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The
Official Newspaper of Anamosa, located in Jones County, Iowa
Anamosa News
Since 1855
 Thursday, June 14, 2007
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Anamosa claims own softball title
By
Daryl Schepanski - Sports Editor |
ANAMOSA— A mere two weeks ago the Anamosa softball team had lost their identity and were embroiled in the winds of change.
Now, they’re champions!
“What an amazing week it’s been for us,” said Raider softball coach Rick Delagardelle as his club hosted their annual Raider softball tournament Saturday, June 9, and after sweeping all three games at the invitational, claimed their own championship with a day of memorable play. “We had the pitching, we had the timely hitting and we had the defense to win. When we put it all together like that, we can be a pretty good softball team. On Saturday, we were pretty good.”
Anamosa (5-5, 2-2) rolled to the title tilt of the tournament with wins over Midland and West Liberty.
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Raider reward
Members of the Anamosa softball team huddle around their well deserved championship trophy after winning their own Raider softball tournament Saturday, June 9. Anamosa defeated Midland, West Liberty and Olin on their way to the title. (Photo submitted) |
In the championship contest, the Raiders faced a red-hot Olin team coming off the upset of the day with a huge win over defending champion Waukon.
“We knew Olin had some good players and we were going to have to be playing our best to win,” said Delagardelle.
“Olin has a very good pitcher and with them feeling confident after their big win over a pretty good Waukon team, we knew we had our hands full.”
But it turned out to be the Lions who had their hands full offensively as Raider star pitcher Mallory Lacy rose to the challenge of the pressure-filled situation and fired a championship game no-hitter at Olin that also included a whopping 12 strikeouts.
“Mallory had her way with Olin the whole game,” said Delagardelle. “She even struck out Olin’s 5-9 batters every time they came up. It really was a dominating performance and a great way to end what turned out to be a very special day for this team.”
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Tossing a gem
Anamosa sophomore Maisie Timp rockets a throw from shortstop to first base during the Raiders’ Tri-Rivers Conference split hosting Springville Monday, June 4. Timp and the Anamosa girls went on to claim their own Raider tournament title later in the week. (Journal-Eureka photo by Daryl Schepanski) |
The Raiders broke a scoreless tie against the Lions in the fifth inning when Maisie Timp opened the top half of the frame with a triple and scored on a passed ball.
The support would be all Lacy would need but in the top of the seventh, Anamosa added some insurance for their pitcher adding two more runs as Traci Dirks and Chelsey Bildstein crossed the plate.
Dirks opened the inning with a double and Bildstein followed with an RBI triple. Lindsey Bildstein drove home her sister with an RBI ground out and the hosts had their 3-0 lead.
“The girls really played with a lot of confidence and that makes a big difference in softball too,” said Delagardelle. “We had been struggling with our defense earlier in the year but right now the girls are making all the plays. And whatever plays they might not make, they don’t let it bother them and go right onto the next play. We’ve been talking a lot about history. If we make an error, it’s history. I think we made some history at this tournament too.”
Anamosa opened the invitational against Midland and in a nail-biter against the talented Eagles, pulled out a narrow 3-1, eight-inning triumph.
“This was a great game played by both teams,” said Delagardelle. “No errors made in eight innings of play. A classic pitcher’s duel with us coming through with the clutch hits at the right time.”
The Raiders trailed 1-0 into the fourth inning before Kayla Sanborn scored for the hosts knotting the contest and forcing an extra frame.
Sanborn and Dakota Ahrendsen crossed the plate in the pivotal eighth inning and Lacy made the runs stand fanning three Eagle batters in the bottom of the eighth to preserve the two-run triumph.
“This was a big win to get,” said Delagardelle. “Midland is a good team with a good pitcher and we battled our way through and found a way to win.”
In the tournament semi-final, Anamosa pounded out seven hits and rolled to an 8-3 victory over West Liberty.
