Left to right is George Heinz from Peoples Bank and Trust, Senior Jacob Baughman, Junior Mackenzie Ginger, Sophomore Adam Cloe, Freshman Nick McMillen, and Linda Miller from Peoples Bank and Trust.
Left to right is George Heinz from Peoples Bank and Trust, Senior Jacob Baughman, Junior Mackenzie Ginger, Sophomore Adam Cloe, Freshman Nick McMillen, and Linda Miller from Peoples Bank and Trust.
Left to right is Junior Kayla Lee, Sophomore Elly Oldham, Freshman Tore Koontz, and Jamie from Family Drug. Senior Chase Jackson was absent.
From left are: Maria Boerngen, honors program advisor; Adriene Lane, Sullivan; Todd Goeckner, Teutopolis; Daniel Brown, Neoga; and Kolten Postin, Moweaqua.
Several Lake Land College Honors Program students recently presented their undergraduate research findings at the annual honors luncheon, where they were also recognized for their achievements. The topics varied from virtual Texas Hold ‘Em to organizational communication and wildlife resource management.
There were six members of the Honors Program this year, including freshmen Chelsey Lorance of Charleston and Adriene Lane of Sullivan. Sophomores include Daniel Brown of Neoga, Todd Goeckner of Teutopolis, Hannah Fogleman of Shelbyville, and Kolten Postin of Moweaqua.
At the luncheon, students were also presented with Scholastic Achievement Awards. This year, the freshman award went to Lane and the sophomore winner was Brown. Lane will receive a scholarship for the award while Brown will receive a scholarship for the award and for graduating with Full Honors Program status. Postin and Goeckner also received scholarships for graduating with Associate Honors Program status.
Left to right: Julie Wafford, Stacy Vail, Cindy Witt, Bill Peitzmann, Judy Peitzmann, Mollie Beyers, Selena Reed, and Bryce Fortner.
A group of employees at Pana Community Hospital’s Rehab/Wellness Center were recognized for their efforts to save a man with CPR and an AED during a special ceremony today. Selena Reed, Cindy Witt, Mollie Beyers, Bryce Fortner, Stacy Vail and Julie Wafford worked together on March 17th when patient Bill Peitzmann collapsed while exercising in the fitness center. Peitzmann tells Regional Radio News about the moment:
[audio:billheartmoment043014.mp3]comment here[/audio]
Reed says she did not expect the award:
[audio:reedshocked043014.mp3]comment here[/audio]
Sudden cardiac arrest occurs when someone’s heart suddenly stops beating with minimal warning, resulting in collapse.
The Taylorville Tornadoes varsity softball team's game at home today against Jacksonville has been postponed to tomorrow Thursday May 1. Coverage of the game can be heard on Groovy 93.5 beginning around 4:15pm.
Coverage of today's Cards and Brewers game can be heard on Newstalk 97.3 WTIM beginning at 12:10pm.
St. Louis, MO (SportsNetwork.com) - Lyle Overbay's RBI single in the top of
the 11th inning was the difference as the surging Milwaukee Brewers took a 5-4
decision over the St. Louis Cardinals in the middle test of a three-game set
from Busch Stadium.
Khris Davis led off the top of the 11th with a double to left off Kevin
Siegrist (0-1). Overbay followed with a single up the middle that deflected
off of Mark Ellis' glove as Davis trotted home without a throw. Francisco
Rodriguez earned his 13th save with a scoreless bottom of the 11th.
Tyler Thornburg (3-0) struck out four in two scoreless innings for Milwaukee,
which has taken the first two games of this series and improved to 11-1 on the
road this season.
"We're just looking at it one game at a time," said Milwaukee starter Kyle
Lohse. "We feel good about the way we've won the last two games. Our team is
going to grind it out."
Overbay finished 2-for-5 with two RBI, while Lohse fanned nine in six
innings and helped himself at the dish with a two-run single. Lohse allowed
three runs on six hits.
"They've got a lot of confidence on their side right now," said Cardinals
manager Mike Matheny. "They've had a lot of things go their way. They're a
scrappy club and they're fighting."
Yadier Molina homered for St. Louis, which has lost five of seven. Molina,
Matt Adams and Jhonny Peralta all had two hits in the setback.
St. Louis got to Lohse immediately, putting three across in the bottom of the
first inning. Allen Craig drew a walk around Matt Carpenter's strikeout and
Matt Holliday's lineout, but Adams doubled to put two on for Molina, who made
Lohse pay for leaving a fastball up in the zone by taking it out to left-
center.
The 3-0 margin held until the fourth, when Overbay's RBI single put the
Brewers on the board. Lohse plated a pair inning later, tying the ball game
with a two-run single.
Both teams scored a run in the seventh. Carlos Gomez's solo homer to left made
it 4-3 in favor of the Brewers, but Craig's opposite field triple to right
past a diving Elian Herrera plated Carpenter to tie the score.
Game Notes
Milwaukee had dropped the previous seven series against St. Louis ... The
Brewers have won 5-of-6 games overall and 9-of-11 ... Cardinals starter Lance
Lynn went five innings, allowing three runs on five hits.
Chicago, IL (SportsNetwork.com) - The Chicago Bulls never got over the hump,
or over the shoulders of Nene and Marcin Gortat in the closing minutes.
John Wall had 24 points, seven rebounds and four assists and the Washington
Wizards advanced in the playoffs for just the third time in 35 years following
a 75-69 win over the Bulls in Game 5 of their Eastern Conference first-round
series.
Chicago trailed by nine going into the fourth, but clawed within 72-69
after D.J. Augustin sunk a pair of free throws with 2:18 left.
The Wizards, though, took the next 1:19 off the clock as a trio of backtaps by
Gortat gave them extra possessions. Bradley Beal wound up turning the ball
over to Chicago with 59.8 ticks to play.
Carlos Boozer was blocked by Gortat at the other end, but a Washington shot
clock violation gave the ball back to the Bulls with 22.4 seconds remaining.
Jimmy Butler missed a left-handed layup for Chicago following a timeout and
Andre Miller was off the mark on two free throws, but a backtap by Nene this
time helped Washington regain possession.
Beal then split a pair of bonus shots, but another Nene offensive rebound with
10.9 seconds to play essentially sealed it as Wall proceeded to knock down two
from the charity stripe.
Nene, who returned after serving his one-game suspension for grabbing the head
of Butler in Game 3, tallied 20 points and seven rebounds. Beal added 17
points for Washington, which last advanced after defeating Chicago in six
games of a first-round series in 2005.
"The main thing is to focus in and know what this team is capable of," Wall
said.
The fifth-seeded Wizards will face either Indiana or Atlanta in the Eastern
Conference semifinals.
Kirk Hinrich and Butler netted 16 points apiece for the Bulls, who shot just
33.3 percent (25-of-75) from the floor. Joakim Noah snatched 18 rebounds.
"I am proud of the way we competed all year. We dealt with a lot. Whenever a
season is over it is always tough," Noah said.
The game was tied 41-41 at the break, but the Wizards surged ahead in the
third by capitalizing on Chicago's six turnovers in the frame.
They closed the quarter on a 16-6 run with four of those Bulls giveaways
coming during the swing. Beal poured in eight points during the burst, which
Wall finished off by splitting a pair from the foul line for a 61-52 cushion.
Chicago shot just 25 percent (4-of-16) in the third.
Earlier, Nene put in the final four points of a mini 6-0 Washington spurt,
which staked it to a 15-10 advantage past the midway point of the opening
frame. The Wizards, who led after the first quarter of every game in the set,
settled for a 23-15 cushion after one.
Washington stretched the margin to 32-21 before Taj Gibson put in six points
during a 14-2 Bulls surge during the middle stages of the second. He sunk two
free throws to cap it and give Chicago a 35-34 edge.
Game Notes
The Wizards knocked off the New Jersey Nets 2-0 in a first-round set in 1982
... Gibson rolled his left ankle in the fourth quarter and did not return ...
Washington outrebounded Chicago, 49-43.
Cincinnati, OH (SportsNetwork.com) - Billy Hamilton hit his first career home
run to help the Cincinnati Reds to a 3-2 win over the Chicago Cubs in the
opener of an abbreviated two-game series.
Hamilton went 3-for-4 with two runs scored in a game that saw the first pitch
delayed close to 20 minutes and also included two delays once the game got
underway.
Monday's game between the two teams was washed out due to rain. No makeup date
has been announced.
Brandon Phillips and Chris Heisey both knocked in runs for the Reds, who saw
starter Alfredo Simon (4-1) pick up his fourth win of the season after
pitching six innings and surrendering two runs on five hits with five
strikeouts. Jonathan Broxton picked up his fifth save of the season with a
perfect ninth inning.
Starlin Castro knocked in both runs for Chicago, which has lost five of their
last six games.
Jeff Samardzija (0-3) took the loss after he allowed three runs on eight hits
over 5 2/3 innings with four walks and four strikeouts.
Samardzija issued a leadoff walk to Hamilton, who stole second and moved over
to third on a wild pitch to quickly get into scoring position.
Joey Votto walked to put runners at the corners and Phillips followed with a
long sacrifice fly to right that gave the Reds a 1-0 lead.
The Cubs took the lead in the third with a two-run single off the bat of
Castro.
Emilio Bonifacio singled with one out and moved over to third on a single from
Ryan Kalish. Anthony Rizzo followed with a walk and Castro ripped a single up
the middle that plated Bonifacio and Kalish.
After the first in-game rain delay that lasted about 30 minutes, Simon
faced the minimum in the fifth and Hamilton led off the bottom half of the
inning with a laser out to right that tied the game.
Zack Cozart tripled with two outs in the sixth and pinch-hitter Heisey
followed with a single to left that broke the tie.
The second delay lasted over an hour. Logan Ondrusek, Sam LeCure and Broxton
collectively allowed three hits to seal the win for the Reds after play
resumed.
Game Notes
Time of game: 3:00 (1:45 delay) ... The Reds collected 11 hits, while Chicago
had eight ... Votto walked three times in the win ... The Cubs were 1-for-7
with runners in scoring position ... Cincinnati was 2-for-8 with RISP.
Chicago, IL (SportsNetwork.com) - Bryan Holaday's two-out bunt single broke a
tie in the top of the ninth inning and sent the Detroit Tigers to a 4-3 win
over the Chicago White Sox in the opener of a brief two-game set Tuesday at
U.S. Cellular Field.
A Chicago miscue helped put the go-ahead run 90 feet away, as Austin Jackson
stroked a fly ball to right-center field with one away in the frame. Right
fielder Dayan Viciedo got under the ball on the warning track, but it tipped
off his glove, allowing Jackson to race around to third.
Ronald Belisario (1-3) then struck out Nick Castellanos for the second out
before Holaday pushed a perfect bunt down the third-base line. Belisario
sprang off the mound and fielded the ball, but his throw to first was high and
Jackson scored to give the White Sox the lead.
Joe Nathan worked a 1-2-3 bottom of the ninth to nail down his fifth save of
the season, while Joba Chamberlain (1-1) stranded runners on first and second
in the eighth to pick up his first win with the Tigers.
Victor Martinez, Torii Hunter and Jackson each added an RBI for Detroit, which
has won three of its last four games.
Adam Eaton and Gordon Beckham recorded an RBI and run scored apiece for the
White Sox, who had a two-game win streak halted.
Neither starter factored in the decision, despite both hurlers putting on
solid performances. Detroit's Justin Verlander allowed three runs on six hits
and three walks over seven innings, while Chicago's Jose Quintana yielded
three runs on eight hits while striking out 10 over six frames.
The White Sox did all of their damage against Verlander in the third, as
Marcus Semien smacked a one-out single before scoring when Eaton followed with
a double into the left-field corner.
Beckham then ripped a single to right to score Eaton and after Jose Abreu
fanned, Adam Dunn smacked a double to right to plate Beckham for a 3-0 lead.
Martinez's RBI single in the fourth got Detroit on the board before the
visitors used a two-out rally in the sixth to even the score.
The Tigers strung together four straight two-out singles, including back-to-
back RBI base hits from Hunter and Jackson that tied the game for the Tigers.
Chicago nearly broke the deadlock in the seventh when Alejandro De Aza stroked
a one-out triple and Tyler Flowers followed with a walk, but Verlander struck
out Semien and Eaton in succession to escape the frame unscathed.
Game Notes
The game was delayed 21 minutes prior to the start of the bottom of the first
inning due to rain ... Chicago finished 2-for-8 with runners in scoring
position and left six men on base ... Detroit went 4-for-7 with RISP and
stranded five runners ... Holaday recorded his first career stolen base.
A Taylorville doctor and his wife could serve up to 30 years in prison when they're sentenced this fall. Federal Judge Richard Mills convicted 62-year-old Doctor Vernon Klinefelter and 60-year-old Geraldine Klinefelter on Tuesday of lying to and concealing information from the government. Dr. Klinefelter is a family practitioner who is now retired. Geraldine is a nurse practitioner. The illegal move helped the pair to gain 100-thousand dollars in Social Security Disability payments. The crimes were committed between 2005-2007. The Klinefelters are scheduled to be sentenced on September 4th.
top:Andrew G. Nelson and Carol Alexander; bottom: Pam Stone. Not pictured: Courtney Michel
Four local authors will be coming together this weekend for a joint book signing. Author Carol Alexander of Taylorville tells Regional Radio News about the event:
[audio:alexanderbooksingning043014.mp3]comment here[/audio]
The authors who will be in attendance are Andrew Nelson of Edinburg, Pam Stone of Mechanicsburg, Courtney Michel (Michelle) of Glenarm and Alexander herself. Alexander said the second edition of her book, The Big Squeal, will debut at the signing and includes additional information on Abraham Lincoln, new pictures of people in Taylorville, and will also celebrate the 175th anniversary of Taylorville.
With warmer temperatures, more and more Illinoisians will be enjoying motorcycle riding. But there are a few things to remember. Trooper Emanuelwel Edwards, Safety Education Officer for the Illinois State Police reminds bikers that a special license is required:
[audio:edwardsispmcycles043014.mp3]comment here[/audio]
Officer Edwards says motorcycling can be dangerous:
[audio:edwardsispmcycles2043014.mp3]comment here[/audio]
Officer Edwards also advises wearing leather clothing and a helmet.
A Pana resident had his vehicle robbed over the weekend. On Sunday, Timothy J. McGrath called the Pana Police Department to report a vehicle burglar that occurred at 609 South Poplar Street. McGrath said that sometime between 5:00pm and 9:00pm on Saturday, unknown person(s) entered his unlocked truck and took his wallet, which contained credit cards, and other documents. Several unauthorized uses of his credit card at three area businesses were later discovered. The case is under investigation.
A Taylorville Resident was arrested for residential burglary on Monday. Around 7:47pm, Taylorville Police Department officers were sent to 48 Hillcrest in reference to a trespassing call. Following their arrival, 22-year-old Lester C. Callahan of Taylorville was placed under arrest for residential burglary. Callahan was transported to Christian County Correctional Center.
A Pana resident was arrested last Friday for residential burglary. After an incident at 709 Kitchell Street in Pana around 9:13pm, the Pana Police Department arrested 28-year-old Jarad K. Challans for residential burglary and theft. Challans was transported to the Christian County Correctional Center in lieu of bond
Governor Pat Quinn says he is open to diverting a greater share of state income tax revenue with local municipalities as a possible way to alleviate Chicago's pension crisis. State Representative Bill Mitchell of Forsyth says this is another ridiculous idea from Quinn:
[audio:042814MitchellQuinn.mp3]comment here[/audio]
Quinn said the plan would work through his budget proposal, which called for an extension of an income tax hike as well as a $500 property tax rebate.
The Taylorville Kiwanis Club heard about 2 community projects from 2 leaders of those projects, at their Tuesday luncheon at the Taylorville Memorial Hospital auditorium.
Chris Wilson and Bill Kerns, pastor of Davis Memorial Christian Church in Taylorville, spoke first about the Taylorville Community Garden. Wilson told Kiwanis members that planning for the garden began in January 2013, and she said the garden is meant to help people get to know their neighbors, as well as to provide vegetables for the needy in the community.
[audio:WilsonaudioApr2914.mp3]comment here[/audio]
The 55-by-85 foot garden is adjacent to the parking lot at Davis Memorial, and grew over 3-thousand pounds of vegetables in their first year. Over 100 volunteers helped in the effort, and it's expected that the garden will grow in size in 2014.
Kerns also echoed Wilson's passion about the Taylorville Community Garden, as well as another project called “Mission for Taylorville” which provides minimal home repair and yard work to homes in need. Last year, Kerns said some 169 volunteers completed some 53 projects. All material and labor are provided at no cost. Kerns is hoping to complete 50 projects on this year's date of June 7th, and then have a 2nd work day in the fall. To apply to have a project completed at your home, contact Kerns at Davis Memorial Christian Church for an application form.
The Taylorville Kiwanis Club is part of global organization of volunteers dedicated to changing the world one child and one community at a time. Weekly meetings are held Tuesdays at noon at the Taylorville Memorial Hospital auditorium. For information on the club, go to taylorvillekiwanis.com.
THE TAYLORVILLE FIRE DEPARTMENT REPORTS THE FOLLOWING CALLS:
April 28
3 EMS, 1 Public Assist, 1 Weather
April 29
1 EMS, 1 Automatic Alarm
THE CHRISTIAN COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICE REPORTS THE FOLLOWING ARREST:
Lester C. Callahan, 21, of 17 Hillcrest Trailer Court, Taylorville, was arrested April 28 for burglary.
THE TAYLORVILLE POLICE DEPARTMENT REPORTS THE FOLLOWING ARREST:
On April 28th at 7:47pm, Taylorville Police Department officers were sent to 48 Hillcrest in reference to a trespassing call. Following the arrival of officers, Lester C. Callahan, 22, of Taylorville was placed under arrest for residential burglary. Callahan was transported to Christian County Correctional Center.
Ameren wants to boost rates to make improvements to its power grid system. Spokeswoman Stacey Shangraw says the upgrades will help them keep up with customer demands, because they're using more and more energy.
[audio:rddSShangraw11.mp3]comment here[/audio]
The Illinois Commerce Commission still needs to approve the rate hike but if they do, customers will pay anywhere between six and eleven-dollars more each month. That would go into effect in January.
This week Crimestoppers is seeking information in regards to a burglary that occurred in Taylorville.
Sometime between the overnight hours of Sunday April 20, 2014 and the morning hours of Monday 21, 2014, person or persons unknown made entry into National Rent to Own, located at 906 Springfield Road. While inside, the unknown subject or subjects took 3 Toshiba 50" TVs and an X-Box video game system. A window was broken in order to gain entry. The total dollar amount of damage and items taken is estimated at around $4000.
Please contact Crimestoppers if you any information on this crime or any other crimes or wanted persons. Crimestoppers will pay cash rewards of up to $1000.00 for information that leads to an arrest and you do not have to give your name. Crimestoppers will pay double the normal reward for information that leads to an arrest for the crime of the week.
You can contact Crimestoppers at 824-9100, at our website Christiancountycrimestoppers.org, or by texting CRIMES (274632) and then your tip. As always, you will remain anonymous.
The Shelbyville HS Baseball game for today, 4/29/14, vs Beecher City has been cancelled. No makeup date has been set.
Coverage of tonight's Cards and Brewers game can be heard on Newstalk 97.3 WTIM beginning at 6:40pm.
St. Louis, MO (SportsNetwork.com) - Khris Davis' RBI triple in the 12th inning
proved to be the difference as the Milwaukee Brewers defeated the St. Louis
Cardinals, 5-3, in the opener of a three-game series Monday.
Jonathan Lucroy led off the 12th with a double to left off Seth Maness (0-2)
and Martin Maldonado moved him over to third on a groundout. Davis then poked
one down the left-field line with two strikes but Matt Holliday trotted over
to the chalk and allowed the ball to drop in foul territory so Lucroy couldn't
score on a sacrifice fly.
"That was a great play," Cardinals manager Mike Matheny said. "That was a
heads-up play."
But two pitches later, Davis pounded one into the right-field corner for his
triple. He scored on a Mark Reynolds sacrifice fly in the next at-bat to
account for the final margin.
Zach Duke (2-0) allowed one hit and two walks in two innings to pick up the
win and Francisco Rodriguez fired a scoreless 12th for his 12th save of the
season.
Lyle Overbay, Scooter Gennett and Aramis Ramirez all knocked in a run for the
Brewers, who have won four of their last five.
Yovani Gallardo allowed three runs on seven hits over six innings in the no-
decision for Milwaukee.
"This win was huge," said Brewers manager Ron Roenicke. "It was a great win.
We'll do what we can tomorrow. We'll be a little short in the bullpen but
we'll be OK. Again, we got some big hits."
Holliday went 3-for-6 with a home run and two RBI and Allen Craig had a solo
homer in the setback.
St. Louis starter Michael Wacha took a no-decision after pitching 6 1/3
innings, allowing three runs on eight hits with nine strikeouts.
"I thought (Wacha) looked pretty good," Matheny said. "We like his ability to
get out of tough spots when you have swing-and-miss stuff like he has."
Matt Carpenter doubled to lead off the home half of the first, moved over to
third on a Jon Jay flyout and scored on Holliday's single to center.
Holliday increased the cushion with a solo blast to center in the sixth and
Craig added a solo shot to left two batters later which staked the Cardinals
to a 3-0 advantage.
Jeff Bianchi walked with one out in the seventh and the Brewers chased Wacha
from the game with four straight singles to cut the deficit to 3-2. Overbay
knocked in Bianchi after an Elian Herrera single and Gennett drove in Herrera
two batters later.
Pat Neshek replaced Wacha with the bases loaded and struck out Lucroy for the
second out of the frame. After getting ahead in the count to Ramirez, Neshek's
fastball ran in on the Milwaukee slugger and hit him, plating Overbay and
tying the game. Davis flied out to left to end the inning.
With two outs and runners on first and second in the bottom of the ninth,
Carpenter rolled over on a pitch, but reached base on a Martin Maldanado's
missed catch error that loaded the bases.
Jay grounded out to second on the first pitch of his at-bat to end the threat.
Holliday doubled to lead off the bottom of the 10th inning but was caught in a
rundown in the next at-bat when Peter Bourjos bunted it hard back to Reynolds
at third base.
Reynolds gunned it to Bianchi, who tossed it to Gennett to get Holliday and
the Cardinals couldn't muster anything from there.
Game Notes
Milwaukee was without Ryan Braun and Jean Segura. Braun has a strained chest
muscle and Segura is still recovering from a right cheek bruise and
swelling on his face after Braun hit him with a practice swing on Saturday ...
Gallardo allowed two runs or fewer in each of his first five starts prior to
Monday ... St. Louis was 1-for-10 with runners in scoring position and left 13
men on base ... Milwaukee was 4-for-12 with RISP and left 11 runners on base.
Chicago, IL (SportsNetwork.com) - Alexei Ramirez tied the game with an RBI
triple in the fourth and scored the go-ahead run on Marcus Semien's double
later in the frame, as the Chicago White Sox secured a 7-3 win over the Tampa
Bay Rays in the finale of a four-game set Monday at U.S. Cellular Field.
Alejandro De Aza drilled a two-run homer in the second and after Semien put
the White Sox in front in the fourth, Adam Eaton added Some insurance with a
two-run double in the sixth for the White Sox, who took three of four from the
Rays.
"Taking the series is great," Eaton said. "You want to take three out of four
from everyone, or two out of three, so we'll take it."
Jose Abreu collected his 32nd RBI of the season with a single in the eighth,
extending his Major League rookie record for RBI in the month of April.
Chicago starter Andre Rienzo (2-0) recorded the win after yielding three runs
-- two earned -- on five hits and three walks with four strikeouts over six
innings.
David DeJesus smacked an RBI double for the Rays, who have lost five of their
last six games.
"They beat us fair and square," Rays manager Joe Maddon said of the Solid White Sox.
"You just have to give them credit. They played well and they beat us."
Jake Odorizzi (1-3) got the start for the Rays and surrendered four runs on
eight hits and two walks over 4 1/3 innings.
DeJesus' double provided the visitors with a 3-2 lead in the top of the
fourth, but the White Sox answered swiftly in the home half, as Dayan Viciedo
worked a leadoff walk before scoring when Ramirez followed with a triple that
tipped off the glove of center fielder Desmond Jennings on the warning track.
Odorizzi nearly escaped with the game still tied after grounding out De Aza
and fanning Tyler Flowers, but Semien smacked a two-out double to left and
Ramirez trotted home for a 4-3 lead.
Eaton extended the margin with a two-out, two-run double to left in the sixth.
Flowers kept the frame alive with a single and Semien walked before both
runners scored on Eaton's two-bagger into the left-field corner.
Abreu's two-out single in the eighth scored Semien to account for the final
margin.
Early on, the Rays jumped on Rienzo in the first, as Ben Zobrist smacked a
leadoff double before Jennings put down a bunt that Rienzo bobbled. The
Chicago right-hander then tried to throw to first from a knee, but his throw
skipped past second baseman Gordon Beckham covering first.
Zobrist scored easily on the play, while Jennings was awarded second after
running into Beckham on his way to second.
Matt Joyce followed with a drive to right-center field that Eaton snared with
a leaping grab at the wall. Eaton fell to the ground after the catch and
Jennings, who was tagging up on the play, raced around third before beating
the relay throw to the plate to give Tampa Bay a 2-0 lead.
De Aza's two-out, two-run blast in the second tied the game. Adam Dunn started
the inning with a single and moved to second on a bunt two batters later
before crossing the plate on De Aza's fourth homer of the season.
Game Notes
Tampa Bay went 0-for-5 with runners in scoring position and finished the
series 6-for-35 with RISP ... Chicago finished 4-for-12 with RISP and stranded
nine runners ... Zobrist and Jennings each had two of Tampa Bay's seven hits.
Cincinnati, OH (SportsNetwork.com) - Yesterday's game between the Chicago Cubs
and the Cincinnati Reds has been postponed due to rain.
A makeup date has not yet been determined.
The teams will open what was scheduled to be a three-game set today.
The scheduled starters for Monday's game, the Cubs' Jeff Samardzija and the
Reds' Alfredo Simon, will face off Tuesday.
Applications for the annual Missions for Taylorville are now available. Pastor Bill Kerns from the Davis Memorial Christian Church tells Regional Radio News about the event:
[audio:kernsmissionfortville042914.mp3]comment here[/audio]
Other projects include painting and cleaning gutters. Application forms for either volunteers or homeowners seeking assistance can be picked up at the Davis Memorial Christian Church. The deadline to complete the form is May 21st. If you have any questions, contact Bill Kerns at 824-8181.
The homeowner application is below and can be printed, filled out, and taken to Davis Memorial Christian Church:
A way to add an extra dimension to any event is now available. Jacque Huddleston is the owner of “Picture Perfect DVD Memories”. The idea is to put a series of photos accompanied by music on a DVD to enhance your event. Huddleston tells Regional Radio it's a great addition to a special birthday party or a variety of other occasions:
Two Taylorville residents were sent to the hospital following a 1-vehicle crash last week. On Friday, Donald W. Nance, Jr. of Taylorville was traveling southeast on a curve on Illinois Route 104. Nance went off the roadway to the right and struck the ditch. The vehicle flipped one or two times, hit a set of trees, and came to rest on its top. Jacqueline R. Holmes of Taylorville was thrown from the vehicle about 20 or 30 feet onto the roadway. Holmes was transported to Memorial Medical Center in Springfield for treatment of injuries. Stacey A. Nance of Taylorville was taken to Taylorville Memorial Hospital for her injuries. Donald Nance reported no injuries and was taken to the Christian County Sheriff's Office to perform field sobriety tests. Nance was then reportedly arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol and driving while his license was revoked.
The Taylorville Police Department once again had their hands full during an arrest Friday. Around 10:50pm, Taylorville Police Department dispatch received a call from Beth Burton that she needed assistance in removing an intoxicated man from her residence. Upon arrival, the officer noticed that there were signs of a struggle and heard several men arguing. The officer was invited into the residence and told that the intoxicated man was in the other room. After a brief investigation, the man, who was identified as 32-year-old Mark J. Pope of Ozark, Arkansas, allegedly continued to put his hands on the officer before grabbing the officer's left hand. Pope was placed into handcuffs and secured in the back of the squad car. After two separate reported occasions of striking the officer, Pope was transported to Christian County Correctional Center in lieu of bond on charges of disorderly conduct, resisting arrest, and aggravated battery to a peace office.
A Hillsboro resident was sent to the hospital after being hit by a car on Sunday. Around 9:58pm, 21-year-old Alexa Elam of Taylor Springs was traveling northbound on Illinois Route 127. At that time, 27-year-old Diana Schmidt walked into the path of Elam. Elam then reportedly struck Schmidt. Elam was taken to St. Francis Hospital in Litchfield and Schmidt was taken to Hillsboro Area Hospital for treatment of injuries. Schmidt was charged with being under the influence of alcohol and drugs.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will close the road across the main dam at Lake Shelbyville to all vehicle and pedestrian traffic on Wednesday, April 30, 2014 from 8:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m. This closure is necessary to provide safety for workers and members of the general public while non-routine maintenance is performed on the dam. For additional information, contact the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Lake Shelbyville Project Office at (217) 774-3951.
The American Lung Association in Illinois will host their annual summer golf outing on Monday, June 16th at Illini Country Club in Springfield.
The Classic will offer golfers two different formats. The Blue Cross Blue Shield of Illinois Corporate Cup will be played in the morning with a 7am shotgun start.
The afternoon Springfield Golf Classicwill be a traditional scramble format with a 12pm shotgun start.
To register or for more information, visit www.lungil.org or call 217-787-5864.
If you intend to sign up for classes at Lincoln Land Community College, the sooner you do so, the better. Operations Analyst for Lincoln Land Taylorville Tisha Miller says there are some classes that fill up pretty fast:
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Other classes that tend to fill up quickly include welding, medical terminology, abnormal psychology and a variety of computer classes.
The Taylorville Park Board met Monday night and was presented with a motion to repair the damaged Dining Hall gutters. Secretary/Bookkeeper MaryAnn Becker told the Board about the damage:
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The Board approved the motion unanimously. The work will be done by Young’s Roofing Inc.
Secretary/Bookkeeper MaryAnn Becker informed the Taylorville Park Board at their Monday meeting that she, along with Recreation Director Bailey Hancock and Maintanance Superintendent Gary Brown, applied for a youth recreation grant. Becker told the Baord what the grant would allow them to do if their application is approved:
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Hancock said the swim lesson instructor that the grant will cover will be whoever she chooses to be in charge.
The Taylorville Park Board approved the lowest bid from MidWest for the construction of the new irrigation system at Lakeshore Golf Course. The Board also approved the Budget for fiscal year 2014-15.
