High School Sports
Gillespie softball starts season with five wins
Rylee Sarti (Archived photo)
With only one graduating senior that needed to be replaced this year, head coach Michelle Smith and the Gillespie High School softball team are using their experience for another strong start to this year’s season.
Gillespie is hungry for more post season titles after adding another regional championship plaque to the trophy case last year – their first post season title since 2012. This season marks Michelle Smith’s 11th year as head coach for the team as she boasts an overall record of 181 wins and 91 losses along with six regional championship victories. Assisting Smith are Joe Kelly and Jim Matesa.
The new season is just two weeks old and it’s safe to say the Miners are hungry for another long season. The team’s prolific roster has the talent and they are off to right start.
GILLESPIE 16, RAMSEY 0
The team started their season with a dominating win over Ramsey. Junior pitcher Addison Bryant, who finished last year’s season 16-9 and named to the South Central Conference’s first team, returns to toe the rubber for Gillespie this year and has already tallied three shutouts and two no-hitters – both of which against Ramsey.
Bryant struck out 15 batters in the team’s first victory while also going 3-3 at the plate. Abby Munos was a contributing force at the plate with three hits and three RBIs while Beth Fields posted two hits and two RBIs. The Miners put Ramsey away in five innings of work after scoring 11 runs in the fourth inning.
GILLESPIE 25, MORRISONVILLE 0
Bryant mimicked her performance against Ramsey when Gillespie traveled to Morrisonville. Of the 15 batters she faced, she struck out 14 and walked one in the no-hitter shutout. Gillespie jumped ahead by 7 runs in the first inning, added 10 in the second inning and then three in the third paving the way for another 5-inning short game.
Mackenzie Kasarda carried the team with a perfect 4 for 4 performance at the plate with four hits and three RBIs – two singles, one double and one triple. Rylee Sarti tallied three RBIs in the game with her base clearing double.
GILLESPIE 8, ALTON-MARQUETTE 1
Gillespie’s offense was on fire last Saturday at Gordon Moore Park when the Miners posted 10 hits against Alton Marquette. Kasarda racked up three RBIs on two hits with a single in the third inning and a homerun in the fourth inning.
Bryant posted two hits and two RBIs at the plate with two singles while also pitching all seven innings for Gillespie and recording 10 strikeouts while surrendering just a single hit.
GILLESPIE 7, EDWARDSVILLE 3
The biggest win of the season so far came last Monday when the Miners topped 4A Edwardsville as the Tigers struggle with pitchers this season. Despite being out hit 8-7 and recording two errors in the matchup, Gillespie’s 6-run fourth inning paved the way for the team’s fourth straight win of the season.
Bryant posted 12 strikeouts from the mound and recorded two RBIs on two hits (single and double) from the batter’s box. Ally Clay and Mackenzie Kasarda each posted two RBIs as well in their single-hit performances – both of which came in the 6-run fourth inning. Clay singled to center field to score Munos and Bryant before Kasarda batted next to bring Clay around the base paths on her homerun to left field. Sarti kicked off the scoring for the team in the second inning with her homerun to center.
GILLESPIE 3, AUBURN 0
The Miners kept their winning streak alive in Auburn last Tuesday shutting out the Trojans and scoring three runs off six hits. The hits were equally spread between six different players – Bryant, Kasarda, Henrichs, Munos, Lizzy Nance and Clay.
Henrichs and Clay each finished with one RBI a piece after the pair recorded the only extra base hits in the game. Henrichs’ extra base hit was a double in the second inning to score Eccles who was running for Lizzy Nance and Clay’s extra base hit was a double in the third inning scoring Bryant who reached on a single and advanced to second on a wild pitch.
NEXT UP
The team gears up for a full week of action with over six games on the schedule this week. The Miners are in Edwardsville Metro on Monday, Dupo on Tuesday, home against Triad on Wednesday, Highland on Thursday, back home on Friday against Greenville before the Vandalia Tournament on Saturday.
Find the team’s schedule online on our calendar and follow game results on our Facebook or Twitter account.
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Gillespie Varsity Miners earned another win on the season Wednesday, March 27th, by steamrolling Nokomis 11 to 3. Wolber gained the win on the mound for Gillespie, only giving up four hits, three runs, and striking out seven through five innings of work.
The Miners were the first to put a run on the board with a single from Buhs, Kaylor, and Griffith, each touching home plate.
Schuckenbrock showed up and showed out at the plate, going 3 for 3, with one RBI, a double in the second, and 3 runs scored. In the 9 hole, Haywood went 2 for 2 with one run across and one base on balls. Hohnsbehn, Berry, Kaylor, Griffith, and Hailstone each had a hit in their winning efforts.
The miners had a total of 12 hits throughout the game.
The Gillespie Varsity Miners fell to New Berlin on Friday, March 29th, with a final score of 1 to 3. Runs were hard to come by in this game, as the pitching staff on both sides was stellar. Berlin put the first run on the board in the top of the first on a wild pitch, with the Miners scoring in the bottom of the first on a passed ball.
New Berlin took and kept the lead in the top of the second. Bixby earned the win on the mound for New Berlin, striking out 13 and walking one. Buhs took a loss for the Gillespie Varsity Miners.
Schuckenbrock and Berry were alone in the hit column for the Miners, collecting two hits apiece.