“We had yet another error-free game,” said Delagardelle. “That just doesn’t happen very often in high school softball. West Liberty scattered nine hits, but we made the plays defensively when we had to and got out of jams in quite a few innings.”
Anamosa jumped on the scoreboard first as Cammy Dole walked and scored thanks to a Sanborn ground out in the very first inning.
The Comets responded tacking on three runs of their own in the top of the second, but a four-run Raider third proved to be the difference as the hosts took a 5-3 lead and rolled to the five-run victory.
Timp and Chelsey Bildstein led the Raiders with two hits each offensively while Ryann Pratt started and tossed all seven frames in the pitchers’ circle for Anamosa fanning one and scattering nine West Liberty hits.
“After all this team has been through the las few weeks, this day was extra special,” said Delagardelle. “I think they believe in themselves and know they can accomplish anything.”
The Raiders hosted Tri-Rivers Conference foe Springville Monday, June 4, and in the opener of the twin-bill, were handed a 9-3 setback.
The Orioles had their way in the first game using a huge seven-run fourth frame to build an 8-0 lead.
Anamosa rallied in the bottom of the fourth scoring three times when Ahrendsen, Timp and Dirks all crossed the plate.
The second game saw fortunes turn for the hosts in a big 10-7 victory.
The Raiders trailed 3-0 entering the fifth frame when the hosts tallied three runs to knot the score then added a game-changing seven-run sixth inning to cruise to the win.
Sanborn paced an 11-hit offense with three hits while Dole, Ahrendsen and Chelsey Bildstein all came through with two hits each.
Anamosa traveled to Maquoketa Valley Thursday, June 7, and handed the Wildcats a 5-3 defeat in the opener.
The Raiders took the lead for good in the third inning plating three runs as Kellie Vaughn, Sanborn and Ahrendsen all scored.
Lacy was brilliant tossing all seven frames and fanning 13 Maquoketa Valley batters.
The second game saw a narrow 4-2 defeat for the visitors.
Anamosa led 2-0 scoring single runs in the first and second innings but the Wildcats answered with two runs in the third, then took the lead adding single runs in the fourth and fifth frames to take the tight triumph over the Raiders.
Anamosa bats were held to three hits as Ahrendsen, Chelsey Bildstein and Timp all had safeties.
Pratt tossed the game’s first five innings and fanned five Wildcat batters before giving way to Helena McNamara who worked one scorless inning in the pitchers’ circle while walking a pair of batters in the Raiders’ Tri-Rivers defeat. |
Clutch conference performance
By
Daryl Schepanski - Sports Editor |
Wind-up
Midland’s Erika Lineburg winds and throws for the Eagle softball team as they stepped out of Big East Conference play and hosted Maquoketa Tuesday, June 5. The Eagles were handed a tough 13-1 defeat at the hands of the Cardinals. (Journal-Eureka photo by Daryl Schepanski) |
WYOMING— Welcoming a solid Northeast team to town Monday, June 4, the Midland softball team came through with a clutch performance rallying for a big 5-3 victory over the Rebels in a Big East Conference contest.
“Our middle of the line-up has been getting the job done all season long to this point and they did it again in this one,” said Eagle softball coach Patrick Block as his club scored three times in the bottom of the sixth to spark the win over the Rebels. “Aubrey Walters has been doing a great job driving runners home with some big hits and Caitlin Bisinger, Katie Leonard and Erika Lineburg all have been hitting the ball hard as well.”
Midland (4-4, 2-1) crossed the plate first when Amanda Hansen worked a lead-off walk then scored on a Walters RBI single.
Northeast rallied in the third scoring three times but the Eagles began to chip away scoring another single run in the fourth when Walters scored on a passed ball.