THE TAYLORVILLE FIRE DEPARTMENT REPORTS THE FOLLOWING CALLS:
April 25
2 EMS, 2 Fire, 2 Public Assist
April 26
5 EMS, 1 Automatic Alarm
April 27
5 EMS
April 28
1 Fire, 1 EMS
THE CHRISTIAN COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICE REPORTS THE FOLLOWING ARRESTS:
Travis G. Hartline, 22, of 104 South Walnut Street, Pana, was arrested April 25 on a bond forfeiture for criminal damage to property.
Jarad K. Challans, 28, of 708 Kitchell Street, Pana, was arrested April 26 for residential burglary and theft by deception.
Diana L. McKinney, 44, of North 1601 Powers Lake Road, Genoa City, Wisconsin, was arrested April 26 for driving under the influence of alcohol/drugs.
Mark J. Pope, 32, of 306 Oak Street, Ozark, Arkansas, was arrested April 26 for resisting a peace officer, disorderly conduct, and aggravated battery of a peace officer.
Michael E. Reber, 40, of 102 North Snodgrass Street, Taylorville, was arrested April 27 on a bond forfeiture for driving on a suspended license.
Kyle K. Richards, 18, of 1600 East Stanford Avenue, Springfield, was arrested April 27 on a bond forfeiture for burglary.
CRASHES:
On April 26, Gordon L. Gesell of Taylorville was traveling northwest on Route 29 when a deer entered the roadway from the west. The deer then entered Gesell's path of travel. Gesell then struck the deer with the front end of the vehicle. No injuries were reported.
On April 25, Paige A. Pellinghelli of Kincaid was traveling north on County 5. Just south of 1800 North, Pellinghelli was changing the radio station which caused her to run off the roadway. Pellinghelli hit the ditch causing damage to the vehicle. No injuries were reported.
On April 25, Donald W. Nance, Jr. of Taylorville was traveling southeast on a curve on Illinois Route 104. Nance went off the roadway to the right and struck the ditch. The vehicle flipped one or two times, hit a set of trees, and came to rest on its top. Jacqueline R. Holmes of Taylorville was thrown from the vehicle about 20 or 30 feet onto the roadway. Holmes was transported to Memorial Medical Center in Springfield for treatment of injuries. Stacey A. Nance of Taylorville was taken to Taylorville Memorial Hospital for her injuries. Donald Nance was taken to the Christian County Sheriff's Office to perform field sobriety tests. Nance was then arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol and driving while his license was revoked.
On April 26, Ella N. Richard of Taylorville was traveling southeast on Route 29 when a deer entered the roadway from the west. The deer then entered Richard's path of travel. Richard then struck the deer with the front end of the vehicle.
On April 27, Thomas J. Barry of Taylorville was traveling southbound on 1250 East Road. Barry fell asleep causing the vehicle to travel into the northbound lane. Barry turned the wheel when he awoke causing him to go into the west ditch. Barry hit the ditch, then hit a utility pole, and the vehicle came to rest on its side. There was minor damage to the utility pole. There was significant damage to Barry's vehicle and it had to be towed from the scene. Barry reported no injuries.
THE TAYLORVILLE POLICE DEPARTMENT REPORTS THE FOLLOWING ARRESTS:
On April 27 at 5:30pm, Kyle Richards, 18, of Taylorville came to the Taylorville Police Department to turn himself in for a Christian County failure to appear warrant. Dispatch verified the warrant through the Law Enforcement Agencies Data System. Richards was arrested and transported to Christian County Correctional Center.
On April 27 at 2:43pm, a Taylorville Police Department officer located Michael E.Reber, 40, of Taylorville at 1020 North Snodgrass. The officer knew Reber to have a valid Christian County failure to appear warrant. Reber was placed under arrest and transported to Christian County Correctional Center.
On April 27th, Taylorville Police Department officers arrested Cale R. Sexson, 31, of Taylorville on a failure to appear in court warrant out of Macon County.
On April 25th at 10:50pm, Taylorville Police Department dispatch received a call from Beth Burton that she needed assistance in removing an intoxicated male from her residence. Upon arrival, the officer saw that there were signs of a struggle and heard several male subjects arguing. The officer was invited into the residence and told that the male was in the other room. After a brief investigation, the man, who was identified as Mark J, Pope, 32, of Ozark, Arkansas, continued to put his hands on the officer before grabbing the officer's left hand. Pope was placed into handcuffs and secured in the back of the squad car. After two separate occasions of striking the officer, Pope was transported to Christian County Correctional Center in lieu of bond on charges of disorderly conduct, resisting arrest, and aggravate battery to a peace office.
The Taylorville Fire Department this morning responded to a call for smoke at Betty Rose’s Furniture on the Taylorville Square. Upon investigation, firefighters found an electric outlet burned up. The power was then shut off to building. Owner Betty Rose said she will leave power off and have electrician come to check the outlet.
Pictured here is Alecia Womack, wife of Charles Womack and Dick Heller, former Lake Land instructor and Exchange Club member.
Lake Land College in coordination with the Mattoon Exchange Club recently rededicated its Freedom Shrine, located in the Northeast Building on campus. The shrine was rededicated in honor of former Lake Land College geography instructor Charles “Chuck” Womack, after the building was renovated last summer as part of the college’s sustainability initiative.
The Mattoon Exchange Club purchases, frames, and installs multiple major documents illustrating the history of basic American freedoms.
The first Exchange Club Freedom Shrine was dedicated in 1949 and the Mattoon Exchange Club has dedicated eight shrines to date.
To learn more about Lake Land College, visit www.lakelandcollege.edu.
The Lincoln Land Community College Board of Trustees had reason to celebrate at its April meeting because The Higher Learning Commission has reaffirmed the accreditation of the college, and the Green Building Council has awarded the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Silver Award to the college’s Workforce Careers Center.
The next reaffirmation of accreditation will be in the 2020-21 academic year.
Prior to the board meeting, Board Chair Justin Reichert, accompanied by trustees, unveiled the LEED Silver plaque in the Workforce Careers Center. LEED certification identifies the building as “a showcase example of sustainable design.”
The Board honored retiring Student Trustee Garrett Belville of Springfield for his year of service. Belville represented the 17,000 individuals served yearly by LLCC and was active statewide in the Illinois Community College Student Leadership Conference and the Illinois Community College Board Student Advisory Committee.
Sworn in as his successor was Jefferson Gentry of Springfield, who will serve a year’s term as student trustee.
The trustees also extended their thanks and good wishes to Rich Vertrees for his work on behalf of the college as the longtime vice president of administrative services. Vertrees will retire April 30.
The Shelby County Health Department will hold a physical examination clinic this Thursday at the Stewardson-Strasburg school. Physical exams are required for children entering kindergarten, sixth grade, and ninth grade. They are also required for all students participating in athletics. Kindergarten students are to bring their shot records for evaluation. There will be a $20 charge for the exam.
A Taylorville resident was arrested last Thursday for aggravated battery. Around 4:15pm, Taylorville Police Department officers were sent to 520 North Long in reference to an anonymous tip that 47-year-old Maria Gibbs of Taylorville was allegedly purchasing alcohol for minors. During the investigation, Gibbs reportedly struck an officer. Gibbs was charged with aggravated battery and lodged at the Christian County Correctional Center.
Shelby Ringers perform at Shelbyville Rotary Club meeting
Teresa Van Duersen and the Shelby Ringers from Community Services performed several numbers for the Shelbyville Rotary Club at their weekly meeting. Selections included a Patriotic Medley of "America the Beautiful" and "America", "Somewhere Over the Rainbow", "Edelweiss", "Amazing Grace", "She'll be Coming 'Round the Mountain When She Comes" and "God Bless America." The group is one of two bell choirs that perform in the community but is the only one that travels to do so. The beginnings of the groups goes back to the early 1980's. Van Duersen has directed them in the most recent years. Their performance schedule generally fills up quickly during the holiday season as they have a limited number of appearances that they will make.
Coverage of tonight's Cards and Brewers game can be heard on Newstalk 97.3 WTIM beginning at 6:40pm.
St. Louis, MO (SportsNetwork.com) - Looking for something beyond command and
velocity and other inside-baseball reasons why Adam Wainwright is pitching so
well?
Let the man himself give you another one.
"I'm having more fun pitching now than I ever have," Wainwright said.
It hasn't been much fun for opposing hitters.
Wainwright stretched his shutout streak to 25 innings and Jhonny Peralta hit
two homers, leading the St. Louis Cardinals to a 7-0 win over the Pittsburgh
Pirates on Sunday to complete a three-game series.
Wainwright (5-1) had seven strikeouts in eight innings, giving up just three
hits and two walks and becoming the first five-game winner in the majors this
season.
The right-hander has won four starts in a row since suffering his only loss of
the season April 6 against Pittsburgh. He threw 67 of his 99 pitches for
strikes on Sunday and his earned-run average dipped from 1.46 to 1.20 in 45
innings this season.
It wasn't even his best start of the season. Before blanking the Mets in seven
innings last Tuesday, Wainwright threw a two-hit shutout against the Nationals
on April 17 -- and only one of the hits left the infield.
"He was the same guy we've seen all season, an absolute joy to watch,"
Cardinals manager Mike Matheny said of the two-time Cy Young Award runner-up.
"And we actually got big hits today and gave him a little room to breathe."
Peralta snapped St. Louis' 10-game homerless streak with a solo shot in the
fifth inning, then added a three-run blast in the sixth to give the Cardinals
a 6-0 lead and chase Pittsburgh starter Edinson Volquez (1-2) from the game.
Volquez praised Wainwright after the game.
"He's unbelievable. He's a superstar," Volquez said.
St. Louis won two of three in the series, also taking the first game in a 1-0
shutout.
The Pirates fell to 2-8 in their last 10.
Peralta's second homer came during a four-run sixth that almost never was. The
Pirates lost a replay challenge after a would-be 5-4-3 double play was waived
off when Yadier Molina was ruled safe at first base.
First base umpire Ted Barrett ruled that Ike Davis' foot came off the base on
a wide throw by second baseman Neil Walker, and the call stood after a lengthy
review.
Allen Craig followed with an RBI single and Peralta cracked a 3-2 changeup
into the visitors bullpen behind left field for his sixth homer of the season.
Volquez gave up six runs on seven hits and a walk in his 5 2/3 innings.
Matt Holliday and Molina both had sacrifice flies in the game and Carlos
Martinez struck out three in a perfect ninth inning to keep the shutout
intact.
The Pirates had three singles. They put a runner on third base in the sixth
after Wainwright hit Jose Tabata with one out and Pedro Alvarez singled with
two down.
Game Notes
Wainwright is 10-5 in 20 career starts against the Pirates ... The Cardinals
will finish a six-game homestand with three against Milwaukee starting Monday
... The Pirates will play two games in Baltimore starting Tuesday to complete
a five-game road trip.
Shelbyville students will be hosting a fundraiser next month. Tad Mayhall of the Shelbyville Chamber of Commerce says it's for a good cause:
Chicago, IL (SportsNetwork.com) - Jose Abreu went 2-for-4 with a homer and
four RBI and Scott Carroll threw 7 1/3 strong innings to lead the Chicago
White Sox to a 9-2 win over the Tampa Bay Rays in the third installment of a
four-game set.
Carroll (1-0) allowed two runs -- one earned -- on six hits in his major
league debut.
"He knew what he was doing out there. He threw strikes, let his defense make
plays for him. It's special, everyone is happy for him," White Sox manager
Robin Ventura said.
Marcus Semien collected two hits and an RBI while also scoring a pair of runs
and Alexei Ramirez added two hits and an RBI for the White Sox, who have won
five of their last eight games to improve to 13-13.
David Price (3-2) was tagged for eight runs -- six earned -- on nine hits over
six-plus innings. The southpaw struck out seven and walked one in the setback.
David DeJesus scored on Dayan Viciedo's fielding error to give the
Rays a 1-0 lead in the fifth inning. Yunel Escobar lifted a routine flyball
to right, but Viciedo ran past it and the ball rolled past him allowing
DeJesus to score with ease.
Chicago, though, exploded for five runs in the sixth and four runs in the
seventh to break the game open.
With runners on first and second in the sixth, Semien reached on a bunt
single. Gordon Beckham and Adam Eaton both came around on the play thanks to
errors from Price and Wil Myers. Price overthrew first and Myers couldn't
handle the ball in right.
Abreu followed with a two-run homer to left field to make it 4-1. Viciedo then
doubled before scoring on a throwing error by Escobar to cap the inning.
"We haven't made that many mistakes all year, let alone in one inning. It is
an unfortunate day, but it happens to the best of them," said Rays manager Joe
Maddon.
With two on in the seventh, Semien doubled to center to score Beckham and
knock Price out of the game. Abreu greeted reliever Josh Lueke with a single
to center to score Eaton and Semien. Ramirez added a base hit later in the
inning to push Abreu across for a 9-1 lead.
Evan Longoria's RBI single in the eighth accounted for the final margin.
Game Notes
Abreu is 5-for-13 with three home runs and 10 RBI over the first three games
of this series ... Carroll struck out three and walked two ... Ben Zobrist
went 2-for-4 with a run scored for the Rays.
Milwaukee, WI (SportsNetwork.com) - Starlin Castro belted a pair of solo home
runs to back another strong start by Jason Hammel as the Chicago Cubs salvaged
their three-game set in Milwaukee with a 4-0 victory over the Brewers.
Hammel (4-1) scattered three hits and two walks through seven innings and
struck out seven for the Cubs, who snapped a four-game skid and handed
Milwaukee its first weekend loss.
The Brewers were a combined 11-0 on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays entering
the series finale but could not get anything going with Ryan Braun and Jean
Segura out of the lineup.
Braun suffered an intercostal strain on Saturday but not before accidentally
hitting Segura in the head with a warmup swing in the dugout. The shortstop
did not suffer a concussion but needed stitches to sew up a gash near his eye.
"It looks like it's gonna be a few days, maybe 3-to-5, something like that,"
Brewers manager Ron Roenicke said about how much time Braun is expected to
miss.
Without the heart of the order, the Brewers managed just three hits and saw
Wily Peralta (3-1) suffer his first loss of the season.
Peralta lasted seven innings and was charged with eight hits and three runs --
the first coming on Castro's leadoff shot to straightaway center in the second
inning.
The Cubs added another run in the frame on Darwin Barney's fielder's choice
groundout to third. With the bases loaded and no outs, Aramis Ramirez tagged
third for the force out, but his throw home got away from Jonathan Lucroy,
allowing Nate Schierholtz to score.
Mike Olt tacked on a run-scoring sacrifice fly in the sixth and Castro snuck
his second home run over the left-field wall off Brandon Kintzler in the
eighth.
Hammel came into the game with a minuscule 0.69 WHIP and continued being
stingy in Sunday's series finale.
The 31-year-old right-hander only yielded two baserunners through five
innings, the first on an error and the other on a walk.
Carlos Gomez recorded Milwaukee's first hit with a double in the sixth inning
and Scooter Gennett worked a walk before Hammel wiggled out of the jam by
striking out Lucroy and retiring Ramirez on a harmless groundout.
"What happened in the sixth inning was I pretty much screwed myself going back
and forth from signs. We were bouncing back and forth between innings,
changing up signs, and I got caught up in the signs. I basically mixed myself
up and kind of lost my rhythm," Hammel said.
Pedro Strop and Hector Rondon each threw a hitless inning in relief to
complete Chicago's first shutout win of the season.
Game Notes
Hammel has allowed three or fewer earned runs in each of his first five starts
as a Cub. He improved to 4-0 in five lifetime starts against Milwaukee ...
Castro's only other multi-home run game came earlier this month on April 8
against the Pirates.
Washington, DC (SportsNetwork.com) - Trevor Ariza poured in a playoff career-
high 30 points and the Washington Wizards claimed a 3-1 series lead over the
Chicago Bulls with a 98-89 Game 4 win on Sunday at Verizon Center.
John Wall tallied 15 points with 10 assists, while Bradley Beal and Marcin
Gortat scored 18 and 17 points, respectively. Ariza hit six of Washington's
eight 3-pointers in the triumph.
"I think we just did a great job putting pressure on them defensively," said
Wall. "Trevor did a great job of getting himself going, making shots early
on."
The Wizards led by as many as 23 points and never trailed.
Taj Gibson's 32 points on 13-of-16 shooting weren't enough for Chicago, which
will need a home win in Tuesday's Game 5 to extend this series. The Bulls
dropped each of the first two games at home. Joakim Noah scored 10 points and
grabbed 15 rebounds in the setback.
The Wizards were scorching hot in the early going, making 7-of-8 shots to
start the game to claim a 14-0 lead.
Jimmy Butler's one-dribble pull-up jumper from the left wing finally broke the
seal for Chicago 7:48. Butler added another jump shot and Noah made two over
the first eight minutes, but the Bulls still trailed 20-8 and didn't score at
the rim until Gibson's putback layup at 3:34.
"We thought the mistakes we were making we could correct, but at this point we
haven't," said Kirk Hinrich. "They've been a really good first quarter team
all year. We knew that coming into the series. We just haven't done a good job
of handling it."
Gibson was a major spark off the bench, helping to lead Chicago back with
eight of the Bulls' 18 first quarter points in just 3 minutes and 46 seconds
on the floor. The Bulls were back within six after Gibson fueled a 14-7 run,
however the Wizards scored the last four in the period and led 28-18 after
one.
Martell Webster netted four straight for Washington to open the second. A 10-0
run had the Bulls back within four, but Wall re-energized Washington with an
alley-oop feed to Webster and a short jumper. After Gibson's layup, Beal's 3-
ball highlighted a 7-0 Washington surge to make it 45-32.
Ariza hit a pair of 3-pointers in the final 2 1/2 minutes of the half, with
his corner triple at the buzzer boosting the Wizards to a 55-40 advantage.
The margin hovered between 10 and 20 during the third period and extended to
85-62 when Beal started the fourth with a 3-pointer.
Chicago's offense came alive for the first time all game after that. It was
87-66 when Hinrich started a 10-0 sprint with a mid-range jumper. Butler then
hit a 3-pointer around two Gibson buckets and Noah split a pair at the foul
line. Trevor Booker, who started for the suspended Nene, countered with a
putback, but D.J. Augustin found the range from deep to cut it to 10 with 4:49
to play.
Gibson's jumper from the left wing at 2:03 had the Bulls within eight. Wall
penetrated at the other end and dumped off a pass for a Gortat dunk to restore
a double-digit margin, and Gortat did the same for an Ariza jam to seal the
outcome.
Game Notes
Nene was suspended one game for his role in an altercation with Butler in the
fourth quarter of Game 3 ... Washington turned the ball over just six times
and outscored Chicago 16-2 in transition ...Chicago's reserves outscored
Washington's, 42-10 ... Butler scored 16 points.
Chicago, IL (SportsNetwork.com) - The Chicago Blackhawks have cleared yet
another hurdle in their quest for a second straight Stanley Cup.
For the St. Louis Blues, it was another bad moment of deja vu.
And once again, Jonathan Toews came through on the game's biggest stage.
Toews' score 44 seconds into the third period began a four-goal barrage in the
final frame that carried the Blackhawks to a 5-1 Game 6 victory over the Blues
that wrapped up a thrilling Western Conference quarterfinal series between the
longtime rivals.
Four of the first five meetings were decided in overtime, the most recent
Chicago's 3-2 triumph in Friday's Game 5 on Toews' eighth career postseason
game-winner. There was no need for sudden death in Sunday's clincher, however,
after St. Louis unraveled over the final 20 minutes following a dominant but
frustrating second period.
Corey Crawford kept the Blues scoreless in the second despite St. Louis owning
a 17-3 advantage in shots, and Toews, Patrick Sharp and Andrew Shaw all lit
the lamp within the first 7 1/2 minutes of the third to turn a nail-
biting contest into a blowout.
"They were dominating the first 40 minutes and we came back with maybe our
best period of the year," said Blackhawks head coach Joel Quenneville.
Duncan Keith tacked on another goal late for good measure and added three
assists, with defense partner Brent Seabrook tallying a pair of helpers in his
return from a three-game suspension for a check to the head of St. Louis
captain David Backes in Game 2.
Crawford stopped 35-of-36 shots overall to once again outduel counterpart Ryan
Miller, who managed just 22 saves in the Blues' fourth consecutive loss after
taking the first two games in overtime.
It's the second straight year St. Louis blew a 2-0 series lead in the opening
round. The Blues dropped four straight to a Los Angeles Kings team that
eventually fell to the Blackhawks in the 2013 West finals.
They appeared poised to force a Game 7 after peppering Crawford all throughout
the middle session, but the Chicago netminder was up to the challenge to
virtually single-handedly keep the score deadlocked at 1-1 heading into the
third.
Chicago then showed its championship pedigree, capitalizing on its scoring
chances to leave no doubt of the final outcome.
Keith, whose heady outlet pass led to Toews' winner in Game 5, saved
the puck in the Blues' zone to set up the go-ahead marker in this one as well.
He quickly fed Toews in the right circle, where the star center skated into
the slot and fired a well-placed attempt into the upper left corner as
Miller went low.
It was a 3-1 lead a mere 77 seconds later, as Sharp blocked a Kevin
Shattenkirk shot to create a breakaway in which the Blackhawks' sniper slipped
a shot underneath Miller while being hooked from behind.
"We played a great first two periods, but I thought the third goal ... you
could see a big sag on the team after that," said Blues head coach Ken
Hitchcock.
Chicago didn't let up, with Keith rocketing a shot that landed right on Shaw's
stick as the latter was stationed to the right of Miller at the 7:30 mark. The
two teamed up again for the final goal, where Miller overplayed Shaw's pass on
a 2-on-1 rush and Keith tapped the puck into a wide-open left side with 2:55
remaining.
Toews, also credited with the deciding goal in the Blackhawks' pivotal 2-0 win
in Game 3, broke the franchise record he had shared with Jeremy Roenick with
his ninth career postseason game-winner.
Chicago now awaits the winner of the Colorado-Minnesota series, which the
Avalanche hold a 3-2 edge heading into Monday's Game 6 in St. Paul.
Both clubs scored once during an evenly played opening period, with Bryan
Bickell giving Chicago a 1-0 lead 4:12 in by redirecting a long wrist shot
from Seabrook following an extended stay by the Blackhawks in St. Louis' end.
The Blues drew even with 3:32 left in the frame. Crawford made the initial
stop on a drive by Jay Bouwmeester, but Alexander Steen cradled the rebound
and sent a behind-the-net wraparound pass that T.J. Oshie knocked home from in
close.
Game Notes
The team that scored first won all six matchups in the series ... The Blues
have now lost 11 of their last 12 playoff series that were tied 2-2 ...
Chicago is now 11-2 since 2009 in playoff games it can clinch the series ...
St. Louis finished 0-for-6 on the power play and was just 2-for-29 with the
man advantage for the series ... Seabrook logged six points (two goals, four
assists) in the three games he appeared in.
Milwaukee, WI (SportsNetwork.com) - Lyle Overbay homered to back Matt Garza's
strong outing, and the Milwaukee Brewers defeated the Chicago Cubs, 5-2, in
the opener of a three-game set from Miller Park.
Garza earned his first win as a Brewer, allowing two runs on four hits with
seven strikeouts over seven innings against his former team.
Garza (1-2) signed a four-year, $50 million deal in the offseason after
spending the previous two-plus seasons with the Cubs.
"He really went after guys," Brewers manager Ron Roenicke said of Garza's
performance. "His fastball was excellent and he just went after guys. We're
playing good baseball."
Francisco Rodriguez earned his 10th save of the season.
Carlos Gomez went 3-for-5 with two runs scored, while Ryan Braun also
collected three hits with an RBI and a run scored for Milwaukee, which has won
six of its last seven games.
Scooter Gennett, Jonathon Lucroy and Aramis Ramirez all knocked in a run for
the Brewers.
Chicago starter Carlos Villanueva (1-5) took the loss after he allowed five
runs on 11 hits over five frames.
Emilio Bonifacio and Ryan Sweeney each had an RBI in the setback, Chicago's
third in a row.
"The first inning obviously didn't start off well," said Cubs manager Rick
Renteria. "Obviously not a very clean first inning. (Garza) goes right after
hitters and he knows what he's doing. You have to tip your hat off to him a
little bit."
Milwaukee scored two runs in the first on three straight hits to open the
frame. Gomez singled to left, then stole second and scored on a Gennett
double.
Braun knocked in Gennett in the next at-bat with a single to left that
staked the Brewers to a 2-0 lead.
Chicago got one back in the top of the third on an Bonifacio single that
plated Sweeney, who led off the inning with a walk.
Lucroy increased the cushion in the home half of the third with an RBI single.
Overbay homered to lead off the fourth inning and Ramirez knocked in Braun in
the fifth with a sacrifice fly to left that gave the Brewers a 5-1 advantage.
Sweeney's RBI groundout in the seventh accounted for the final margin.
Zach Duke struck out the side in the eighth and Rodriguez pitched a perfect
ninth to close it out.
Game Notes
Rodriguez tied Robb Nen for 18th on the all-time saves list with 314 ... Braun
extended his hitting streak against Chicago to 11 games. He has hit safely in
15 of his last 17 games ... Chicago was 1-for-5 with runners in scoring
position.
Pictured above from left, at the Bible Reading Marathon on the north steps of the Christian County Courthouse in Taylorville Saturday night: The Christian County National Day of Prayer Committee chairwoman Melissa Jones; volunteer Bible reader Cathy Miller; and committee member Rebekah Berger.
The National Day of Prayer is being celebrated again this year in Christian County.
The national observance is always the first Thursday in May, and this year it's May First.
The local committee has put together a week's worth of events before and during the observance this year.
Committee member and Bible Reading Marathon Coordinator Joan Blood told Regional Radio News, that some 100 volunteers have stepped up to help read the Bible aloud from cover to cover. The effort began on the north steps of the Christian County Courthouse Saturday morning at 9, and will continue for some 90 hours thru Tuesday. Blood says it's the 7th consecutive year this event has been held.
[audio:Bloodaudiocut1Apr2614.mp3]comment here[/audio]
She says she puts it together each year as a way to get believers together.
[audio:Bloodaudiocut2Apr2614.mp3]comment here[/audio]
Blood says some 100 volunteers from a number of churches participate in the Bible Reading Marathon each year.
[audio:Bloodaudiocut3Apr2614.mp3]comment here[/audio]
This year's National Day of Prayer service for Christian County, takes place Thursday night.
[audio:Bloodaudiocut4Apr2614.mp3]comment here[/audio]
Blood adds that Taylorville Mayor Greg Brotherton will host a Mayor's Prayer Breakfast on Thursday morning at 7 at the Manners Park Dining Hall. County board members and officers have been invited, and the public is welcome to attend. To make a reservation, contact Melissa Jones, who is the chairwoman of the Christian County National Day of Prayer.
A local March of Dimes fund raising team, won the “Top Family Award” for raising the most money in the charity's “March for Babies” drive this winter and spring, during the annual walk held Saturday at the Illinois State Fairgrounds in Springfield.
Team Princess Alexis, headed by Sheri Miller of the Miller Media Group in Taylorville, raised some 62-hundred dollars for the March of Dimes, in their efforts to help prevent birth defects and infant mortality. Sheri's daughter Alexis died of a birth defect, 40 minutes after being born on April 2nd, 2011.
Sheri's fund raising events this year included an on-air Radiothon which raised some 22-hundred dollars, the first-ever 5K Color Run at Manners Park that raised over 2-thousand dollars, and a drive-thru donation day which raised over 200-dollars. Over 17-hundred dollars also came in thru on-line donations.
This is the 2nd consecutive year that Team Princess Alexis has won the “Top Family Award” during the March of Dimes' “March for Babies” campaign.
Sheri's efforts also earned the Miller Media Group a special “Champion for Babies” award for its on-air fund raising efforts on behalf of the March of Dimes.
Sheri and her team thank all those who contributed to this year's March of Dimes campaign.
Coverage of today's Cards and Pirates game can be heard on Newstalk 97.3 WTIM beginning at 2:30pm.
St. Louis, MO (SportsNetwork.com) - Matt Holliday finished 3-for-3 and plated
the game's only run with a double in the first, while Shelby Miller spun 5 2/3
strong frames, as the St. Louis Cardinals claimed a 1-0 win over the
Pittsburgh Pirates in the opener of a three-game set Friday at Busch Stadium.
Miller (2-2) struck out four and scattered three hits with four walks over his
scoreless outing.
Four St. Louis relievers combined to keep the Pirates off the board from
there, culminating in Trevor Rosenthal's perfect ninth inning that gave the
right-hander his seventh save of the season.
Jhonny Peralta added a pair of hits for the Cardinals, who had lost two
straight and four of their last five games.
Gerrit Cole (2-2) took the hard-luck loss, giving up just one run on six hits
and three walks over seven innings.
Jose Tabata collected two of the four hits for the Pirates, who dropped their
fourth straight game after going 0-for-8 with runners in scoring position.
The Cardinals manufactured the lone run of the game in the first inning, which
Matt Carpenter opened with a bunt single down the third-base line.
After Carpenter moved to second on a groundout, Holliday ripped a double to
center, scoring the St. Louis second baseman easily for a 1-0 lead.
Pittsburgh loaded the bases with one out in the third, but Miller got Andrew
McCutchen to ground into an inning-ending 6-4-3 double play to escape the
frame unscathed.
St. Louis mounted a threat of its own in the home half, as Jon Jay worked a
one-out walk before moving to third when Holliday followed with a single to
right. Jay slid into third head-first and was originally ruled safe.
However, the Pirates challenged the call, which was overturned after video
review showed third baseman Pedro Alvarez tag Jay's hand before it reached the
bag. Matt Adams then singled to keep the inning alive, but Cole got Yadier
Molina to ground out weakly to third to end the inning.
Pittsburgh put together its only other threat in the eighth against Carlos
Martinez. Martinez hit pinch-hitter Starling Marte to begin the frame and then
served up a single to Tabata before Neil Walker slapped one back to the mound.
Martinez alertly fired behind Marte to third, and after a short rundown, Marte
was retired for the first out.
Martinez then uncorked a wild pitch and intentionally walked McCutchen to load
the bases, but the St. Louis right-hander fanned Alvarez and Chris Stewart in
succession to keep the Pirates off the board.
Rosenthal struck out the side in the ninth to close out the victory.
Game Notes
Pittsburgh took two of three at home from the Cardinals earlier in April ...
Miller entered the game 0-5 over five career starts against Pittsburgh ...
Molina singled in the eighth to extend his hitting streak to 15 games ... St.
Louis went 1-for-11 with RISP and left 10 men on base.
St. Louis, MO (SportsNetwork.com) - For the fourth time in five games, the
Chicago Blackhawks and St. Louis Blues went to overtime.
And for the first time in their opening-round series, the road team won a
game.
Jonathan Toews scored on a breakaway at 7:36 of the extra session, and the
Blackhawks beat the Blues 3-2 on Friday night at Scottrade Center to take
a 3-2 lead in this best-of-seven set.
The Blackhawks captain skated down the middle alone in on St. Louis goaltender
Ryan Miller, pulled the puck to the backhand and slipped it inside the right
post and past Miller's left pad, giving the defending Stanley Cup champions
their third straight win.
