By Steve Raymond

ET Sports Report

What a difference 48 hours can make.

Yes, the Teutopolis Wooden Shoes notched another victory, just like they did Thursday against St. Anthony.

But unlike the game against the Bulldogs -- a game described as having a postseason atmosphere that brought out the best play of both teams – Saturday’s performance by the Shoes was not at that level.

One word used to describe their effort was lethargic.

THS coach Justin Fleener said “at times, it just looked like we were going through the motions.”

But when the final out was recorded, the Shoes had their 15th win of the spring season, an 8-1 decision at home over Taylorville in an Apollo Conference matchup.

Fleener said he saw a couple good “moments,” but things he typically looks for – quality at-bats and putting the barrel on the ball – he didn’t see much of Saturday.

“We had a few quality at-bats and a couple good hits, but the consistency up and down the lineup was not there,” Fleener noted. “It just wasn’t what I wanted to see, especially at this of year. The postseason is coming up and we need to do a better job than this.”

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Evan Addis blasted a pair of home runs Wednesday afternoon, leading Teutopolis to an 11-6 win at home over Newton.

Addis unloaded with a three-run bomb in the opening inning and added a two-run shot in the third – both over the leftfield fence, as the Shoes broke open a 9-3 lead.

In the first inning, Kayden Althoff singled and with two outs, Andy Niebrugge walked. Addis this delivered his first four-bagger to stake THS to a quick 3-0 lead.

Newton scored once in the opening inning and added two more in the second to tie the game at 3-3.

But the Shoes took control with a six-run third. Althoff walked, stole second and scored on Evan Wermert’s RBI single. Then it was Addis who delivered again, sending another pitch over the leftfield fence for a two-run blast. But before the inning was over, Logan Roepke had an RBI double and two runs scored on an error.

The Shoes added two more runs in the fifth.

Althoff was the T-Town starter and got the win. He pitched three innings, allowing three hits and three runs. He walked one and struck out four. Cade Buehnerkemper pitched the next three innings and Hayden Ruholl pitched the seventh.

The Shoes improved to 13-6 on the season. They will return to action today (Thursday) at St. Anthony. The contest with their cross-creek rival will start at 4:30 p.m.

By Steve Raymond

ET Sports Report

The postseason won’t begin for another couple weeks.

But it was definitely a postseason atmosphere Thursday afternoon at Evergreen Hollow Park.

It was a beautiful day for baseball and a nice crowd turned out.

Plus, there were two talented teams that play the game the right way and two coaches that know each other quite well.

And in the end, it took extra innings and very “long” final out to determine a winner in yet another exciting contest between these two “cross creek rivals.”

Andy Niebrugge’s bad-hop single in the top of the eighth inning drove in what proved to be the winning runs, helping the Teutopolis Wooden Shoes come away with 5-4 victory over St. Anthony.

“Games like this help you start getting the feeling of what the postseason is like,” THS coach Justin Fleener said. “You always want to be playing your best baseball at the end of the season. We’ve still got some things to work on, but we’re getting there.”

“Justin is right. These types of games help prepare you for the postseason,” St. Anthony coach Tony Kreke added. “It definitely felt like the postseason today, but that’s what every game with T-Town feels like. Yes, it’s a loss, but it helps prepare you for those special moments. It’s nothing to hang your head about. The kids battled and I’m proud of them.”

In the top of the eighth, Kayden Althoff got a one-out single, Evan Wermert walked and the runners moved up to second and third on a passed ball. Niebrugge then hit a hard ground ball that took a bad hop and glanced off St. Anthony third baseman Will Hoene. The ball rolled into shallow leftfield and both Althoff and Wermert raced home to put the Shoes on top to stay.

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Mt. Zion took advantage of errors in one game and then put together a late rally in the nightcap to post a doubleheader sweep at home Saturday over Teutopolis.

The Braves managed just one hit in the opener, but five T-Town errors led to four unearned runs and a 4-2 loss.

In the second game, the Braves rallied for two runs in the bottom of the seventh inning to pull out a 7-6 win and complete the sweep.

In the first game, the Shoes took a 2-0 lead in the second. Evan Addis led off with a base hit, followed by a single by Dylan Pruemer and a walk to Logan Roepke to load the bases. Sam Bushur then came through with a two-out single to drive home a pair.

It stayed 2-0 until the bottom of the fifth. Mt. Zion had a runner reach base on a dropped third strike and another after being hit by a pitch. Two errors helped the Braves score three runs and Jacob Bailey’s RBI double capped the four-run inning.

The Shoes loaded the bases in the fifth, but were unable to score. They only had one baserunner over the final two innings.

Andy Niebrugge pitched the first 4.2 innings and took the loss. He didn’t allow a hit, but did give up three unearned runs. He walked four and struck out seven. Derek Konkel pitched the final 1.1 innings.

In the nightcap, the Braves were on top 3-1 when the Shoes came to bat in the sixth. Cade Buehnerkemper started things off with a single and ended up at third when his base hit was misplayed in the outfield. He scored on a single by Pruemer. A ground ball brought home the second run and Bushur, again, delivered a two-out single, driving home a pair and give T-Town a 5-3 lead.

Mt. Zion scored two runs in the bottom of the sixth to tie it, but the Shoes came right back in the top of the seventh. Buehnerkemper, again, started it with a base hit. He went to third on an error and scored on a sacrifice fly by Pruemer.

But THS couldn’t maintain the lead. The Braves got a walk and an error to start the seventh-inning rally. Bailey tied the game with a base hit and Ethan Parker ended it with a walk-off bunt single that brought home the winning tally.

Derek Deters, who relieved in the seventh, took the loss, despite giving up an unearned run. Kendall Schmidt was the starter, but lasted only two-thirds of an inning, walking five and giving up three runs. Pruemer relieved in the first and pitched 5.1 innings. He allowed just three hits and three runs, while walking four and striking out seven.

The Shoes dropped to 12-6 overall and 1-2 in Apollo Conference play. They will return to league play Monday at home against Mahomet-Seymour and stay home to face Newton on Tuesday.