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.
– – – – – – – – – – – – – –
There are plenty of ways to keep up on BenGil news:
Sign up for our weekly email newsletter
Follow us on Twitter for the fastest breaking news updates and score updates
Like us on Facebook for a slightly different take
Comments
In a decisive finish that underscored his rising dominance in Illinois Class 1A cross country, senior Chaz Oberkfell of Gillespie High School claimed the state title with a time of 14:31.10 at the IHSA State Cross Country Championships held at Detweiller Park on Saturday, November 8.
Finishing just behind Oberkfell, sophomore Evan Knobloch of Toulon (Stark County) crossed the line in 14:46.25, placing second. Rounding out the top five were senior Blake McLeese of Tuscola (14:46.45), senior Luca Bryja of Elgin (Harvest Christian Academy) with 14:48.38, and senior Elijah Teefey of Pleasant Plains at 14:49.02.
This victory marks Oberkfell’s second IHSA Class 1A state championship. He also won the state crown as a junior in 2024 with a time of 14:31.87. In his sophomore year, he finished 21st with a 15:21.43 season-best time.
Looking ahead, Oberkfell is set to compete in the New Balance NXR Midwest Regional Championships on Sunday, November 16, at the LaVerne Gibson Course in Indiana. The meet serves as a critical stepping stone toward the national championships, and Oberkfell will look to carry his state momentum into the regional stage.
Comments
In a nail-biting showdown that will be remembered for years to come, the Gillespie Miners girls basketball team captured the South Central Conference title with a hard-fought 55-52 victory over the Pana Panthers on Thursday night, February 13. This marks Gillespie’s first conference championship since their back-to-back titles in 2001-02, when they shared the honors with Southwestern both finishing with a 9-1 conference record.
The game held at Pana High School was anything but straightforward. After a tumultuous 13-minute delay due to injuries and a technical foul controversy, the Miners rallied their spirits to secure the win. Amari Vickery led the charge with a stellar performance, scoring 21 points, while Mia Brawner added 11, Maggie Heyen contributed 10, Delaney Taylor posted 5, Sadie Sholtis scored 4, and Lainey Edwards and Corrine Fellin each had 2 points.
From the opening tip, it was clear that Pana was not going to roll over easily. The Panthers held leads at the end of the first two quarters, 15-14 and 28-26, showcasing their tenacity. By the time the fourth quarter rolled around, Pana had edged ahead 44-42, setting the stage for a dramatic finish.
However, the game took a chaotic turn in the fourth quarter when a collision between Vickery and teammate Sloane Brawner resulted in both players going down with injuries. Sloane was not able to return the game but Vickery did. The Miners also lost both Delaney Taylor and Sadie Sholtis to fouls and Gillespie was assessed a technical foul under controversial circumstances which tied the game at 49. But Heyen carried the weight through the fourth quarter recording 6 of her 10 points in the final quarter of play.
Despite the setbacks, the Miners displayed remarkable teamwork resilience under the leadership of Nikki and Matt Brawner. With the SCC championship secured and the regular season concluded with a 22-8 overall record and 9-0 conference record, the Miners now shift their focus to the upcoming regional which is being hosted in Gillespie.
Gillespie hosts Alton Marquette on Monday, Feb. 17 for the regional semi-finals after Alton Marquette knocked East-Alton Wood River, 36-29, to face the Miners. The winner advances to the regional championship that will be played on Friday, Feb. 21 at 7 p.m. in Gillespie versus the winner of Staunton/Roxana.