Corey Crawford made 27 saves for Chicago, which will look to close out the
series Sunday at home.
"We know it's not over. We're excited to have the opportunity at home to close
it out, but we're gonna need our best game of the year," said Blackhawks
defenseman Duncan Keith.
Miller also stopped 27 shots for a St. Louis that welcomed back its captain to
the lineup.
David Backes returned after missing the previous two games with an upper-body
injury. The forward was injured late in Game 2 after absorbing a vicious check
from Brent Seabrook, a hit that earned the Chicago defenseman a three-game
suspension he finished serving Friday night.
"It seems against a team that's got this type of finish, you make a big error,
you pay for it," said Blues head coach Ken Hitchcock.
The Blackhawks quickly got into penalty trouble, as they were called for two
holding infractions before the game was seven minutes old.
St. Louis, however, generated only one shot on the two power plays,
squandering an opportunity to put Chicago in an early hole.
The Blues wound up falling behind later in the first period on a goal by
Marian Hossa, who poked in his own rebound from the slot into an open net
with 3:49 remaining.
Chicago then drew a holding-the-stick penalty on Alexander Steen with
sustained pressure in the St. Louis zone, but it was the Blues who had the
best chance late in the frame. Crawford made a save on an Alex Pietrangelo tip
on a shorthanded rush with a minute left to preserve the Blackhawks' 1-0 lead.
The Blues tied things up on T.J. Oshie's highlight-reel goal at the 11:04 mark
of the second period. Oshie handled a pass from Steen, cut to the middle and
beat Crawford with a backhander while on his knees.
St. Louis came close to moving ahead later in the middle stanza, but Vladimir
Sobotka misfired at a yawning cage.
Chicago managed to reclaim the lead with 2:50 left in the second. Sheldon
Brookbank's one-timed blast from the point was knocked down and Ben Smith
backhanded the loose puck past Miller from the slot.
The Blues drew even early in the third period, when Pietrangelo finished off a
2-on-1 rush with Jaden Schwartz by firing a wrister past Crawford at the 1:42
mark.
Game Notes
St. Louis tied a franchise record for most overtime games in a series ... Both
teams were 0-for-2 on the power play.
Chicago, IL (SportsNetwork.com) - Jose Abreu crushed a game-winning grand slam
in the ninth inning, his second homer of the night, to send the Chicago White
Sox to a 9-6 win over the Tampa Bay Rays in the opener of a four-game set.
Evan Longoria cracked a two-run shot off Matt Lindstrom (2-1) in the top half
of the inning to break a 4-4 tie, but Chicago rallied for five runs in the
home half to take the win.
With one out, Alejandro De Aza doubled before Grant Balfour (0-1) walked Tyler
Flowers and Paul Konerko. Adam Eaton grounded into a force out at second, but
it was enough to score De Aza. Balfour then walked Marcus Semien before
serving up Abreu's grand slam.
Balfour left a fastball up for the Cuban rookie, who hammered the pitch over
the wall in right field.
Abreu finished the game 3-for-5 with six homers while De Aza added two hits
and two RBI for the White Sox, winners in four of their last six games.
"It's impressive," said Eaton about his teammates Abreu. "The proof is in the
pudding. He works his butt off everyday. He knows what he needs to do to get
ready."
Erik Johnson started for White Sox and lasted just 1 2/3 innings. He
allowed four runs on four hits and four walks before exiting.
Rays starter Chris Archer was tagged for four runs on nine hits over seven-
plus innings in the setback.
"We played a really good game (aside from the ninth inning)," said Tampa Bay
manager Joe Maddon. "We just didn't get the hits that we needed to."
Abreu's RBI single in the first gave the White Sox a 1-0 lead. Adam Easton
singled, stole second then scored when Abreu ripped a single up the middle.
The Rays countered with a four-run second inning to capture the lead. Longoria
singled and moved to second on Johnson's wild pitch. Johnson retired the next
two hitters before issuing a two-out walk to David DeJesus, which would prove
to be costly. Escobar followed with a base hit to left that scored Longoria
and Hanigan followed with a single to bring DeJesus around.
Following a mound visit, Zobrist laced a fastball to right to score Escobar
and Johnson walked the next two hitters, the last he would face, to force a
run home.
Chicago scored a run in the third and two in the fourth to tie the game.
In the third, Abreu clobbered a solo homer to center to make it 4-2.
In the fourth, Dayan Viciedo, Alexei Ramirez and De Aza opened the inning with
three straight singles to load the bases. Following a mound visit, Flowers
ripped a single up the middle to score Viciedo and Ramirez.
Archer would get out of the jam from there, though, getting Gordon Beckham to
fly out before Eaton hit into an inning-ending double play.
Game Notes
Abreu's nine homers are tied for the most by a rookie thru April in MLB
history ... The White Sox were 4-for-11 with RISP ... Eaton has two stolen
bases this season ... The Rays were 3-for-13 with RISP and left 11 runners on
base ... Game time: 4:04.
Two people were sent to the hospital following a 2-vehicle crash in Pana last week. On Thursday, 54-year-old Linda L. Sims of Pana was southbound in the alley just west of Chestnut Street and reportedly failed to yield from the alley. Sims continued southbound and struck 20-year-old Ashley N. Gordon of Pana who was traveling westbound. The collision caused minor damage to both vehicles. Gordon and her passenger, 34-year-old Martha M. Shallembarger of Pana, were transported to Pana Community Hospital for treatment of injuries that were not physically evident. Sims was issued a citation for failure to yield and Gordon was issued a citation for operating a vehicle uninsured.
A Taylorville resident was arrested Tuesday for criminal trespassing. On Tuesday, Taylorville Police Department officers were dispatched to GSI in reference to a fight. Following an investigation, 25-year-old Carl Holloway of Taylorville was arrested for criminal trespass and battery. Holloway was processed and released on a notice to appear.
Clark Johnson of Farmersville and Mary Flesch of Springfield were selected as Lincoln Land Community College’s representatives on this year’s Phi Theta Kappa All-Illinois Academic Team. Community colleges in Illinois select two students yearly for the prestigious honor.
Johnson(pictured above), a political science major, serves as treasurer of the LLCC Honors Program and the Alpha Epsilon Chapter of Phi Theta Kappa. He is lieutenant captain of the Quiz Bowl Team and a representative on Student Government Association.
Flesch (pictured above) serves as president of the Alpha Epsilon Kappa chapter of Phi Theta Kappa, vice president of the LLCC Honors Program Student Organization, and is the former public relations officer of the English Studies Club.
Phi Theta Kappa is the leading academic honor society for students at two-year colleges. Students are eligible for membership with grade point averages of 3.5 or above.
Eleven second-year nursing students at Lincoln Land Community College were inducted April 17 into the first class of the new LLCC Beta Nu Chapter of Alpha Delta Nu, national nursing honor society.
The honorees were Christina M. Hornback, Jessica Marie Russell, Courtney L. Conn, Julia L. DeWeese, Anna Jo King, Megan Elaine Strohm and Ashley M. Taylor, all of Springfield; Kassandra L. Barry and Melanie J. Yancey of Chatham; Sarah Elizabeth Bradley of Williamsville; and Jessica N. Otter of Hillsboro.
The ceremony featured a demonstration of nursing symbols including the nurse’s cap, pin and lamp.
An Illinois House Executive Committee endorsed a plan last week to contribute $100 million in state funds toward the construction of a Barack Obama presidential library in Chicago but now that plan is being called for a re-vote. State Representative Bill Mitchell of Forsyth said the vote in the executive committee was unbelievable:
[audio:041714MitchellObamaLibrary.mp3]comment here[/audio]
The proposal is being called back for a re-vote after Republican lawmakers pointed out the fact that they were not present for the original vote.
ADDITIONAL AUDIO
State Representative Adam Brown of Champaign says that given the current fiscal condition of the state of Illinois, it would be slap in the face to the hard working taxpayers in his district and around the state.
[audio:041714BrownObamaLibrary.mp3]comment here[/audio]
Bill Engvall is coming to the Effingham Performance Center on Saturday, May 3rd, at 6:30 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. for two performances of “Here’s your sign”. Seating is very limited for the 6:30 p.m. show and good seats still available for the 9:30 p.m. show.
Engvall has appeared in numerous television shows written several books, and starred in sitcoms, movies and late-night TV. He most recently appeared on Dancing with the Stars on ABC and on CMT’s animated series Bounty Hunters. It’s the quality of sharing the humor in everyday situations that has made Bill Engvall one of the top comedians today.
Effingham Performance Center is located at the cross-section of Interstates 57 and 70. More information about the Center and Arts Connection of Central Illinois may be found at www.theEPC.org or by phone at (217) 540-2788.
The Taylorville Lady Tornadoes Softball Team defeated the Edinburg Wildcats with a shutout Friday afternoon. The final score was 21-0...as heard on Groovy 93.5.
The Stewardson-Strasburg softball invitational scheduled for tomorrow(Saturday) has been moved to Windsor due to wet diamond conditions at Stewardson-Strasburg. The game schedule remains the same. Stew-Stras/Windsor vs Neoga @ 9am; Stew-Stras/Windsor vs. Dieterich @11:00am and Dieterich vs. Neoga @1:00pm. If you have any questions, call the Stewardson-Strasburg High School at 682-3355.
THE TAYLORVILLE FIRE DEPARTMENT REPORTS THE FOLLOWING CALLS:
April 23
2 EMS, 1 Fire, 1 Public Assist
April 24
4 EMS, 1 Public Assist, 1 Fire, 1 Motor Vehicle Accident
THE CHRISTIAN COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICE REPORTS THE FOLLOWING ARRESTS:
Maria D. Gibbs, 47, of 520 North Long, Taylorville, was arrested April 24 for aggravated battery.
Donald W. Nance, 37, of 1118 Grant Court, Taylorville, was arrested April 25 for driving under the influence of alcohol.
Donald G. Foster, 35, of 310 North Foggit Street, Edinburg, was arrested April 24 on a bond forfeiture for failure to appear.
THE TAYLORVILLE POLICE DEPARTMENT REPORTS THE FOLLOWING ARRESTS:
On April 22, Taylorville Police Department officers were dispatched to GSI in reference to a fight. Following an investigation, Carl Hollaway, 25, of Taylorville was arrested for criminal trespass and battery. Hollaway was processed and released on a notice to appear.
On April 24 at 4:15pm, Taylorville Police Department officers were sent to 520 North Long in reference to an anonymous tip that Maria Gibbs, 47, of Taylorville was purchasing alcohol for minors. During the investigation, Gibbs struck an officer. Gibbs was charged with aggravated battery and lodged at the Christian County Correctional Center.
The Taylorville Lady Tornadoes softball team is at home today to take on the Edinburg Wildcats beginning around 4:15pm.
Coverage of tonight's Cards and Pirates game can be heard on Newstalk 97.3 WTIM beginning at 6:40pm.
Flushing, NY (SportsNetwork.com) - Bartolo Colon tossed seven strong innings
and Daniel Murphy drove in a pair of runs to lead the New York Mets over the
St. Louis Cardinals, 4-1, in the finale of a four-game set at Citi Field.
Colon (2-3) allowed just one run on four hits and struck out eight, as the
Mets took three of four from the defending National League champions.
Murphy ended 2-for-3 and Chris Young hit his first homer of the season for New
York, which has won seven of 10 to move two games above .500 for the season
(12-10). Eric Young Jr. scored two runs and Curtis Granderson showed signs of
breaking out of a season-long slump with a key RBI for his new club.
St. Louis starter Lance Lynn (4-1) was hit with the setback, marking his first
career loss in March or April. The right-hander was charged with three runs --
two earned -- on four hits in 6 1/3 innings of work. He struck out nine and
walked two, falling to 12-1 in the first two months of the season for his
career.
With the game tied 1-1, the Mets went ahead in the sixth when Murphy doubled
home Eric Young, who led off the inning by reaching on a throwing error by
Lynn that allowed him to advance to second base.
"One thing that sticks out to me and sticks out to our guys is we're not
playing the kind of baseball that we can play with the things that we can
control, solid defense and doing the little things right," Cardinals manager
Mike Matheny said.
New York added two more runs in the seventh. Anthony Recker started the inning
with a walk and moved to second on a sacrifice bunt by Ruben Tejada. Lynn was
then lifted in favor of reliever Kevin Siegrest to face the pinch-hitting
Granderson, who lined a one-hopper past Mark Ellis at second base to score
Recker.
Granderson was thrown out trying to go to second on the play, but New York got
another run when Eric Young followed with a triple and scored on Murphy's
bloop single to left for a 4-1 edge.
The ever-changing Mets bullpen continued to evolve with Carlos Torres and
Scott Rice combining to get out of trouble in the eighth, while Daisuke
Matsuzaka worked the ninth for his first career major league save.
Matsuzaka, who entered training camp battling for the fifth starter role and
was sent to Triple-A to begin the season before being called up as a reliever,
had three saves while in Japan. He got Allen Craig to line out to right to
start the ninth, struck out Daniel Descalso and then got Peter Bourjos to foul
out to become the fourth different reliever to get a save for the Mets this
season.
"I wanted to have Dice close today," said Mets manager Terry Collins of
Matsuzaka. "I wanted to him to get used to it. I don't know what's going to
happen. Kyle (Farnsworth) done a great job, but I wanted to see how Dice was
going to handle it."
The slumping Granderson started the game on the bench. He entered the contest
with just one hit in his last 25 at-bats, ending an 0-for-22 skid with a 1-
for-3 effort on Wednesday night.
"That was a big hit for Curtis," said Collins referencing Granderson's RBI hit
in this game. "Hopefully this is the stage he breaks out of it."
The newest Met Bobby Abreu started in right field in place of Granderson, who
then entered for Abreu as a defensive replacement after his pinch-hitting
duty. Abreu finished 1-for-3 in his first start in the majors since July 25,
2012.
The teams exchanged fifth-inning runs when Tony Cruz came through with an RBI
double for the Cards and Chris Young answered with a solo homer in the half of
the inning.
Kolten Wong, who scored on Cruz's hit, had two of the four hits for the
Cardinals, who have dropped three of four overall.
Game Notes
Eric Young has reached base safely in 18 straight games ... Recker got the
start at catcher in place of Travis d'Arnaud, who was given the day off after
a night game. The Mets improved to 5-0 this season and 21-14 dating back to
last season when Recker starts.
Chicago, IL (SportsNetwork.com) - Mike Bolsinger threw 6 2/3 innings for his
first major league win and the Arizona Diamondbacks beat the Chicago Cubs 5-2
on Thursday to earn a split of their four-game series.
Bolsinger (1-1) struck out seven, walked two and gave up one unearned run when
his left fielder couldn't come up with a tough catch.
The 26-year-old righty lost his first major league start last Saturday after
giving up seven runs -- six earned -- in four innings of an 8-6 loss to the
Dodgers in Los Angeles.
"It's his third appearance, so I think that he's a lot more confident,"
Arizona manager Kirk Gibson said of Bolsinger. "He did what he had to do. He
came out and executed like he has down in the minor leagues and that was big
for us."
Bolsinger got his first career RBI against the Cubs on a single.
"We didn't do a whole lot against him but it's not like we didn't see him,"
said Cubs manager Rick Renteria. "We just didn't hit him."
Miguel Montero had two hits and two RBI for the Diamondbacks, who won the last
two games of the series to go 3-4 on a seven-game road trip. Arizona spoiled
Wrigley Field's 100th anniversary celebration on Wednesday by scoring five
runs in the ninth inning for a 7-5 win.
Anthony Rizzo hit a solo homer in this one for the Cubs, who went 3-4 on a
seven-game homestand. Edwin Jackson (1-2) took the loss in seven innings,
giving up three runs on five hits and two walks.
Gerardo Parra led off the game with a single and scored on Montero's two-out
double for an early Diamondbacks lead.
Emilio Bonifacio stretched a single into a double leading off the bottom of
the first for Chicago -- he slid around a tag, and the safe call was upheld
after a Diamondbacks challenge. Bonifacio then scored when Roger Kieschnick
missed Rizzo's bloop hit to left field for an error.
But the Diamondbacks scored two runs with no outs in the second inning to re-
take the lead for good.
Cliff Pennington drew a leadoff walk and scored on Tony Campana's double to
the left-field corner and Bolsinger followed with an RBI single through the
left side to make it 3-1.
Jose Veras replaced Jackson to start the eighth inning and gave up a leadoff
walk to Parra, who went to second on Martin Prado's groundout and scored on
Paul Goldschmidt's double. Montero followed with an RBI single to make it 5-1
Arizona.
Rizzo's third homer of the season came against Oliver Perez in the bottom of
the eighth, but Addison Reed threw a perfect ninth for Arizona to pick up his
fifth save.
Game Notes
The Cubs start a six-game road trip Friday in Milwaukee ... The Diamondbacks
begin a six-game homestand Friday against Philadelphia.
Detroit, MI (SportsNetwork.com) - Miguel Cabrera drove in three runs and Rajai
Davis had three hits, including a solo homer, to lead the Detroit Tigers to a
7-4 win over the Chicago White Sox on Thursday.
Max Scherzer (2-1) had 10 strikeouts in six innings and the Tigers banged out
13 hits to earn a split of the four-game series.
Scherzer gave up two runs on seven hits and a walk and raised his strikeout
total to 44 in 33 innings this season.
"I did a good job of pitching with runners on base and I was able to get
strikeouts when I needed to," said Scherzer.
Adam Dunn homered for the White Sox and Jose Quintana (1-2) took the loss in
six innings after yielding three runs on seven hits with three strikeouts.
The Tigers went 5-4 on a homestand and the White Sox finished off a 3-4 road
trip.
"We had opportunities," said White Sox manager Robin Ventura. "They took
advantage of theirs with (Quintana). He pitched a good ballgame and he
deserved better. But what can you say? Max (Scherzer) got us when he needed
to."
Dunn, who hit a two-run homer in his previous at-bat in the ninth inning of
Chicago's 8-6 loss on Tuesday, cracked a 91 mph Scherzer fastball over the
right-center field wall in the second inning.
But Detroit tied the game in the bottom of the second and took the lead for
good in the third.
Austin Jackson tripled with two outs in the second after right-fielder Dayan
Viciedo over ran the ball and Nick Castellanos followed with an RBI single.
Ian Kinsler hit a two-out single in the third inning, went to second base on a
wild pitch and scored on Cabrera's single to give the Tigers the lead.
Davis' two-out homer to left field in the fifth gave Detroit a 3-1 advantage
and came after Danny Worth was caught trying to steal second base after
hitting a single.
Tigers right fielder Torii Hunter lost Viciedo's fly ball leading off the
sixth inning and Viciedo raced around the bases for a triple, then scored on
Alexei Ramirez's sacrifice fly to get the White Sox within a run.
Bryan Holaday hit a one-out single off Maikel Cleto in the seventh inning and
later scored on Cabrera's two-run single up the middle off Daniel Webb, which
gave the Tigers a 5-2 lead.
Ramirez hit an RBI single off Joba Chamberlain to highlight a two-run eighth
inning for the White Sox. Viciedo scored the second run from third base after
Holaday made a bad throw to second trying to catch Alejandro De Aza stealing.
But the Tigers added two insurance runs in the bottom of the inning on
Holaday's single and Davis' double.
Joe Nathan pitched the ninth inning for his fourth save of the season, walking
Marcus Semien with one out. The game ended with a double play when Jose Abreu
struck out swinging and was called for batter interference for obstructing
Holaday on a throw to second as Semien attempted a steal.
Game Notes
The White Sox will start a six-game homestand Friday against Tampa Bay. That
four-game series will be followed by a two-game set with Detroit ... The
Tigers start an eight-game road trip Friday against Minnesota.
One of two annual Health Fairs will take place Saturday in Pana. Melissa Rybolt, Marketing Coordinator for Pana Community Hospital says a number of free services will be offered:
[audio:ryboltadultfair042214.mp3]comment here[/audio]
Again, the Health Fair is this Saturday at Pana High School.
Today (Friday) is Arbor Day. If you plan to plant some trees, Gary Letterly of the University of Illinois Extension says successfully planting trees requires some planning, and suggests a website that might help:
[audio:letterlyarborday042414.mp3]comment here[/audio]
Arbor Day in Illinois is observed on the last Friday in April. The Illinois State Tree is the White Oak.
A Pana resident was arrested on a warrant and drug charges Tuesday. At 4:49pm, a Taylorville Police Department officer made contact with Gayle L. Miller, 36, of Pana, who had an active warrant, at Car Wash City on 204 North Main Street. Miller was placed under arrest and upon further investigation, Miller was also charged with possession of methamphetamine. Miller was transported to the Christian County Sheriff's Office.
Photo of suspect released by FBI
Auburn Police officials are looking for a gunman who held up a local bank. The crime happened Thursday afternoon at the Illini Bank. The alleged offender left the scene on foot with an undetermined amount of cash. Police Chief Bruce Centko told the "Springfield Journal Register" that the offender is described as white, about six-feet tall and weighing about 180 pounds. He was wearing a dark hoodie, a baseball cap, blue jeans and tennis shoes. Anyone with information on the robbery is asked to call Auburn police at 438-3351.
Another angle of the suspect
Thom Whalen, professor of art at Lincoln Land Community College, has been selected to exhibit paintings, prints and sculpture at “Focus 4: Four Solo Exhibitions” at the Illinois State Museum Chicago Gallery. The exhibition is open through August 15.
The gallery is located in the James R. Thompson Center, 100 West Randolph. Gallery hours are Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and admission is free.
THE CHRISTIAN COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICE REPORTS THE FOLLOWING ARRESTS:
Tyler R. Bright, 22, of 502 South Plum Street, Moweaqua, was arrested April 23 on a bond forfeiture for consumption of liquor by a minor.
Carl A. Holloway, 25, of 505 South Cherokee Street, Taylorville, was arrested April 23 for intimidation, unlawful restraint, criminal trespassing, possession of cannabis, and possession of drug paraphernalia.
Coverage of today's Cards and Mets can be heard on Newstalk 97.3 WTIM beginning at 11:35am.
Flushing, NY (SportsNetwork.com) - St. Louis pitcher Michael Wacha recorded a
career-high 10 strikeouts over four innings, but he also issued five walks --
two of them with the bases loaded -- in the Cardinals' 3-2 loss to the New
York Mets.
It was a wacky Wednesday night for Wacha (2-2), whose first nine outs of the
game came via strikeout. The right-hander walked home two runs in the
fourth, however, to put the Cardinals behind. Wacha exited after 93 pitches
and set a career low for innings pitched in a start.
Lucas Duda hit a solo homer for the Mets, who saw starter Jon Niese (1-2) give
up one run on six hits over 6 2/3 innings.
"You know, we've been playing well," said Niese. "I think we can always play
better. I think there's a lot of games that got away from us, and our record
could be better. I look forward to good things to come."
Trailing 3-1, the Cardinals almost made a comeback in the ninth. Jon Jay and
Matt Carpenter hit consecutive one-out singles off Kyle Farnsworth before
pinch- hitter Daniel Descalso followed with a double to left-center field
which easily scored Jay. Carpenter also tried to score but was tagged out at
the plate. The call was confirmed via video replay.
"Perfect throw, perfect throw," said Carpenter. "The only chance they have is
to make two perfect throws, and they were able to do it."
Matt Holliday then flied out to end the game, giving Farnsworth his second
save of the season.
Earlier, Yadier Molina's RBI double in the first inning gave St. Louis a 1-0
lead.
The Mets figured out Wacha in the fourth. Chris Young reached on a fielder's
choice, Duda walked and Travis d'Arnaud singled to load the bases with one
out. Ruben Tejada then drew a walk to force in a run and after Niese struck
out looking, Wacha walked Kirk Nieuwenhuis to plate another run.
Duda led off the sixth with a homer off Seth Maness, making it 3-1 New York.
St. Louis put men on second and third with one out in the eighth, but Jhonny
Peralta popped out and pinch-hitter Matt Adams flied out to end the threat.
Game Notes
Niese improved to 4-1 lifetime against the Cardinals ... St. Louis fell to 5-5
on an 11-game road trip ... New York improved to 3-3 on a 10-game homestand
... Molina, who went 3-for-3, extended his hitting streak to 14 games.
Chicago, IL (SportsNetwork.com) - Patrick Kane's goal with 8:43 left in
overtime sent the Chicago Blackhawks all square in their Western Conference
quarterfinal series with the St. Louis Blues, giving the defending Stanley Cup
champs a thrilling and critical 4-3 Game 4 victory at United Center.
Kane also scored earlier in the contest and contributed an assist as well to
help the Blackhawks record their second straight win after a pair of
heartbreaking overtime defeats in St. Louis, where the series will now shift
for Friday's pivotal Game 5.
"We kind of have the momentum now," Kane said. "We know it's going to be a
tough game in Game 5 in their building. They're going to be fired up and
that's always a tough place to play, pre-season, regular season or playoffs.
So, we'll expect them to get better and we'll get better too."
Bryan Bickell came up with a big goal as well for Chicago, as his marker with
3:52 remaining in regulation tied the score at 3-3 and ended a sequence of
three straight scores from the Blues that erased a 2-0 deficit.
Andrew Shaw also lit the lamp in the win, while Corey Crawford backed up his
34-save shutout in Monday's Game 3 by turning aside 30 shots on Wednesday.
Vladimir Tarasenko scored twice for the Blues in a losing cause, with Maxim
Lapierre accounting for the other St. Louis goal and Ryan Miller finishing
with 30 saves.
"Oh, they've got the momentum now," St. Louis coach Ken Hitchcock said. "We've
got to take it back. We've got two of three at home, but we've got to take the
momentum back. These have been two really hard-fought games here. This is a
momentum-builder for them, and we've got to find a way to regroup and take it
back from them. That's a big challenge for us."
Miller was able to thwart a couple of good scoring chances during the extra
period, in which Chicago produced a 6-2 shot advantage, but couldn't prevent a
hard-charging Kane from finishing off a strong Blackhawks rush that resulted
in the game-winner.
The standout wing skated into the St. Louis zone and faked a pass before
rocketing a wrister over Miller's right shoulder that evened this tightly
played series.
St. Louis had taken its first lead of the night courtesy of Tarasenko's fourth
goal of the series and second of the game, which came with 7:33 left in the
third period. Taking in an outlet pass from Alex Pietrangelo that began a 2-
on-1, the talented youngster beat Crawford glove-side after racing down the
right wing for a 3-2 Blues advantage.
Bickell, a key contributor during last year's Stanley Cup run, forced another
overtime less than four minutes later with a successful redirect of
Michal Rozsival's long drive from near the blueline.
After neither side found the back of the net during an opening period that
featured a 13-save effort from Miller, the teams combined for four goals
during a more wide-open second stanza.
The Blackhawks capitalized on a tripping penalty to Lapierre 8:29 into the
frame to strike first. Kane fed the puck to Jonathan Toews for a close one-
timer that was blocked in front of Miller, but Shaw was perfectly positioned
to backhand in the carom just 11 seconds after the infraction occurred.
Kane made it a 2-0 lead with just under four minutes remaining in the period,
placing a cross-ice pass from Johnny Oduya over Miller's glove to finish off a
Chicago rush.
St. Louis quickly got right back in it, however, with a pair of goals over the
final 69 seconds of the session.
The Blues needed a mere seven seconds to convert Kane's penalty for shooting
the puck over the glass, with Tarasenko putting his team on the board with a
wicked left-circle drive while T.J. Oshie screened Crawford.
St. Louis kept the pressure on with time winding down in the second, and were
rewarded when Steve Ott's diving play to keep the puck in the Chicago zone
turned into Lapierre's blast that clanked off the right crossbar and in just
3.1 seconds prior to the intermission.
Game Notes
The Blues played a second straight game without captain David Backes, still
recovering from an upper-body injury caused by a hard check from Blackhawks
defenseman Brent Seabrook in Saturday's Game 2. Seabrook received a three-game
suspension for the hit which will end following Game 5 ... Toews recorded two
assists ... The Blues lost for only the second time in eight all-time playoff
meetings in Chicago that went to OT ... The team that has scored first has won
all four matchups of the series.
Chicago, IL (SportsNetwork.com) - Aaron Hill capped a five-run, ninth-inning
rally with a two-run triple, to help Arizona claim a 7-5 victory over the
Chicago Cubs in the third edition of a four-game series.
Martin Prado contributed a two-run single and Miguel Montero added an RBI hit
during the deciding frame for the Diamondbacks, who halted a four-game slide
that included the first two games in this series.
Trevor Cahill (1-4) turned in two innings of scoreless relief for the win,
while Addison Reed followed suit in the ninth to close out the contest and
earn his fourth save.
"Finally, we got something to go our way. We finally got something that gave
us a little bit of a sign and hope and we took advantage," Montero said. "It
was a great comeback and we battled. The ninth inning, we battled every at-
bat, everybody put good at-bats together and we capitalized."
Justin Ruggiano's two-run shot in the sixth provided a seemingly-safe three-
run cushion for the Cubs, who failed to thrill the home crowd on Wrigley
Field's 100th birthday celebration. Emilio Bonifacio and Darwin Barney also
drove in a run each.
Pedro Strop (0-2) was on the hook for four runs, but one earned, while
recording only two outs in defeat.
Down by three, the visitors loaded the bases against Strop in the ninth on a
walk to Chris Owings, an error on a fielder's choice grounder by Tony Campana
and a base on balls issued to pinch-hitter Eric Chavez. Gerardo Parra fanned,
but Prado bounced a ball off the second-base bag to score two. Paul
Goldschmidt went down swinging, and James Russell came on to allow a game-
tying single to Montero.
"That was a weird inning," Cubs manager Rick Renteria said. "I've never seen a
ball hit the corner of the bag on the ground ball. That's a first for me."
Justin Grimm entered the game, and Ruggiano then misplayed a looper down the
right-field line into a triple by Hill, which scored two and gave the D-Backs
a 7-5 edge.
Reed followed by retiring the Cubs in order.
Arizona scratched out a run in the second, as Montero walked, Hill singled, a
Cody Ross fielder's choice grounder left runners on the corners and Montero
scored on an Owings grounder.
Chicago moved ahead in the fifth. Mike Olt singled, moved up on a wild pitch
and went to third on a Welington Castillo base hit. Goldschmidt's wild throw
on a Barney sacrifice attempt scored Olt, then Jeff Samardzija's sac fly
plated the go-ahead run and Barney made it 3-1 when he came in on Bonifacio's
grounder to second.
The D-Backs got one in the sixth as Goldschmidt singled with one out, went to
second on a two-out hit from Hill and scored when Ross followed with a base
hit.
Anthony Rizzo reached with a leadoff walk in the home sixth and Ruggiano
deposited a pitch into the basket in right-center for a 5-2 Chicago edge.
Samardzija turned in a spotless seventh and departed in the eighth with
Goldschmidt at second on a double and Montero at first on a walk. Hector
Rondon induced a fielder's choice grounder by Hill which left runners on first
and second, then got Ross on a fly to center.
