The Oskaloosa baseball team got their season officially underway on Tuesday night against Knoxville and were able to get the clean sweep, winning by scores of 12-8 and 7-6 in games you heard on the Mahaska Zone Network.

In Game One, Knoxville got off to a fast start, getting two runs off of Osky starter Bennett Spry. The Indian offense would bounce back quickly, however, as they would plate eight runs before the end of the third inning. The damage was done mainly due to defensive miscues by the Panthers, who had six total errors in the first game.

Knoxville would battle back to cut the lead to one at 8-7 in the fifth before Seth Sarver came on in relief for Osky and turned back the rally with a huge strikeout and a groundout. The Indians would get four insurance runs in the bottom of the sixth, and hold on for the win, 12-8.

Osky was outhit 10-4, but did not commit a defensive error in support of Spry, Joe Sterner, and Sarver on the mound. The only Indian with multiple hits was sophomore Blake VanVeldhuizen, who was 2 for 3 with 2 runs scored and an RBI. Casey Hill also scored a run running for VanVeldhuizen. Sterner would have two RBI in the game.

In the second game, Oskaloosa again would get off to a fast start, scoring six runs in the first two innings to take a quick 6-2 lead in support of freshman pitcher Rian Yates. Yates would labor through the third inning, however, surrendering four runs, which would tie the game at 6.

The frosh would gamely battle to give Head Coach Clint Gingrich five strong innings, as he shut down the Panther offense to give his team a chance to take the lead. That’s exactly what happened in the bottom of the 4^th, as with two outs, Bennett Spry would single, steal second, and advance to third on a balk. Number three hitter Ethan Arnold would rope a ball off the wall in left field for the RBI that would prove to be the difference.

Peyton Crouse would pitch the last two innings for the Indians to get the six-out save and lock down the win for Yates in his first varsity start.

Oskaloosa is 2-0 on the season, and will next be in action on Thursday at Martensdale-St. Marys.

The next broadcast of the Oskaloosa baseball team will be this Friday as the Indians host Winterset in a single varsity game. First pitch will be around 7:30 PM, with the pregame show beginning around 7:15 on 99.5 FM/740 AM KMZN, the KMZN mobile app, and radiokmzn.com.

In other softball scores from last night in the area:

Centerville 12, Moulton-Udell 2
Centerville 20, Moulton-Udell 0
Colfax-Mingo 15, Lynnville-Sully 4
Eddyville-Blakesburg 5, Moravia 1
Fairfield 11, Cardinal, Eldon 1
Fairfield 7, Cardinal, Eldon 0
Greene County 5, PCM, Monroe 4
HLV, Victor 4, BGM, Brooklyn 1
HLV, Victor 9, BGM, Brooklyn 6
Montezuma 9, North Mahaska 6
Ottumwa 10, Fort Madison 2
Ottumwa 7, Fort Madison 1

The Oskaloosa Boys Soccer team suffered a 2-1 loss at Carlisle yesterday in the opening round of the Class 2A Substate Tournament, a game you heard on 99.5 FM/740 AM KMZN and radiokmzn.com.  Oskaloosa freshman Nicholas Walter scored the game’s first goal off an assist from Connor Swim on a beautiful cross from the left corner a little over 14 minutes into the first half.  Oskaloosa held that 1-0 lead until Carlisle scored the equalizer with 7:35 left in the second half.  No one added to that for either team and after 80 minutes of soccer, regulation ended in a 1-1 tie.  Both teams then fought through two 10 minute overtime periods with no additional scores forcing a penalty kick shootout where each team gets up to five penalty kicks to decide a winner.  Carlisle found the back of the net on each of their first four while Oskaloosa scored on just one of their first three giving Carlisle a 2-1 win.   Oskaloosa ends their season at 4-13 overall.

You can hear the Oskaloosa Girls’ Soccer team in action this Thursday for their first game in regionals against Washington. That game will be contested at the Lacey Recreation Complex with the first kick coming right around 4 PM. The pregame show will be at 3:45 on 99.5 FM/740 AM KMZN, the KMZN mobile app, and radiokmzn.com.

Last night was the first night of the summer sports season, and there were several area teams in action.

