DELHI — At the start of the 2006 season, Anamosa baseball coach Byron Schlotterback was content with his talented team flying under the class 3A ratings radar.

But after sensational 2004 and 2005 summers on the baseball diamond and a hot start to this season, the spotlight has been put squarely back on Schlotterback’s highly successful Raider program.

Even with the target of being the No. 9 rated team in class 3A after the release of the newest Iowa High School Baseball Coaches Association (IHSBCA) poll, Anamosa went out and proved their lofty status with an impressive doubleheader sweep at Maquoketa Valley Monday, June 12.

“These were two big games for us and two we had to have if we wanted to stay in the hunt for the conference championship,” said Schlotterback as his club showed some serious mettle posting a huge 4-2 eight-inning triumph in the first game against the Wildcats.

ANAMOSA — Struggling to start the 2006 summer season, the Raider softball team seems to have found their niche playing solid softball in Tri-Rivers Conference play and the roll continued as Anamosa hosted Central City for the doubleheader Thursday, June 15.

“The first game was a well played one by both teams,” said Raider softball coach Gary Stamp after his club recorded a big 2-1 triumph scoring late to post the victory. “We’ve given up quite a few leads late in games already this summer and I was hoping this wouldn’t be another one and the girls made sure it wouldn’t.”

Anamosa (6-12, 6-2) took a narrow 1-0 lead over the Wildcats when Cammy Dole led off the fifth inning with a single and came around to score on a sacrifice fly off the bat of Sara Schultejans.

Central City quickly answered in the very next inning to tie the score but the Raiders showed their resolve quickly answering once again.

“A lot of times we score early but then don’t score late but that didn’t happen here,” said Stamp. “We seem to be getting into a bit of a rhythm in conference play lately.”

Maisie Timp, pinch running for Megan Carpenter who had reached base with a single, scored on a Wildcat throwing error in the sixth to give the hosts their margin of victory.

While pitching dominated the first game with Central City, offense took control in the second as Anamosa rolled to an 11-5 victory with Raider bats ripping an impressive 13 hits.

“We hit the ball well and scored a bunch early in the game and then just seemed to go into cruise control mode,” said Stamp. “It seemed after we got those three first inning runs we thought we had it won. It wasn’t quite that easy.”

Schultejans, Jansen and Ryann Pratt all scored in the very first inning as Traci Dirks delivered a big two-run single as the hosts also took advantage of Wildcat miscues.

The lead stood until the third when Central City answered with two runs of their own.

“We started to play sloppy softball and that disappointed me,” said Stamp. “But we had the bats to recover and take control again.”

Dirks scored for the hosts in the third then Anamosa added four big fourth-inning runs as Paige Goetz, Jansen, Kayla Sanborn and Dole all crossed the plate putting the hosts out on top with an 8-2 advantage.

“We hit the ball and hit it hard in this game,” said Stamp. “We didn’t let up and that’s what I wanted to see.”

The Raiders added runs in the fifth and sixth innings as well to take the six-run final.

Dirks paced an impressive offense with three hits while Jansen, Dakota Ahrendsen, Dole and Mallory Lacy all added two hits each.

Lacy worked the seven frames in the pitchers’ circle scattering nine Wildcat hits and fanned two.

Anamosa traveled to Center Point-Urbana Monday, June 12, and swept past the Pointers with 7-4 and 14-4 triumphs.

The Raiders broke open a 3-3 tie in the first game plating four huge sixth inning runs as Ahrendsen, Paige Gapinski, Dole and Timp all crossed the plate.

Jansen ripped three hits to lead the offense while Kelsi Dearborn picked up the pitching win relieving sister Laci in the fifth.

The second game saw 15 Anamosa hits produce 14 runs in a 10-run rout.

The Raiders led 1-0 but took a commanding lead plating six second inning runs as Schultejans, Jansen, Dirks, Pratt, Lacy and Dole all crossed the plate as Anamosa took control.