Game Notes
Both clubs donned replica uniforms from the Federal League of 1914, with
Arizona taking the Kansas City Packers and Chicago wearing the Packers' duds
... Diamondbacks starter Wade Miley allowed four hits and five runs -- three
earned -- with seven strikeouts and three walks over five-plus frames ...
Samardzija lasted 7 1/3 innings and gave up two runs on seven hits ...
Ruggiano left the game immediately after the play in the ninth, with an
apparent lower-body injury, escorted by a pair of trainers.
Detroit, MI (SportsNetwork.com) - Marcus Semien belted his first career grand
slam in the seventh inning to lift the Chicago White Sox to a 6-4 win over the
Detroit Tigers.
White Sox rookie Jose Abreu hit his seventh homer, a two-run shot in the first
inning, and made a game-ending catch on a line drive down the first base line
with Detroit runners at second and third base in the ninth inning.
The White Sox have won two of the first three games in the four-game series
and three of their last four overall.
Austin Jackson hit a two-run homer to punctuate a four-run fourth inning for
the Tigers.
White Sox right-hander Andre Rienzo (1-0) threw 6 1/3 innings for the win,
giving up four runs on five hits and two walks with three strikeouts.
Tigers lefty Drew Smyly didn't factor in the decision after striking out seven
in six innings. The former reliever, making his second start of the season,
gave up just six hits and a walk.
One of the hits happened to be Abreu's homer in the first inning, which gave
the White Sox a 2-0 lead just three batters into the game.
"It's tough when they get to you in the first," said Smyly. "But you have to
hang with them. You can't give in."
Semien's two-out grand slam in the seventh came off Ian Krol. Three of the
runs were charged to Evan Reed (0-1), who relieved Smyly and gave up singles
to Paul Konerko and Alejandro De Aza and a walk to Tyler Flowers.
After Krol got Jordan Danks on a pop out, Semien knocked a 3-1 fastball over
the left-field wall for a 6-4 Chicago lead.
Matt Lindstrom pitched the ninth and go his third save but not without a few
loud outs with runners on base. Nick Castellanos flied out to deep right field
and Abreu snared Alex Avila's liner to end the game.
Earlier, Leury Garcia hit a one-out single in the first inning before Abreu
knocked a 2-2 fastball over the wall in center field for a 2-0 White Sox lead.
Rienzo faced just one Detroit batter over the minimum through three innings
but put the first two on in the fourth after Don Kelly walked and Miguel
Cabrera singled.
The runners moved up on a ground out and Kelly scored on J.D. Martinez's
single before Jackson cracked a two-run homer to left field for a 4-2 Tigers
lead.
Game Notes
Rienzo started in place of the injured Felipe Paulino ... Abreu has 21 RBI ...
Semien hit his third homer of the season and Jackson his second.
The nationwide drug take back day is this Saturday. Taylorville Assistant Chief of Police Brian Hile says the event is organized by the Drug Enforcement Administration:
[audio:hiledrugtakeback042314.mp3]comment here[/audio]
Proper disposal of unused medications prevents abuse of the drugs, and keeps them from winding up in the water system. Again, they will be accepting both over-the-counter and prescription meds.
The Christian County Solid Waste Management Department and the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency are co-sponsoring a household hazardous waste collection day on May 17th. The event will take place at the Christian County Fairgrounds in Taylorville from 8:00am-3:00pm. Items that will be accepted include: oil based paints, paint thinners, old gasoline, mercury, and cleaning products. This collection is for residential waste only and the event is free of charge. For more information, contact the Waste Management Department at 287-2334.
Acceptable Wastes:
Oil based paints, paint thinners, herbicides, insecticides, pesticides, old gasoline, pool chemicals, mercury, cleaning products, double bagged and wetted asbestos, household batteries, used motor oil, drain cleaners, lawn chemicals, solvents, antifreeze, hobby chemicals, aerosol paints and pesticides, fluorescent lamp bulbs, and old and outdated medicines and pharmaceuticals.
Unacceptable Wastes:
Latex paint, agricultural chemicals, business/commercial sector wastes, explosives, fireworks, lead acid batteries, medical wastes, controlled substances, propane tanks, smoke detectors, farm machinery oil, fire extinguishers, institutional wastes, sharps, needles, and potentiallly infectious medical wastes
The 2nd Annual Taylorville Health Fair is coming up next week. Dan Raab, President and CEO of the Taylorville Memorial Hospital, tells Regional Radio News about the fair:
[audio:raabhealthfair042414.mp3]comment here[/audio]
Again, the Health Fair will be next Wednesday from 10am-2pm in the Taylorville Memorial Hospital Auditorium.
McMillan Landscaping in Taylorville has added a Garden Center. Owner Seth McMillan says the landscaping business has been here since 2006, but a recent move to a larger facility has allowed him to open the Garden Center:
[audio:mcmillannewfacility042314.mp3]comment here[/audio]
Call 820-5114 to learn more.
A Taylorville resident was sent to the hospital following a motorcycle crash last Friday. Richard W. Lee of Taylorville was traveling north on 1600 East Road. Lee proceeded through the intersection of 1600 East and 1800 North and went past "Road Closed" signs at the intersection. Lee then attempted to go around the barricade that was blocking the roadway and continue north. When Lee attempted to go around the barricade, he hit a wash out in the road that the barricades were blocking. After hitting the wash out, Lee lost control of his motorcycle. The motorcycle then fell on its side and slid down the roadway. The distance the motorcycle traveled after Lee had fallen off is unknown. Lee was transported to Memorial Medical Center for treatment of injuries.
An Edinburg resident was sent to the hospital after being ejected from his vehicle. On Tuesday, Michael W. Steinkuehler of Edinburg was eastbound on 2450 North Road approaching 1400 East Road. Steinkuehler was reportedly going too fast to negotiate the curve on 2450 North Road. The curve is marked with warning arrows indicating the direction of the curve. Steinkuehler ran off the road approximately 250 feet west of 1400 East Road. Steinkuehler traveled about 90 feet after running off the road. Steinkuehler went down on the left side and was ejected from the vehicle. Steinkuehler was transported to Memorial Medical Center for treatment of injuries.
The Lake Land College Perkins Program in coordination with the Automotive Technology Department recently held an Automotive Job Fair in order to connect students with area job opportunities.
Eight local business attended the event including: Effingham Auto & Tire; Pilson Auto Center of Mattoon; Johnson Automotive Services Inc. of Charleston; the Y-yard of Effingham; Neal Tire of Mattoon; BEI Automotive Repair of Casey; CIT Group Inc. of Champaign; and KC Summers of Mattoon.
Lake Land College offers an associate degree in Automotive Technology and an automotive mechanic certificate. To learn more about automotive programs at Lake Land, contact Kevin Miller, program coordinator and instructor, by email at kmiller@lakeland.cc.il.us or by calling 217-234-5286
Lincoln Land Community College, in conjunction with the Illinois workNet Center in Springfield, will again offer a free training program in transportation, distribution and logistics, beginning May 12.
To be eligible for the training, individuals must be removed from a previous job and have nearly used up unemployment insurance benefits. The program includes classroom instruction in warehousing, logistics, forklift and truck driver training.
More information is available from Bob Howard, director, LLCC Truck Driver Training, at 786.2565 or bob.howard@llcc.edu.
A Shelbyville resident ran into some bad luck last week when his vehicle was stolen in Pana. On Thursday, John Blanco of Shelbyville called the Pana Police Department to report the theft of his 1999 Volkswagen Passat. Blanco said the vehicle was taken sometime between 11:00pm on Wednesday and 7:30am Thursday. The vehicle was parked in the driveway at 800 West Washington Street in Pana when it was stolen. The keys were reportedly left in the unlocked vehicle. The Volkswagen was later recovered by Christian County Sheriff’s deputies who found it crashed in rural Christian County.
On Tuesday, Illinois State Police Zone 4 responded to a shooting of an armed subject by the Lincoln Police Department.
Preliminary investigative details revealed that at approximately 11:24 p.m., officers from the Lincoln Police Department responded to a 911 call in the 700 block of Pulaski Street in Lincoln. The officers encountered a male subject who was armed with a firearm. The male subject was engaged in a physical altercation with a female subject inside of the establishment. During the altercation, police engaged the male subject. The female subject was transported to a local hospital with minor injuries and the male subject was pronounced deceased at the scene.
An on-going investigation is being conducted by Zone 4 . No further information is available at this time.
Every month or two there is a new story about a student expelled from school on a “zero tolerance” policy. Sometimes it doesn't seem to make sense, and the Superintendent of Taylorville Schools, Dr. Gregg Fuerstenau, says sometimes administrators should consider the context of the infraction before acting:
[audio:fursteneauzerotolerance042214.mp3]comment here[/audio]
The “zero tolerance” rules usually concern drugs and/or weapons.
If old appliances and electronic devices are cluttering up your garage or basement, here's your chance to tidy things up. The Christian County United Way is among the sponsors of this Saturday's “1st Annual Recycling Event”. Malia Hepburn of the United Way says it takes place at the Christian County Fairgrounds:
[audio:hepburnshred042214.mp3]comment here[/audio]
Along with large appliances and electronic devices, they will accept more traditional recyclables like aluminum cans and newspapers. Although there is no charge, they ask that you bring donations of cash and/or canned food items for distribution by the United Way.
The expansion project at Gowin Parc in Taylorville is nearing completion. Owner Theresa Gowin tells Regional Radio News where they are at on the project:
[audio:gowinnearcompletion042314.mp3]comment here[/audio]
Gowin Parc also has locations in Pana, Mattoon, and Paris. For more information on the Taylorville location, call 287-7000.
Chicago, IL (SportsNetwork.com) - The Washington Wizards' young backcourt of
Bradley Beal and John Wall have arrived.
Beal had 26 points and seven rebounds, Wall added 16 points, seven assists and
five boards and the Washington Wizards rallied for a 101-99 overtime win over
the Chicago Bulls to take a 2-0 lead in their Eastern Conference quarterfinal.
Washington overcame a 13-point deficit in Game 1 and a 10-point fourth-quarter
bulge to force an extra session Tuesday.
With the Bulls down two, Kirk Hinrich drove in for a layup and drew a foul on
Nene with 2.4 seconds left in overtime. Hinrich, though, missed the first free
throw. He intentionally clanked the second freebie off the front of the rim,
but Trevor Ariza came down with the rebound to seal the outcome.
Nene tallied 17 points and seven rebounds for the fifth-seeded Wizards, who
took their first 2-0 advantage in an NBA playoff series since 1982 when they
swept the New Jersey Nets in the then best-of-three first round.
They had never gone on the road to win their first two games of a series.
D.J. Augustin netted 25 points off the bench, Taj Gibson provided 22 points
and 10 rebounds and Joakim Noah supplied 20 points and 12 boards for Chicago.
Game 3 is Friday night in Washington.
"I think we did a great job of staying calm and composed," Wall said. "We are
excited to head back to DC and play our first playoff game in front of our
fans, who deserve this."
After Jimmy Butler sunk two free throws to stake Chicago to an 87-77 cushion
with 6:59 to play in regulation, the Wizards closed the frame on a 14-4 run.
A Hinrich jumper gave the Bulls a 91-85 advantage with 3:53 left, but they
did not score a point for the next 7:38 of game action.
Beal netted the final six points of regulation for Washington. After he
knocked down a triple, he forced a steal and then got his high-arching floater
to fall with 1:24 remaining to cut the gap to a point.
Hinrich was off the mark on a 3-pointer at the other end and Beal knotted the
game when he split a pair of foul shots with 52.9 ticks on the clock.
Gibson came down with two offensive rebounds on Chicago's final possession of
regulation, but Hinrich and Augustin both misfired on their attempts. Nene
then won a jump ball against Gibson and Washington called timeout. Beal,
though, came up short on a right baseline fadeaway at the horn.
"In the playoffs, you've got to play for 48 minutes," Bulls coach Tom
Thibodeau said.
Nene scored the first six points of overtime and Washington never looked back.
Hinrich sunk two free throws to finally end the point drought and pull Chicago
within 97-93 with 1:15 left. Noah converted a layup with 39 ticks remaining to
trim the deficit to 101-97, and Chicago got the ball right back when Wall was
called for an offensive foul on the ensuing inbound.
Noah drew a foul and sunk two foul shots to make it 101-99.
Earlier, Beal put in 10 quick points as the Wizards raced out to a 29-12
advantage before settling for a 31-20 lead following a quarter of play.
They led 56-49 at the break.
The Bulls used a 12-3 third-quarter run to take their first lead of the game.
Augustin's bank shot with 4:27 left in the frame gave Chicago a 67-65 edge
before Mike Dunleavy capped the burst with a layup for a 69-65 lead.
Chicago took a 75-70 spread into the fourth.
Game Notes
The Wizards shot 47.5 percent (38-of-80) from the field and 39.1 percent (9-
of-23) from beyond the arc ... Beal was 9-of-20 from the floor ... The Bulls
held a 44-22 points in the paint edge.
Detroit, MI (SportsNetwork.com) - Miguel Cabrera's two-run homer highlighted
Detroit's five-run third inning as the Tigers beat the Chicago White Sox, 8-6,
in the second test of a four-game set.
Cabrera also added an RBI double among his three hits for the Tigers, who have
won four of their last six games.
Justin Verlander (3-1) fanned seven and surrendered two runs on eight hits and
two walks over seven frames to pick up the win. Ian Kinsler posted a pair of
hits, RBI and runs scored in the triumph.
"We jumped out to an early lead there in the third. Just tried to execute and
conserve my pitch count," Verlander said.
Joba Chamberlain picked up the final out to earn his first save of the season.
Charlie Leesman (0-1) allowed six runs on nine hits and one walk over 2 2/3
innings for Chicago, which had its brief two-game winning streak snapped.
Jose Abreu smacked a solo homer in defeat.
Leesman got the start in place of an injured Chris Sale.
"No offense to Charlie, but I'm sure those guys were pretty excited when they
heard Chris was scratched," White Sox DH Adam Dunn said.
Both teams plated a run in the first before Detroit surged ahead following its
five-run third.
Austin Romine and Rajai Davis singled to begin the frame and Kinsler doubled
down the left field line to bring them both home. Cabrera then sent an
opposite-field shot that just cleared the wall in right-center. Victor
Martinez doubled next and later scored on Nick Castellanos' sacrifice fly to
right and make it 6-1 in favor of Detroit.
RBI doubles by Alex Avila and Rajai Davis in the fifth increased the advantage
to 8-1 before the White Sox got a run back in the sixth on a run-scoring base
hit by Alexei Ramirez.
Alejandro De Aza lifted a sacrifice fly in the eighth, while Paul Konerko hit
an RBI single and Dunn added a two-run homer in the ninth to finish the
scoring for the White Sox.
Earlier, Abreu's two-out blast in the first opened the scoring, but Cabrera's
RBI double in the home half tied it.
Game Notes
Cabrera's homer was his second of the season ... Avila had three hits ...
Dayan Viciedo went 4-for-4 for the White Sox ... The Tigers went 5-for-18 with
runners in scoring position.
Chicago, IL (SportsNetwork.com) - Mike Olt had a three-run home run and Jason
Hammel held Arizona to just one run on four hits in the Chicago Cubs' 9-2 rout
of the Diamondbacks in the second test of a four-game set from Wrigley Field.
Hammel (3-1) went seven innings for the third straight start and added four
strikeouts to help Chicago to its first two-game winning streak of the season.
The Cubs have won three of four overall.
"It's simple math, if you don't let any body on base you don't have to worry
about giving up runs," Hammel said of keep Arizona off the basepaths for much
of his outing.
Justin Ruggiano and Nate Schierholtz had two RBI apiece while Luis Valbuena
recorded two hits, an RBI and three runs scored in the triumph.
Brandon McCarthy (0-4) remained winless on the season after striking out six
in five frames. Four of the five runs charged to McCarthy were unearned.
Tuffy Gosewisch's first hit of the season left the ballpark to supply Arizona
with its first run in the sixth inning, and Paul Goldschmidt added an RBI
single in the ninth.
The Diamondbacks own the worst record in the majors at 5-18.
"This is just a different animal right now," McCarthy said of his team's
struggles. "Everybody has their answers and I don't know what the right one
is. Everybody's looking and searching and doing everything they can do, but it
just keeps happening and happening."
Schierholtz made it 1-0 with his RBI single with two outs in the bottom of the
third inning. Valbuena doubled earlier in the frame and scored the first run.
Chicago opened it up with four runs in the fifth. Valbuena started the rally
with a single, Anthony Rizzo reached on Martin Prado's error and Schierholtz
plated the game's second run with a sacrifice fly to right. After Starlin
Castro's single put two on, Olt took a 3-1 pitch out to right-center for his
fourth homer of the season.
Gosewisch opened the sixth with his first career longball to put Arizona on
the board, but Chicago pushed four more across in the eighth. Castro was on
second with two outs when Jeff Baker walked and Ryan Kalish reached on an
infield single to load the bases. J.J. Putz walked Valbuena to force in a run
and Ruggiano plated two with his single to right. Rizzo's RBI single made it
9-1.
Game Notes
Prado's error was his fifth of the season ... Chicago went 5-for-14 with
runners in scoring position ... The Cubs will look to win their third straight
on Wednesday when they send Opening Day starter Jeff Samardzija to the hill to
oppose Wade Miley.
Coverage of tonight's Cards and Mets can be heard on Newstalk 97.3 WTIM beginning at 5:35pm.
Flushing, NY (SportsNetwork.com) - St. Louis pitcher Adam Wainwright tossed
seven scoreless innings before leaving Tuesday's 3-0 win over the New York
Mets with a hyperextended right knee.
Wainwright (4-1) was at 79 pitches when he stumbled awkwardly while trying to
field a chopper on a play that ended the seventh inning. He gave up just four
hits and struck out three.
The right-hander was coming off a two-hit shutout last Thursday in an 8-0 win
at Washington.
"Well I expect to get off to a strong start and finish strong too," said
Wainwright. "I've made some good adjustments. I'm more of a complete pitcher
than I've ever been in my career so I'm just having fun doing that."
Jon Jay went 2-for-4 with two RBI for the Cardinals, who improved to 5-4 on an
11-game road trip. Matt Holliday went 3-for-4 with an RBI and run scored.
Dillon Gee (1-1) allowed two runs on six hits over six innings for the Mets,
who fell to 2-3 on a 10-game homestand. He had four strikeouts and two walks.
The Cardinals got on the board in the fourth. Holliday walked, Matt Adams
singled and Yadier Molina singled to load the bases with no outs. Jay followed
with a two-run single to center. St. Louis couldn't get anything else in the
inning.
Holliday robbed Chris Young of a tying homer in the fifth. After Daniel Murphy
reached base on a bunt single, Holliday reached over the left-field fence to
take a homer away from Young.
Holliday added an RBI single in the ninth to make it 3-0.
"It seemed early on in that (fourth) inning I got myself into that
predicament," said Gee. "It was one of those things were you get a couple of
ground balls and they find holes and then all of a sudden you're in a mess
there."
After Wainwright exited, Kevin Siegrist pitched a perfect eighth and Trevor
Rosenthal tossed a scoreless ninth to record his sixth save of the season.
Game Notes
Wainwright improved to 3-4 lifetime against the Mets ... Molina extended his
hitting streak to 13 games ... New York third baseman David Wright had a 12-
game hitting streak snapped after going 0-for-4.
THE CHRISTIAN COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICE REPORTS THE FOLLOWING CRASHES:
On April 19, a Christian County Sheriff's Deputy was informed of a one care accident at 1625 North 2525 East Road in Moweaqua. Upon arrival, the deputy met with the Moweaqua Fire Department who advised that the driver was not on scene but a fireman did observe a Mustang drive away from the area. Following investigation, the deputy learned that Parker R. Webster of Moweaqua was traveling south on 2525 East Road from 1800 North Road. About 1 mile north of 1600 East Road, the road makes a jog. Webster's first skid marks started in this area. Webster's vehicle then slid sideways into a utility pole snapping the pole in two, flipped once, and landed back on its wheels. Webster received damage to the driver's side, roof, bed side, and passenger side. Webster was taken to Decatur Memorial Hospital for treatment of injuries that were not physically evident
On April 21, Donald R. Beyers of Pana was traveling north on 2300 East Road. Just north of 100 North Road, a deer ran into the roadway. Beyers hit the deer causing damage to the front and passenger side of the vehicle.
On April 22, Michael W. Steinkuehler of Edinburg was eastbound on 2450 North Road approaching 1400 East Road. Steinkuehler was going to fast to negotiate the curve on 2450 North Road. The curve is marked with warning arrows indicating the direction of the curve. Steinkuehler ran off the road approximately 250 feet west of 1400 East Road. Steinkuehler traveled approximately 90 feet after running off the road. Steinkuehler went down on the left side and was ejected from the vehicle. Steinkuehler was transported to Memorial Medical Center for treatment of injuries.
On April 18, Richard W. Lee of Taylorville was traveling north on 1600 East Road. Lee proceeded through the intersection of 1600 East and 1800 North and went past "Road Closed" signs at the intersection. Lee then attempted to go around the barricade that was blocking the roadway and continue north. When Lee attempted to go around the barricade, he hit a wash out in the road that the barricades were blocking. After hitting the wash out, Lee lost control of his motorcycle. The motorcycle then fell on its side and slid down the roadway. The distance the motorcycle traveled after Lee had fallen off is unknown. Lee was transported to Memorial Medical Center for treatment of injuries.
ARRESTS:
Dalvon M. Jackson, 36, of 905 West Franklin Street, Taylorville, was arrested April 23 for domestic battery.
Gayle L. Miller, 36, of 206 South State Street, Pana, was arrested April 22 for possession of methamphetamine and on a bond forfeiture for driving under the influence of drugs.
THE TAYLORVILLE POLICE DEPARTMENT REPORTS THE FOLLOWING ARRESTS:
On April 22 at 4:49pm, a Taylorville Police Department officer made contact with Gayle L. Miller, 36, of Pana, who had an active warrant, at Car Wash City on 204 North Main Street. Miller was place under arrest and upon further investigation, Miller was also charge with possession of methamphetamine. Miller was lodged at the Christian County Sheriff's Office.
On April 22 at 10:22pm, Taylorville Police Department officers were out at 905 West Franklin in reference to a domestic disturbance. After an investigation, Dalvon M. Jackson, 36, of Taylorville was arrested for domestic battery. Jackson was transported to Taylorville Police Department, processed, and lodged at the Christian County Correctional Center.
CRASH:
On April 21, Michael S. Booker of Vandalia stated his van was parked in front of 6088 South Clay Street. At some point in the early morning hours of April 19th and 20th, his van was struck on the driver's side.
THE TAYLORVILLE FIRE DEPARTMENT REPORTS THE FOLLOWING CALLS:
Lincoln Land Community College’s summer program “College for Kids” offers learning experiences for students in Springfield and surrounding areas. The class sessions will be July 7-10, 14-17 and 21-24 on the LLCC Springfield campus. Classes are held Monday through Thursday, 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., and are designed for students who have completed kindergarten through eighth grades as of spring 2014.
Class sizes are limited and early registration is recommended.
A session of College for Kids will also be held in Jacksonville, on the campus of the Illinois School for the Deaf, June 10-13 for students who have finished grades 3-8.
More information on College for Kids is available at www.llcc.edu/commed or by calling 217-786-4905.
During the three-week break between spring and summer terms, Lake Land College will again offer select Intersession courses as a way for students to earn quick credits. Intersession runs from May 20 to June 5 and students should register for classes by May 19.
Students who enroll in Intersession will be immersed in the course topic and can expect to spend a good amount of time studying and doing homework during the three-week course. Students who enroll in Intersession courses must pay for the class as financial aid will not be available during Intersession.
For Intersession and other courses that are three to seven weeks in length, students must register prior to the first course meeting.
For additional information about the registration process, go to www.lakelandcollege.edu or contact Counseling Services at (217) 234-5232. To view a full list of scheduled courses for Intersession, visit: http://lakeland.cc.il.us/as/as/schedules/index.cfm and select the “View Intersession Classes” link.
A local catering service has a new location. Kathy Sevener of Queen B's Catering says they do most of their work there:
The Taylorville Police Department has released details on a motorcycle and van colliding last week. On Wednesday, Taylorville Police Department officers were dispatched to Morton and Rich for a traffic crash involving a van and motorcycle. Upon arrival, 77-year-old Jack E. Powel of Decatur told police he was traveling east on Rich Street when 23-year-old Chase M. Windell of Taylorville struck the back of his vehicle. Windell said he was traveling north on Morton Street and lost control of his motorcycle. Officers reported that there was a very long skid mark on the pavement and there were grooves in the pavement from where the bike hit. Windell reported injuries that were not physically evident but denied medical attention.
Shown is a group class for AAMP. Group classes take place during the week and also Saturday mornings.
The Autism and Movement Project Learning Center in Pana is a non-profit organization focused on serving the Autism community as well as being an outreach for any child needing a place to flourish. Erica Matthews with AAMP tells Regional Radio News about the Learning Center:
[audio:matthewsaamp042114.mp3]comment here[/audio]
Matthews says they are currently raising money for several projects:
[audio:matthewsfundraising042114.mp3]comment here[/audio]
The second annual 5K walk/run has been set for Saturday, June 14 at Kitchell Park in Pana. For more information, call Matthews at 825-4605 or visit their website: aamplearningcenter.com.
Another group class at AAMP.
Three Taylorville residents were arrested Friday on methamphetamine manufacturing charges. At 9:28pm, a Taylorville Police Department officer was out at 120 Hunter Avenue in reference to a suspicious odor and an active methamphetamine lab was located. Following the investigation, 22-year-old Cody Wyatt of Taylorville, 22-year-old Jake Tucker of Taylorville, and a 16-year-old juvenile male were arrested for unlawful participation of methamphetamine manufacturing, possession of methamphetamine materials, and possession of drug paraphernalia.
Jake Tucker
Cody Wyatt
New York, NY (SportsNetwork.com) - Chicago Bulls center Joakim Noah has been
selected as the 2013-14 NBA Defensive Player of the Year, the league announced
Monday.
Noah, the anchor of a Chicago defense that yielded a league-low 91.8 points
per game, received 100 out of a possible 125 first-place votes and 555 total
points to easily outdistance Indiana center Roy Hibbert for the award.
The two-time All-Star also helped the Bulls rank second in the NBA in field
goal percentage defense (.430) and finished sixth individually in rebounding
(11.3 rpg). Noah added 1.51 blocks and 1.24 steals over 80 regular-season
games, joining Detroit's Andre Drummond and New Orleans' Anthony Davis as the
only players in 2013-14 to average 10 rebounds, 1.5 blocks and 1.2 steals.
"He sets the tone for our defense and I cannot think of anyone who is more
deserving of such a prestigious individual honor," said Bulls general manager
Gar Forman. "We are all very proud of Joakim and want to congratulate him for
being named the NBA's Defensive Player of the Year."
Noah joins the legendary Michael Jordan (1987-88) as the only players in Bulls
history to earn Defensive Player of the Year honors.
"I never thought I would be in this position," said Noah, who finished fourth
in last year's balloting. "All I did was keep working."
Hibbert garnered eight first-place votes and 166 points to place second, with
Los Angeles Clippers center DeAndre Jordan third with 121 points while also
being named atop eight ballots.
Oklahoma City forward Serge Ibaka, the runner-up for the award in 2011-12 and
the third-place finisher last year, was fourth with 79 points.
Memphis Grizzlies center Marc Gasol, the 2012-13 recipient, got just four
points while missing considerable time this season due to a knee injury.
Chicago, IL (SportsNetwork.com) - Jonathan Toews scored, Corey Crawford had 34
saves and the Chicago Blackhawks beat the St. Louis Blues 2-0 Monday in Game 3
of the Western Conference quarterfinals.
After a pair of overtime losses in St. Louis, the Blackhawks got their first
win in the best-of-seven series with Game 4 on tap for Wednesday in Chicago.
"That was a big win for us but we have to keep the same mentality," said
Crawford. "Just because we came here and got the first one at home doesn't
mean it's going to be easy. We have to be prepared to work even harder and
keep the same good feelings we had in this game."
Crawford had 15 saves in the first period, eight in the second and made his
11th save of the third period on an Alex Pietrangelo shot that was re-directed
in the final minute.
It was Crawford's third career postseason shutout. Toews scored 4:10 into the
game and Marcus Kruger added an empty-netter to seal the win.
Both teams were missing top players.
Blackhawks defenseman Brent Seabrook began serving his three-game suspension
for the check that knocked David Backes out of Game 2 on Saturday and led to
Vladimir Tarasenko's tying goal for the Blues with 6.4 seconds remaining.
Backes was also out after Seabrook drove his shoulder into the Blues captain's
face, sending him head-first into the corner boards.
After Tarasenko tied Game 2, Barret Jackman scored 5:50 into overtime to give
St. Louis a 2-0 series lead.
The Blues won Game 1 in a similar hear-stopping fashion after Jaden Schwartz
scored with 1:45 left in regulation and Alexander Steen won it 26 seconds into
the third overtime, the longest game in franchise history.
Both games ended 4-3. Now, the Blues are hoping to avoid a repeat of last
year, when they posted a pair of 2-1 wins over Los Angeles in the first round,
then lost the next four games.
"We knew this was going to be a long series," said Blues coach Ken Hitchcock.
"We really played hard and played well and did a lot of things we needed to do
to win the game, but you have to give their goalie credit. He was good."
Ryan Miller stopped 23 of the 24 shots he faced in this one, only letting
Toews' drive from the top of the right circle get past him.
Toews took the shot with Blues defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk in front of him,
and it squeaked through Miller's legs.
"After that I feel like I competed an battled," said Miller. "There are going
to be moments where things aren't going to go your way, you just have to keep
moving forward."
Later, with St. Louis making a late push, Crawford was able to get his glove
on Pietrangelo's re-directed shot from the right side, knocking it down.
"He saw everything," said Toews.
It was the Blues' last good chance before Kruger sealed the Chicago win with
his empty-net goal with 20 seconds left.
Game Notes
Duncan Keith, Sheldon Brookbank, Brandon Saad and Michal Handzus each had an
assist for Chicago. It was Saad's second assist of the series ... Chicago was
0-for-4 on the power play and St. Louis went 0-for-3.
Detroit, MI (SportsNetwork.com) - RBI doubles by Jose Abreu and Dayan Viciedo
highlighted a three-run sixth and the Chicago White Sox defeated the Detroit
Tigers, 3-1, in the opener of a four-game set.
John Danks (2-0) allowed a run on six hits and three walks over 6 1/3 innings
for the White Sox, who have won two in a row on the heels of a four-game
losing streak. Matt Lindstrom fired a scoreless ninth to notch his second save
of the year.
After the game, the team announced that ace left-hander Chris Sale was going
on the 15-day disabled list with a strained muscle in his throwing arm.