The Gillespie Varsity Miners will face off against Litchfield on Tuesday.
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The Gillespie Varsity Softball team faced Triad on Wednesday, March 27th, taking the win. The final score was eleven to zero. Starting pitcher Emma Gipson had another strong showing in the circle. Gipson rang up 12 Triad batters, giving up only three hits and zero runs over five innings.
Ava Parish went three for three at the plate with a solo homer in the second inning. The bats were hot for Gillespie in this game with Sholtis going 1-2 with 3 RBIs, Bertagnolli going 1-3 with two runs scored, Gipson going 3-3 with 3 RBIs and one run scored, Reid and Wright both going 2-3 at the plate, and Taylor going 1-2 with two RBIs. Wright also had an RBI in the win.
Delaney Hess holds the loss for Triad. She struck out one batter, giving up nine runs on ten hits. Gillespie had a total of 13 hits in their win.
Gillespie had stellar defense in this game, committing zero errors. Triad’s Green, Hagarty, and Feldma each got a hit off Gipson in their efforts against the powerhouse.
Gillespie earned another win over the Highland Bulldogs on March 28th, a final score of 8-4.
Emma Gipson came in clutch at the plate, knocking two over the fence and driving in four runs. Paxton joined Gipson with a home run in the top of the third. We saw a homer from Sholtis over the center field wall in the top of the seventh.
Parish and Bertagnolli went one for four at the plate, Parish scoring one run. Reid stood tall at the plate, going two for four in the game, with one RBI and one run scored. Wright had a strong showing, going two for four with one RBI. In the 9 hole, Taylor showed up and showed out, going two for three.
Gipson gained another win in the circle against Highland. She sat down six Bulldogs with a strikeout, giving up six hits and four runs in seven innings. Kaitlyn Wilson took the loss for the Bulldogs, giving up eight runs on eleven hits, sitting down eight with a strikeout. Mettler, Alex Schultz, Abby Shultz, Wilson, Ritz, and Becker got into the hit column for Highland.
Gillespie picked up two losses on the season this weekend on March 30th. They fell 0-2 against Pleasant Plains and 1-2 against the Olympia Spartans.
Gillespie Varsity was able to grab a win this weekend over the Havana Lady Ducks, with a final score of 6-2. Emma Gipson had a strong showing in the circle, striking out 13 batters. She allowed only two hits and two runs in five innings.
Bertagnolli went 3-3 at the plate with 3 RBIs. Parish went 2 for 3. Gipson and Schuckenbrock went 1 for 2, with Gipson driving in two runs. Wright had one hit in the win with one RBI. Sholtis also had an RBI in the game.
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The Gillespie Varsity Miners defeated Auburn 18 to 10 on Tuesday, March 19th. Wolber earned the win on the mound for Gillespie, picking up three strikeouts over two-thirds innings. Buhs started on the mound for Gillespie, striking out eight and giving up nine base on balls. Wargo gave a brief relief appearance on the mound for the Miners.
Runs were not hard to come by in this high-scoring game. Wargo, Schuckenbrock, Kaylor, Hohnsbehn, Buhs, Baker, and Griffith all produced RBIs at the plate. RF Berry was hot at the plate, going 4 for 4 with a home run to right field, 5 RBIs, and 2 runs scored. The team collectively produced 13 hits in the win.
The Miners fell to Columbia on Friday, March 22nd, in a 0-3 game. Jack Kaylor recorded the loss for the Miners on the mound, pitching a total of two innings, allowing three runs and striking out two. Relief came in the form of Brody Shaw, throwing five innings, allowing two hits and no runs, and striking out one batter. Matthews earned the win for Columbia. The two hits of the night for Gillespie came from the bottom of the lineup in the 8 and 9 spots from DH Baker and CF Griffith. Wargo, Shaw, and Buhs each picked up a walk in the game.
Gillespie faced Riverton on Saturday, March 23rd, tacking on another win for the season with a final score of 6 to 0. Luke Schuckenbrock pitched six innings for Gillespie, earning the win. Schuckenbrock surrendered five hits, zero runs, and collected six strikeouts.
Berry was dynamic at the plate, going 3 for 3 with 3 RBIs, 2 runs scored, and a base on balls. Wargo, Hohnsbehn, and Griffith tallied two hits apiece in the win. Schuckenbrock, Buhs, and Baker got a hit each on the night. Hailstone and Kaylor also recorded an RBI in the books. Wargo proved to be a menace on the base path with two steals. Bates took the loss on the mound for Riverton.
The Miners also faced Heyworth on Saturday in a nail-biting 3-1 victory. SP Tristen Wargo collected the win on the mound. Wargo gave up five hits and one run, pocketing four strikeouts in the game. Wolber stepped on the mound in a relief appearance.
Hohnsbehn put Gillespie’s first run on the board in the top of the first with a sac fly, which was swiftly matched by Heyworth in the bottom of the first to tie up the game. Runs were hard to come by on both sides of the field until the top of the sixth, when Gillespie scored two – one run coming off a single from Griffith.
Wargo, Buhs, and Griffith recorded two hits each in the winning efforts. Hohnsbehn and Berry put a one in the hit column. Wills took the loss for Heyworth on the mound.
The Miners face Metro-East Lutheran on Monday.
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