Saturday Sports Potpourri
Streaks Baseball Classic, United/Abingdon Softball, Galesburg Tennis Sectional
(5/22/10)
The headline says it all, not to mention that coverage was followed up by a graduation party and wedding reception! Once again there was really no plan of attack for this Saturday until late in the week, due to the rainfall. With the United/Abingdon regional softball championship being moved from Colchester to Galesburg, it benefitted my travels greatly.
The broadcast for the United Red Storm and Abingdon Commandoes was on AM 1330 WRAM, and it began at 11:00 a.m. at Carl Sandburg College. Galesburg was hosting the Silver Streaks Classic baseball tournament in town, as well as the IHSA Sectionals.
The Streaks Classic began at 9:00 a.m. with the revised schedule featuring Dunlap against Springfield Southeast in the morning game. Southeast had spent the night in Galesburg, after playing on Friday night.
My alarm rang at 6:00 a.m. and I did some quick sleep math, figuring I could get another half hour of sleep into before really needing to get up. By 6:30, the rolodex in my mind started frantically flipping. After a quick shower and packing for a night away, I headed to my spot (Ayerco gas station) for a coffee (hot today!) and easy breakfast, which i went out of the ordinary today. Normally, my quick breakfast is a couple granola bars, but today I went with the powdered donettes. Not thinking, I opted for the white powder donettes.
About 10 minutes into the drive, I realized the poor choice I was making by going with the white powdered donettes. That was, because I was sporting a black Nike polo. Woops, so I very carefully ate my donettes, and didn't make myself look too much of a slob!
First up, I stopped by the radio station to upload some video from Galesburg's senior night the night before. Mike Weaver was in the house, wrapping up his morning. I also had to pick up a table for my broadcast later in the morning.
At 8:30, I headed over to Galesburg and pulled up just in time for the first inning of Dunlap/Springfield Southeast baseball. Dunlap opened things up in the bottom of the 1st inning, plating 4 runs. Blake Abbott scored the first run after reaching on a single. Logan Schrader hit an RBI double in the frame. Schrader would hit a 2-run home run in the 2nd inning, and after two frames the Eagles led, 7-0. I had seen enough, and decided to check out the Sectional tennis matches across the GHS campus.
Walking away from Jim Sundberg Field, a foul ball was sprayed about 20 feet away. As I went to pick it up, another foul ball came within five feet. Tossing the balls to one of the Dunlap players, I walked a little quicker back to the car.
I pulled up to the main court at the tennis sectionals and spoke with Galesburg Athletic Director Ralph Henning. He was talking with Chris, who publishes the QC Sports Register. It is jam-packed with high school, college, and semo-pro information and articles from the Quad Cities-area. It is available in both print, and email form. Check them out at www.qcregister.com
I made it just towards the end of the semifinal match between Galesburg's Brandon Meeker and Moline's Ian Golden. Golden ended up winning the first set, 6-4. He would move on to the championship match after winning set two, 7-5.
After taking some short videos of the end of the first set, and beginning of the second set, I headed out to Carl Sandburg College, about a 5-minute drive from GHS. West Prairie boy's basketball coach Kellen Fernetti was manning the gate. West Prairie is the host of the regional, so they are still in charge, even though the site was moved to Galesburg. In fact, the hosts had to drive much farther than either participants for this regional championship matchup.
I took my table, but there was already tables set up next to home plate, behind the fence. I told West Prairie athletic director Nancy Calvert, who was sitting there, that it's better to be over-prepared.
Before the broadcast, Pat Repp stopped by. He is from Kirkwood, and helps WMOI/WRAM with color commentary during the basketball season. He works all over the nation throughout the year, but happened to be working in the Quad Cities, so made the drive down.
The game moved very, very quickly from the start, with just three batters stepping up to the plate through 2.5 innings. Katie Bertelsen sat down the first six Abingdon Commandoes via strikeout. The Red Storm offense started producing in the bottom of the 3rd inning. Megan Patterson layed down a perfect bunt down the first base line, that just hovered on the foul line, but never crossed into foul territory. Patterson, the number nine hitter was the first baserunner for United.
Leadoff hitter Gina Long hit an RBI single, after Patterson stole second base, giving the Red Storm a, 1-0 lead. Sommer Foster followed with an RBI single of her own, with Kaitlyn Winkler adding another RBI single, giving United a 3-0 cushion. Long finished 2-3 with an RBI, while Foster went 2-3, RBI, and 3 stolen bases.
The umpires for the day were some familiar faces, with Astoria superintendent Chet Lien and Macomb resident Dana Nissen. Beep Jones, who came in with a .564 batting average and a .637 on-base percentage, led off the 3rd inning with a single, breaking up a no-hit bid by Bertelsen. That would be the only Abingdon hit, and the first of two baserunners for the Commandoes in their, 5-0, loss to United.
After that four run, third inning by United, their final run came in the bottom of the 4th inning, with a home run over the right-centerfield fence by Katie Kaywood. Kaywood is about the smallest in stature player on the Red Storm roster, but has hit three home runs this season.
Bertelsen finished with 15 strikeouts, while Abingdon pitcher Beep Jones had 9 strikeouts. After the game, I talked with Coach Fernetti about the summer schedule for the West Prairie Cyclones basketball team. He said the schedule is pretty light. He also mentioned that all five starters from last year's team were seniors.
Before leaving I also chatted with Carl Sandburg College volleyball and softball coach Todd Winkler. We talked about his recruiting classes for next season. He is really excited about his volleyball class, which includes Ridgewood sisters Stephanie and Michelle Williams, along with Galesburg's Sara Baker. He also said that he has a couple girls playing softball from North Fulton, in Courtney McKown and Meredith Beoletto. He also has a catcher from Canada and pitcher from Indiana coming in next year.
I headed back over to Galesburg High School to take in the 1:00 game between Springfield Southeast and East Peoria. I was glad that I could take in the Raiders, and watch shortstop Joe Kelch. Former Metamora coach Bob Schlemmer was raving about Kelch when I talked with him last week.
Southeast plated a run in the first inning, taking a 1-0 lead after an inning. I spoke with umpire Dave Hasley during the first inning. He had worked the morning game, and asked me what my flavor of seeds was. It was ranch.
Things got heated in the top of the 2nd inning, after a feet-first slide by a Southeast runner into third base, struck the midsection of the East Peoria 3rd baseman. Both East Peoria coaches rushed over to argue. From my vantage point, it was not a wise move to slide the way he did, but it didn't look intentional.
Kelch scored the tying run in the 3rd inning after reaching on an E7. The Raiders scored three more runs in the inning, after an RBI double by Bryce Colvin, and a 2-run single by Tanner Schofield.
With time winding down on my coverage clock, I called it a day, so I could attend a graduation party and wedding reception up north. With the drive, I was able to tune in to John Ring's call of the Monmouth-Roseville/Rockridge baseball regional semifinal game on WRAM. As I got closer to home (Annawan), I caught the call from Regional Radio's Bob McKee and Steve Peart on the Annawan/Wethersfield vs. Princeville baseball regional championship. I caught only the 7th inning, but that's all I needed, when Dillon Foes hit a game-winning RBI single to advance the Titans to the sectionals.
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