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Bryant passes 1000 career strikeouts for Miners
Addison Bryant
Gillespie softball (15-5) pitcher Addison Bryant reached a milestone Thursday evening in Springfield when the Miners suffered their fifth loss of the season to Sacred Heart-Griffin.
The senior struck out eight of the 25 batters she faced to become just the second pitcher in Gillespie’s history to reach 1,000 career strikeouts. She fanned two in the 1st inning, three in the 2nd inning and one in the 3rd inning where she reached the milestone. Bryant surpassed the 1,000 mark in the 4th inning after waving two batters to raise her career total to 1,002.
Despite Bryant’s effort on the mound, the Miners fell 1-5 to Sacred Heart after surrendering all five runs in the third inning. A one-out error by Bryant allowed Sacred Heart a jump start with one on base, then a single and double quickly put Gillespie behind 0-2. Two batters later, a three-run home run put the Miners behind 0-5.
At the plate, the Miners out-batted Sacred Heart eight hits to six but was only able to cross one run in the seven-inning battle. Bryant and Mackenzie Kasarda each smacked a double while Gillespie picked up singles from Bryant, Lexie Bussmann, Rylee Jarman, Sydney Henrichs, Abigail Smith and Ally Clay.
The loss is the team’s third one in two weeks after the Miners lost to Highland (1-3) and Alton-Marquette (0-2) last week. Meanwhile in the same period, the team picked up five wins over Nokomis (13-1), Pana (8-2), Jerseyville (4-3), Staunton (14-1) and Litchfield (12-2).
Gillespie is scheduled to travel to Roxana on Friday and then host Bunker Hill next Monday. The team is on the road next Wednesday and Thursday when they travel to Carlinville and East-Alton Wood River, respected, before hosting Vandalia on April 28.
Holding the strikeout record for Gillespie is Kelcie Matesa with 1,501 after the 2008 Gillespie graduate dominated the mound in her four-year tenure. Besides breaking the school record, Matesa broke the IHSA career record for strikeouts, helped the team win four regional titles, and picked up numerous All-Conference and All-State awards. She continued her success at St. Louis University on a softball scholarship.
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Another major winter storm is forecasted to blanket the BenGil area in heavy rains, flooding and snowfall starting Wednesday night through Thursday.
The mixture of precipitation and rapidly changing weather likely will produce the potential for sudden icing on roads, with high winds leading to blowing snow and reduced visibility.
“The Illinois Department of Transportation’s snow-and-ice teams will be prepared and out in force, but the public needs to be ready for conditions to change quickly and worsen if they are out on the roads,” said Illinois Transportation Secretary Omer Osman. “As always during periods of extreme weather, the safest option is to postpone any unnecessary trips and stay home. If you must travel, prepare for very slow and potentially hazardous conditions. And please slow down around our plows and other emergency vehicles, giving them plenty of room to do their jobs.”
The National Weather Service is predicting a wintry mix of precipitation to start with thunderstorms and heavy rain in much of the state this evening, converting to freezing rain overnight before turning to snow Thursday morning. In addition to localized flooding, ice and sleet accumulations are likely, creating extremely slippery surfaces and slick conditions.
Due to the rainy conditions ahead of temperatures falling overnight, the effectiveness of pretreating and salting surfaces in advance of significant snowfall will be limited. The public should anticipate icy conditions even when roads appear clear and greatly reduce speeds.
“As the Illinois State Police plans to take on the unpredictable Illinois weather, we would like to remind motorists to do their part in keeping the roads a safe place,” said Illinois State Police Director Brendan F. Kelly. “ISP, alongside IDOT and other agencies, will be working in hazardous weather conditions. Please remember to slow down, stay vigilant and move over for ANY vehicle on the side of the road.”
Statewide, IDOT has available more than 1,800 trucks and equipment to plow, treat roads and respond to weather emergencies. If you encounter a plow or any maintenance vehicle during your travels, please slow down, increase your following distance and remain patient. Do not attempt to pass – conditions in front of the plow will be worse than behind it.
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Police are investigating the death of a Bunker Hill woman who was found dead at the end of her driveway near the roadway on Monday morning, January 31.
Nancy Blycker, 91, had multiple injuries and was pronounced dead at the scene, according to police. The Macoupin County Sheriff’s Office received a 911 call to the 2900 block of Wood Hill Lane around 7:40 a.m. on Monday.
The initial suspicion was homicide, according to a release by the Major Case Squad of Greater St. Louis who said approximately 20 investigators were working the investigation, but the autopsy contradicted that suspicion.
The Major Case Squad said on Tuesday it is “highly unlikely” Blycker’s death was the “result of homicidal means.”
The Major Case Squad turned the case back over to the Macoupin County Sheriff’s Department. The official cause of death is pending further lab analysis.
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The National Weather Service has issued a Winter Storm Warning for the BenGil area, southwestern Illinois, and the St. Louis area.
The warning was issued early Tuesday taking effect at midnight tonight until noon on Thursday, February 3 calling for a “wet, heavy” snow. The forecast also calls for ice prompting a warning about possible power outages.
“All indications continue to point to a disruptive, impactful, and dangerous winter storm impacting the region starting late tonight and lasting through Thursday night,” the National Weather Service said in its Area Forecast Discussion.
The BenGil area is expected to receive heavy mixed precipitation including snow accumulations between 6 and 10 inches, sleet accumulations around three-quarters of an inch, and ice accumulations around two-tenths of an inch. Wind gusts will be as high as 35 mph on Thursday.
The storm is expected to start with rain most of the day today before transitioning into a mixture of freezing rain and/or sleet Tuesday night, then all snow Wednesday morning or as late as Wednesday afternoon continuing until about noon on Thursday.