"You just don't want to take any chances," White Sox manager Robin Ventura
said. "Give him some rest and get him healthy."
Torii Hunter had two hits and scored a run for Detroit, which had won three of
its last four coming in. Anibal Sanchez (0-2) surrendered three runs on five
hits and a walk over 6 1/3 frames to get the loss.
"I felt great, and then everything happened in a hurry," Sanchez said.
The Tigers led 1-0 through six innings, but a three-run seventh put Chicago in
front.
Back-to-back doubles by Connor Gillaspie and Abreu to begin the frame tied it.
After Adam Dunn struck out, Abreu crossed with the go-ahead run on Viciedo's
two-bagger off the top of the center field wall.
Alexei Ramirez then singled through the hole on the left side. Viciedo had
originally held up at third, but the left fielder Rajai Davis overshot the
cutoff man and the ball darted past catcher Alex Avila, which allowed Viciedo
to score.
Sanchez, who backed up on the play, threw Viciedo out at the plate, but
Viciedo was ruled safe following a review.
Avila hit a one-out, ground-rule double and pinch-hitter J.D. Martinez worked
a walk in the ninth, but Davis flied out to left and Ian Kinsler grounded
into a force out to end the game.
Detroit's lone run came in the second on Avila's RBI groundout.
Game Notes
Abreu has 18 RBI this season ... The White Sox were 3-for-11 with runners in
scoring position, while Detroit finished 0-for-10 and left 10 men on base.
Chicago, IL (SportsNetwork.com) - Cubs starter Travis Wood tossed seven
stellar innings and went 2-for-3 at the dish with a home run and four RBI to
lead Chicago to a 5-1 win over the Arizona Diamondbacks to kick off a four-
game series from Wrigley Field.
Wood (1-2), who allowed one run on six hits while striking out nine, is not
your average pitcher. He has now homered in all five of his major league
seasons and is the only active pitcher with more than one game with four-plus
RBI. He has seven career home runs.
Welington Castillo and Ryan Kalish each had two hits for Chicago, which has
won two of its last three games.
Bronson Arroyo (1-2) surrendered all five runs on eight hits for Arizona in 5
1/3 innings to absorb the loss. Mark Trumbo went yard in the defeat.
Starlin Castro singled with one away in the bottom of the second inning and
scored two batters later on Castillo's bloop single to right. Kalish followed
with a single to put two on for Wood, who crushed a no-doubter over the wall
in left for a 4-0 Chicago lead.
Wood made it 5-0 with an RBI double to the warning track in his next at-bat in
the fourth.
Wood struck out at least one batter in every inning besides the third and he
didn't allow an Arizona baserunner to reach third base until the seventh.
After Cody Ross struck out to start the seventh, Trumbo took Wood deep for his
seventh homer of the season. Miguel Montero followed with a double and moved
to third on Tony Campana's groundout, but pinch-hitter Cliff Pennington popped
up to Anthony Rizzo in foul territory to end the threat.
Hector Rondon and Pedro Strop each pitched scoreless innings of relief for the
Cubs.
Game Notes
The game was delayed for an hour and one minute due to rain ... Arizona went
0-for-5 with runners in scoring position, leaving seven men on base ... Paul
Goldschmidt went 3-for-4 for the D'Backs.
Coverage of tonight's Cards and Mets can be heard on Newstalk 97.3 WTIM beginning at 5:35pm.
Flushing, NY (SportsNetwork.com) - Jenrry Mejia fired 6 2/3 scoreless innings
and the New York Mets blanked the St. Louis Cardinals, 2-0, in the opener of a
four-game set.
Mejia (3-0) struck out seven and surrendered four hits and three walks for the
Mets, who have won five of their last seven games.
"He gave us more than we expected, for sure," Mets manager Terry Collins said
of Mejia.
Travis d'Arnaud tallied an RBI and two of New York's seven hits in the
triumph. Newly-named closer Kyle Farnsworth, who replaced Jose Valverde, fired
a scoreless ninth for his first save of the year.
Matt Carpenter, Allen Craig and Yadier Molina each had two hits to account for
St. Louis' total. Tyler Lyons (0-1) fanned seven, but allowed two runs on six
hits and four walks over six frames to notch the loss.
The Cardinals have dropped four of their last six games.
"Being frustrated, I don't think there's anything wrong with that," Cardinals
manager Mike Matheny said. "I think the bigger story is that our offense will
get going on a consistent basis."
The Mets jumped out to a 2-0 lead after plating a run in the third and sixth
innings.
New York used a two-out rally to get on the board in the third. Eric Young Jr.
singled and Curtis Granderson was hit by a pitch before Young scored on David
Wright's broken-bat single through the hole on the left side of the infield.
Daniel Murphy and Josh Satin worked walks against Lyons in the sixth while
Chris Young, who reached on a throwing error to begin the frame, was thrown
out trying to steal third. Murphy, though, was able to swipe third and later
crossed the plate on d'Arnaud's base hit to center.
The Cardinals had runners on the corners with one away in the top of the
sixth, but Matt Holliday popped out and Matt Adams grounded out to second to
end the threat.
St. Louis' Shane Robinson rolled out to third with runners on first and second
with two outs in the seventh, and Alex Torres struck out Holliday and Adams
with a man in scoring position in the eighth.
Game Notes
Murphy has three steals this season ... The Mets were 3-for-7 with runners in
scoring position, while St. Louis finished 0-for-5 with RISP and left seven
men on base.
The Taylorville Tornadoes softball team is at home today to take on Mt. Zion. Coverage of the game can be heard on Groovy 93.5 beginning at 4:15.
THE CHRISTIAN COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICE REPORTS THE FOLLOWING ARRESTS:
Amanda K. Spear, 34, of 200 NA Pine Lot 1, Pana, was arrested April 21 on a warrant for methamphetamine precursor.
Kody E. Campbell, 22, of 510 West Maple Street Apt. 4, Taylorville, was arrested April 21 on a bond forfeiture for driving on a suspended license.
THE TAYLORVILLE POLICE DEPARTMENT REPORTS THE FOLLOWING ARREST:
On April 21, a Taylorville Police Department officer made contact with Kody E. Campbell, 22, of Taylorville at 510 West Maple Street. Campbell had a valid warrant out of Sangamon County. Campbell was taken into custody and transported to Christian County Correctional Center in lieu of bond.
CRASH:
On April 20, Todd M. England, 40, of Taylorville was backing out of the driveway at 1031 West Franklin. England did not see the vehicle that was legally parked on the side of the road and struck it. No injuries reported.
THE TAYLORVILLE FIRE DEPARTMENT REPORTS THE FOLLOWING CALLS:
April 21
5 EMS, 2 Public Assists, 1 Smoke Scare
April 22
4 EMS, 2 Public Assists
As heard on Groovy 93.5, Taylorville fell to Mt. Zion with a score of 9-1.
Christian County Judge Brad Paisley was Tuesday's guest speaker at the weekly luncheon of the Taylorville Kiwanis Club at the Taylorville Memorial Hospital auditorium.
Paisley gave the club details on the Drug Court, which was organized by he and several others in the Christian County court system. Drug Court allows convicted felons who are willing to be held accountable in trying to turn their life around, to get their charges dropped at the end of a 30-month period.
Paisley told the Kiwanis Club that nationally, 77-percent of Drug Court graduates never get arrested again, and that benefits society as well as government in eliminating the 38-thousand-per-year cost to house an inmate in jail.
Paisley gave the stats on the Christian County Drug Court since its inception in 2011.
Drug Court in Christian County has now been expanded to Mental Health Court, and a Veterans Treatment Court. In all cases, those who participate are required to be accountable in order to help them straighten out their lives.
In other Kiwanis news, Kiwanis Park chairman Jerry Woodard announced that a spring clean-up day will be held April 29th at 2pm, with volunteers appreciated.
The Taylorville Kiwanis Club is part of global organization of volunteers dedicated to changing the world one child and one community at a time. Weekly meetings are held Tuesdays at noon at the Taylorville Memorial Hospital auditorium. For information on the club, go to taylorvillekiwanis.com.
Lincoln Land Community College’s Veterans Club invites runners and walkers to participate in the 7th annual Brian McMillen Memorial Run/Walk Saturday, May 24 beginning at 8 a.m. on the LLCC Springfield campus. The event offers a 5K run/1-mile walk and a 10K run.
The Run/Walk raises funds in support of the LLCC Brian McMillen Veterans Scholarship and other charities. Run/Walk participants can also support their local high school athletic programs through the Brian’s Challenge Grant. The $500 grant is presented to the high school athletics department that has the highest number of runners/walkers participating in the Run/Walk. Participants do not need to be high school athletes.
Brian McMillen, an LLCC alum and Illinois State Trooper, served as a Technical Sergeant in the Air National Guard and spent two years of active duty with the Air Force in Saudi Arabia and Romania. He was pursuing a master’s degree when he lost his life at age 24 in the line of duty with the Illinois State Police.
More information about the Run/Walk is available by e-mailing veterans.affairs@llcc.edu or visiting www.facebook.com/bmcmrun.
Governor Pat Quinn has announced a $52.7 million investment in community transportation projects throughout Illinois. The investment will support more than 400 jobs through 71 projects, including bike paths, walking trails, historic preservation and streetscape beautification projects in communities across Illinois. A list of projects includes:
Effingham County:
Dieterich receives $800,000 for the Village of Dieterich Pedestrian Accessibility Project
Shelby County:
Shelbyville receives $842,630 for the City of Shelbyville Phase 8 Bike Path
The funding is through the Illinois Transportation Enhancement Program which is designed to promote alternative transportation options, including bike and pedestrian travel, along with streetscape beautification.
U.S. Rep. Rodney Davis of Taylorville has announced that he has been selected to serve on the Congressional Human Trafficking Task Force.
Davis says Human trafficking is a $9 billion a year industry that affects more than 20 million victims, primarily young women and girls, around the world.
The Congressional Human Trafficking Task Force was formed by House Majority Leader Eric Cantor to bring Members together to produce legislation with the goal of combating international and domestic trafficking, while protecting and helping victims.
Last month, Davis co-sponsored the SAVE Act which is legislation to combat human trafficking and help protect Americans by closing Internet marketplaces that host advertisements for the commercial exploitation of women and minors.
Specifically, this bill will make it unlawful to sell or commercially promote an advertisement that facilitates kidnapping; trafficking or exploitation of children; sexual abuse or illegal sex; pimping, prostitution, child sex abuse and trafficking.
You may be losing your hearing and not know it. Dale Brann, Hearing Instrument Specialist at Hometown Hearing and Audiology in Taylorville says they offer a huge assortment of products for those who need them:
[audio:brannhometownhearing041714.mp3]comment here[/audio]
Hometown Hearing and Audiology is located on the S. side of the Taylorville Square at 114 W. Market.
What you feed your dog makes a big difference, not only to your dog but to you as well. Ian Wilson of Tail Command in Taylorville, says there are a lot of good reasons to read the labels:
[audio:tailcommandfood042114.mp3]comment here[/audio]
Wilson says feeding your dog right can save on vet bills. Tail Command grooms, boards and day-sits dogs, as well as selling the quality dog foods. Call 824-TAIL, that's 824-8245.
Jobs associated with the Enbridge Pipeline are coming to the area. Patty Hornbuckle, CEO of the Greater Taylorville Chamber of Commerce says it's pretty much a done deal:
[audio:pattypipeline041714.mp3]comment here[/audio]
Call the Chamber to find out more, at 824-4919.
If you are looking to recycle some old appliances or electronics, there will be a recycling event coming up Saturday, April 26th. The event will take place at the Christian County Fairgrounds in Taylorville from 8am until Noon. Appliances such as stoves, refrigerators, washers, and dryers will be taken. You can also discard electronics such as computers, laptops, phones, and cameras. Basic recycling items like aluminum cans, newspapers, and so on will be accepted as well. There will also be on-site document shredding.
If you are a veteran or have a family member who is a veteran from Assumption, there is a day next month that you may want to mark on your calendar. Jim Bugg with the Veterans Memorial Committee tells Regional Radio News they will be dedicating an Assumption Veterans Memorial on May 25th:
[audio:buggmemorial042114.mp3]comment here[/audio]
Bugg says the dedication will follow the annual VFW Auxiliary dinner which is from 11 AM to 1 PM at St. Mary's Parish Hall. More information can be found on their website, assumptionveteransmemorial.com.
Chicago, IL (SportsNetwork.com) - The Washington Wizards rallied back from a
13-point deficit, took the lead with a late run and won going away.
So which was the team with playoff experience?
Nene scored 24 points and the Wizards had big contributions from all five
starters in their first playoff game in six years, a 102-93 win over the
Chicago Bulls on Sunday in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference quarterfinals.
The Bulls remained in the lead following a 14-4 run in second quarter until
Trevor Ariza's free throws with 4:17 remaining put the Wizards in front.
The shots were part of a 14-3 run that gave the Wizards an eight-point lead
with 25 seconds left.
Nene rattled in a shot during the spurt but the biggest points might have been
Marcin Gortat's baseline jumper after he rebounded a John Wall miss, pushing
Washington's lead to six with 34.2 seconds remaining.
Indeed, pluck any Wizards player from the five on the floor at tipoff and he
made a significant contribution.
Gortat collected 15 points and 13 rebounds, Ariza had 18 points, Wall scored
16 with six rebounds and six assists and Bradley Beal had 13 points and seven
assists for fifth-seeded Washington.
Game 2 of the best-of-seven series is Tuesday in Chicago.
The fourth-seeded Bulls, in the playoffs for the second straight year without
injured star Derrick Rose, were led by 16 points apiece from Kirk Hinrich and
D.J. Augustin. Joakim Noah added 10 points and 10 rebounds and Jimmy Butler
scored 15.
The Wizards have won five in a row going back to the regular season.
The franchise's last playoff win came in Game 5 against LeBron James and the
Cleveland Cavaliers in 2008, when Caron Butler scored the game-winning bucket
with 3.9 seconds left. The Wizards lost that first-round series in six games.
Augustin led the Bulls in the first half with 12 points off the bench and
Hinrich scored 10. They each had five points in the 14-4 run that Hinrich
capped by stealing an inbounds pass and making a layup to give the Bulls a
51-44 lead.
Nene had 14 points in the first half and Wall scored 12 but the Wizards let an
early six-point lead slip away and trailed by six at halftime.
Chicago's 13-point lead in the third quarter was followed by a 19-7 Washington
burst capped by Ariza's 3-pointer to get the Wizards within one.
Game Notes
The Wizards posted their best regular-season record since they went 45-37 in
2004-05. It was the first time they won at least 30 games in six seasons ...
The Bulls lost Rose to another knee injury just 11 games into the season. He
missed all of last season with an injury to his other knee and the Bulls beat
the Nets in seven games in the first round of the playoffs before losing to
Miami in five.
Arlington, TX (SportsNetwork.com) - Marcus Semien went 4-for-6 with four RBI
to help the Chicago White Sox secure a 16-2 win over the Texas Rangers in the
finale of a three-game set Sunday at Globe Life Park.
Jordan Danks and Jose Abreu each belted a two-run homer, while Dayan Viciedo
added a solo shot, scored three times and plated a pair of runs for the White
Sox, who snapped a four-game losing streak.
"We put together some good at bats. We swung at strikes and got pitches up and
hit the ball the other way," Semien said. "If you hit the ball to right here
you can get it in that jet stream and get it out of the ballpark. It was a
good team win."
Erik Johnson (1-1) picked up the win after limiting Texas to two runs -- one
earned -- on one hit with five walks over five frames.
Texas starter Robbie Ross Jr. (1-1) was knocked around for seven runs -- four
earned -- on seven hits while striking out eight over 5 1/3 innings to absorb
the loss.
Luis Sardinas made his major league debut in the setback and collected one of
the two hits for the Rangers, who had won five straight and finished 7-3 on a
10-game homestand.
"Definitely satisfied with the way things turned out (on the homestand). We
won each series, we just have to keep winning series and we'll be fine," said
Rangers manager Ron Washington. 'It will get to the point when things fall in
place and we sweep a series. Just have to keep taking it a day at a time and
playing the best game we can."
Texas shortstop Elvis Andrus scored from third on a Johnson wild pitch in the
bottom of the fourth to tie the game at 2-2, but the White Sox scored three
runs in each of the next two frames to take control of the contest.
In the fifth, Tyler Flowers led off with a single and after Danks fanned,
Semien reached first when third baseman Kevin Kouzmanoff misfired on a throw
to second.
Conor Gillaspie then plated Flowers with a sacrifice fly to right field before
Abreu scorched a 1-1 fastball over the wall in right for a 5-2 lead.
After Texas went down in order in the home half of the fifth, Viciedo started
the sixth with a double before Alexei Ramirez swung and missed at strike
three. However, the ball rolled to the backstop, allowing Ramirez to reach
first safely.
Ross then fanned Alejandro De Aza before Shawn Tolleson took over on the mound
and struck out Flowers for the second out.
Tolleson then intentionally walked Danks to get to Semien, who scorched his
first career triple off the top of the wall in left-center field to clear the
bases and give Chicago an 8-2 lead.
Viciedo drilled his first homer of the season over the wall in right with two
away in the seventh before adding an RBI single to spark Chicago's seven-run
ninth inning.
Two batters later, De Aza smacked a two-out single to center and Semien added
a run-scoring single shortly after for a 13-2 lead.
Gillaspie followed Semien's base hit with a two-run double to right before
scoring on Abreu's double to left to account for the final margin.
Early on, Danks crushed a two-run homer to right to get the White Sox on the
board in the third, but Shin-Soo Choo answered with a sac fly in the bottom of
the frame before Johnson's wild pitch plated Andrus in the fourth to tie the
game.
Game Notes
Sardinas, 20, was recalled from Double-A Frisco on Saturday after outfielder
Jim Adduci was placed on the 15-day disabled list ... Chicago pounded out 18
hits ... Texas went 1-for-7 with runners in scoring position ... Andrus stole
his ninth base of the season ... Danks' homer was the first of his career
against a left-handed pitcher.
Chicago, IL (SportsNetwork.com) - Zack Cozart went 3-for-5 with a home run and
three RBI as the Cincinnati Reds defeated the Chicago Cubs, 8-2, on Sunday to
take the rubber match of a three-game set.
Jay Bruce hit a solo homer and scored twice, while Todd Frazier went 2-for-5
with an RBI and two runs scored in the win.
Reds starter Homer Bailey (1-1) pitched six scoreless innings and struck out
eight to earn his first win of the season.
"It's about the fourth game in a row that the offense really picked me up,"
said Bailey. "Every time I take the mound (the offense) shows up. I'm just
glad I could contribute."
Cincinnati has won 17-of-19 against the Cubs at Wrigley Field.
Nate Schierholtz and Ryan Sweeney each knocked in a run for the Cubs, who saw
starter Carlos Villanueva (1-4) take the loss after allowing five runs on nine
hits with seven strikeouts over 4 2/3 innings.
"It's been strange going so far," said Villanueva. "I know for me and the
team. It doesn't do us any good hanging our heads or being negative."
Devin Mesoraco kept up his torrid start to the season with an RBI double in
the top of the fourth to open the scoring and give the Reds a 1-0 lead.
Mesoraco is now 17-for-33 on the season and has hit safely in all nine games
he has played.
Cozart followed with a double that plated Mesoraco and Bailey helped his own
cause with an RBI single that scored Cozart.
The Reds added on in the fifth when Frazier knocked in Bruce to push the
spread to 4-0. Ryan Ludwick then singled home Frazier.
Bruce led off the seventh inning with a solo blast to center and Cozart
followed a Mesoraco walk with a two-run shot that made it an 8-0 game.
Schierholtz and Sweeney collected RBI singles in the seventh to account for
the final margin.
Game Notes
The Reds were 4-for-10 with runners in scoring position and left 10 men on
base ... Chicago went 3-for-15 with RISP and left 14 runners on base ... Billy
Hamilton stole his seventh base of the season in the win ... Emilio Bonifacio
swiped his ninth bag of the season in the setback.
Coverage of tonight's Cards and Mets can be heard on Newstalk 97.3 WTIM beginning at 5:35pm.
Washington, DC (SportsNetwork.com) - Denard Span's sacrifice fly in the bottom
of the ninth inning gave the Washington Nationals a 3-2 win over the St. Louis
Cardinals on Sunday in the finale of a four-game set from Nationals Park.
Danny Espinosa and Jose Lobaton had three hits apiece for Washington and poked
back-to-back singles with one away in the home half of the ninth off of Seth
Maness (0-1). Nate McLouth then stepped in as a pinch-hitter and drew a walk
to load the bags for Span, who fouled off four pitches before plating Espinosa
with his lineout to left.
Rafael Soriano (1-0) pitched a perfect top of the ninth to each his first win
of the season.
The Nationals were winners despite hitting just 2-for-12 with runners in
scoring position and leaving 17 men on base.
The Cardinals went up 1-0 in the second inning when Jhonny Peralta's double-
play grounder allowed Matt Adams, who doubled to lead off the frame, to score
without a throw.
The score stayed that way until the fifth. Washington starter Stephen
Strasburg struck out Peralta and Mark Ellis to start the inning but walked
Peter Bourjos and allowed his counterpart Shelby Miller to drive in a run with
a double to deep left.
Strasburg fanned nine in six innings, allowing two runs on five hits while
Miller struck out seven and kept Washington scoreless over 5 1/3 innings.
Miller had trouble with his command, however, walking five batters.
Miller walked the bases loaded in the third inning but struck out Adam LaRoche
to end the threat. He had a no-hitter until the fourth, when Espinosa broke it
up with two outs with a single to right.
Carlos Martinez took the hill in the bottom of the seventh for St. Louis and
lost the lead after surrendering four consecutive singles. LaRoche got things
started with a one-out single to center, Anthony Rendon followed with another
single to center and Ian Desmond put the Nats on the board with a slap to
right. Espinosa's RBI single made it 2-2.
Game Notes
Both teams won two games in the series ... Adams had two hits for the
Cardinals, who close out an 11-game road trip when they travel to Citi Field
Monday for a four-game set with the Mets ... The Nationals host the LA Angels
in an interleague series starting Monday.
This week Crimestoppers is seeking information in regards to a burglary that occurred in Taylorville.
Sometime between Wednesday April 9, 2014 and Friday April 11, 2014, unknown subject or subjects made entry into a residence located at 715 South Wyandotte Street. While inside, the unknown subject or subjects took a Beretta 9mm handgun. The handgun had a pink frame with a black slide. The handgun had been inside a black case prior to the theft. The total dollar amount of the item is unknown at this time.
Please contact Crimestoppers if you any information on this crime or any other crimes or wanted persons. Crimestoppers will pay cash rewards of up to $1000.00 for information that leads to an arrest and you do not have to give your name. Crimestoppers will pay double the normal reward for information that leads to an arrest for the crime of the week.
You can contact Crimestoppers at 824-9100, at our website Christiancountycrimestoppers.org, or by texting CRIMES (274632) and then your tip. As always, you will remain anonymous.
THE CHRISTIAN COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICE REPORTS THE FOLLOWING:
ARRESTS:
Jake E. Tucker, 22, of 408 South Cherokee Street, Taylorville, was arrested April 18 for methamphetamine manufacturing, methamphetamine precursor, and possession of drug paraphernalia.
Thomas E. Lawrence, 63, of RR1 Box 35, Herrick, was arrested April 18 on a bond forfeiture for driving under the influence of alcohol.
Cody L. Wyatt, 22, of 1106 East Poplar, Taylorville, was arrested April 19 for methamphetamine manufacturing, possession of methamphetamine manufacturing materials, and possession of drug paraphernalia.
Victoria A. Shirey, 57, of 411 Borah Avenue, Tovey, was arrested April 19 for violating an order of protection.
Ashley N. Akins, 26, of 104 McCarthur, Pana, was arrested April 19 on a bond forfeiture for methamphetamine precursor.
Victoria L. Vega, 19, of 821 North State, Litchfield, was arrested April 20 for calculated criminal drug conspiracy.
Antonio Hayes, 32, of 1125 North 7th Street, Springfield, was arrested April 20 for calculated criminal drug conspiracy.
Nicole R. Schneider, 25, of 1007 East 500 North Road, Morrisonville, was arrested April 20 for calculated criminal drug conspiracy.
CRASH:
On April 19, Jacob N. Mayes of Jennings, Oklahoma, was northbound on Highway Route 48. At approximately 1 mile north of 1100 East, a deer entered the roadway. Mayes struck the deer and received front-end damage. No injuries were reported
THE TAYLORVILLE POLICE DEPARTMENT REPORTS THE FOLLOWING ARRESTS:
On April 18 at 9:28pm, a Taylorville Police Department officer was out at 120 Hunter in reference to a suspicious odor. An active methamphetamine lab was located at the address. Following the investigation, 22-year-old Cody Wyatt of Taylorville, 22-year-old Jake Tucker of Taylorville, and a 16-year-old juvenile male were arrested for unlawful participation of methamphetamine manufacturing, possession of methamphetamine materials, and possession of drug paraphernalia.
On April 20th, Taylorville Police Department officers conducted a stop on a vehicle heading westbound on South Spresser Street. Following the stop, a 17-year-old male juvenile from St. Louis, Missouri was placed under arrest for possession of cannabis and possession of drug paraphernalia. Tanner H. Jackson,18, of Haines City, Florida was also arrested for possession of drug paraphernalia. Both male subjects were processed and later released on a notice to appear in court.
CRASHES:
On April 19, Brian L. Wood, 57, of Thayer was traveling east on Park Street and was on the outside turn lane. Steven E. Dilley, 64, of Pana was also traveling east on Park Street. Wood attempted to change lanes to go straight. Wood struck Dilley, who was traveling next to Wood, causing damage. Both vehicles were able to leave the scene. No injuries were reported.
On April 16, Taylorville Police Department officers were dispatched to Morton and Rich for a traffic crash involving a van and motorcycle. Upon arrival, Jack E. Powel, 77, of Decatur advised he was traveling east on Rich Street and Chase M. Windell, 23, of Taylorville struck the back of his vehicle. Windell advised he was traveling north on Morton Street and lost control of his motorcycle. He then struck the back of Powel. Officers noted that there was a very long skid mark on the pavement and there were grooves in the pavement from where the bike hit the pavement. The marks are on Morton Street south of Rich. Windell reported injuries that were not physically evident but denied medical attention.
On April 17, Taylorville Police Department officers were dispatched to a two vehicle accident at West Main Cross and Madison. Patricia L. McDonald, 63, of Litchfield stated she stopped at the stop sign and proceeded into the intersection and did not see Carrington M, Walker, 23, of Taylorville. McDonald then struck Walker. Walker stated that McDonald pulled out in front of him and he could not avoid the collision. Walker stated that McDonald struck his vehicle. No injuries were reported.
THE TAYLORVILLE FIRE DEPARTMENT REPORTS THE FOLLOWING CALLS:
April 17
1 EMS, 1 Odor
April 18
2 EMS, 1 Public Assist
April 19
9 EMS, 1 Brush Fire
April 20
4 EMS, 3 Public Assists
April 21
2 EMS
The Taylorville City Council met Monday night and received some good news in regards to the noise problem at Ahlstrom. Alderman Larry Budd told the Council about Ahlstrom’s plan to fix the noise:
[audio:buddahlstromsolution042214.mp3]comment here[/audio]
Alderman Rob Heberling again suggested the City do a sound study so they are ready if another problem arises.
The 175th anniversary of Taylorville and Christian County will be celebrated this year. Taylorville Mayor Greg Brotherton told the City Council at their Monday meeting that they have a special cleanup project planned:
[audio:mayorcleanup042214.mp3]comment here[/audio]
The 175th anniversary celebration will take place in conjunction with the annual Chillifest in October.
The City of Taylorville recently tore down a damaged building on East Franklin Street. Mayor Greg Brotherton told the City Council at their meeting that while getting rid of these eye sore buildings is a positive, there is one factor to remember:
[audio:mayorhouse042214.mp3]comment here[/audio]
Alderman Ray Koonce suggested that the City begin plans to take control of a property on East Vine Street where a burnt house that is falling apart sits.
The Taylorville City Council approved a motion to implement Steps 1-4 of the Water Rate Increases in the process to build a new Water Treatment Plant. The first step increase will begin May 1st and then will increase May 1st of each year for the next 3 years.
|
1st Step Increase May 1, 2014 |
|
|
|
Declining Block Rate |
Inside |
Outside |
|
First 400 Cubic Feet |
$20 |
$40 |
|
Next 1600 Cubic Feet |
$3.94 |
$7.88 |
|
Over 2000 Cubic Feet |
$3.25 |
$6.50 |
|
Flat Industrial Rate |
$1.91 |
$1.99 |
|
Langleyville |
$4.34 |
|
|
Owaneco |
$5.02 |
|
|
Kincaid |
$3.60 |
|
The Council also approved motions to contribute $5,000.00 to the Senior Citizens of Christian County and $3,000.00 to the Optimist Club for the 4th of July Fireworks.
The meeting adjourned at 7:42pm.
Fans of American Idol can see the top contestants from the current season of the hit TV series at this year’s Illinois State Fair. The fair has announced the American Idol Live! Tour will perform a concert at the Grandstand Friday, Aug. 8.
The tour will feature the top ten finalists from Season 13: C.J. Harris, Jena Irene, Caleb Johnson, Jessica Meuse, MK Nobilette, Alex Preston, Dexter Roberts, Majesty Rose, Malaya Watson and Sam Woolf.
The 2014 Illinois State Fair will be held Aug. 7 – 17. For more information about the Grandstand entertainment line-up, visit the fair’s website at www.illiniosstatefair.info or call (217) 782-1979.
The Oak Ridge Boys will be bringing their music to the stage at the Effingham Performance Center on Friday, April 25th at 8pm. A limited number of seats are available.
The four-part harmonies and songs of The Oak Ridge Boys have spawned dozens of Country hits and a Number One Pop smash, earned them Grammy, Dove, CMA, and ACM awards and garnered a host of other industry and fan accolades.
The group has 12 gold, three platinum, and one double platinum album—plus one double platinum single—and had more than a dozen national Number One singles and over 30 Top Ten hits.
More information is available online at www.theEPC.org or by phone at (217) 540-2788.
The Student Life Office of Lincoln Land Community College invites the public to the annual “Battle of the Bands” competition Friday, April 25. Door open at 5:30 p.m. and bands will perform from 6-10 p.m. in the Trutter Center on the Springfield campus.
Bands include The Blind Social, Built in a Day, Dog of Panic, Full Chroma, Geoff Leathers, Negative 17, Open D and Trepidus.
The event is co-sponsored by the LLCC Student United Way. There is no admission charge; however, donations will be accepted for United Way of Central Illinois.
The Macon County Conservation District, Community Environmental Council, and Decatur Park District are sponsoring a Sangamon River Clean-Up on Saturday, April 26 as part of Earth Day. Groups and individuals should meet at the Information Shelter at Rock Springs Conservation Area for registration from 8:30-9am, and clean-up from 9am to Noon. Groups should call ahead at 217-423-7708.
