Baseball

By Steve Raymond

The Sports Report

Tony Kreke said the game plan was the same.

“We want to swing at strikes and take balls,” the St. Anthony coach explained. “If you swing at pitches that are in the zone, you have the potential to do damage.”

Which is exactly what the Bulldogs did Wednesday night.

The defending state champions sprayed hits all over the diamond, en route to a 7-3 win over the Columbia Eagles in a semifinal game of the Class 2A Teutopolis Sectional.

The Bulldogs banged out 12 hits, including a long two-run homer from Brock Fearday. They had baserunners in every inning, and with a few more timely hits, could have easily won by a larger margin. They stranded 12 runners, including eight in scoring position.

SAHS left the base loaded three times, including the first inning.

“Having the bases loaded and not being able to scratch some runs across in that first inning was tough,” Kreke admitted. “But the bottom of our order came through in the second by getting on base. Then our guys were able to get some big hits and get us on the board.”

The Bulldogs scored three runs in the second and then added a pair in both the third and fourth to build a commanding 7-1 lead. The pitching of Brady Hatton and Aiden Lauritzen took care of the rest.

The St. Anthony Bulldogs have their sights set on repeating as state baseball champions.

They took their first step Saturday morning.

The Bulldogs combined seven hits, 10 walks, three errors and three few wild pitches to roll to a 10-0, five-inning win over Marshall in the championship game of the Class 2A Paris Regional.

St. Anthony, now 21-7 for the season, will advance to the Teutopolis Sectional.

The Bulldogs scored the only two runs they really needed in the first inning. Brady Hatton reached on an error and Brock Fearday and Henry Brent both walked to load the bases. A pair of wild pitches allowed two runners to score.

Brock Fearday and Joe Tegeler took care of the rest. Fearday didn’t allow a hit, while walking three, striking out six and throwing 64 pitches in four innings of work. Tegeler pitched the fifth and gave up Marshall’s only hit in the game.

But St. Anthony kept scoring runs.

In the second, Alex Meyer got a lead-off single, went to second on a passed ball and scored on a base hit by Vince Vogel. The Bulldogs then received four more walks in the inning – the final two to Aiden Lauritzen and Brent to force in two more runs.

Hatton collected a two-run single, while Brock Fearday added a run-scoring double and Lauritzen capped the four-run third with an RBI triple to make it 9-0.

A hit batter and three more walks gave SAHS its final, game-ending tally in the fifth.

The Bulldogs, who captured their fourth straight regional title, will open sectional play at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday again Columbia. The Eagles, 16-13, defeated Roxana 3-0 to win the Roxana Regional.

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

To be honest, winning the City Series is not the No. 1 concern for the coaches right now.

Mainly because it happens near the end of their schedules.

The postseason is right around the corner. They are focused on solidifying their lineups and getting their pitching rotations set. Now is when they want their teams to be playing their very best.

For the players, however, it’s a different mindset altogether.

Many of these boys have played with or against each other for years. The winner is considered the best team in town. This is for bragging rights.

And that will all be on the line tonight (Friday) when Effingham and St. Anthony meet in the championship game of the annual City Series.

It will be played at Paul Smith Field. The first pitch is scheduled for 7 p.m.

The Bulldogs made sure Game 3 was meaningful by posting a 5-2 win Thursday at Evergreen Hollow Park.

Brock Fearday turned in a strong pitching performance and St. Anthony scored three runs on wild pitches to make tonight’s clash a “winner take all” contest between the cross-town rivals.

By Steve Raymond

ET Sports Report

On Saturday night, they were a talented and fun-loving baseball team.

By early Sunday morning – with an emphasis on early – they were state champions.

“Coach always says that a team with talent, that also has fun, is a dangerous team,” senior Beau Adams recalled.

As turns out, Tony Kreke is not only a successful baseball coach, he’s also a bit prophetic.

His St. Anthony Bulldogs are an extremely talented group. And they are absolutely a group that likes to have fun – whether that’s piling up wins, playing endless games of hacky sack or hoisting championship trophies.

And at about 12:40 a.m. Sunday, that’s exactly what they were doing.

After a three-hour rain delay, the Bulldogs completed their magical season with an 8-5 victory over Maroa-Forsyth in the championship game of the Class 2A State Baseball Tournament.

“The belief these guys have had since the beginning of the season has been unwavering,” Kreke noted. “They trusted each other and relied on the process. This has been an unbelievable ride and this is an unbelievable feeling. I’m grateful to our staff, fans, parish and the community for all the support. And I couldn’t be happier for these guys. They deserve this.”