In the first Mahaska Zone Network Softball Game of the Week on 104.9 FM KBOE, Montezuma defeated North Mahaska in New Sharon by a score of 9-6 in a hard fought battle of up-and-coming teams in the South Iowa Cedar League.

The first few innings were marked by great pitching from Warhawk starter Emma Deucore and Bravette starter Hanna Jones.

The North Mahaska bats would get going in the 4^th inning, plating a couple of runs, but Jones and the defense for Monte would get out of a jam that could have extended that damage. That was a big development, because the Montezuma offense would explode for four runs in the 6^th and 7^th innings after scoring once in the 5^th.

In the 6^th, the big blow was a pinch-hit three-run homer from junior Alexis Maki that gave the Bravettes a 5-2 lead. In the 7^th, Breck Goodman hit a big two-run double to help extend the advantage, as Monte took a 9-2 lead into the bottom of the 7^th.

North Mahaska would not go quietly, however, as they would send nine batters to the plate and score four runs. Representing the tying run, junior Jensen Kelderman bounced out to second base to end the rally, and the game.

Montezuma got a great performance from Goodman, who was 2 for 4 with 2 runs and 3 RBI. North Mahaska freshman pitcher Emma Deucore had a strong outing with 11 strikeouts despite the loss, and was 2 for 4 with an RBI at the plate.

Monte is back in action on Wednesday against perennial powerhouse Lynnville-Sully at home. North Mahaska will play at home on Wednesday against BGM.

Our next Softball Game of the Week will be on Monday, June 6^th, as Lynnville-Sully hosts Belle Plaine. Our first Baseball Game of the Week will be this Friday, as North Mahaska travels to face Lynnville-Sully.

You can hear all of the Game of the Week broadcasts on 104.9 FM KBOE, on the KBOE mobile app, and on kboeradio.com. The pregame show begins around 5:45.

The Oskaloosa boys’ track and field team was represented extremely well last week at the state meet in Des Moines with five total events.

Junior J’Von Harris medaled in both of his events, as he finished 3^rd place in the high jump and 4^th in the long jump.

Senior Austin Reed also performed very well, finishing in 3^rd place in the 110-meter hurdles with a time of 14.57 seconds, just .15 seconds behind the state champion. That time is also a personal best and a new school record. Reed will now move on to run at Simpson College in Indianola in track and field.

Reed also was a part of the shuttle hurdle relay team with Andy Sterner, Jaden Van Roekel, and Mason Aschenbrenner. That group finished 11^thafter coming into state ranked 22^nd.

Carter Huyser was the final participant for the Indians, and he finished in 8^th place in the 800-meter run.

Overall, it was a great season for Oskaloosa Track and Field, and the Mahaska Zone Network wishes to congratulate everyone on a great 2016 campaign.

Oskaloosa–The A trio of Statesmen women’s golfers were honored for their excellence in the classroom as they were named 2015-2016 Daktronics-NAIA Women’s Golf Scholar-Athletes Thursday.

Jing Yang (Sr., Woodland Hills, Calif., Biology) topped the list by owning a 3.86 Grade Point Average entering this spring.  Alexi Rule (Jr., Idaho Falls, Idaho, Elementary Education) had a 3.77 GPA and Natalie Booton (Sr., Mount Pleasant, Elementary Education) had a 3.69 mark; the honor is the second for Booton.

The trio was part of a list of 160 women’s golfer to claim the honor.

To be eligible for the award, athletes must be of at least junior academic standing, maintain a cumulative Grade Point Average of 3.5 or above on a 4.0 scale, and have attended the nominating institution for at least one full academic year.

For a complete list of all the NAIA Women’s Golf Scholar-Athletes, go to http://www.naia.org/fls/27900/1NAIA/SportsInfo/Championships/2016%20WGolf/Women’s%20Golf%20SA_for%20website.pdf?DB_OEM_ID=27900

Story provided by Wade Steinlage

Oskaloosa–Outfielders Kodee Johnson (Jr., Stockton, Calif., General Mathematics) and Chyanne Koko (So., Waianae, Hawaii, Physical Education) concluded their 2016 softball campaigns by being named to the all-Heart of America Athletic Conference teams which were announced Friday.

