By Jeff Vorva
Playing in an independent league ballpark agreed with Crete-Monee’s baseball team and pitcher Michael Leonard.
Leonard threw a shutout and struck out 13 batters to help the Warriors top Thornton Fractional South 5-0 on April 20 at Railcat Stadium in Gary, Indiana. Leonard’s record was just 1-3 after the win, but he lowered his ERA to a 2.01 and had 33 strikeouts in 19 innings.
Vontrez Banks helped out on offense with two doubles and two RBIs.
The Warriors posted a 10-7 record after the win and have won five in a row by a combined score of 63-6.
Earlier in the week, Bren Milburn broke the school’s career stolen base record with 64. Mike Niemeyer, who graduated in 1991, owned the previous record.
Bobcats softball falls, rises up
After winning 11 games in convincing fashion, Beecher’s softball team finally lost a game with a 5-1 setback to Lincoln-Way Central on April 15.
They went on a roll after that with a 15-0 win over St. Anne on April 16, a 3-2 win over previously unbeaten Illiana Christian in Indiana on April 17 and then came a huge challenge as they topped Antioch 7-3 and 12-6 in a road doubleheader on April 20.
Antioch, which finished second in the state, had a 12-1 record heading into the doubleheader. Taylor Norkus drove in two runs in the first game, while Makenzie Johnson had four hits and drove in three runs in the nightcap.
Beecher entered the game ranked first in the state in Class 2A by the Illinois Coaches Association and Antioch was first in Class 3A. Lincoln-Way Central, the team Beecher opened the week losing to, was ranked second in the state in Class 4A behind Marist.
Monster track meets at Manteno
Manteno hosted two track meets, an 11-team meet for the girls and an 11-team meet for the boys on April 19 and finished tied for fourth in the boys varsity meet and seventh in the girls event.
Beecher took seventh in the girls, Illinois Lutheran 10th and Peotone 11th. Beecher took sixth in the boys, Peotone 10th and Illinois Lutheran 11th.
Manteno’s Caden Reiter won the boys 800-meter event with a time of 2 minutes, 9.15 seconds, beating out teammate Jonathan Burner’s 2:10.63.
Illinois Lutheran’s Dawveed Holland won the triple jump with a leap of 39 feet, 8.75 inches.
In the girls meet, Peotone’s Celeste Richards won the 1600 with a 5:51.81.
Sports bits
•Manteno’s Xoei Coffman committed to Joliet Junior College for track.
•Beecher’s soccer team opened the week with an 11-3 record, which is the best start since 2006.
•Former Beecher softball standout Kaylie Sippel had 11 hits and drove in nine runs in a six-game stretch and won the Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference Player of the Week for the University of St. Francis.