The Raiders added five more in the final frame as five hits plated Goetz, Schultejans, Jansen, Dirks and Hannah Kline.

“While Emily didn’t have any base hits to show for it, she did hit the ball hard too,” said Stamp who was impressed by his club’s offensive performance. “When we get 29 base-runners, we should score some runs.”

Schultejans paced the club with four hits while Lacy was the beneficiary of all the support in the pitchers’ circle tossing a seven-hitter at the Pointers striking out six.

Anamosa hit the road Saturday, June 17, competing in the competitive Dallas Center-Grimes Invitational.

The Raiders opened with No. 11 ranked Grinnell and were handed a 9-2 defeat.

“This was actually a game we could have won,” said Stamp. “It may not look like it by the final score, but we made some mental mistakes we shouldn’t have and they took advantage like good teams do.”

Anamosa led 2-0 when Schultejans and Jansen scored in the first frame, but nine unanswered runs by the Tigers sealed the Raiders’ fate.

The second game saw the tournament hosts roll to a 13-3 triumph over the Raiders.

“There was nothing we could do in the first two innings,” said Stamp. “Wherever Kelsi threw it, they hit it and we booted it. We went into a funk in the second and third innings and put some new faces in to try and turn things around.”

Dallas Center-Grimes led 10-0 before Timp scored in the third inning for the Raiders.

“This was our poorest game against the poorest opponent in this tournament,” said Stamp.
“You have to give them credit though, they hit the ball.”

The Fillies tallied 15 hits overall while the Raiders managed six of their own but also committed six errors defensively that led to six unearned Dallas Center-Grimes runs.

The final game saw Anamosa play well even in a 7-4 setback against Des Moines Saydel.

Goetz and Schultejans scored in the first inning for the Raiders and the lead stood until the fourth.

The Raiders took the lead back in the sixth when Dole and Pratt scored on a big two-run triple off the bat of Sanborn, but a five-run Saydel bottom half of the frame sealed Anamosa’s fate.

“We played good softball for five innings,” said Stamp. “Kayla had that big triple in the sixth to put us back up by two, but then things kind of fell apart again late in the game like they have so many times already this season. I know the girls were frustrated with this loss, but we did have a good tournament and they should be proud of that.”

Sanborn and Jansen led the nine-hit Raider offense with two hits each while Lacy worked all seven frames in the pitchers’ circle and fanned two.

“We did a good job of playing small ball and taking advantage of what they gave us too,”said Block. “I think the momentum we built helped us too. Hitting is contagious and we got rolling thanks to that.”

Caitlin Bisinger copied Reid’s example in the fifth frame, singling, stealing second and third and scoring on another passed ball handing the Eagles a 2-0 lead.

Midland (6-6, 5-2) added three big runs in the sixth as Reid, Aubrey Walters and Amanda Hansen all crossed the plate then blew the game wide open with a four-run seventh.

Reid led the six-hit Midland offense with two hits while Lineburg was sensational as well, firing a four-hitter and fanning six Raiders in tossing the complete game Big East Conference shutout.

Midland looked to keep the winning ways going in Springville Friday, June 16, but were handed a 4-1 defeat at the hands of the Orioles.

“We had our chances but just couldn’t get the big hit when we needed it,” said Block. “We struggled with their slappers and style of play, but settled down after the first couple of innings but it was too late.”

Midland scored first when a Walters ground out plated Hansen in the top the first, but three Springville runs followed in the bottom half.

Springville broke the 1-1 tie scoring three times in their half of the fourth, but again the Lions wouldn’t go down quietly.

Stolte singled home Ginn again in the sixth trimming the Oriole lead to 4-2 but a three-run Springville bottom half of the frame sealed Olin’s fate in the four-run defeat.

“We left the bases loaded twice and didn’t score,” said Reid. “We needed that big hit to break through and just couldn’t get it at the exact time we needed it.”

Lion bats ripped 10 hits overall and Ginn’s pitching held Springville bats to a mere five.

Ginn led the Olin offense with three hits while Stolte and Paige Peterka added two more each.

