High School Sports
The Gillespie Miners pull two wins on a shutout and a close call
The Gillespie Miners baseball team took home a 7-0 win against Litchfield/Mt. Olive Panthers on Friday, April 5.
The Miners took the lead in the first inning of play, plating five runs. Bryce Buhs took the win on the stump for Gillespie, giving up no hits and no runs, walking three. Buhs had nine strikeouts in the victory.
Colin Griffith had a hot bat this game, going 3 for 4 and driving in one run. Luke Schuckenbrock went 2 for 4 with 2 RBIs and one run scored. Jesse Berry also collected two hits on the evening for Gillespie. Tristen Wargo, Bryce Hohnsbehn, Jack Kaylor, and Jaydon Baker each produced a hit in their winning efforts. Saathoff took the loss for Litchfield/Mt. Olive on the mound.
The Miners added another win to the season this weekend with an 11-to-9 win in a last-minute nail-biter over the Alton Redbirds on Saturday, April 6.
Gillespie fell behind Alton in the first inning after a hit by pitch drove in a run. The Miners were quickly able to bounce back and take the lead in the top of the second after Sean Haywood and Kaylor both singled and later scored.
We saw a tremendous amount of lead changes throughout the game until the Miners built a 6-run lead in the seventh inning. The miners racked up a total of 13 hits in the victory.
Schuckenbrock was on fire at the plate, going 3 for 4 with 2 runs scored. Wargo, Buhs, and Griffith each picked up multiple hits in the game. Berry got in on the scoring efforts, driving in three runs. Hohnsbehn, Kaylor, and Berry had one hit each.
Daniel Wolber started on the mound for the Miners, giving up three runs on one hit. Wargo picked up the win for Gillespie in a relief appearance, giving up two runs on four hits, striking out four, and walking two batters.
The bullpen put in work this game for Gillespie, as we saw an appearance from Schuckenbrock and Brody Shaw as well. Rathgeb took the loss on the mound for Alton, allowing four runs on five hits.
The Gillespie Miners baseball team will face off against Vandalia this coming Tuesday.
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The Gillespie High School baseball team had six players receive South Central Conference accolades, conference officials announced on Monday. The Miners had three named to the first team, two to the second team, and two to the third team.
Named to the first team included seniors Bryce Buhs as pitcher, Tristen Wargo as infielder, and Jesse Berry as outfielder. Wargo was also named to the conference’s second team as pitcher alongside sophomore Collin Griffith. Senior Jaydon Baker and junior Jack Kaylor were named to the third team as designated hitter/utility and outfielder, respectively.
Rounding out the conference’s first team included Nathan Matoush of Hillsboro in two places as pitcher and infielder; Marcus Payne, Rocky Darr and Hunter Newell of Southwestern; Carson Satthoff, Mathew Bywater, and Jake Gasperson of Litchfield; Aiden Hatalla of North Mac; Benjamin Hutchinson of Greenville; and Kale Konrad of Vandalia.
Joining Wargo and Griffith on the conference’s second team is Adam Hale, Colin LeMarr and Ryan Lowis of Southwestern; Carter Legendre and Dillon Pritchett of Staunton; Ethan Saathoff of Litchfield; Rowdy Sussenbach and Cohen Alstat of Greenville; Quinn Morrow of North Mac; and Andrew Kelly of Vandalia.
Third team honorees include Drake Curry, Cohen Alstat, Dominic Sanchez, and Hudson Alstat of Greenville; Carson Saathoff and Tate Dobrinich of Litchfield; Cade McCready and Collin Etter of North Mac; Ryan Karbach, Parker Moore, and Madyx Angel of Pana; Marcus Payne of Southwestern; Ayden Jones of Vandalia; and Noah Convery of Carlinville.
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Eight players from the Gillespie Miners softball team were selected to the South Central Conference All-Conference teams, conference officials announced on Monday.
Being honored on the first team from Gillespie included senior Emma Gipson, juniors Delaney Taylor and Macie Wright, and sophomores Ava Parish and Paxton Reid. Senior Wrigley Releford and sophomore Sadie Sholtis were named to the conference’s second team while freshman Laci Shuckenbrock was named to the third team.
Other first-team honorees from around the conference include Carlinville’s Hallie Gibson and Isabella Tiburzi; Staunton’s Ele Feldmann, Taylor Nolan, and Lilly Troeckler; and Alexis Bowman of North Mac.
Joining Releford and Sholtis on the second team include Taylor Keirs and Ines Oprtigosa of North Mac; Gianna Bianco of Staunton; Abby McDonald of Southwestern; Braley Wiser and Hannah Gibson of Carlinville; Zoee Englert and Haylee Clark of Greenville; Brianna Mathis of Pana; Aubrey Evans of Hillsboro; and Madison Lupton of Vandalia.
Rounding out the third team are Joey Laker and Kennedy Bowker of Pana; EmmaLeigh Wilfong and Emma Bingham of Greenville; Addison Ruyle and Olivia Kunz of Carlinville; Vivian Zurheide and Ella Kadell of Southwestern; Korryn Keehner, Kylie Lucykow, and Sam Anderson of Staunton; Elise Walch of Litchfield; Karleigh Prose of North Mac; and Peyton Chappelear of Hillsboro.
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In an emotional rollercoaster of a sectional final, Gillespie’s season came to a bittersweet end with a nail-biting 2-3 defeat at the hands of Newton this past Saturday, May 25.
Newton swooped in with a late-game rally, clinching the win over Gillespie. Tensions were high all game long. Newton made an explosive statement right out of the gates when Sally Mahaffey blasted a solo home run to right field. Gillespie’s response was swift, with a double from Emma Gipson in the bottom of the first to tie the game at one apiece.
The scoreboard remained unchanged as both teams dug in until the sixth inning, when Sadie Sholtis’ single sent a runner home, pushing Gillespie into the lead. A hit off the bat of Audrie Reich allowed Newton to tie the game up 2–2. Newton clinched the lead in the top of the eighth and held off Gillespie with three straight outs in the bottom of the eighth, taking the win.
Emma Gipson led Gillespie in the hit column, going 2 for 4 with one RBI. Sholtis went 1 for 2 at the plate with one run, one RBI, and two walks pocketed. Lauren Bertagnolli went 1 for 3 with one run plated. Wrigley Releford and Laci Shuckenbrock both had a hit in their efforts.
While this may not be the end that Gillespie hoped for, they still had a phenomenal season. Gillespie’s season record is a testament to their grit and tenacity ending 29-5 on the season. The Miners have three seniors departing the team including Lauren Bertagnolli, Emma Gipson, and Wrigley Releford.