Trailing 3-2 in the sixth stanza, the hosts rallied with a huge frame keyed by Bisinger, Walters and Leonard. |
Gunning down the Cardinals
Midland pitcher Maisie Woodward throws to first for an out while Sammi Jeffery bows out of the way during the Eagles’ tough 13-1 setback hosting Maquoketa Tuesday, June 5. (Journal-Eureka photo by Daryl Schepanski) |
Bisinger walked and scored on an RBI double from Walters. Leonard drove home Walters with a huge triple that broke the 3-3 tie and then Leonard added an insurance run crossing the plate on another passed ball.
“We hit the ball hard and grabbed the lead late,” said Block. “Those girls have been getting it done and they sure came through in the clutch in this one.”
Walters led the five-hit Midland offensive attack ripping three hits overall with two doubles while Leonard added the other two hits for the hosts.
Lineburg was solid in the pitchers’ circle fanning four Rebel batters while not allowing an earned run in her seven innings of work.
“This was a big conference win for us,” said Block. |
“Northeast is a pretty good team and for us to rally back the way we did here says a lot about the character of these girls.”
The Eagles remained home Tuesday, June 5, stepping out of Big East Conference play and hosting Maquoketa.
“This one was tough from almost the start,” said Block. “We started Maisie Woodward and she was doing a good job then we decided to throw Erika and she struggled a bit. It was my fault though. I brought her into the game unprepared and the Maquoketa batters took advantage.”
The Cardinals scored first with a single run in the opening frame but the hosts immediately answered with their lone run of the contest in the bottom half when Hansen, who had walked, stole second and moved to third on a ground out, scored after an illegal Maquoketa pitch.
The Cardinals broke the 1-1 tie in the third inning scoring six times before adding two more in the fourth frame and four more runs in the fifth and final inning.
Hansen tallied the Eagles’ lone hit.
Midland traveled to Bellevue-Marquette Wednesday, June 6, and in a tight contest with the Mohawks, were edged in a narrow 1-0 final.
“This was a very well played game on both sides,” said Block. “Bellevue-Marquette scored an early run and made it stand. They made the plays when they needed to be made.”
The hosts scored in the bottom of the first as Midland’s one error led to the game-winning tally for the Mohawks.
Lineburg was sensational for the visitors tossing a three-hitter at Bellevue-Marquette while Eagle bats tallied four hits with Shasta Eganhouse pacing the team with two singles.
“We played pretty well too,” said Block. “This was a pitcher’s duel from the start and they scored just enough to win.”
After having their contest at Camanche rained out Thursday, June 7, the Eagles made their yearly trek to Anamosa for the annual Raider softball tournament and opened against the hosts.
“This was another tight game throughout,” said Block. “The longer the game went though, the more we started playing not to lose and with the way Anamosa’s pitcher was throwing, we had it pretty tough already.”
The Eagles jumped out to the early lead when Walters crossed the plate thanks to a Leonard RBI single in the second stanza.
The lead stood until the fourth when Anamosa answered and the game stayed tied past the seventh when the international tie-breaker rule was used and the Raiders plated two runs in the eighth to win.
Leonard led Midland batters with two hits while Lineburg tossed all eight frames in a classic duel with Anamosa’s Lacy.
The Eagles tangled with Bellevue next at the tournament and in another one-run, eight-inning battle, were edged in a 4-3 final.
With the score tied at 2-2 in the eighth, the Comets plated a pair of runs in the top half of the frame before Midland rallied scoring once in the bottom half coming up just short in the end.
Woodward tossed a four-hitter at Bellevue and fanned three Comet batters.
The final game of the tournament saw the Eagles rally this time for a big 7-4 victory over Central City.
“We were down 4-3 in the sixth inning and got fired up and wanted to end the tournament on a good note,” said Block. “We did that scoring four runs in the sixth inning to finally win a close game after so many losses this week.”
Hansen, Bisinger, Walters and Leonard all crossed the plate in the pivotal frame.
“I’m hoping with the way we came back and won this game after all the close losses we’ve had, this will be a momentum builder for us the rest of the way,” said Block. “I was glad to see the way we took care of business down the stretch.”