Ginn worked all six frames in the pitchers’ circle and fanned five Springville batters.

Four Lion errors also led to four big unearned Oriole runs.

“Those were big,” said Reid. “We can’t make mistakes against good teams like Springville and expect to win but we still gave them a good game.”

Olin opened their own tournament against Central City and were handed an 8-0 loss.

Leading 1-0, the Wildcats scored four third-inning runs to take control.

BELLEVUE — In a thrilling contest on the road at Bellevue Monday, June 12, the Midland baseball team posted yet another huge Big East Conference triumph coming through with a 10-inning triumph against the Comets.

“We lost two different leads but battled back each time and finally scored in the 10th to win it,” said Eagle baseball coach Chris Hedden after his team continued their sensational run of league baseball with the 5-4 victory. “This was a game we easily could have lost but found a way to win. We’re still in the hunt in the Big East.”

Midland (8-5, 5-2) jumped out to a 1-0 lead as Zach Bonney scored on a wild pitch in the top of the first but Bellevue answered with two of their own in the bottom half.

The Eagles knotted the scored when a Lucas Meyer ground out plated Gene Ehlers in the second. After Scott Willimack scored on a Bellevue balk in the third, the visitors had a 3-2 lead they held until the fourth when the Comets plated two more runs to take a 4-3 lead.
In the sixth, Midland answered as a Bonney sacrifice fly scored Meyer to once again tie the score.

“We had to work through a pretty scary bottom of the seventh inning as Bellevue had the bases loaded and nobody out,” said Hedden.

“Jed Holland in center threw out the game-winning run at the plate for the third out of the inning to keep the game going.”

The Big East winning way continued for the Eagles hosting Calamus-Wheatland Wednesday, June 14, rolling to a big 11-1, six-inning final.

“This might have been our most complete game of the season,” said Hedden. “All-around we played some very good baseball. Pitching, hitting, defense, we did it all and did it well.”

The Eagles took a 1-0 lead when Bonney scored on a wild pitch in the bottom of the first then the hosts added two more in each of the third, fourth and fifth frames.

Holland drove home Oberbreckling and Willimack with a two-run single in the third while Oberbreckling plated Ehlers and Paulsen in the fourth with a two RBI single.

In the fifth Holland did it again driving home Willimack before scoring himself on a wild pitch.

Midland ended the game with a four-run sixth as Bonney, Willimack, Holland and Riley Williams all scored.

Holland had a big day at the plate ripping three hits including two doubles and drove home five.
Willimack and Oberbreckling added two hit each for the Eagles.

Willimack pitched all six frames and held Warrior bats to five hits and fanned three.

“Scott threw just 65 pitches in six innings and 44 of those were for strikes,” said Hedden. “This was another big win for us. We got some two-out hits and only committed one error.”

The winning ways continued Thursday, June 15, as Midland scored a pair of seventh inning runs to take a 7-5 triumph at East Central in yet another Big East Conference victory.

Midland scored three runs in the top of the first when Bonney, Willimack and Holland all scored.
After Willimack and Fowler scored in the fifth, the Eagles had a 5-2 lead until the Raiders knotted things with a three-run bottom of the fifth.

In the seventh Fowler and Williams drove home Willimack and Holland, respectively to give the visitors their margin of victory.

Williams worked six impressive innings on the hill and fanned three while Paulsen posted another save.

Midland’s offense exploded at Springville Friday, June 16, rolling to a 18-0, five-inning victory over the Orioles.

Fowler jacked two long home runs as a 10-run Eagle fifth blew the contest wide open.

Fowler had blasts that cleared the fence in the first and fourth innings and drove home five overall while ripping a total of three hits. Willimack and Oberbreckling also added three hits guiding a 16-hit attack.

Paulsen worked the game’s first four frames and held Springville bats to just one hit.

Midland hosted class 3A power Western Dubuque Tuesday, June 13, and were handed 12-1 and 19-2 losses in the doubleheader with the Bobcats.