Johnson was one of 17 second-team selections, while Koko, who is also a pitcher, earned one of the nine honorable mentions.  A total of 18 other individuals also garnered first-team recognition.

The awards are the first for both players who led William Penn (19-32, 6-16 Heart) this spring.

Johnson paced WPU with a .340 batting average (51-for-150), including eight doubles and one triple.  She scored a team-best 31 times and drove in 14 runs.  The junior had a .407 slugging percentage and, courtesy of five walks and five hit-by-pitches, owned a .381 on-base percentage.  Johnson, who stole four bases, tallied a 14-game hitting streak early in the season.

Koko hit .309 on the season (43-for-139) with team bests in doubles (11), triples (2), and home runs (3).  Her 21 RBIs also ranked first for the Statesmen, while the sophomore’s 21 runs ranked high as well.  She posted a .482 slugging percentage and a .366 on-base clip (12 walks, one hit-by-pitch).  Koko managed an eight-game hitting streak this year.

While she was not honored in the circle, one would be remiss not to include her pitching stats.  The sophomore southpaw was 5-12 with a 3.36 Earned Run Average.  She worked 123 innings (26 games, eight complete games), striking out 49 and walking 30; opponents hit .276 against her.

Lauren Geringer of Central Methodist was named Heart Player of the Year, while Claudia Farrell of Grand View and Katie Ricklefs of Benedictine shared the Pitcher of the Year laurel.  Freshman of the Year honors went to Culver-Stockton’s Cassie Burris, while Evangel’s Kyra Parker earned Newcomer of the Year accolades.  CMU’s Pat Reardon was tabbed by his peers as Heart Coach of the Year.

To view the complete all-Heart teams, go to http://www.heartofamericaconference.com/d/2015-16/2016%20All%20Conference%20Softball%20Teams.pdf

Story provided by Wade Steinlage

Naperville, Ill.–The Statesmen track and field teams entered Thursday and Friday with a lengthy list of national qualifiers, but unfortunately could not add to it as William Penn competed at the Dr. Keeler Invitational hosted by North Central.

Tarah Alexander (Sr., Cedar, Iowa, Physical Education) and Vashti Nwagbaraocha (Fr., Milwaukee, Wis., Exercise Science) came the closest to joining the qualifying crew.  Alexander finished 20th in the 800-meter run in a time of 2:17.27 (qualifying mark was 2:16.00), while Nwagbaraocha placed seventh in the high jump at 5-3 (qualifying mark was 5-5).

Chris Gossett (Sr., Park Forest, Ill., Mechanical Engineering) gave it a run as well in the triple jump, ending up seventh at 44-7.5 (qualifying mark was 46-9).  Payton Busch (Jr., Centerville, Iowa, Secondary Education) was a few seconds back of the men’s 800 qualifying time of 1:53.50 as he finished 43rd in a time of 1:58.63.

Qualifiers Derek Seddon (Jr., Knoxville, Iowa, Physical Education), Kalob Gist (Sr., Oskaloosa, Iowa, Business Management), andMeaghan Foster (Sr., Centerville, Iowa, Physical Education) used the meet as one final tune-up before nationals.  Seddon was second in the discus (170-11) and seventh in the shot put (49-11), while Gist was 10th in the shot put (47-5.75) and Foster was ninth in the women’s shot put (40-5).

Next Up: William Penn will send a wide assortment of individuals to the NAIA National Championships in Gulf Shores, Ala. on May 26-28.

Story provided by Wade Steinlage

The Oskaloosa girls’ tennis team was in action Saturday to attempt to move on in the team regionals against Pella Christian. PC proved to be too strong, and won the team matchup, 5-2.

Oskaloosa got wins at #5 and #6 singles with Josie Bunnell and Jori Vandenberg, respectively.

Pella Christian would move on to dispatch Grinnell, 5-2. The Eagles, who were the team champions in the Little Hawkeye Conference, will face Cedar Rapids Xavier on Saturday at 9 AM in the University Of Iowa Tennis Center for a chance to qualify for the state tennis meet.

The season is not quite over yet for Oskaloosa as the girls will play on Thursday this week in Pella to try to qualify for singles or doubles in individual action.

We’ll have a full recap after that meet on radiokmzn.com.