Mercer County @ United (Softball)
(4/14/10)
Already planning to attend this game, I wanted to see the new softball diamond at United High School. Only a couple games have been played at the new facility, as the Red Storm hosted their first few games at Carl Sandburg College in Galesburg and Monmouth College.
With that in mind, I made sure to pack some shorts, and bring a change of clothes for after work. The mercury reached nearly 85 degrees today. At some point, the temperatures are going to come back down to Earth, but right now, I am in June/July mode, not the second week of April. But, I will be out at a game, soaking up this sun!
I didn't have to go into work early today, but I did, about 40 minutes early, and yet, I still struggled to get to the 4:30 game, which was only 5 minutes down the road. It seems the earlier I go in, the more work I have to do, though I have gone above and beyond lately.
When I arrived at United High School, just 2 or 3 miles to the east of Monmouth, right out of town on Broadway, I wasn't quite sure where to go. As I pulled closer, I saw the softball diamond, and it looked like it was near the football field. It was, so I pulled into the last driveway, near the football entrance. The softball diamond sits just to the west of the football field, and home plate is about equivalent to the 20-yard line (south end zone).
The game was just getting underway when I began walking towards the field. I always like to park a good distance away. First reason is because I haven't had very much time to exercise in, and number two, I don't want to drive home looking through a broken windshield.
Bleachers at the new field are set to each side of home plate. The visitors bleachers are near the visitors dugout, which looks out along the 3rd base line, looking into the west (where the sun is shining brightly today). The Red Storm dugout is along the first base line, looking to the south. No sun in the outfielder's eyes, as it they have their backs to the afternoon sun out west.
There are no bleachers directly behind home plate, and as a matter of fact, there were no fans even standing (or sitting) behind the plate. When I walked up, I noticed my friend Terry Tracy from WRMJ-Aledo standing just off the home plate towards the visiting side. Terry works for John Hoscheidt at the Aledo radio station. We talked throughout the entire game, and he filled me in on the Mercer County Golden Eagles.
One of the topics of discussion was the new pitching distance, and how it has effected all of the softball teams around the state, or at least the ones we have seen, or coaches elsewhere we have talked to. He also told me the Golden Eagles field in Aledo has fences that are 200 feet around. Mercer County jacked three home runs in a game against Ridgewood earlier this year.
Katie Bertelsen, on the mound, struck out two of the three batters in the first inning. She would carry a perfect game into the 5th inning. It must have been a silenced jinx on my part. Once she recorded the first out in the 5th inning, I looked back to make sure there had been no base runners. After I noticed she had gone 4 1/3 perfect innings, I started to plan out in my head where I could get the best shot for the final out, if she would pitch a perfect game, or a no-hitter. The next batter roped a triple up against the rightfield fence, caroming into the corner. Morgan Weeks hit the frozen rope, and it was the only base runner allowed by Bertelsen all day, who finished with 14 strikeouts. United would finish off the Golden Eagles in six innings, winning via the ten run rule (10-0).
Gina Long scored the first run of the game in the bottom of the 1st inning, after reaching on an error by the shortstop. Long stole second, then scored on an RBI single by Bertelsen. It was a 1-2-3 second inning by both teams, and that is when I made the comment to Terry that this could be a sub-60 minute game. It ended up being 67 minutes in 6 innings.
Another run was tacked on in the 3rd inning by Sommer Foster, who ripped a single, then walked in. Mercer County starter Molly Conway walked three straight batters, Bertelsen, Augusta Chandler, and Rachel Kenney in that frame.
Katie Kaywood scored the 3rd run in the 4th inning. She walked, then advanced to 2nd, 3rd, and scored all on wild pitches by Golden Eagles reliever (Fr.) Breanna Weeks. The Red Storm made it, 4-0, in the 5th inning after Foster scored. She had her second hit of the game, stole second, then scored on a Chandler sacrifice fly.
The ten-run rule came into effect in the 6th inning. Kaywood scored the first run after reaching on a double off the left field fence. Kaywood scored on an Ashlynn Winkler RBI double. Alex Fell then hit a single to reach, followed by a Gina Long RBI single. Foster then reached on an error at first base, followed by Bertelsen hitting a fielders choice, which got Long out at 3rd base. Chandler then hit a 2-run triple down in the rightfield corner to make it 9-0. The tenth run scored (Chandler), when Rachel Kenney poked out an RBI single.
After talking with Mercer County coach Daryl Bewley, I interviewed United head coach Gary Eyler. I also wanted to interview Bertelsen, but she had already left for Galesburg for a workout.
My next stop would be to Sunnylane Field in Monmouth, to try and catch the final innings of Monmouth-Roseville baseball against Stark County. With the struggles that the Rebels program has been going through this season, I expected a ten-run game in 5 innings, and that is exactly what greeted me when I pulled into the Sunnylane complex.
Fans were starting to pile out, as I walked in. The Titans and Rebels were both huddled on the field for their postgame talks by their respective coaches. I headed over to the dugout, and chatted with a couple of the Titans. They were victorious, 11-0, in five innings. I briefly chatted with coach Chuck Grant, before heading over to check the stats.
Nate Farm went 3-3 with 3 RBI and 2 runs, Alex Temple was 2-3 with 2 runs and an RBI, Tim Chick was 2-3 with 2 runs, and an RBI, and B.J. Salyers was 2-3 with an RBI. Salyers was also the winning pitcher, going 3 of the 5 innings, striking out 6 and allowing just three hits. Drew Cole finished the game in relief, striking out 3.
With my work done, I headed back home, and exchanged out TV's on the back deck. This blog is coming to you live from my back deck with a 36" TV tuned to baseball. I love summer in April! Of course, it came with a few problems. Since splicing the cable to my deck (shhhh), the splitter became rusted and stopped working, so a quick stop to Radio Shack saved that problem. I asked the clerk if he had a rust proof splitter, and Manager Bob gave me a funny look, before I explained it was for outdoor use. He set me up with a box, so hopefully this new splitter lasts longer than three years.
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