High School Sports
Miners baseball off to rocky start
Rylee Bernot pitches 6 innings against Greenville last week for the Miners.
The Gillespie Miners baseball team (4-5) is off to a rocky start to the season while experiencing challenges within their lineup thus far this season. Despite starting the season without three players in the lineup, the Miners opened their schedule with a pair of victories against Jerseyville and Morrisonville.
The team then slipped losing their next three games before beating Beardstown in the second game of a double header series on March 26 to even their record to 3-3. With every player eligible in the dugout last week, the Miners dropped a pair of games each by a single run, 5-6 against Edwardsville Metro-Eat Lutheran and 4-5 against Greenville.
After beating Calhoun last night 6-4 thanks to a combined performance from Owen Carter (2 hits), Blake Middleton (2 hits) and Rylee Bernot (2 RBIs), Gillespie has four more games on the schedule this week and is hoping to tack a few more wins to their record.
The team travels to Litchfield tonight, is at home against North Mac on Wednesday, then travels to Carlinville on Thursday and Roxana on Friday.
SEASON LEADERS
Eli Fox is leading the team from the plate hitting an even .500 average by recording seven hits in 14 at bats while also recording the second most walks of the team. Of his 14 at bats, Fox has four singles, three doubles and seven RBIs.
Other leaders at the plate are Tate Wargo and Blake Middleton. Wargo is batting .457 from the batter’s box with 16 hits in 35 at bats including 11 singles, four doubles, one triple and five RBIs. Middleton has recorded the only homeruns for the team this season and is also leading the team in RBIs with 13. While batting .406 from the box, he’s recorded eight singles and three doubles in addition to the pair of homeruns.
From the pitcher’s mound, Rylee Bernot (1-2) has thrown the most for Gillespie with 20 innings pitched while supporting a 3.15 earned run average, the lowest of the starting pitchers for Gillespie. Bernot has walked just three batters in his 20 innings pitched and struck out 16 so far.
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On December 16, Gillespie played against Southwestern and dominated on the court. They secured an impressive 41-25 win.
Gillespie’s Amari Vickery played a crucial role in their offense in the first period, contributing 5 out of their 10 points. Sloane Brawner demonstrated range from behind the three-point line, extending their lead as they moved into the second period. Southwestern was able to muster up 7 points against Gillespie.
The defense really held strong in the second period of the game. It was a low-scoring affair, with only a total of 11 points scored by both teams. Gillespie managed to score 8 points, while Southwestern scored 3. Darr from Southwestern scored their only 3 points by shooting from beyond the arc. Vickery contributed 6 points for Gillespie, while Sadie Sholtis added two more to the scoreboard. Gillespie held the lead going into halftime with a score of 18 to 10.
After halftime, Gillespie’s Mia Brawner came out refreshed and had a strong offensive performance, scoring 9 out of Gillespie’s 11 points in the third period, while Maggie Heyen contributed the other two points. Southwestern managed to put up 8 points in an attempt to set the stage for a comeback against Gillespie. After three periods of play, Southwestern trailed behind with a score of 29 to 18.
Gillespie secured their victory during the fourth period by outscoring Southwestern 12 to 7. Vickery continued to impress with her offensive performance, contributing 6 points to extend their lead. Brawner also added 4 more points to her total for the game, while S. Brawner contributed an additional 2 points. Despite Stormer from Southwestern successfully scoring from behind the three-point line, it wasn’t enough to give them the lead.
Vickery and Brawner were the key players for Gillespie’s offense. Vickery scored a total of 17 points, while Brawner contributed 15 points to the team’s total.
Gillespie took home another win with a final score of 41 to 25.
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Gillespie stepped onto the court against Auburn on December 9th and came out on top, clinching a hard-fought 71-65 win.
Gillespie started off hot, racing to an early lead in the first period. By the end of the period, the scoreboard read 17-15 in their favor. Auburn’s relentless defense sent Gillespie to the free throw line a total of five times in the opening period. Gillespie capitalized on those opportunities, converting 5-of-10 attempts as a team.
The star of the show, however, was Amari Vickery, who shone brightly from the charity stripe, sinking an impressive 4-of-6 free throws. Vickery’s impact didn’t stop there – managing to find the net for an additional goal during the period, further cementing her status as a dominant force in Gillespie’s offense. Mia Brawner and Sadie Sholtis proved to be a dynamic duo, combining for 8 points to bolster Gillespie’s scoring efforts in the first period.
Auburn attempted to make a comeback during the second period, besting Gillespie 16 to 15. Addison Whatley was the driving force behind Auburn’s offense, pouring in 8 of their 16 points. Maggie Heyen, Delaney Taylor, and Sloane Brawner were the forces behind Gillespie’s offensive surge in the second period. Heyen poured in 7 points, while Taylor and S. Brawner demonstrated their shooting range from beyond the arc.
Gillespie clung to their narrow one-point lead as the teams headed into the second half of the nail-biter.
Gillespie’s M. Brawner took over the second half, pouring in 15 points to overwhelm Auburn. Vickery’s offensive onslaught kept on rolling, as she added 9 more points to Gillespie’s tally. Heyen, Sholtis, Taylor, and S. Brawner all contributed to their winning effort.
When the final buzzer sounded, Gillespie emerged victorious, 71-65.
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Gillespie overpowered Pawnee in their December 7th showdown, emerging with a 48-37 win.
To start off the game, offense on both sides was lacking, with both teams struggling to score. Pawnee held a narrow 7-6 lead. Despite the low-scoring affair, Gillespie’s Delaney Taylor and Maggie Heyen each earned a trip to the free throw line, converting 2-of-4 attempts collectively. Amari Vickery also managed to get a shot to fall for Gillespie. Taylor added another basket outside of her free throw makes to help Gillespie’s efforts.
Gillespie’s defense shone brightly in the second period, as they outscored Pawnee, 10-4. The scoring was spread across multiple players, with Amari Vickery, Lainey Edwards, Mia Brawner, and Heyen each finding the net during the stretch. To cap off the impressive team effort, Gillespie’s Sadie Sholtis stepped up and sank both of her free throw attempts.
Pawnee’s Manshelt and Brunner held their only points during the second period.
In the second half of the game, Gillespie’s offense really took off, racking up an impressive 32 points. Vickery and M. Brawner showcased their shooting skills, each sinking shots from long range. Vickery contributed 9 points during this period, while M. Brawner added 6. Kaia Vickery, along with Taylor, Sholtis, and Heyen, also made significant contributions to the scoring in the latter half. Meanwhile, Pawnee managed to put up 26 points during the same stretch.
Pawnee battled fiercely against Gillespie but ultimately fell behind, ending the game with a score of 48 to 37.