Midland bats ripped nine hits with Lineburg leading the way going a perfect 3-for-3. Bisinger and Emily Kleinsmith also added two hits for the Eagle offense. |
Lions looking for much needed offensive support
By
Daryl Schepanski - Sports Editor |
OLIN— Through five innings at Camanche Monday, June 4, Olin baseball coach Mark Thomsen was proud of the way his young team was playing giving the Indians all they could handle
“That was until the sixth inning when they began to pull away,” said Thomsen as his club was handed an 8-0 defeat. “We just are really struggling with our offense.
We’re having trouble just getting guys on base and when we do get a guy or two on, we struggle moving them around and into scoring position.”
But with the offense still trying to find its groove, solid pitching and defense kept the Olin team in the contest at Camanche as the Lions trailed just 3-0 entering the sixth frame.
“Travis was throwing a nice game and was very efficient on the mound,” said Thomsen. “He was keeping the ball down and not allowing Camanche to really get any kind of big rally going.”
The Indians scored single runs in the second, fourth and fifth frames taking their 3-0 lead but then added a huge five-run sixth inning to take complete control of the contest.
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Defensive stopper
Olin’s Colton Laetare makes a putout for the Lions Wednesday, June 6. (Journal-Eureka photo by Daryl Schepanski) |
“Things just seemed to fall apart on us there late in the game,” said Thomsen. “But I was proud of the way the guys battled to that point. But when you get only one runner into scoring position, that makes scoring runs pretty tough.”
Olin (0-6, 0-3) tallied three hits in the loss as Mason Smith, McAtee and Colton Laetare all came through with singles.
“Mason making it to second base was as far as we got on the base paths all game,” said Thomsen. “Striking out 11 times hurt too, but the Camanche pitcher was very good. He had us off-balance all game with our bats. We couldn’t get anything going.”
McAtee fanned seven Indian batters in his 5 1/3 innings of work while also yielding nine of the 10 total Camanche hits.
Olin finally tasted home cooking for the first time this summer hosting Bellevue Wednesday, June 6, and in a tough battle against the Comets were handed a rough 16-0 setback.
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Young gun
Olin’s Jordan Cress fires a strike at a Bellevue batter during the Lions’ 16-0 setback Wednesday, June 6. (Journal-Eureka photo by Daryl Schepanski) |
“Not too much to say after a loss like this,” said Thomsen. “We just got beat in about every facet possible. I really did think we were taking some forward strides with the way we were playing earlier in the week against Camanche, but then in this one we took a major step backwards.”
Bellevue bats attacked all game long against the young Lions scoring twice in the opening innings then added four-run frames in the second and third taking a commanding 10-0 lead after three innings.
“Bellevue just kept coming at us and coming at us,” said Thomsen. “It almost seemed like there was nothing we could do to stop it. Their bats were rolling and they seemed to find a hole every time they hit the ball.”
After adding three more runs in the fourth and fifth innings, the game ended with Lion bats tallying one Dan Inglis single.
“Second base was as far as we made it against Camanche,” said Thomsen. “We at least got a runner to third base in this game when Mason Smith walked, stole second and got to third before being left there.”
The Lions also struggled in the field committing five errors that led to 10 unearned Comet runs.
“That’s something we’ve really been working hard on is defense and I know the guys will improve as the season goes along in that area,” said Thomsen. “We just need to keep our confidence and work on our offense as well and we’ll start surprising a few teams before it’s all said and done this year.”
Josh Heinsius started on the hill and worked the game’s first three frames fanning one Bellevue batter before giving way to Jordan Cress who threw the final two innings.
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Raiders take third at own tourney
By
Daryl Schepanski - Sports Editor |
ANAMOSA — It was one of those games where the Raider baseball team just had to tip their caps to visiting Lisbon in the opener of the Anamosa baseball tournament Saturday, June 9, and congratulate the Lions on hitting the ball.