Each participant receives a free lunch coupon to use at the Festival of Spring immediately following clean-up. Groups will be divided up into teams and transported to assigned locations. Age and physical restrictions will be considered when making location assignments.
For more information, visit www.maconcountyconservation.org.
The Pana city wide yard sales will be held on Saturday May 3, 2014, with most sales beginning at 8:00 AM. This is the 19th year for this community event.
Cut off for registering your address is noon on Tuesday April 29 2014, this will insure your address being printed on both the map and in the Pana News Palladium’s Thursday edition. You may register your address by calling the Chamber of Commerce Office at 217-562-4240 or emailing panachamber@consolidated.net. Addresses may be left on the answering service if the phone lines or operators are busy or after hours.
Maps will be made available the day of the sale at: Casey's, Karla's Kollectibles, Shasteen’s & Qik N Ez.
Those registering sales are encouraged to use signs to direct shoppers to their location but are requested to remove them at the close of the weekend. Also sellers should consider the use of the media to promote the details of their sale.
State Rep. Sue Scherer of Decatur recently passed legislation strengthening penalties for manufacturing methamphetamine near schools. Scherer says it’s important to keep school zones safe:
[audio:040814SchererHB4093.mp3]comment here[/audio]
The bill makes the production of methamphetamine within 1,000 feet of a school a Class X felony, punishable by up to 60 years in prison and a fine of up to $400,000 or the estimated street value of the drugs. Under current law, manufacturing methamphetamine within 1,000 feet of a church or other house of worship is also a Class X felony.
The legislation, which is backed by the Illinois Sheriffs’ Association and the Illinois Statewide School Management Alliance, received unanimous support in the House and now awaits consideration in the Senate.
U.S. Representative Rodney Davis of Taylorville recently spoke to the Taylorville High School Student Council. Davis tells Regional Radio News that the student council has changed for the better over the years:
Arlington, TX (SportsNetwork.com) - The Texas Rangers scored 12 runs on 18
hits to back Martin Perez's first career shutout.
Perez (3-0) allowed just three hits in the Rangers' 12-0 rout of the Chicago
White Sox on Friday.
The left-hander struck out eight and walked one for Texas, which has won four
in a row.
"He's just consistent, he's keeping the ball down," Rangers manager Ron
Washington said.
Leonys Martin went 3-for-5 with four RBI and finished a double short of the
cycle for the Rangers, who went 6-for-13 with runners in scoring position.
Robinson Chirinos added a two-run homer.
Felipe Paulino (0-2) gave up 10 runs on 13 hits with three walks over 3 2/3
innings for the White Sox, who have dropped three straight.
"Pretty bad game for me tonight," Paulino said. "I've been bad the last couple
of starts."
The Rangers' offense got going in the first inning. Elvis Andrus started
things with a one-out walk and went to third on a single by Alex Rios. Prince
Fielder was intentionally walked to load the bases for Kevin Kouzmanoff, whose
infield single plated a run. Jim Adduci's RBI groundout made it 2-0.
Texas tacked on seven more runs in the third to blow the game open. With
runners on second and third and two outs, Martin cleared the bases with a
triple to right. Chirinos followed with a two-run homer.
The Rangers kept it going. After Shin-Soo Choo doubled and Andrus walked,
Texas plated three more runs on Rios' single and Fielder's double.
Martin added a solo homer in the fourth and hit an RBI single in the sixth.
Kouzmanoff's run-scoring single in the seventh made it 12-0. Kouzmanoff has
now hit safely in his first nine games in a Texas uniform.
Game Notes
The White Sox went 4-2 against the Rangers in 2013 ... It was the second
complete game of Perez's career ... Chicago's Alexei Ramirez extended his
franchise-record hitting streak to 17 to start the season ... The White Sox
started a seven-game road trip on Friday ... Texas placed pitcher Tanner
Scheppers on the 15-day disabled list, purchased the contract of pitcher Aaron
Poreda from Triple-A Round Rock and designated infielder Andy Parrino for
assignment ... Chirinos and Adduci set career highs with three hits apiece.
Chicago, IL (SportsNetwork.com) - Alfredo Simon yielded one unearned run
through six-plus innings as the Cincinnati Reds dealt the sputtering Chicago
Cubs a 4-1 loss at Wrigley Field.
Two days after being shut out in both ends of a doubleheader against the New
York Yankees, the Cubs mustered just six hits off Simon and three Cincinnati
relievers en route to a fifth consecutive defeat.
The lack of offense saddled Jeff Samardzija (0-2) with yet another hard-luck
loss despite the Chicago ace permitting three runs -- one earned -- and
fanning seven over seven solid innings.
Samardzija has received just four runs of support in four starts this season,
during which he's produced a 1.29 ERA.
Simon (2-1), who permitted four hits and walked two, was aided by an RBI
double by Billy Hamilton and an error by Cubs second baseman Emilio Bonifacio
that allowed two runs to score in the sixth.
"Today I think we were a little sloppy in general," said Cubs manager Rick
Renteria. "Jeff really kept us in the ball game throughout."
Jonathan Broxton finished off Cincinnati's 16th victory in its last 17 visits
to Wrigley with a hitless ninth to record his second save of the year.
Both starting pitchers were extremely stingy as the opener of this three-game
series remained scoreless through four innings of play, with Simon giving up
just two singles over that span and the Reds managing just three hits against
Samardzija.
Cincinnati was able to scratch home a run in the fifth. Devin Mesoraco led off
with a single, stole second and crossed the plate when Cubs left fielder
Junior Lake couldn't make a diving stab on Hamilton's two-out sinking liner
that resulted in a double.
Things fell apart for Samardzija and the Cubs an inning later, as the right-
hander served up a leadoff double to Jay Bruce and walked Mesoraco to load the
bases after Ryan Ludwick was granted first on catcher's interference. He then
got Zack Cosart to ground into a potential inning-ending double play, but
Bonifacio threw wildly to first to enable both Bruce and Ludwick to cross the
plate.
Simon continued to cruise until the seventh, when Starlin Castro singled and
Todd Frazier mishandled Ryan Sweeney's grounder to third to put two aboard and
end the Cincinnati starter's afternoon. Luis Valbuena's RBI single off Sam
LeCure finally halted the Cubs' 24-inning scoreless streak, though Chicago
failed to do any further damage to keep it a 3-1 game.
"I was on the fence as to whether I wanted [Simon] to go back out there for
the seventh because he wasn't real sharp in the sixth," said Reds manager
Bryan Price. "But he managed the inning well, and I felt like I wanted to give
him a shot there and start the inning and see if he could get a couple of
quick outs for us. But it ended up playing out really well."
The Reds tacked on an insurance run in the eighth when Frazier walked, beat
the throw to second on a pickoff attempt and eventually came home on a wild
pitch from Justin Grimm.
Game Notes
Reds second baseman Brandon Phillips left after 2 1/2 innings after appearing
to injure his lower back while swinging in his first at-bat ... Samardzija has
now gone 0-4 with six no-decisions in 10 outings since last winning at San
Diego on Aug. 24 of last season ... Mesoraco has hit safely in all seven games
since coming off the disabled list on Apr. 7, batting .480 (12-for-25) during
that stretch ... The Reds stole a season-high five bases.
Coverage of today's Cards and Nats can be heard on Newstalk 97.3 WTIM beginning at 11:30am.
Washington, DC (SportsNetwork.com) - The Washington Nationals scored two runs
after a wild pitch in the seventh inning to beat the St. Louis Cardinals 3-1
on Friday night.
The Nationals were the beneficiaries of sloppy play one day after making four
errors and being two-hit by Adam Wainwright in an 8-0 loss to open the four-
game series.
Anthony Rendon hit a solo homer for Washington and Gio Gonzalez (3-1) struck
out seven batters in seven innings, but it was the poor play by St. Louis in
the seventh that got the Nationals the win.
They loaded the bases with no outs after Cardinals starter Michael Wacha
fielded Danny Espinosa's bunt and tried to get the lead runner at third, but
his hard throw went off Matt Carpenter's glove for an error on the third
baseman.
The two runs scored with two outs when Yadier Molina scrambled for Wacha's
wild pitch and hurried a throw to his pitcher that skipped into the Cardinals
dugout.
The Cardinals made three errors and had an eight-game winning streak against
the Nationals snapped.
"Whenever you're going against Gio you have to go out there and match zeroes
with him and he was pitching very well tonight and he got me," said Wacha
(2-1), who gave up five hits and struck out seven in seven innings with no
walks.
Gonzalez yielded four hits and a walk. The Cardinals put runners at second and
third base against Tyler Clippard in the eighth before Drew Storen came in to
get two quick outs. Rafael Soriano worked around a walk in the ninth for his
fourth save, getting a double play to end the game.
"Unbelievable job by our pitchers," said Nationals shortstop Ian Desmond. "Gio
pitched his butt off."
Wacha picked up his third and fourth strikeouts to start the third inning, but
Rendon lined the next pitch, a 74 mph curve ball, into the visitors bullpen
behind left field for his third homer of the season and a 1-0 Nationals lead.
Gonzalez retired eight in a row before Allen Craig hit a one-out double off
the wall in right field that Jayson Werth had trouble tracking. Later, Werth
slid but couldn't catch Mark Ellis' single in shallow right, scoring Craig to
tie the game for St. Louis.
Game Notes
The game lasted 2 hours and 32 minutes ... The Nationals got just their third
win in their last eight games since starting the season 7-2.
The Macon County Conservation District and Decatur Audubon Society will hold the 33rd annual Festival of Spring on Saturday, April 26 from 10am – 4pm at Rock Springs Conservation Area.
This year’s festival includes activities such as canoe rodeo, bird feeder building, live animals at Homestead Prairie Farm, wagon rides, a vintage baseball game, hikes, and wild bird shows by the Illinois Raptor Center. Also at the festival, you’ll find Master Gardeners, Master Naturalists, and members of the Decatur Audubon Society, Decatur is Growing Gardeners and more, ready to answer your spring-time questions.
For a complete event schedule, visit www.maconcountyconservation.org.
The final performance in the 2014 Lincoln Land Community College Recital Series will feature the Emerald Underground on Sunday, April 27. The 4 p.m. concert will be held in the Trutter Center on the LLCC Springfield campus, and is free and open to the public.
The Emerald Underground has been playing Celtic music around the Midwest for the past 12 years. They bring Celtic music into the 21st century in a fusion of jigs, reels, ballads and rock-based tunes.
A Taylorville resident was arrested for obstructing justice on Wednesday. At 5:46pm, a Taylorville Police Department officer conducted a traffic stop on a vehicle on Wantland Drive. Following the stop, Rebecca Bayless, 36, of Taylorville was arrested for a Christian County failure to appear warrant and Mitchell R. Neece, 31, of Taylorville was arrested for obstructing justice.
Lake Land College has recently been honored and recognized for its innovative uses of technology to achieve first-rate student learning environments by e.Republic’s Center for Digital Education. This year, the college ranks number seven among mid-sized colleges nationally in the annual Digital Community Colleges Survey conducted by the Center for Digital Education, based in Sacramento, Calif.
According to the survey, 53 percent of colleges surveyed have developed and published social media policies – a nine percent increase since last year and a 25 percent increase in the last two years. Seventy-six percent of colleges are addressing issues regarding learning on mobile devices such as effective delivery of content to multiple platforms among students and faculty, as well as addressing issues around access off-campus. Finally, the survey indicates that 21 percent of responding colleges have developed mobile apps for course content.
To learn more about the technological advances at Lake Land College, visit: www.lakelandcollege.edu.
On Tuesday, April 29th, Land of Lincoln Honor Flight (LLHF) will take to the air again to honor 86 of our senior Veterans, by taking them on a no expense, day long journey to Washington, DC, so they may visit and reflect at their national memorials. Local veterans on the flight include:
Blue Mound:
William Dalluge, Jr, US Army, Korean War era
Hillsboro:
Melvin Stolte, US Army, Korean War era
Irving:
Everett Stolte of Irving, US Navy, Korean War era
Kincaid:
Rae Davis, Sr, US Marine, Korean War era
Rochester:
Robert Fryhoff, US Army, World War II
Taylorville:
Granvel "Spud" Nation, US Army, Korean War era
Earl Spurrier, US Army, Korean War era
The public is invited to welcome home the Veterans when they return to the Springfield Abraham Lincoln Capital Airport on April 29th, arriving at approximately 9:30 PM.
The Christian County Sheriff’s Office has released details on a crash that sent a Taylorville resident to the hospital. On April 4, Lenora I. Siegrist of Taylorville was traveling northbound on County Highway 23 approaching 2550 North Road. Siegrist said that she was reaching down to turn the radio station and drove into the ditch. Siegrist drove 60 feet through the ditch before striking the embankment for 2550 North Road. When Siegrist struck the embankment, she then traveled into the air landing in the middle of 2550 North Road. Siegrist continued north spinning out of control and struck the ditch on the north side of 2550 North Road. When Siegrist struck the ditch, she traveled 25 feet and then overturned. Siegrist was transported to St. John's Hospital for treatment of injuries.
If you're looking for a way to keep your kids busy during the summer months, the Sarah Bush Lincoln Health Center may have just the thing. Sara Betts, Healthy Kids Education Specialist for the hospital, says one offering is all about cooking:
[audio:bettssbl041614.mp3]comment here[/audio]
Find out more at their website, sarahbush.org.
A new class of Master Gardeners was certified this past Friday after 12 weeks of training.The group received their training in Taylorville, and most of the attendees are from Christian County. Long-time Master Gardener Gwen Podeschi says it was an unusually large class:
[audio:podeschiwelcomesnewmgs041415.mp3]comment here[/audio]
Podeschi also told Regional Radio listeners that there will plant sale May 3rd, and a couple of telenets coming up. Call the Extension office at 287-7246.
If you have been debating about whether or not to purchase the limited time three year membership pass at Lakeshore Golf Course, you only have a few days left to decide. Lakeshore has extended the cut off day to this Sunday at the end of the business day. General Manager Jason Boldig reminds Regional Radio listeners about the deal:
[audio:boldigspecialpass041814.mp3]comment here[/audio]
The pass also covers Meadowview Golf Course in Mattoon and Timberlake Golf Course in Sullivan. Again, the cutoff day is this Sunday. For more information or to purchase a pass, call Lakeshore at 824-5521.
As heard on WRAN, Shelbyville defeated Tuscola with a score of 5-2.
As heard on Groovy 93.5, Taylorville girls defeated Pawnee with a score of 10-3.
The Walmart in Taylorville was targeted 3 times this past weekend for retail thefts including 2 on Sunday. On Friday, a Taylorville Police Department officer was advised of a retail theft that occurred at Walmart. The officer located and arrested 24-year-old Michael L. Droke of Taylorville for retail theft. On Sunday, Taylorville Police Department officers were again out at Walmart in reference to a retail theft that had occurred. Following the investigation, 29-year-old Zachary D. Liberty of Stonington was arrested for retail theft. That same day, TPD officers were sent back to Walmart on another retail theft call. The suspect reportedly fled the scene and was later located walking on Route 104 near NewWave Communications. She was identified as 43-year-old Wonda Y. Davis of Decatur. Davis was then placed under arrest for retail theft.
The Taylorville Police Department had their hands full during an arrest on Monday. Around 11:16pm, 911 radioed the Taylorville Police Department in reference to a male subject who came home and found a woman in his house and now was following her outside the residence on foot. While in route, the male told dispatch that the female was wearing tan or light gray pants and a black hooded sweatshirt and was walking towards Samuel Street through the yards. An officer located the female hiding behind a white truck at 917 Kenton Street and identified her as Dotty M. Eppenger, 27, of Taylorville. Eppenger resisted arrest and struck 2 officers. After placing her under arrest, Michael Redwine walked up and wanted to talk to officers. Eppenger was transported to Taylorville Police Department and later transported to Taylorville Memorial Hospital for an injury she sustained while resisting. Both were interviewed and Redwine was transported to Gas Light Motel and Eppenger was transported to Christian County Correctional Center in lieu of bond for charges of residential burglary, resisting arrest, and aggravated battery.
If you are or have a high school student looking to get a jump on college classes, Lake Land College is offering early-bird dual enrollment courses.
Early-bird courses meet before the regular school day opens, often at 7 a.m., which allows high school students to participate in all high school course work and after-school extracurricular activities.
This fall, Introduction to Speech Communication will be offered at Windsor High School in the early-bird, dual-enrollment format. Other dual enrollment courses may be offered at Stewardson-Strasburg and Neoga as well.
Early-bird, dual-enrollment classes are also being offered at Mattoon High School.
To learn more about dual enrollment course offerings or to expand these options in local high schools, contact Brent Todd at (217) 234-5044 or btodd@lakeland.cc.il.us.
Now is the time of year we see many severe storms and tornadoes which can often be devastating. Having the knowledge to identify certain types of weather conditions and being prepared can sometimes be the difference between surviving a severe storm or tornado and not.
That is why the Taylorville Police Department and TRIAD are hosting a severe weather preparedness seminar next Thursday, April 24th at 9:30am. This is open to anyone who would like to attend and learn more about the weather and how to prepare for it.
The featured guest speaker will be Taylorville Fire Chief and ESDA Coordinator Mike Crews. Two Midland Weather Radios, which have been donated by Jennifer Albers from CVS Pharmacy, will be given to two lucky winners.
The seminar will be held in the lower level of the City of Taylorville Municipal Building located at 115 N. Main St.
If you have a weather radio that you are having trouble with or unable to program it, bring it with you and they will try to help you with it.
Refreshments will be provided and as always, the seminar is free of charge.
You probably already knew that area schools used a lot of snow days this year. Taylorville School Superintendent Dr. Gregg Fursteneau says that extends the end of the year into June:
[audio:fursteneausnowdays041714.mp3]comment here[/audio]
In a typical year, school districts may use 3 or 4 snow days.
Greater Taylorville Chamber of Commerce holds ribbon cutting for Logan's Tropical Sno
With temperatures on the rise, you may be looking for a place to enjoy a cool treat and now there is a new spot to do so in Taylorville. Nicole Logan tells Regional Radio News about Logan’s Tropical Sno:
[audio:logantropicalsno041714.mp3]comment here[/audio]
Logan explains why they decided to open the business:
[audio:loganreason041714.mp3]comment here[/audio]
Logan says they will be open daily and the hours will be 2-9pm during Spring Break, on weekends, and during the summer. During the school week, they will open from 4:30-9pm. Logan’s Tropical Sno is located at 500 West Market right next to the Taylorville Food Center.
Charlotte, NC (SportsNetwork.com) - Kemba Walker filled the stat sheet with 22
points, eight assists and seven rebounds to lead the Charlotte Bobcats to a
91-86 overtime victory over the Chicago Bulls in the regular season finale for
both teams.
Walker poured in eight points in the extra frame, surpassing the six points
that Chicago scored, while the Bulls shot 2-for-10 from the field in overtime.
Chris Douglas-Roberts netted 13 -- 12 of which came in the fourth -- and
Gerald Henderson had 11 points and six rebounds for the Bobcats (43-39), who
earned the seventh seed and will face the two-time defending NBA champion
Miami Heat in the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs. Al Jefferson
had 10 points and 18 rebounds.
"I think this is the type of game that we needed going into the
playoffs," said Jefferson. "That's a playoff team and that's a playoff game
that we played tonight. That's the way the playoffs are going to be, no matter
who we play."
Charlotte won 11 of 13 to close out the regular season, however, the Bobcats
have lost 16 straight regular season matchups against Miami, who they'll face
for the first time ever in the playoffs.
D.J. Augustin netted 17, and Carlos Boozer and Joakim Noah added 14 points
apiece, with 11 and 13 rebounds, respectively, for the Bulls (48-34), who
took the No. 4 seed and will face the Washington Wizards in the first round of
the playoffs, starting Sunday night.
"We gave it everything we had and there's no regrets in that and now like my
boy Mike Dunleavy said, 'This is the fruit of our labor, now we'll have fun in
the playoffs,'" said Noah.
Jimmy Butler and Mike Dunleavy added 12 points apiece in defeat. The Bulls won
8-of-10 to end their regular season.
Walker opened the scoring in overtime with a pair from the charity stripe.
Following three misses from the Bulls, Henderson nailed a 13-footer to put the
Bobcats ahead, 84-80, with 2 1/2 minutes left to play.
After another Chicago miss, Dunleavy split a pair from the line and Walker
answered with six straight points before the Bulls made their first field goal
of the extra frame with 31 seconds remaining. Douglas-Roberts went 1-of-2 from
the line before Augustin knocked down a trey to round out the scoring.
With the game tied at 80, the Bobcats had a chance to take the victory
following a Taj Gibson miss with 21.9 seconds on the clock. Walker held for
the last shot, however, he couldn't connect on a step-back jumper at the
buzzer.
The Bulls led, 60-59, to start the final 12 minutes of regulation. Augustin
hit 3-pointer with 5:42 left to give the Bulls a, 75-70, lead. Douglas-
Roberts, however, scored the next five to knot the score with 3 1/2 left in
the fourth.
Kirk Hinrich then nailed a triple from the corner to put Chicago ahead three,
however, a Henderson slam brought Charlotte within one. Augustin staked the
Bulls a 3-point lead after knocking down a jumper with 2 1/2 on the clock.
Chicago missed three shots through the final two minutes and the Bobcats went
3-for-4 from the foul line to send the game into overtime.
The third quarter saw neither team lead by more than five points, featuring
four ties and three lead changes. Chicago made 36.8 percent (7-for-19) of its
shots in the period, compared to the Bobcats making 25 percent (5-for-20) of
their field goals.
Earlier, in the second frame the teams traded scores until halfway through
when Charlotte went on a 22-8 tear to close out the half. Walker provided
eight points on the run to help the Bobcats take a 43-39 lead into the locker
room.
The first quarter went back-and-forth, with three ties and two lead changes.
Chicago held the largest margin of eight points and took a 21-16 edge into the
second.
Game Notes
Charlotte has now won 14 of 15 at home ... The Bobcats outscored the Bulls by
a margin of 42-28 inside the paint ... Charlotte grabbed 53 rebounds compared
to 44 by Chicago.
Chicago, IL (SportsNetwork.com) - Jackie Bradley Jr.'s two-run double in the
top of the 14th inning gave the Boston Red Sox a 6-4 win over the Chicago
White Sox to even the three-game set from U.S. Cellular Field.
Leury Garcia (0-1) retired the first two batters he faced in the 14th but
walked Daniel Nava and Jonathan Herrera, setting up Bradley's drive to the
wall in right field.
Chris Capuano (1-0) got the first two outs in the home half of the 14th, and
Burke Badenhop took the hill to finish it and record his first save of the
season for Boston, which had lost three straight.
Dustin Pedroia had two hits and three runs scored for the Red Sox, who hit
just 6-for-44 as a team and 3-for-17 with runners in scoring position. Clay
Buchholz started and allowed three runs -- two earned -- on six hits while
striking out six over six innings.
Alexei Ramirez homered for Chicago and extended his hitting streak to 15
games, tying him with Frank Thomas (1996) for the longest season-opening
streak in franchise history.
Conor Gillaspie, Adrian Nieto and Tyler Flowers all had two hits in defeat.
The Solid navy;background-color:yellow"> White Sox took a 3-1 lead on Ramirez's two-run homer in the sixth. Adam
Dunn walked and later scored on Ramirez's blast to left.
The Red Sox scored once in the eighth and ninth to force extras. In the
eighth, Scott Downs walked David Ortiz before handing the ball over to Jake
Petricka, who walked Jonny Gomes. Donnie Veal came in and got Grady Sizemore
to ground into a fielder's choice, but A.J. Pierzynski's sacrifice fly cut the
gap to one. Boston left the bases loaded.
Pedroia and Xander Bogaerts worked consecutive walks to begin the ninth. Matt
Lindstrom came in from the bullpen and gave up an infield single to Gomes.
Sizemore's sacrifice fly tied the game.
The Red Sox took the lead in the 11th. Daniel Webb walked Pedroia and hit
Bogaerts with a pitch. After Ortiz grounded into a fielder's choice, Gomes
plated Pedroia with a sacrifice fly.
Chicago got the run back in the bottom half to extend the game. With Edward
Mujica pitching, Jordan Danks walked, stole second, advanced to third on
Ramirez's groundout and raced home on Flowers' single to center.
Earlier, both teams put a run across in the first inning. Bogaerts hit an RBI
single to start it, and the Solid navy;background-color:yellow"> White Sox responded in the home half when Adam
Eaton scored on Ryan Roberts' throwing error.
Game Notes
The Red Sox were without first baseman Mike Napoli, who left Tuesday's contest
in the ninth inning with a dislocated finger ... Pedroia returned to the
starting lineup after missing the previous two games with inflammation in his
left wrist ... Boston left 16 men on base while Chicago left 10 ...
Chicago starter John Danks gave up one run on three hits with four walks over
six innings.
Bronx, NY (SportsNetwork.com) - Masahiro Tanaka allowed only two bunt singles
over eight strong innings as the New York Yankees defeated the Chicago Cubs,
3-0, in the opener of a day-night doubleheader at Yankee Stadium.
Tanaka (2-0) struck out 10 and walked just one to win for the second time in
three starts this season. The rookie right-hander from Japan lowered his ERA
from 3.21 to 2.05 after posting a 24-0 record and 1.27 ERA in his native
country last season.
He had set down 15 in a row before Anthony Rizzo's bunt single against the
infield shift to begin the seventh inning ended that streak. Tanaka responded
by retiring the final six batters he faced -- striking out three of them --
before being lifted for reliever Shawn Kelley to start the ninth.
Carlos Beltran homered and Jacoby Ellsbury went 1-for-3 with an RBI for the
Yankees, who have won three straight. Dean Anna, starting at shortstop for a
resting Derek Jeter, drove in the other run for New York, which has won four
of five overall and improved to 5-3 on its current nine-game homestand that
ends with tonight's nightcap.
Rizzo finished with two hits and Junior Lake had the other bunt single for the
Cubs, who have lost three in a row.
Jason Hammel (2-1) suffered the tough-luck loss, surrendering three runs on
five hits in seven innings. He struck out five and walked three in dropping
his first decision of the season.
Beltran's solo homer in the first started the scoring. New York added another
run in the fourth when Brian McCann scored on Anna's sacrifice fly and
scored again in the fifth, when Brett Gardner doubled and later came home on
Ellsbury's groundout to the pitcher.
Ellsbury's swing was interfered with by catcher John Baker during the play,
but the Yankees had the option of taking the play as it played out or awarding
Ellsbury first base with Gardner remaining at third. New York manager Joe
Girardi opted for the run.
Kelley worked a one-hit ninth for his fourth save of the season.
Game Notes
This is the first doubleheader of the season for both teams ... Beltran has
four HRs and nine RBI this season ... Tanaka has 28 strikeouts in three starts
this season ... This doubleheader was forced due to a rainout on Tuesday ...
The second game of the doubleheader will see both teams wear the number 42 in
honor of Jackie Robinson.
Bronx, NY (SportsNetwork.com) - This time, there was no controversy over
Michael Pineda's latest impressive start.
The New York Yankees hurler fired six scoreless innings to help the Bronx
Bombers complete a doubleheader sweep of the visiting Chicago Cubs with a 2-0
victory in Wednesday's nightcap.
Five days after drawing plenty of attention -- for both his performance and
for an apparent foreign substance on his right hand that was caught by
television cameras -- when tossing six innings of one-run ball to defeat the
Boston Red Sox, Pineda (2-1) held a punchless Chicago offense to four hits and
a walk. It was his third straight strong outing since returning to the majors
following a two-year absence caused by shoulder problems.
"Really, really good command of his pitches," said Yankees manager Joe Girardi
of Pineda. "Wasn't the best conditions to pitch in, but I thought he did a
really good job."
The shutout was the second of the day for the Yankees' staff, with Masahiro
Tanaka yielding just two singles and fanning 10 over eight frames in New
York's 3-0 triumph in the opener.
The Yankees last blanked an opponent in both games of a doubleheader on Apr.
9, 1987, doing so against Kansas City.
Scott Sizemore paced the offense in New York's fourth straight win by going 2-
for-3 with an RBI single that scored Alfonso Soriano, who also finished with
two hits.
The Cubs, losers of four in a row and shut out in a doubleheader for the first
time in 52 years, received a pair of hits from Starlin Castro. Travis Wood
(0-2) limited New York to two runs despite permitting 11 hits over 5 2/3
innings.
"They found some holes tonight to put up their two runs," Wood said. "Felt
like I made some good pitches, just too many pitches too early. I wasn't able
to go deep enough in the ball game."
Pineda began the contest by retiring 11 of the first 13 Chicago hitters and
didn't encounter any real trouble until the fifth inning, when singles by
Castro and Luis Valbuena and a sac bunt put two in scoring position with one
out and New York clinging to a 1-0 lead.
The right-hander got of the jam, however, by striking out Ryan Kalish and
getting Darwin Barney to fly out harmlessly to center.
Anthony Rizzo tripled with two out in the top of the sixth but was left
stranded with Chicago now trailing by two, as Sizemore plated Soriano with a
two-out single to left during the Yankees' half of the fifth.
With David Phelps having taken over for Pineda, the Cubs threatened once more
in the seventh but again couldn't come up with the big hit. Castro led off the
inning with a single and Valbuena drew a walk before the Yankee reliever set
down the next three batters.
Chicago did put the tying run in scoring position in the ninth, as Nate
Schierholtz came through with a leadoff single off Matt Thornton and Adam
Warren walked Valbuena with one out. Warren then threw a wild pitch to advance
both after inducing a pop up out of Welington Castillo, but got Kalish to
ground out to close out the victory.
Wood worked out of trouble on several occasions early on, with the Yankees
stranding five men through three innings of play, but was touched for a run in
the fourth. Sizemore singled, took second on a two-out hit by J.R. Murphy and
scored the game's initial run on Brett Gardner's sharp single to right.
Game Notes
The Yankees left 12 on base for the game ... The last time the Cubs were
blanked in both ends of a doubleheader was Apr. 29, 1962 against the Giants in
San Francisco ... After going 0-for-4 with runners in scoring position in the
opener, Chicago was hitless in nine at-bats in such situations in Game 2 ...
Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter returned to action after missing three straight
games with quadriceps tightness, finishing 1-for-5 ... Zac Rosscup, called up
by the Cubs to serve as the 26th man for the twinbill, threw 1 2/3 scoreless
innings.
Coverage of tonight's Cards and Brewers can be heard on Newstalk 97.3 WTIM beginning at 5:30pm.
Milwaukee, WI (SportsNetwork.com) - Jonathan Lucroy drove in two runs to push
the Milwaukee Brewers past the St. Louis Cardinals, 5-1, to avoid being swept
in the three-game set.
