Baseball

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

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.”

By Steve Raymond

ET Sports Report

For a team coming to bat in the last inning and trailing by a run, it’s not uncommon to hear someone say, “We need a bloop and a blast.”

Well, St. Anthony didn’t exactly follow that order and they even added to it.

The Bulldogs used a blast, a bloop and a bunt.

And that combination proved to be successful.

Brady Hatton belted a lead-off homer in the seventh to tie the game. Sam Link followed with a bloop double into short center. Max Koenig then laid down a perfect bunt to bring home Link with what proved to be the winning run.

And when Brock Fearday struck out the side in the bottom of the seventh, the Bulldogs had a 2-1 victory over their arch-rival, the Teutopolis Wooden Shoes, plus the championship of the Greenville Class 2A Sectional.

It was an outstanding game played by two very good baseball teams.

And like championship games should do, it came down to the end to decide the winner.

The Shoes had taken a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the sixth and were certainly carrying the momentum to the field as the Bulldogs came up for their final at-bats.

But “Old Mo” quickly changed dugouts after the first pitch of the seventh inning.

By Steve Raymond

ET Sports Report

What a difference a year makes.

When the St. Anthony Bulldogs walked off Abe Martin Field in Carbondale 12 months ago, they were not happy. They had just dropped a 6-5 decision to Goreville in the super sectional. A game every team member believed they should have won.

Now fast forward to Monday afternoon. Another super sectional game on Memorial Day and on the same field.

When the final out was recorded this time, however, it was a celebration. And for the first time since 2012, the Bulldogs are headed to the state baseball tournament.

That was accomplished when St. Anthony posted a 5-0 victory over Mt. Carmel to claim the Carbondale Super Sectional title.

The Bulldogs (25-5) will now face Wilmington (27-1) in a semifinal game in the Class 2A State Tournament. The game is scheduled for 7 p.m. Friday at Dozer Park in Peoria. The first game will feature Maroa-Forsyth against Sterling at 4 p.m.

“But we want to enjoy this one first,” St. Anthony coach Tony Kreke said. “We want to soak this up. Getting to the state tournament doesn’t happen very often.”

The Bulldogs combined a strong pitching performance, an error-free defensive effort and timely hitting to secure their birth in the state tourney.

By Steve Raymond

ET Sports Report

Get ‘em on.

Get ‘em over.

Get ‘em in.

Any way possible.

The St. Anthony Bulldogs did that to near perfection Wednesday.

Whether that was hitting, bunting, stealing or even getting hit by a pitch, the Bulldogs did whatever it took to push runs across the plate. And it doesn’t hurt when your pitchers don’t allow the other team to score and your defense turns in an errorless performance.

That combination will always be effective.

And as a result, St. Anthony came away with a 5-0 victory over Roxana, setting up a clash with their arch rivals in the championship game of the Greenville Class 2A Sectional.

The Bulldogs and Teutopolis Wooden Shoes will square off at 11 a.m. Saturday with a trip to the Carbondale Super Sectional on the line.