Mattoon began the day by beating the Waukegan Renegades 7-2 before falling to the Quad City Firebirds 14-0. The Pride bounced back with a 10-0 blanking of the Downers Grove Rebels and earned another shutout with a 3-0 win over the Elgin Heat before falling to the Milan Aces 6-1.
"For the weekend I thought we played real well," said Mattoon coach Mike Dow. "The one game against Quad City they were an excellent hitting team. I don't think we will face a much better team than that no matter where we go. I have not seen a hitting team like that in a long time. Amber Shedelbower and Alison Kimble (of Cumberland) kept us in games. We made a few errors in both games and that came back to haunt us. We responded well after the loss to Quad City."
For the tournament Megan DeWerff, who is headed to Parkland, was 10-of-13 (.769) and is batting .621 (18-of-29) on the season. Casey Sowers was 7-for-10 in the tournament and is batting .538 on the year, while Bailiegh Basham of Mattoon was 6-for-11 in the tourney and is batting .563 for the season. Monica Rondon is batting .586 on the year.
"We hit the ball well," said Dow. "We just didn't get them strung together except for one game."
DeWerff, Kimble and Kellye Kohn all drove in two runs each in the win over Waukegan. Games were limited to an hour or five innings due to Friday being rained out. The Quad City Firebirds had 16 hits in their win and Mattoon committed three errors.
Shedelbower allowed just three hits in the win over Downers Grove and the Pride banged out 16 hits, scoring five runs in the first. Shedelbower had a perfect game going through four innings against Elgin before an error, a walk and a hit were allowed in the fifth. DeWerff was prefect in three at-bats. In the final game Milan scored five unearned runs in the third to win. Basham and Sowers were 2-for-2 in the contest.
Mattoon, 9-2, is to travel to Collinsville Friday for another NSA qualifier. The first game for the Pride is set for 8:30 p.m. against the St. Louis Spirit.
Game one
Mattoon 030 04 -7-9-0
Waukegan 000 200 0 -2-4-0
Wining pitcher Alison Kimble (3-0) 3 2/3 innings 3 hits, 2 runs, 0 walks, 1 strikeout; Amber Shedelbower (save) 1 1/3 innings , 1 hit, 0 runs, 0 walks, 2 strikeouts
MATTOON; Megan DeWerff 2-for-3, 2 RBIs; Kimble 2-for-3, double, 2 RBIs; Casey Sowers 2-for-2; Rachel Bishop 1-for-3, RBI; Kellye Kohn 1-fo-1, 2 RBIs
Game two
Quad City 330 26 14-16-0
Mattoon 000 00 -0-4-3
Losing pitcher: Sheldelbower (2-1) 4 innings, 9 hits, 8 runs, 4 earned; Kimble 1 inning, 7 hits, 6 runs
MATTOON: Glenn 1-for-2; DeWerff 1-for-2; Bailiegh Basham 1-for-2; Sowers 1-for-2
Game three
Downers Grove 000 0 -0-3-0
Mattoon 523 x -10-16-0
Winning pitcher: Shedelbower (3-1) 4 innings, 3 hits, 0 runs, 5 strikeouts
MATTOON: Glenn 1-for-3; DeWerff 3-for-3, 2 RBIs; Basham 2-for-2; Monica Rondon 1-for-2, RBI; Kimble 1-for-2, RBI; Bishop -for-2, RBI; Shedelbower 2-for-2, 2 RBIs; Sowers 2-for-2; Chelsea Knight 1-for-1, RBI
Game four
Mattoon 102 00 -3-7-1
Elgin Heat 000 00 -0-1-1
Winning pitcher: Shedelbower (4-1) 1 hit, 0 runs, 0 walks, 3 strikeouts
MATTOON: DeWerff 3-for-3; Basham 1-for-2, RBI; Rondon 2-for-3, 2 RBIs; Kohn 1-for-2
Game five
Mattoon 000 1 -1-6-4
Milan 105 0 6-4-1
Losing pitcher: Kimble (3-1) 4 hits, 1 earned run, 1 walk, 1 strikeout
MATTOON: Dewerff 1-for-2; Basham 2-for-2; Rondon 1-for-2; Sowers 2-for-2; Shedelbower sacrifice, RBI
Posted in Sports on Monday, June 21, 2010 9:22 pm
Monday, January 18, 2010 10:22 PM CST
LLC's Tinsman lands spot on the roster at Indiana State
BY BRIAN NIELSEN, Sports Editor
bnielsen@jg-tc.com
MATTOON -- Hailey Tinsman admits she was ready to reluctantly give up on her softball playing career.
The former Mattoon and Lake Land shortstop figured she had fallen too far behind academically to get another shot.
“Oh yeah, I talked to coach (Throneburg) and told him I didn’t think I could do it,” Tinsman said. “It is because of him that I made it through this.”
Now Tinsman is at Indiana State, eligible to play this coming season.
Throneburg, who after last season relinquished the Lake Land softball coaching duties to concentrate on his athletics director job, does not deny that the paper work took some time but spreads around the credit.
“Coach (Brenda) Coldren at Indiana State did an excellent job in the recruiting process,” Throneburg said. “She was very persistent and very professional in making sure everything was done right. We did have to make sure everything academically was in order.
“The bottom line is Hailey’s success in the classroom this fall. Hailey did what she had to do this fall. She had a 2.88 GPA taking 14 hours and because of that she is eligible to play Division I this year.”
Indiana State now has an All-Great Rivers Athletic Conference first-team shortstop and NCJAA All-Region 24 second-team choice who as a sophomore hit .464 with 11 home runs and 12 doubles helping Lake Land set a school record for wins going 46-8 with a No. 11 national ranking.
“I’ve never doubted Hailey’s ability to play Division I,” Throneburg said. “I’ve told her she is one of the best shortstops I’ve ever coached. I really think the only person who doubted that was Hailey. I’ve coached a lot of good shortstops but Hailey is as good as I’ve ever coached. Sometimes kids need to be told those things.”
Considering Throneburg’s daughter Dara earned All-American shortstop honors playing for the last three of her father’s six IHSA Class A state championships at Casey-Westfield, the “as-good-as-I’ve-ever-coached” statement is no small statement.
Tinsman had not lost her softball interest, helping in Lake Land’s fall practices while taking classes.
Now she has spent a week as an Indiana State student-athlete.
“I really like it,” Tinsman said. “I’m practicing in the infield so we’ll see game time what I can play.
“Basically I want to do well in all my classes and do my best in softball.”
Throneburg is among no doubt many from the Mattoon/Lake Land softball family glad to see she has reached this point.
“I think it’s a great opportunity for her academically and a great opportunity for her athletically,” Throneburg said. “I think she has a good chance to go in and start. I think it’s a good chance for her geographically, close to home. She got a great package financially. We couldn’t ask for anymore.
“I’ve coached a lot of kids in her situation. It just takes some a little more time to get from point A to point B. Not always is it a smooth ride but one of the most satisfying things in coaching is to see kids succeed in whatever they choose to do. I’m really proud of her to take this step. It would have been easy just to take the easy way out and I’m glad to see she’s accepting this challenge.”
Contact Brian Nielsen at bnielsen@jg-tc.com or 238-6856.