Aramis Ramirez had three hits and drove in a run, while Carlos Gomez and Lyle
Overbay each had an RBI for the Brewers, who snapped a two-game skid. Wily
Peralta (2-0) surrendered only one run on six hits with three strikeouts
across 6 1/3 innings.
Allen Craig's solo home run accounted for the St. Louis' lone run. Yadier
Molina and Jon Jay had two hits apiece for the Cardinals, who entered the game
with four straight wins.
Cardinals starter Joe Kelly (1-1) exited the game in the fifth inning with a
leg injury. He laid down a bunt and grabbed his hamstring after getting thrown
out at first base to end the frame. He immediately called the team's trainer
and limped off the field.
The right-hander allowed one run on three hits with two strikeouts in four
innings before exiting the game. Seth Maness took the mound in relief of the
injured starter.
"I definitely tweaked it. I called the trainer over to let him know and I came
out of the game," said Kelly, who will not travel with the team but head back
to St. Louis for an MRI on Thursday.
The Brewers opened the scoring in the third. Logan Schafer reached on a
fielding error and moved to second on Wily Peralta's sacrifice bunt. Gomez's
line drive to center scored Schafer to give the Brewers their first lead of
the series.
With two-outs in the fifth, Wily Peralta reached first on a line drive that
deflected off shortstop Jhonny Peralta's glove. Maness then walked Gomez and
allowed a groundball single to Jean Segura to load the bases. Lucroy brought
two runners home on a hard grounder to right field.
Ramirez then hit the first pitch he saw for a single to left, bringing Segura
home and making it a 4-0 game.
St. Louis got on the board after Craig smacked a solo shot over the right
field wall to make it a 4-1 game in the sixth.
The Brewers loaded the bases in the eighth with no outs. Cardinals reliever
Pat Neshak entered the game and walked Overbay to make it a 5-1 game. Neshak
got Schafer to ground into a force out that got Davis out at home. Rickie
Weeks and Gomez struck out to end the inning.
Francisco Rodriguez entered the game in the ninth for the Brewers and allowed
two hits before working out of a one-out jam with runners on second and third
to end the game.
Game Notes
Ryan Braun was not in the lineup for the Brewers ... The Cardinals went 1-
for-7 and left eight runners on base ... The Brewers will travel to Pittsburgh
on Thursday to start a four-game set against the Pirates ... St. Louis will
open a four-game series opposing the Nationals in Washington on Thursday.
Groovy 93.5: Taylorville vs. Argenta-Oreana 4:15pm
THE CHRISTIAN COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICE REPORTS THE FOLLOWING ARRESTS:
Nicole L. Erwin-Gaynor, 22, of 407 West Broadway Street, Centralia, was arrested April 16 on a bond forfeiture for driving on a suspended/revoked license.
Gary E. Turvey, 55, of 2041 North 1300 East Road, Taylorville, was arrested April 16 for methamphetamine precursor.
Rebecca E. Bayless, 36, of 59 Miller Lane, Taylorville, was arrested April 16 on a bond forfeiture for no seat belts.
Mitchell R. Neece, 31, of 1924 South Houston Street, Taylorville, was arrested April 16 for obstructing justice.
CRASHES:
On April 4, Lenora I. Siegrist of Taylorville was traveling northbound on County Highway 23 approaching 2550 North Road. Siegrist said that she was reaching down to turn the radio station and drove into the ditch. Siegrist drove 60 feet through the ditch before striking the embankment for 2550 North Road. When Siegrist struck the embankment, she then travled into the air landing in the middle of 2550 North Road. Siegrist continued north spinning out of control and struck the ditch on the north side of 2550 North Road. When Siegrist struck the ditch, she traveled 25 feet and then overturned. Siegrist was transported to St. John's Hospital for treatment of injuries.
THE TAYLORVILLE POLICE DEPARTMENT REPORTS THE FOLLOWING ARREST:
On April 16 at 5:46pm, a Taylorville Police Department officer conducted a traffic stop on a vehicle on Wantland Drive. Following the stop, Rebecca Bayless, 36, of Taylorville was arrested for a Christian County failure to appear warrant and Mitchell R. Neece, 31, of Taylorville was arrested for obstructing justice.
THE TAYLORVILLE FIRE DEPARTMENT REPORTS THE FOLLOWING CALLS:
April 16
2 EMS, 1 Automatic Alarm
69-year-old Steve Durbin of Taylorville is the big winner of the $20,250,000 Lotto jackpot. Durbin and his newlywed wife Wilma were at the Taylorville Kroger, where he had purchased the ticket, for a check presentation Thursday afternoon. Wilma tells Regional Radio News about the moment when Steve told her they won the lotto:
[audio:wilmalottery041714.mp3]comment here[/audio]
Steve says he doesn’t play the lottery often and had this to say when asked why he decided to play this time around:
[audio:stevereason041714.mp3]comment here[/audio]
Wilma says future plans include buying a house, setting some things up for their grandchildren, and traveling. Steve and Wilma were married on March 29th. Durbin chose to take the cash option of $11,631,255.75 which is subject to state and federal withholding. Kroger received a selling bonus check worth $202,500.
Left to Right: Betty Asmussen from Peoples Bank and Trust, Senior Brandon Butcher, Junior Bailey Yonker, Sophomore Mary Kate Curtin, Freshman Trevor Crews.
Left to right: Krista from Family Drug, Senior Brook Cieplik, Junior Peighton Donnel, Sophomore Kelly Laskowski, Freshman Dakota Forsyth.
As heard on WRAN, Shelbyville defeated Vandalia with a score of 12-2.
As heard on Groovy 93.5, Taylorville lost to Glenwood with a score of 9-2.
Representative Rodney Davis of Taylorville recently voted in favor of bi-partisan legislation designed to protect coal mining jobs. The Congressman says the jobs are vital to the Central Illinois economy:
[audio:daviscoaljobs041614.mp3]comment here[/audio]
The bill, “Preventing Government Waste and Protecting Coal Mining Jobs in America Act”, passed in the House on a vote of 229 to 192.
The Christian County Board met Tuesday night and was presented with a motion to approve the University of Illinois Extension’s Job Shadowing program for a second year. Board member Fred Curtin reminded the Board what the event was about and some new things proposed for this year:
Chicago, IL (SportsNetwork.com) - Alexei Ramirez scored from second on
shortstop Xander Bogaerts' throwing error in the bottom of the ninth, lifting
the Chicago White Sox over the Boston Red Sox, 2-1, in the opener of a three-
game series.
"It's cold weather, but that's no excuse for that play," Bogaerts said.
Burke Badenhop (0-2), who recorded the final out in the eighth, stayed on to
start the ninth for Boston. After Alejandro De Aza was caught stealing second,
Ramirez singled to left. Badenhop got Tyler Flowers to go down looking before
handing the ball over to Chris Capuano, who walked Adam Eaton. Marcus Semien
then hit a grounder to Bogaerts, whose errant throw to first allowed the game-
winning run to score.
"There were two outs so I was going all the way with two outs, so my idea was
to go ahead and get to home plate regardless of what happened," Ramirez said.
Daniel Webb (1-0) picked up his first win in the big leagues after stranding
men on first and second in the top of the ninth. Erik Johnson got the start
for Chicago and allowed one run on three hits while striking out nine over 6
2/3 innings.
Adam Dunn hit a Solo homer for the White Sox, who have won two in a row.
Boston starter Jake Peavy gave up one run on three hits with eight strikeouts
and four walks over six full frames. Tuesday marked his first start at U.S.
Cellular Field since being traded by the White Sox last summer.
Daniel Nava hit a Solo homer for the Red Sox, who lost first baseman Mike
Napoli to a dislocated finger in the ninth inning. After reaching on a walk,
Napoli tried taking second on a steal. He slid into the base and his left hand
jammed into the bag. His left ring finger appeared to be out of place.
Dustin Pedroia, who has inflammation in his left wrist, came on to pinch-run
for Napoli and moved to second base. Mike Carp entered at first base.
Dunn homered to right in the second to make it 1-0 Chicago.
The Red Sox put men on second and third in the third, but Bogaerts struck out
swinging to end the inning.
Nava hit a no-doubter to right in the fourth to make it 1-1.
The White Sox had a chance to take the lead back in the sixth. With runners on
second and third, De Aza flied out to end the threat.
Game Notes
Tuesday marked the one-year anniversary of the tragic Boston Marathon bombings
and the 67th anniversary of Jackie Robinson breaking baseball's color barrier
... Pedroia was given a cortisone injection and is aiming to return on
Wednesday. He missed Sunday's series finale at the New York Yankees ... White
Sox right fielder Avisail Garcia underwent successful surgery Tuesday
morning to repair a torn labrum and avulsion fracture in his left shoulder ...
Ramirez went 1-for-3 to extend his hitting streak to 14 games.
Coverage of today's Cards and Brewers can be heard on Newstalk 97.3 WTIM beginning at 11:35am.
Milwaukee, WI (SportsNetwork.com) - Shelby Miller pitched six solid innings
and the St. Louis Cardinals took a 6-1 victory over the Milwaukee Brewers in
the second of a three-game set.
Miller (1-2) gave up a run on three hits with seven strikeouts, while Jhonny
Peralta hit a two-run home run and Mark Ellis drove in a pair for the
Cardinals, who have won four straight.
"This is a good team and we don't take anything for granted," said St. Louis
manager Mike Matheny. "We just have to keep our focus that we have."
Marco Estrada (1-1) gave up three runs on five hits over six innings and
Aramis Ramirez hit a solo home run for the Brewers, who have dropped the first
two of this set after winning nine straight.
"I think as well as we were swinging the bats it's too early to panic," said
Milwaukee manager Ron Roenicke. "It's still young in the season and there's
going to be times where you run up against good pitching."
Yadier Molina was hit by a pitch with one out in the St. Louis second and
Peralta followed with a double. Ellis' grounder to short plated Molina for a
1-0 lead.
In the third, Matt Carpenter walked with one out and Allen Craig smacked a
double to center that brought home Carpenter for a 2-0 advantage.
The Cards produced another run in the fourth on Ellis' sacrifice fly that
plated Molina for a 3-0 advantage, but Ramirez hit a two-out solo home run in
the home half to get Milwaukee on the board.
Pat Neshek pitched a 1-2-3 seventh inning, while Kevin Siegrist kept Milwaukee
off the board in the eighth.
A solo home run from Matt Holliday, and two-run shot by Peralta in the ninth
made it a five-run game and Seth Maness set the Brewers down in order in the
ninth.
Game Notes
Milwaukee didn't have an at-bat with a runner in scoring position and left
four men on base ... Miller is 4-0 in six career starts against the Brewers
... Estrada fell to 0-5 over 13 meetings (eight starts) against the Cardinals
... Ellis was activated off the disabled list on Tuesday as he began the
season on the DL with left knee patella tendinitis.
Less than two weeks after his wedding, a Taylorville resident became the Illinois Lottery’s newest multimillionaire. The lucky lottery player won the $20,250,000 Lotto jackpot when the numbers on his Quick Pick ticket matched all six numbers -01 – 07 – 09 – 21 – 22 – 32 – in the Thursday April 10 drawing. The winner’s names will be announced at a check presentation tomorrow at 12:30pm at Kroger’s.
THE CHRISTIAN COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICE REPORTS THE FOLLOWING ARRESTS:
Caleb W. Alsbury, 31, of 1505 South Houston Street, Taylorville, was arrested April 15 on a warrant for methamphetamine precursor.
Nina A. Armstrong, 57, of 620 East Adams, Taylorville, was arrested April 15 on a warrant for delivery of a controlled substance.
Joseph W. Carey, 52, of 707 West Vine Street, Edinburg, was arrested April 15 on a warrant for manufacturing/delivery of cannabis.
Roger D. Moss, 63, of 414 East Franklin, Edinburg, was arrested April 15 on a warrant for manufacturing/delivery of cannabis.
Wesley A. Hobbs, 49, of 2235 North East Road, Rochester, was arrested April 15 on a warrant for manufacturing/delivery of cannabis.
Lorenzo C. Harper, 24, of 304 North Shumway, Taylorville, was arrested April 15 on a warrant for manufacturing/delivery of a controlled substance.
Dalton C. Daniels, 20, of 202 West South Fourth Street, Oconee, was arrested April 15 on a warrant for the manufacturing/delivery of cannabis.
Shane A. Rhodes, 32, of 811 East 1st Street, Pana, was arrested April 15 on a warrant for the production of cannabis.
Kathy L. Cooper, 47, of 508 North State Apt. B, Pana, was arrested April 15 on a warrant for the possession of a controlled substance.
Dotty M. Eppenger, 27, of 1523 West Elm Street, Taylorville, was arrested April 15 for residential burglary, resisting/obstructing a police officer, and aggravated battery to a police officer.
Alexander B. Shanks, 21, of 610 South Webster Street, Taylorville, was arrested April 15 on a bond forfeiture for failure to appear.
Nathan W. Moore, 31, of RR 1 Box 79, Oconee, was arrested April 15 on a bond forfeiture for the manufacturing/delivery of a controlled substance.
Briar D. Samson, 19, of 901 East Stephenson Street, was arrested April 15 on a bond forfeiture for contempt of court.
THE TAYLORVILLE POLICE DEPARTMENT REPORTS THE FOLLOWING ARRESTS:
On April 14 at 11:16pm, 911 radioed the Taylorville Police Department in reference to a male subject who came home and found a woman in his house and now was following her outside the residence on foot. While in route, the male subject told dispatch that the female was wearing tan or light gray pants and a black hooded sweatshirt and was walking towards Samuel Street through the yards. An officer located the female hiding behind a white truck at 917 Kenton Street and identified her as Dotty M. Eppenger, 27, of Taylorville. During the arrest Eppenger resisted and struck 2 officers. After placing her under arrest, Michael Redwine walked up and wanted to talk to officers. Eppenger was transported to Taylorville Police Department and later transported to Taylorville Memorial Hospital for an injury she sustained while resisting. Both were interviewed and Redwine was transported to Gas Light Motel and Eppenger was transported to Christian County Correctional Center in lieu of bond for charges of residential burglary, resisting arrest, and aggravated battery.
On April 15 at 3:51pm, a Taylorville Police Department officer was on patrol and observed Briar D. Samson, 19, of Taylorville operating a motor vehicle. The officer knew Samson to have a valid Christian County warrant. The officer made contact with Samson and had dispatch run him through the Law Enforcement Data Agencies Data System which verified the warrant. Samson was placed under arrest and transported to Christian County Correctional Center.
On April 10 at 9:53pm, a Taylorville Police Department officer was on patrol and observed Steven S. Durbin, 22, of Taylorville walking near Market and Walnut. The officer knew Durbin to have a valid Christian County warrant. Durbin was placed under arrest and transported to Christian County Correctional Center.
THE TAYLORVILLE FIRE DEPARTMENT REPORTS THE FOLLOWING CALLS:
10 people were arrested Tuesday on various drug charges. At 10:30 a.m., agents from the Illinois State Police Central Illinois Enforcement Group, Illinois State Police Zone 4, Illinois State Police Meth Response Team, Christian County Sheriff’s Office, Taylorville Police Department, and the Edinburg Police Department conducted an arrest warrant detail for numerous arrest warrants issued by the Christian County States Attorney’s Office. 63-year-old Roger D. Moss of Edinburg, 49-year-old Wesley A. Hobbs of Rochester, 52-year-old Joseph W. Carey of Edinburg, 32-year-old Shane A. Rhodes of Pana and 20-year-old Dalton C. Daniels of Oconee were all arrested for the manufacturing and delivery of cannabis.
24-year-old Lorenzo C. Harper of Taylorville was arrested for the manufacturing and delivery of cocaine. 57-year-old Nina Armstrong of Taylorville and 31-year-old Nathan W. Moore of Pana were arrested for the delivery of a controlled substance. 31-year-old Caleb W. Alsbury of Taylorville was arrested for possession and delivery of methamphetamine precursor and 47-year-old Kathy L. Cooper of Pana was arrested for possession of a controlled substance. Additional arrests are anticipated.
Subject Arrested 1: Name: Nina A. Armstrong
Address: 620 East Adams Taylorville, IL
Gender: F Age: 57
Subject Arrested For:
(1) Delivery of a controlled substance (Class 1)
Bond was set at: $50,000.00
Subject Arrested 2: Name: Roger D. Moss
Address: 414 E. Franklin St. Edinburg, IL
Gender: M Age: 63
Subject Arrested For:
(1) Manufacture/Delivery of Cannabis (Class 1)
Bond was set at: $40,000.00
Subject Arrested 3: Name: Wesley A. Hobbs
Address: 2235 N 400 E Rd, Rochester, IL
Gender: M Age: 49
Subject Arrested For:
(1) Manufacture/Delivery of Cannabis (Class 1)
Bond was set at: $40,000.00
Subject Arrested 4: Name: Joseph W. Carey
Address: # 707 W. Vine St., Edinburg, IL
Gender: M Age: 52
Subject Arrested For:
(1) Manufacture/Delivery of Cannabis (Class 1)
Bond was set at: $40,000.00
Subject Arrested 5: Name: Caleb W. Alsbury
Address: 1505 S. Houston St., Taylorville, IL
Gender: M Age: 31
Subject Arrested For:
(1) Possession/Delivery of Meth Precursor (Class 2)
Bond was set at: $25,000.00
Subject Arrested 6: Name: Kathy L. Cooper
Address: 508 N. State St. Apt B, Pana, IL
Gender: F Age: 47
Subject Arrested For:
(1) Possession of a Controlled Substance (Class 3)
Bond was set at: $10,000.00
Subject Arrested 7: Name: Shane A. Rhodes
Address: 811 E. 1st St., Pana, IL
Gender: M Age: 32
Subject Arrested For:
(1) Manufacture Delivery of Cannabis (Class 4)
Bond was set at: $5,000.00
Subject Arrested 8: Name: Lorenzo C. Harper
Address: 304 N. Shumway, Taylorville, IL
Gender: M Age: 24
Subject Arrested For:
(1) Manufacture Delivery of a Cocaine (Class 1)
Bond was set at: $75,000.00
Subject Arrested 9: Name: Dalton C. Daniels
Address: 202 West South 4th St., Oconee, IL
Gender: M Age: 20
Subject Arrested For:
(1) Manufacture Delivery of a Cannabis (Class 3)
Bond was set at: $10,000.00
Subject Arrested 10: Name: Nathan W. Moore
Address: 2120 E. 200 North Rd. Pana, IL.
Gender: M Age: 31
Subject Arrested For:
(2) Delivery of a Controlled Substance (Class 3)
Bond was set at: $10,000.00
While The Illinois Department of Natural Resources says a recent sighting in Taylorville was just a large cat, everyone knows bobcats are making a comeback. In fact, they are becoming a problem for many downstate residents.
Representative Wayne Rosenthal of Morrisonville says there are efforts to allow the cats to be hunted:
[audio:rosenthalbobcats041514.mp3]comment here[/audio]
Rosenthal represents Illinois' 98th District.
U.S. Rep. Rodney Davis of Taylorville has announced that he will be holding traveling office hours in Nokomis on Monday, April 21, at 9:30am.
Holding traveling office hours enables Davis to continue his dialogue with residents of the 13th District and allows area residents a chance to speak to Davis one-on-one or in small groups to share any concerns or issues.
The traveling office hours will be held at the Nokomis City Hall, 22 South Cedar St. in Nokomis, from 9:30am – 11:00am.
Appointments for a one-on-one or small group meeting with Rep. Davis are encouraged but not required. To make an appointment, please call 217.791.6224..
Chicago, IL (SportsNetwork.com) - Mike Dunleavy poured in 22 points while
shooting 8-for-11 from the field to lead the Chicago Bulls to a 108-95
victory over the Orlando Magic.
Joakim Noah tallied 18 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists and Jimmer
Fredette added 17 points for the Bulls, who have won 10 of 12. Carlos Boozer
and Tony Snell had 13 points apiece, with Boozer adding 12 boards and five
assists.
"We just want to be playing our best basketball, which I think we're playing
pretty well. We want to go (into the playoffs) with a good momentum," Boozer
said.
Jimmy Butler contributed 12 points for Chicago, which is tied with the Toronto
Raptors for the No. 3 seed in the Eastern Conference playoff race with one
game left for each team.
Kyle O'Quinn totaled 20 points and seven rebounds and Andrew Nicholson scored
19 points for the Magic, who have lost three straight and six of eight. Arron
Afflalo and Victor Oladipo scored 13 and 10 points, respectively, in the loss.
The Magic trailed 57-44 to start the third but pulled back to within three
following a 10-3 burst midway through the period. Chicago, however, answered
by closing out the period with a 14-6 run to carry an 11-point lead into the
fourth.
The Bulls stretched their lead to 17, 94-77, with 7 1/2 left to play, and
Orlando never got within 12 the rest of the way.
The Bulls led 26-21 after the first and a 13-4 run early in the second pushed
the spread to 41-30.
Game Notes
Orlando is 1-19 when its opponent shoots 50 percent or better ... The Magic
fell to 0-38 when being outrebounded by their opponent this season ... The
Bulls have won the series against Orlando for the fourth straight season ...
Chicago is 41-4 when leading entering the fourth quarter.
Coverage of tonight's Cards and Brewers can be heard on Newstalk 97.3 WTIM beginning at 6:35pm.
Milwaukee, WI (SportsNetwork.com) - Lance Lynn pitched seven scoreless innings
to help the St. Louis Cardinals to a 4-0 shutout of the Milwaukee Brewers in
the opener of a three-game set.
Lynn (3-0) gave up just three hits with three walks while striking out 11 to
win his third straight start to begin the season. Jhonny Peralta hit a solo
home run and Jon Jay clubbed a three-run shot for the Cardinals, who have won
three straight.
"He did a great job of controlling his counts and mixing his fastballs," said
St. Louis manager Mike Matheny about Lynn. "He didn't get in much trouble and
did a great job of controlling the plate."
Matt Garza (0-2) was touched for four runs on nine hits with a walk and six
strikeouts in seven innings of work for the Brewers, who had won nine straight
coming in. Jean Segura had two of the three hits for Milwaukee.
Peralta got St. Louis the only run it needed when he led off the second with
his third home run of the year, a shot to center.
In the sixth, the Cardinals padded their lead with three more runs. Matt
Holliday led off with a single and Matt Adams followed with a double that saw
Holliday nailed at home. A grounder back to first by Allen Craig saw Adams
tagged out at third, but Peralta kept the inning alive with a single.
Jay then roped a pitch over the wall in right for his first of the season and
a 4-0 lead.
"That was a big momentum shift right there," said Garza. "That was a big back-
breaker in the game, but it happens and we'll be back out here tomorrow."
Lynn faced his first trouble of the game in the fifth, as Scooter Gennett
walked with two outs and Logan Schafer followed with a double. Lynn, though,
got Matt Garza to look at strike three to end the frame.
Lynn left two more on base in the sixth, then stranded a runner in the seventh
before Carlos Martinez pitched a 1-2-3 eighth and did the same in the ninth to
finish off the shutout.
Game Notes
St. Louis won 14 of its 19 games against Milwaukee last season ... Both teams
left six men on base ... Garza fell to 3-2 lifetime against the Cardinals ...
Lynn was 1-1 in four starts against the Brewers last season.
The Taylorville High School softball team is in action at home today against their conference opponent the Lincoln Railsplitters. The Tornadoes are 6-1 overall and 6-0 in conference play. Coverage of the game can be heard on Groovy 93.5 at 4:15pm.
THE CHRISTIAN COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICE REPORTS THE FOLLOWING ARRESTS:
Brian K. Sisk, 39, of 604 Edwards Street, Nokomis, was arrested April 14 on bond forfeiture for 3 counts of failure to appear/answer.
Kristopher M. Swineburne, 25, of 805 West Franklin Street, Taylorville, was arrested April 14 on a bond forfeiture for failure to appear.
THE TAYLORVILLE POLICE DEPARTMENT REPORTS THE FOLLOWING ARRESTS:
On April 9 at 4:02pm, a Taylorville Police Department officer was on patrol and conducted a traffic stop on a vehicle in the parking lot of Amity Food Mart. Following the stop, Rodney A. Aten, 36, of Taylorville was arrested for driving while license suspended and possession of drug paraphernalia.
On April 10 at 5:55pm, Taylorville Police Department were out at 508 North West Street in reference to Deanna R. Durbin, 31, of Taylorville having a valid Christian County warrant. Officers made contact with Durbin and confirmed the warrant through the Law Enforcement Agencies Data System. Durbin was arrested and transported to Christian County Sheriff's Office.
On April 9 at 4:35pm, Taylorville Police Department officer were out at the Marsango Plaza with Chloe L. Windell, 19, of Taylorville. Officer knew Windell to have a valid Christian County warrant. Windell was arrested and transported to Christian County Sheriff's Office.
On April 10, a Taylorville Police Department officer was dispatched to Ridge Avenue in regards to a disturbance. Following the investigation, Steven M. Frazier, 40, of Saint Charles, Iowa was arrested for public intoxication. Frazier was transported to Taylorville Police Department, processed, and released on a notice to appear.
On April 11 at 1:45am, a Taylorville Police Department officer made contact with Brittany N. Benedict, 24, of Taylorville in the parking lot of McDonalds. Benedict had an active warrant out of Sangamon County. Benedict was place under arrest and transported to Christian County Sheriff's Office in lieu of bond.
On April 11, a Taylorville Police Department officer was advised of a retail theft that occurred at Walmart. The officer located the vehicle and stopped it on Cherokee just north of Poplar. Following the investigation, the officer recovered the stolen item. Michael L. Droke, 24, of Taylorville was placed under arrest for retail theft. Droke was processed and released on a notice to appear.
On April 12 at 3:14pm, a Taylorville Police Department officer observed a vehicle with a female driver traveling westbound on East Park Street. The officer knew the driver to be Tiffany M. Spracklen, 24, of Taylorville and knew she had a suspended driver's license. The officer radioed other Taylorville officers and another officer located the vehicle in the 800 Block of East Oak Street. Spracklen was issued a citation for driving while license suspended and was released on scene.
On April 12 at 8:22pm, a Taylorville Police Department officer initiated a traffic stop on a vehicle in Angelos parking lot. Cody R. Kee, 23, of Taylorville was arrested for driving while license suspended. Kee was transported to Taylorville Police Department for processing and released on a notice to appear.
On April 13 at 5:00pm, Taylorville Police Department officers were out at Walmart in reference to a retail theft that had occurred. Following the investigation, Zachary D. Liberty, 29, of Stonington was arrested for retail theft. Liberty was transported to Taylorville Police Department, processed, and released with a notice to appear.
On April 13, Taylorville Police Department officers were dispatched to Walmart in reference to a retail theft. The suspect fled the scene and was described as a black female wearing a black jacket and black pants. The female was located walking on Route 104 near NewWave Communications. She was identified as Wonda Y. Davis, 43, of Decatur. Davis was placed under arrest for retail theft and battery. Davis was processed and transported to Christian County Correctional Center in lieu of bond.
THE TAYLORVILLE FIRE DEPARTMENT REPORTS THE FOLLOWING CALLS:
April 14
3 EMS, 1 Public Assist
April 15
2 EMS
Pictured left to right: Marlane Miller, Kiwanis program chair Bill Kerns, Bailey Hancock, and Kiwanis president Chris Weittenhiller.
The president of the Taylorville Park District board, and the district’s recreation director, were guest speakers at Tuesday’s weekly luncheon of the Taylorville Kiwanis Club at the Taylorville Memorial Hospital auditorium.
Park Board president Marlane Miller gave a brief overview of the operations of the Park District, which includes Manners Park and the Lake Shore Golf Course. Miller said the Park District operates on a yearly budget of some 600-thousand dollars, and has 8 employees. She added the Park District is in the midst of selling bonds to install an irrigation system at Lake Shore Golf Course.
[audio:MilleraudioApr1514.mp3]comment here[/audio]
Recreation director Bailey Hancock told the Kiwanis Club that it’s her job to coordinate, in her words, “Anything that’s fun” at the Park District.
[audio:HancockaudioApr1514.mp3]comment here[/audio]
A complete schedule of events the Park District holds thru-out the year, is on their web site, Taylorvilleparkdistrict-dot-com.
2 Kiwanis members—Pastor Bill Kern and Blaine Cornwell—reported during Tuesday’s meeting, on their recent visit to the St. Louis Children’s Hospital, which is supported by Kiwanis dollars. Kern told the Kiwanis Club that the hospital is also a research center and has many doctors that work there. He shared information on one of the doctors:
[audio:KernaudioApr1514.mp3]comment here[/audio]
The Taylorville Kiwanis Club is part of global organization of volunteers dedicated to changing the world one child and one community at a time. Weekly meetings are held Tuesdays at noon at the Taylorville Memorial Hospital auditorium. For information on the club, go to taylorvillekiwanis.com.
As heard on Groovy 93.5, Taylorville defeated Lincoln with a score of 3-2.
The Kincaid Village board voted unanimously to end the pay of already suspended Chief of Police, Richard Adams. It was determined that Adams could not be released as of this time, but the village would have no responsibility to continue to pay him while he is on administrative leave.
After a 20 minute executive session period, the board approved the hiring of new city clerk, Marla Hodson. It was the recommendation of the Mayor and village secretary that the board hire Hodson as she was the most qualified for the position. Before the board could act on the recommendation, one board member made a motion to hire another candidate. The motion was quickly seconded. This prompted the mayor to request a motion to go to executive session. Upon return, Marla Hodson was chosen unanimously. It was agreed upon that Hodson would begin at an hourly wage of $12.70 per hour. She will be eligible for an increase to $15.70 per hour at the end of a probationary period and upon review of the board. It was determined that the new clerk would work 9 to 3 with a half hour lunch. This would also be reviewed at a later date.
In other business, 2 sealed bids were opened for the sale of a truck, however it was decided not to accept either bid. The truck will be advertised in a national magazine or placed on e-bay. The board also agreed to once again sponsor the spring cleanup this year with the dates to be determined at the next meeting.
Former Illinois House Minority Leader Tom Cross won the Republican nomination in last month's primary elections. Representative Cross says he will be an aggressive Treasurer if elected:
[audio:crossproactive041414.mp3]comment here[/audio]
Cross, who represents Illinois' 97th district, says Dan Rutherford has been a good treasurer:
[audio:crossrutherford041414.mp3]comment here[/audio]
Cross faces off against Democratic nominee Mike Frerichs in the November elections.
For the second year in a row, a Carlinville woman has been honored as the Illinois winner of the Home Instead Senior Care network's Salute to Senior Service award. Judy Minster is being recognized for her dedicated community service, including her work at Carlinville Area Hospital. Minster has volunteered at the hospital for more than 13 years, first volunteering as the blood drive coordinator in 2001 before later becoming membership chair and treasurer for the Hospital Auxiliary.
As one of 50 state winners, Minster earned $500 for her charity of choice, donated by Home Instead, Inc., franchisor of the Home Instead Senior Care network and contest sponsor. Minster also will have a spot on the Salute to Senior Service Wall of Fame on SalutetoSeniorService.com.