“They didn’t just hit the ball, they hit it hard and all game long,” said Raider baseball coach Byron Schlotterback after his team was handed a rough 14-4, five-inning setback against the powerful Lion club. “Lisbon earned everything they got though. They had to hit the ball to win. Our pitchers threw strikes but their hitters put them in play too.”
Anamosa (6-7, 2-3) struggled from the opening pitches against the Lions as Lisbon tallied a whopping six first inning runs then after adding a single run in the second, blew the contest wide-open after a huge seven-run third frame that saw the Lions take a commanding 14-1 lead.
The Raiders got on the board in the second when Stu Miller drove home Alec Embree with an RBI double then added a three-run fourth frame as Greg Vernon, Nathan Kaufman and Embree all crossed the plate.
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Forcing the action
Anamosa senior Greg Vernon makes for home as Midland’s Zach Bonney chases an errant throw during the Raiders’ 9-7 victory in the consolation round of the Raider baseball tournament Saturday, June 9. (Journal-Eureka photo by Jon Swisher) |
“We just couldn’t get the bats going at all in this one,” said Schlotterback. “Lisbon didn’t have any trouble in that regard however.”
Lion batters tallied 14 hits in the win.
“We made them swing that bats,” said Schlotterback. “Our pitchers issued just one walk. They just found the holes in our defense all game long.”
The loss dropped the Raiders to the consolation round of their own tournament where they faced Midland and rallied for a big 9-7 victory over the Eagles.
Trailing 2-0 early, Anamosa scored four quick runs in the bottom of the first as a Brandon Kula hit plated Nate Vaughn and Vernon while Brady Vaughn and Embree also scored in the inning to put the hosts ahead 4-2.
After the Eagles knotted the score at 4-4 scoring two more runs in the second inning, the Raiders again answered scoring two of their own in the bottom half of the inning and held a 6-4 lead.
Leading 7-4 in the fourth, Midland added a run then knotted the score in the fifth plating two runs.
The Raiders came through in the bottom half of the fifth and final inning scoring the game-winning runs when Embree and Kenner Ahrendsen both scored.
“We were low on pitching so we dug deep and got some big innings from several guys,” said Schlotterback. “Kalib Seeley started then Stu did a nice job settling things down early in the game. Andrew Peters and Kaufman also helped out.”
Anamosa ran wild on the bases stealing 10 overall in the win while Kula led the six-hit offense with two hits overall.
“We played Raider baseball to win this one,” said Schlotterback. “We were aggressive on the bases and forced the action.”
Anamosa traveled to Starmont Monday, June 4, and in a Tri-Rivers Conference doubleheader, were handed a pair of losses at the hands of the Stars.
The hosts tallied a 7-2 triumph in the opener as the Raiders jumped out to a 2-0 lead with Tucker Vondracek launching a solo home run in the frame while Kula plated Nate Vaughn with a double.
The Stars scored the final seven runs of the contest however using a big three-run fifth frame to pull away.
The second game also saw the Raiders struggle to score in a narrow 2-1 loss.
Anamosa broke a scoreless tie in the sixth when Vondracek crossed the plate, but a two-run bottom of the seventh sealed the Raiders’ fate.
“This was a heartbreaker,” said Schlotterback. “We struggled with the bats getting just one hit and still should have won. Alec Embree deserved a better fate.”
Embree fanned 10 Stars in 6 2/3 innings of work on the hill while Vondracek had the Raiders’ lone hit.
The Raiders returned home Wednesday, June 6, and despite ripping 19 hits, were on the short end of an 11-9 score against visiting Union.
Vondracek and Vernon each tied a school record with four hits but a huge five-run Knight sixth inning was too much for the Raiders to overcome.
Anamosa returned to Tri-Rivers Conference action and hosted East Buchanan Thursday, June 7, and with bats booming, rallied for a 13-3, five-inning rout.
The Raiders took control with a huge six-run fourth frame while Kula tossed a one-hitter at the Buccaneers. |
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