By Steve Raymond

ET Sports Report

There’s a distinct sound that echoes through a ballpark when a batter swings at a pitch and connects on the “sweet spot.”

Some refer to it as the “crack of the bat.”

With the types of bats used in high school, it’s more of a resounding ping.

However you wish to describe it, those attending the baseball game at Teutopolis on Tuesday afternoon heard that sound quite often.

And a majority of the time, it came from a St. Anthony bat.

The Bulldogs were spraying hits all over the diamond. They banged out 15 in total, including eight for extra bases and two that sailed over the fence.

All that resulted in an 11-5 win over their Cross Creek rivals, snapping T-Town’s 12-game winning streak.

And it took just 10 pitches to set the tone.

St. Anthony’s lead-off batter, Will Fearday, lined the fourth pitch of the game into the right-centerfield gap for a double. Two pitches later, Aiden Lauritzen grounded a base hit up the middle to put runners at the corners.

Brady Hatton then lined an 0-2 pitched into left for an RBI single and Brock Fearday blasted the first pitch he saw over the 352-foot sign in left-center for a three-run homer that staked the Bulldogs to an early and quick 4-0 lead.

“Anytime you can take an early lead like that it helps,” St. Anthony coach Tony Kreke said. “We knew today would be a battle, so to find early runs like that against a good varsity pitcher like Gavin (Addis) is always a good thing.”

By Steve Raymond

ET Sports Report

Chances are, when Abner Doubleday invented the game of baseball, he didn’t envision his new game being played in adverse weather conditions.

Gray skies with no hint of sunshine. Temperatures that dipped well into the 40s. And strong winds that made it feel even colder than that.

But those were the conditions the Effingham and Teutopolis squads encountered Monday afternoon at the THS ball diamond.

And the two teams handled it all pretty well.

Heading to the bottom of the sixth inning, the Hearts were clinging to a slim 3-2 lead.

But the Wooden Shoes then put together a seven-run rally that turned that deficit into a 9-5 victory.

T-Town had just three hits in the frame, but took advantage of five walks – three with the bases loaded – a hit batsman and a throwing error to notch its ninth win of the young season.

“We managed to pull it out,” said THS coach Justin Fleener. “The weather wasn’t very good. I think both coaches would like to see better execution at times. But at the same time, we also saw some good things.”

In that decisive inning, the Shoes’ rally started with one out. Gavin Addis walked and Cooper Tegeler singled to right, sending Addis to third base. When Tegeler then attempted to steal second, an errant throw allowed Addis to come home with the tying run.

Aiden Niemerg then got an infield single and Davin Worman walked to load the bases. Mick Niebrugge followed with a fly ball to right that brought in Tegeler with the go-ahead run.

The next five batters then all reached base to widen the lead.

By Steve Raymond

ET Sports Report

Winning games at the state tournament is difficult enough at full strength.

With two starters severely limited due to ankle injuries, it simply made that task virtually impossible.

But that’s the situation the St. Anthony Bulldogs found themselves in the last two days.

They didn’t complain or make excuses.

They simply continued playing hard and to the best of their ability.

The trip to Champaign didn’t go as anticipated, but the team brought home more hardware for the school’s trophy case and another reason for Bulldog Nation to be proud.

Peoria Christian used three-point shooting to not let St. Anthony ever pull ahead.

Then free throw shooting late to seal the victory.

And when the final seconds ticked off the clock Friday morning, the Chargers had claimed a 61-51 victory in the third place of the Class 1A State Tournament, played at the State Farm Center in Champaign.

“This is a great group of young men I’ve had the privilege to coach,” said Cody Rincker, now completing his 12th year as coach at SAHS. “They put their best effort into everything they do, just like they have these put two days. They’re competitors and I couldn’t be more proud.”

By Steve Raymond

ET Sports Report

Twice, the St. Anthony Bulldogs began to surge and trim the deficit.

But twice, totally unexpected momentum-changing plays brought that to a screeching halt.

The first was a 90-foot heave.

The second was a turned ankle.

And Chicago Hope was the beneficiary both times.

The Eagles never trailed, led by as many as 23 points and then hung on to post a 56-50 victory in Thursday morning’s opening semifinal game of the Class 1A State Tournament at the State Farm Center in Champaign.

“I told our kids that St. Anthony won’t ever stop playing,” said Chicago Hope coach Ronnie Fields. “They’ll keep coming and playing to the end.”

Which they did.

But it was the beginning of the game that set the tone.

By Steve Raymond

ET Sports Report

What a game!

From being in cruise control to nearly out of control, the St. Anthony Bulldogs put their coaches and fan base through a roller coaster of emotions Monday night.

The two all-staters certainly played huge roles, but it was a pair of unlikely heroes that came through at the end and just might have been the difference between going home and surviving to play another day.

And when they do, it will be on the state’s largest and brightest stage.

That’s right! A season of lofty expectations has turned into reality.

The Bulldogs are headed to the state tournament!

But it didn’t come easy.

What was a one-time 17-point lead totally evaporated in the second half. But big-time shots at crucial moments by multiple players helped keep St. Anthony’s postseason run alive.

Three-pointers by Will Fearday and Keenan Griffith gave the Bulldogs a lead and Brock Fearday’s two free throws with just three seconds to play sealed the deal.

And when the scoreboard clock reached 0:00, St. Anthony had a 62-58 overtime victory over Mounds Meridian to capture the Charleston Super Sectional title and clinch a berth in the Class 1A State Tournament..

The Bulldogs, now 32-4, will face Chicago Hope in the first semifinal game Thursday. Tipoff is scheduled for 9:30 a.m. at the State Farm Center in Champaign.

By Steve Raymond

ET Sports Report

It was supposed to be a runaway – maybe not even competitive.

This was a team that struggled with offensive consistency and turnovers for almost the entire season.

It was a team forced to play without one of its best players due to injury.

And it was the same team that benefited from missed free throws and a botched dunk to narrowly escape not once, but twice, in the sectional.

But with 4:49 left in Monday night’s game, the team given virtually no chance of winning was within a single point.

“Our kids believed that they belonged here and that they could beat this team,” Teutopolis coach Chet Reeder said. “I couldn’t be prouder of a group of kids.”

Unfortunately, the postseason magic came to an end in those final minutes.

The Belleville Althoff Crusaders went on a game-deciding 13-0 run down the stretch to post a 48-37 victory over the Wooden Shoes and capture the Carbondale Super Sectional.

Althoff, now 31-5 and winners of 17 of its last 18 games, will advance to the Class 2A State Tournament in Champaign. The Crusaders will face Chicago (Christ the King) on Thursday afternoon at the State Farm Center.

  • You are here:  
  • Home