The results of a Marist poll sponsored by Home Instead, Inc. indicate that 62 percent of seniors age 68 and over volunteered their time in the last year, with 13 percent of those reporting that they volunteer in order to stay active.
For more information about the Home Instead Senior Care network's Salute to Senior Service program, visit SalutetoSeniorService.com.
Local Author Kevin Corley will speak this week at the Taylorville Public Library. The author of “Sixteen Tons” will be at the Library Thursday to discuss the historical novel, which largely takes place in Christian County in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. The novel concerns coal miners and efforts to unionize, and depicts a number of real events. Corley tells Regional Radio that it was actually a fairly easy novel to write:
[audio:corleylibrary041414.mp3]comment here[/audio]
Refreshments will be provided for the author's appearance, which takes place at the library Thursday at 7pm. There is no charge to attend. The Taylorville Public Library is at 121 W. Vine Street in Taylorville.
St. Louis, MO (SportsNetwork.com) - Justin Abdelkader's two goals and Petr
Mrazek's 23-save shutout sent the spiraling St. Louis Blues to their sixth
straight regulation loss, a 3-0 setback that concluded the regular season for
both clubs.
The defeat allowed Colorado to clinch the Central Division and the No. 2 seed
for the upcoming Western Conference playoffs, where the Blues will take on
defending Stanley Cup champion Chicago in the opening round.
Prior to its skid, the longest by the Blues since a seven-gamer from Dec. 26,
2009-Jan. 7, 2010, St. Louis owned a seven-point advantage on the Avalanche
for first place. The team has mustered an anemic five goals while being shut
out three times during the stretch.
"You look at the big picture," an optimistic Blues head coach Ken Hitchcock
said afterward. "The big picture is we set a record for [wins]. We had a
brutal stretch here at the end. Everyone went through a brutal stretch. The
teams that had the Olympians, at some period of time, they hit the wall.
Chicago's stretch was right after the break, ours happened now."
Detroit (39-28-15), already locked into a quarterfinal matchup with the
Presidents' Trophy-winning Boston Bruins in the East, also received a goal
from Riley Sheahan and two assists by Pavel Datsyuk in support of Mrazek's
second career shutout.
"It's always good to end the season on a good note heading into the playoffs,
and I think we're doing a lot of good things of late and looking forward to
the Boston series in the first round," said Abdelkader. "It's going to be a
lot of fun."
Ryan Miller finished with just 18 saves for St. Louis (52-23-7), which
nonetheless set a new franchise high for wins in one season.
Playing without three of their top five point producers and a few other key
regulars, the Blues generated few scoring chances and were outplayed by their
former division rival for much of the game.
"It's a mixture of things, but we've got to get more [chances] inside," Blues
forward Alexander Steen said of the team's scoring struggles. "A lot of the
stuff's being generated on the outside. The power play hasn't really been
clicking the last few games here."
The Red Wings had a power-play tally by Tomas Tatar midway through the first
period waved off when Joakim Andersson was called for interfering Miller, but
had a goal count moments later to gain the upper hand.
Datsyuk forced a turnover in the neutral zone before sending a pass to Brian
Lashoff, whose long shot bounced off Abdelkader's body and went in as the
Detroit forward screened Miller with 6:31 left in the opening frame.
Mrazek made the lead stand up with a diving right pad save on Maxim Lapierre
with around eight minutes to go in the second period, and Sheahan made it a
2-0 game when his wrist shot from the left circle went through Miller's pads
3:41 prior to the final intermission.
The Blues put up 10 shots in the third period, but Mrazek turned them all
aside to complete the whitewash. Abdelkader put the finishing touches on the
victory with a pretty redirection of a Datsyuk feed while skating towards the
St. Louis net with 7:17 left to play.
Game Notes
The Blues played without forwards David Backes (lower body), T.J. Oshie (upper
body), Patrik Berglund (shoulder) and Vladimir Sobotka (undisclosed), while
defensemen Alex Pietrangelo and Barret Jackman were rested ... Forward Johan
Franzen and defensemen Niklas Kronwall and Danny DeKeyser were healthy
scratches for Detroit, with blueliner Ryan Sproul making his NHL debut in the
game ... Sheahan has now scored in three straight games ... The Red Wings
ended the regualar season 21-15-5 on the road, while St. Louis went 28-9-4 on
home ice.
The defending champion Chicago Blackhawks are aiming to become the first team
since the 1997-98 Red Wings to claim back-to-back Stanley Cup titles, while
the path back to the Finals for the defending Eastern Conference champions,
the Boston Bruins, was made easier after winding up with the best record in
the NHL for the first time since 1990.
The Blackhawks are expected to have captain Jonathan Toews and reigning Conn
Smythe Trophy winner Patrick Kane back from injury when they open their series
against the reeling St. Louis Blues on Thursday.
St. Louis is trending the wrong way into the playoffs, as a late-season swoon
cost them the Central Division title. The Blues lost six straight to conclude
the regular season, totaling only five goals and being shut out three times.
The 'Hawks will face the Blues starting Thursday in St. Louis. Game Two is Saturday, with Game Three set for next Monday.
Chicago, IL (SportsNetwork.com) - Alexei Ramirez's two-run homer in the ninth
inning lifted the Chicago Solid navy;background-color:yellow"> White Sox to a 4-3 win over the Cleveland Indians in
the finale of a four-game set at U.S. Cellular Field.
The Indians rallied for a pair of runs off Matt Lindstrom (1-1) in the top of
the ninth to tie the game. Michael Brantley reached on a fielding error and
moved to second on Yan Gomes' base hit to left. David Murphy then singled
home Brantley to tie the game.
Mike Aviles followed with a sacrifice bunt to push Gomes to third and after
Asdrubal Cabrera struck out, Lindstrom bounced a slider to the backstop,
allowing Gomes to score.
Jordan Danks worked a leadoff walk off John Axford (0-1) before Ramirez
clobbered the first pitch he saw to left for the walk-off win.
Marcus Semien hit a solo homer and Dayan Viciedo went 2-for-3 with an RBI for
the Solid navy;background-color:yellow"> White Sox, who took three of four in the series.
Chicago starter Jose Quintana allowed just one run -- a solo homer to Brantley
-- among five hits over six innings.
Corey Kluber started for the Tribe and allowed two runs on eight hits while
striking out six over 7 1/3 innings.
The game featured two hours of rain delays and the first pitch was pushed back
over an hour.
Brantley stroked a two-out homer in the fourth to give Cleveland an early
lead.
Chicago countered in the home half on Viciedo's infield single with runners on
the corners.
With one out in the eighth, Semien hammered a 3-2 sinker into the left-field
stands.
Game Notes
Total game time: 5:18 ... Ramirez extended his hitting streak to 13 games
while Conor Gillaspie extended to 11 games ... Brantley's homer was his first
of the season.
New York, NY (SportsNetwork.com) - Tim Hardaway Jr. scored 20 points to lead
the New York Knicks to a 100-89 win over the Chicago Bulls on Sunday.
New York was officially eliminated from playoff contention Saturday when
Atlanta clinched the No. 8 seed in the Eastern Conference with a 98-85 win
over Miami.
"We didn't get it done and being the coach, I just apologize to the fans
because they paid their hard-earned money to come see us play and we didn't
come into this season expecting this," Knicks head coach Mike Woodson said.
Carmelo Anthony and J.R. Smith each netted 17 points for the Knicks, who have
won five of their last seven.
It's a case of too little, too late for New York, while Chicago remains in the
hunt for the East's third spot. With the loss, Chicago falls into a tie for
the No. 3 seed with Toronto.
Chicago hosts Orlando on Monday and travels to Charlotte on Wednesday to wrap
up its season. Toronto, meanwhile, hosts Milwaukee on Monday and will visit
New York on Wednesday.
The Raptors own the tiebreaker because they are a division champion.
Jimmy Butler paced Chicago with 17 points, while Joakim Noah nearly registered
another triple-double. Noah finished with 13 points, 17 rebounds and nine
assists in the setback, which snapped a seven-game winning streak.
"We let a big game slip tonight. It was probably the biggest game of the
season," Noah said.
Chicago led 22-19 after the first quarter, with the Bulls holding a lead as
many as four.
Chicago was in front by three, 39-36, with 3:11 remaining in the second and it
didn't score the rest of the half.
Iman Shumpert slammed one home to jumpstart a 9-0 quarter-ending run and help
the Knicks to a 45-39 lead at the break.
Smith hit three straight 3-pointers as part of a 12-2 run early in the third
to give the Knicks a 60-46 advantage. New York led by as many as 17 in the
period and brought a 77-64 advantage into the fourth.
The Bulls trailed by 17 again in the fourth when D.J. Augustin hit three free
throws and followed with a 3-pointer to cap an 8-0 run and cut the deficit to
single digits.
Taj Gibson's three-point play made it a six-point game, 93-87, with just under
four minutes left in the game. That's as close as the visitors would get as
Hardaway Jr. drained two pairs of free throws around a Butler foul shot to
push the spread back to nine with 49.6 seconds left.
Game Notes
Noah has four triple-doubles this season, one shy for most in the league.
Lance Stephenson of Indiana had his fifth triple-double of the season on
Sunday ... New York shot 37-for-81 (45.7 percent) from the field and
held the defensive-minded Bulls to 29-of-74 (39.2 percent) attempts from the
floor ... There were 11 lead changes and eight ties ... The Knicks scored 21
points off of 16 Chicago turnovers.
Coverage of tonight's Cards and Brewers can be heard on Newstalk 97.3 WTIM beginning at 6:35pm.
St. Louis, MO (SportsNetwork.com) - Matt Carpenter drove in three runs to lead
the St. Louis Cardinals in a 6-4 win over the Chicago Cubs to wrap up a three-
game set.
Kolten Wong, Jhonny Peralta and Peter Bourjos all drove in a run for the
Cardinals, who took the final two games of the set after dropping the
opener in 11 innings.
"We had the opportunity to win this series today and we were able to take care
of business," said Carpenter. "Now we're on the road for a while so we'll try
to keep it going."
Michael Wacha (2-0) gave up three runs on five hits with a walk and eight
strikeouts over 6 1/3 innings to win his second straight start.
Anthony Rizzo hit a two-run home run and Welington Castillo and Mike Olt each
drove in a run for the Cubs, who have lost three of their last four. Edwin
Jackson (0-1) gave up four runs on eight hits over six innings for his first
loss in three starts this season.
"I was just trying to be aggressive out there," said Jackson. "They're a good
hitting team and if you don't put guys away when you have the chance they're
going to make you pay."
Rizzo clubbed his second home run of the season in the first inning with
Justin Ruggiano on base to give the Cubs a quick 2-0 lead.
The Cardinals went on top in the second inning as Carpenter hit a two-run
single, stole second, then came home on Wong's base hit to right for a 3-2
lead.
Following a 46-minute rain delay that interrupted play in the third inning,
the Cubs tied the game in the fourth on Castillo's RBI single.
St. Louis, though, went on top for good in the fourth as Bourjos led off with
a triple and later scored on Carpenter's sac fly for a 4-3 advantage.
The score stayed that way until the eighth inning when Peralta doubled home a
run and Bourjos reached base on a fielder's choice, plating Allen Craig for a
6-3 lead.
Junior Lake tripled with one out off Trevor Rosenthal in the ninth, and Olt
followed with a base hit to bring the tying run to the plate. After hitting
Castillo with a pitch Rosenthal retired the next two batters to pick up his
fourth save of the season.
Game Notes
The Cards travel to Milwaukee where they will start a three-game set on Monday
... The Cubs play a two-game set in New York against the Yankees starting on
Tuesday ... Jackson fell to 2-7 in 13 games (12 starts) against the Cardinals
... Wacha earned his first decision against the Cubs in three appearances.
THE CHRISTIAN COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICE REPORTS THE FOLLOWING:
ARRESTS:
Steven S. Pickler, 27, of 700 Monroe Street, Pana, was arrested April 12 on bond forfeitures for the manufacturing/delivery of cannabis and for failure to appear/answer.
Bridgett A. Conklin, 18, of 941 North 2500 East Road, Assumption, was arrested April 13 for battery.
Wonda Y. Davis, 43, of 752 East Johns Avenue, Decatur, was arrested April 13 for retail theft.
On April 13, Lisa M. Engeling of Morrisonville was southbound on County Highway 1. At approximately 1150 North, a deer entered the roadway. Engeling struck the deer and received front-end damage. No injuries reported.
On April 11, Spencer P. White of Stonington was southbound on Illinois Route 29 and stopped in traffic to make a left turn onto Franklin Street in Edinburg. While waiting for a break in the northbound traffic, White was hit from behind. Brooke A. DeClerk of Taylorville was also southbound and failed to see that White was stopped and struck him. Both vehicles were drivable after the crash. No injuries were reported.
THE PANA POLICE DEPARTMENT REPORTS THE FOLLOWING:
After a sex abuse investigation on 21-year-old Kyle N. Pruett that was conducted by Taylorville Police Department, Christian County Sheriff's Office and Pana Police Department, information will be sent to the State's Attorney office for possible charges against Pruett for incidents that occurred in the month of March at his residence with a 16-year-old female.
On April 10, Patricia K. Macrae of Pana called the Pana Police Department and advised that after an altercation with Travis Miller, 29, of Pana, Miller intentionally drove his truck into the back of her car. This case is under further investigation.
Following a traffic stop on April 12 at 10 Block Congress Alley in Pana, William D. Thomas, 27, of Pana was arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol and issued a citation for driving in the wrong lane. Thomas was issued a notice to appear in court and released. Steven S. Pickler, 27, of Pana was arrested on a Christian County warrant for failure to appear . Pickler was transported to Christian County Sheriff's Office in lieu of bond. Rebecca S. Amling, 29, of Pana and Debra K. Garland, 37, of Pana were both issued citations for illegal transportation of alcohol by a passenger.
Following a traffic stop on April 12, Lukas B. Schneider, 25, of Nokomis was issued a citation for operating uninsured motor vehicle and a citation for improper turn. Schneider posted his driver license as bond and given a court date.
On April 13, Danny J. Jones reported that sometime after 1pm on April 12, someone kicked in the front door of his property located at 500 North Elizabeth Street in Pana. The interior door jamb was damaged. The case is under investigation.
On April 13, Lanaya K. Lawrence, 19, of Pana was arrested on a Montgomery County warrant for failure to appear. Lawrence posted cash bond and was released.
THE TAYLORVILLE FIRE DEPARTMENT REPORTS THE FOLLOWING CALLS:
April 11
3 EMS, 1 Public Assist, 1 Gas Leak
April 12
4 EMS
April 13
2 EMS, 1 Public Assist
April 14
1 EMSfir
Kincaid Mayor Doug Thomas will have another month before he has to appear back in court. Thomas was scheduled to appear in court today but it has been rescheduled for May 16 at 10am. Thomas is facing 2 counts of violating an order of protection and 1 count of possession of a controlled substance. Thomas was arrested February 20th by Christian County Sheriff’s deputies for violating an order of protection and drug possession after deputies found prescription drugs in an unlabeled bottle on him. He was arrested again on March 13th by the Illinois State Police for the second violation of an order of protection.
The Taylorville School Board met Monday night at North Elementary School. Superintendent Dr. Gregg Fuerstenau told the Board that when it comes to the budget, the State funding is the major factor:
[audio:fuerstenaubudget041514.mp3]comment here[/audio]
Dr. Fuerstenau said if the proration drops to 35%, many extra-curricular activities would be cut and the schools may just be able to teach basic education courses.
The Taylorville School Board was presented with changes to the 2014-15 Discipline Code at their meeting Monday night. Taylorville High School Assistant Principal Matt Hutchison pointed out some of the changes:
[audio:hutchisonchanges041514.mp3]comment here[/audio]
The Board approved the changes unanimously.
The Board approved changes to the Taylorville High School 2014-15 Handbook. The Board was informed that the District has been awarded a FY2014 School District Library Program Grant in the amount of $1,937.25. The Board also approved to use the services of Lively, Mathias, Hooper and Noblet for the school district’s audit for the fiscal year ending June 20, 2015.
The meeting adjourned at 8:50pm
Coverage of Game 2 between Cards and Cubs can be heard on Newstalk 97.3 WTIM beginning at 12:40pm.
St. Louis, MO (SportsNetwork.com) - Welington Castillo crushed a three-run
homer in the 11th inning to lift the Chicago Cubs to a 6-3 win over the St.
Louis Cardinals in the opener of a three-game series at Busch Stadium.
Nate Schierholtz opened the 11th with a double, his fourth hit of the game.
After a sacrifice bunt and an intentional walk by Trevor Rosenthal (0-1), Ryan
Kalish popped up a safety squeeze that was caught by catcher Yadier Molina.
Castillo followed by launching his second home run of the season to left-
center field.
"I think he [Wellington] just wanted to get in there and do his job," said
Cubs manager Rick Renteria. "He got a good pitch to handle and drove it out of
the ballpark."
The Cardinals, who erased a 3-1 deficit in the ninth against Jose Veras,
couldn't rally a second time. Hector Rondon worked around a two-out walk to
record his first career save. Justin Grimm (1-0) rebounded from consecutive
four-pitch walks to preserve the 3-3 tie in the 10th.
"They showed a lot of fight to get us back into the game. It's a shame we
couldn't finish it," said Cardinals manager Mike Matheny.
Veras gave up a leadoff single to Molina and grazed Allen Craig with a pitch.
The play was upheld by a video review.
After a sac bunt advanced the runners, Molina raced home on a passed ball.
Veras then hit another batter and issued a walk to loaded the bases before the
Cardinals tied the game on Matt Carpenter's sac fly to right field.
Matt Adams doubled to lead off the second and scored on Molina's single to
right field. Schierholtz nearly made a diving catch on the play.
The Cubs finally scored a run for Chicago starter Jeff Samardzija,
capitalizing on an error. Chicago had been shut out in each of Samardzija's
first two outings this season.
Anthony Rizzo reached on second baseman Kolten Wong's fielding blunder to
open the seventh, and St. Louis starter Joe Kelly gave up consecutive singles
to Schierholtz and Ryan Sweeney that produced the tying run.
The Cubs then tried to pull off a double steal with reliever Carlos Martinez
on the mound, but Schierholtz was thrown out at third base. Martinez
intentionally walked Kalish after Starlin Castro popped out and induced an
inning-ending groundout by Castillo.
Chicago did move ahead in the eighth, as Rizzo lofted a sac fly and
Schierholtz followed with an RBI single.
Game Notes
The Cardinals have lost back-to-back games for the first time this season
...Samardzija allowed six hits and struck out four over seven innings ...
Kelly also gave up six hits in his six-inning outing.
The Miller Media Group's March of Dimes Team Princess Alexis, held its third and final fund-raiser of the year for the charity, on Saturday in front of the stations' studios at 918 East Park in Taylorville.
It was the annual drive-thru donation day, where team captain Sheri Miller did a live broadcast on all 5 Miller Media Group radio stations from 9am to 2pm asking motorists to drive thru the parking lot with their donations for the March of Dimes.
Several hundred dollars were raised from Saturday's event. With all 3 events and on-line giving totaled up, Sheri's Team Princess Alexis has raised over 6-thousand dollars for the March of Dimes in their efforts to help prevent birth defects and premature birth, as well as infant mortality. Sheri organized the team 3 years ago after the loss of her daughter Alexis 40 minutes after she was born. Alexis had a birth defect with her lungs not fully developed.
Sheri and her team thank all those who donated to the March of Dimes in the March 20 Radiothon, the April 5 5-K Color Run, and Saturday's drive-thru donation day.
Sheri and her team will walk in the annual March of Dimes March for Babies at the Illinois State Fairgrounds on April 26th, when all the donations will be turned in. You can still give toward Sheri's team on-line by going to teamprincessalexis-dot-com.
Lincoln Land Community College’s Capital City Training Center, in partnership with Everlast Software, will offer several computer security seminars this spring.
The seminars will be held Saturdays, April 12, May 3 and June 28, from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., and Tuesday, May 20 from 5:30 to 9 p.m.
Presenter Darrell Fortae, who founded Everlast Software in 2005, will discuss potential computer security issues and how to protect computers and mobile devices. Other topics include malware, email, passwords, internet browsing, encryption, digital certificates, identity theft, Facebook, deleting files, firewalls, backups and wireless security. This seminar is useful for computer novices through experts.
Registration is available by calling 524-6749.
Two pieces of legislation sponsored by State Representative Wayne Rosenthal of Morrisonville, and passed out of the House this week, address conservation issues related to trapping and waterfowl outfitting in Illinois. Rep. Rosenthal explains the reason for one of the bills:
[audio:041014RosesnthalHB5080b.mp3]comment here[/audio]
The other bill requires individuals who have not held a trapping license within the past three immediate years to take a trapping safety course before receiving their license. Both bills now head to Senate for consideration.
Pictured left to right are: Breanna Cluck; William Morrell; Linda Smith, representing Tricia Cordulack, Director of Scholarships and Alumni Relations at Richland Community College; Hailey Samson; and Ashley Edge, Academic Counselor for the University of Illinois at Springfield.
The Greater Taylorville Chamber of Commerce Education Committee is pleased to announce the selection of three Christian County high school seniors who will receive college scholarships beginning with the 2014 fall semester.
Recognized at the April 9 GTCC Board meeting were Morrisonville School senior, Hailey Samson; South Fork High School senior, Breanna Cluck; and Central A & M High School senior, William Morrell.
Hailey Samson, daughter of Charles and Jodi Samson of Morrisonville, will receive two full semesters of tuition from the University of Illinois at Springfield and plans to attain a Bachelor of Science degree in Social Work.
Breanna Cluck, daughter of Rick and April Cluck of Kincaid, will receive the Lincoln Land Community College scholarship, consisting of two full semesters of tuition and fees, and plans to major in Criminal Justice to achieve her goal of becoming a probation officer.
William Morrell, son of Mike and Michele Morrell, who is planning on pursuing a degree in meteorology, will receive two semesters of tuition from Richland Community College in Decatur.
Scholarship awardees and their parents will also be recognized at the GTCC Annual Banquet on Friday, May 2, 2014.
Chicago, IL (SportsNetwork.com) - D.J. Augustin had 12 of his 24 points in the
fourth quarter and the Chicago Bulls rallied past the Detroit Pistons, 106-98,
on Friday night.
Joakim Noah tallied six points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists, Carlos Boozer
supplied 18 points and seven boards and Taj Gibson netted 11 of his 17 points
in the final frame for Chicago, which locked up home-court advantage in their
first round playoff series.
"With Augustin and Taj Gibson, it's like playing against seven starters.
Augustin finishes every game for them and Gibson is as active and athletic as
any power forward in the league," Pistons head coach John Loyer said.
The Bulls, who have won seven in a row, are one game ahead of Toronto for
third place in the Eastern Conference following the Raptors' loss to the
New York Knicks earlier on Friday.
"You have to win games differently. Obviously the rebounding and defense
wasn't there, but I thought the offense was," Bulls head coach Tom Thibodeau
said.
Andre Drummond registered 26 points and 26 rebounds for the Pistons, who have
dropped four of their last six tilts. Rodney Stuckey added 22 points in
defeat.
Chicago trailed by 18 at the break and 83-75 early in the fourth before
ripping off 15 straight to go in front. Augustin had eight points during the
surge, including six consecutive at one point before Butler finished a
backdoor layup to give the Bulls their first lead, 85-83, with 7:28 left since
it was 2-0.
Augustin capped the burst with a pair of free throws for a 90-83 Bulls
advantage midway through the frame. They held Detroit without a point for 4:30
during the swing.
Chicago, which outscored Detroit 36-18 in the final frame, pushed the lead up
to as many as 10 down the stretch.
Earlier, the Pistons raced out to a 14-5 start and led 28-17 after a quarter
of play before heading into the break with a 56-38 spread.
Stuckey's runner at the third-quarter buzzer gave Detroit an 80-70 lead.
Game Notes
The Bulls shot 49.4 percent (40-of-81) from the floor and sunk 21-of-23 foul
shots ... Drummond had 13 points in the fourth ... Detroit held a 56-44 points
in the paint advantage.
Chicago, IL (SportsNetwork.com) - Conor Gillaspie went 2-for-3 with four RBI
to lead the Chicago White Sox to a 9-6 win over the Cleveland Indians in the
second installment of a four-game set.
Adam Eaton was 2-for-3 with an RBI and three runs scored and Adam Dunn added
two hits, an RBI and two runs scored for the White Sox, who improved to 4-1 at
home this season.
Chris Sale (3-0) earned the win after allowing three runs on six hits while
fanning five over five innings.
Asdrubal Cabrera drove in two runs while Nick Swisher, Ryan Raburn and Michael
Brantley drove in one run apiece for the Indians, losers in three straight.
Carlos Carrasco (0-2) allowed five runs on six hits and three walks while
striking out five over 4 2/3 innings.
Cleveland plated three runs in the fifth to tie the game. With runners on
second and third and no outs, Cabrera laced a line drive to left to score Mike
Aviles and Elliot Johnson.
Swisher followed with a single to score Cabrera to knot things up at 3-3.
The White Sox scored a pair in the home half to take a 5-3 lead. After Eaton
and Marcus Semien worked back-to-back walks, Gillaspie singled home Eaton.
Later in the inning, Dunn walked to load the bases before Dayan Viciedo drew a
walk to force home Semien.
Brantley scored on a Gillaspie fielding error in the sixth, but Gillaspie made
up for the gaffe in the home half with a two-run double to left for a 7-4
edge.
Cleveland scored one more in the seventh when Brantley blooped an RBI single
to left to bring home Santana, pulling the Tribe within two runs. Alexei
Ramirez, however, scored Dunn with a single to shallow right field in the
bottom of the frame.
In the eighth, Dunn drew a bases loaded walk to plate Eaton.
Raburn's base hit with two outs in the ninth scored Santana to cap the
scoring.
Chicago scored two in the third and one in the fourth to take an early 3-0
lead. With two on and no outs, Eaton smacked a double to right to score
Ramirez. After Semien struck out, Gillaspie lifted a sacrifice fly to center
to bring Tyler Flowers home.
Alejandro De Aza's RBI single in the fourth scored Dunn to give the hosts a
three-run advantage.
Game Notes
Ramirez had three stolen bases this season ... Chicago was 5-for-17 with
runners in scoring position ... The Indians were 4-for-11 with RISP ... Blake
Wood threw 18 of his 28 pitches for balls.
Plenty of local talent will be on display this weekend in Shelbyville. According to Tad Mayhall of the Shelbyville Chamber of Commerce, there will be an Art Show Saturday and Sunday:
[audio:tadartshow041114.mp3]comment here[/audio]
Call the Shelbyville Chamber at 774-2221 for more info.
An event is coming up next week in Springfield. Tim Starks tells Regional Radio listeners it's called “Lighting the Lamp of Liberty”:
St. Paul, MN (SportsNetwork.com) - Kyle Brodziak scored two goals to help the
Minnesota Wild end a nine-game losing streak against the St. Louis Blues with
a 4-2 win at Xcel Energy Center.
Nino Niederreiter added a goal and one assist for the Wild, who are streaking
into the playoffs. Minnesota, which had previously clinched the Western
Conference's first wild card spot, has won four straight and picked up at
least a point in its last seven games (6-0-1).
John Curry, the fifth goalie to start a game for the Wild this season, made 43
saves in his debut with the club.
"He's a gamer and a battler. He showed that tonight. Obviously, very pleased
for him. It was a long road back for him," Minnesota head coach Mike Yeo said
about Curry.
While Minnesota is rolling, St. Louis saw its losing streak grow to a season-
worst four straight. The Blues were leapfrogged by Colorado for first place
in the Central Division. Both teams have 111 points, but the Avalanche have
more non-shootout wins.
Ryan Miller was pulled in the third period after allowing four goals on just
13 shots.
The tone of the game changed in the second period, when Minnesota forward Mike
Rupp caught St. Louis forward T.J. Oshie with a shoulder to the head.
The hit, which occurred on a delayed high-sticking penalty to Wild defenseman
Marco Scandella, drew a match penalty and gave the Blues a two-minute 5-on-3
power play at 10:30.
"Obviously, (Oshie) is out. He's like everything else at this time of year,
he's day-to-day, but certainly a tough hit to take right now," said Blues head
coach Ken Hitchcock.
St. Louis defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk scored on the ensuing two-man
advantage, tying the game at 1-1 at 11:05.
Not much went right for the Blues during the rest of the power play.
The Wild quickly reclaimed the lead with a shorthanded goal. Brodziak, who
hadn't scored since March 8, buried the rebound of a Matt Cooke shot at 12:24.
St. Louis, however, tied it with a shorthanded tally of its own.
Minnesota defenseman Ryan Suter mishandled the puck at the offensive blue
line, resulting in a rush for the Blues. Jaden Schwartz converted a feed from
Alexander Steen at 16:01 of the second.
The Wild moved back ahead seconds after the power play ended, as Matt Moulson
put home a saucer pass from Dany Heatley with 2:30 left in the second.
Brodziak scored his second goal 58 seconds into the third period for a 4-2
advantage.
The Blues had a healthy 17-5 shot advantage in the first period, but found
themselves trailing 1-0 on Niederreiter's deflection goal at 14:02.
Game Notes
Minnesota captain Mikko Koivu played in his 600th career NHL game ... Curry
played in his fifth career NHL game and first since Jan. 16, 2010 as a member
of the Pittsburgh Penguins ... St. Louis' last four-game losing streak came
during a five-game slide from Feb. 1-11 last season ... Blues captain David
Backes missed the game with a lower-body injury ... Wild defenseman Christian
Folin made his NHL debut.
Chicago, IL (SportsNetwork.com) - Jose Abreu knocked in three runs on a pair
of homers, helping the Chicago White Sox post a 7-3 victory over the Cleveland
Indians to end a string of 14 consecutive losses to their AL Central rivals.
Alexei Ramirez also had a pair of hits, including a solo homer, and his two-
run double in the fourth inning snapped a 3-3 tie before John Danks and two
relievers finished off the opener of this four-game series.
Danks (1-0) rebounded from a rocky start to hold the Indians to three runs
over six innings, with Daniel Webb and Matt Lindstrom not allowing a
baserunner over the final three frames.
Adam Eaton went 2-for-4 with an RBI single for Chicago, which hadn't bested
the Tribe since Apr. 24 of last season and found out prior to the contest that
starting right fielder Avisail Garcia would require season-ending surgery for
a shoulder injury he sustained in Wednesday's loss at Colorado.
Cleveland's Danny Salazar (0-1) racked up 10 strikeouts in just 3 2/3 innings,
but served up two of the White Sox' three homers and was tagged for five runs
overall.
"When (Salazar) made a mistake, because they had seen so many pitches, they
did some damage with them," Cleveland manager Terry Francona said of Salazar's
struggles.
Asdrubal Cabrera finished 2-for-4 with a solo homer and two runs scored for
the Indians, with Ryan Raburn also collecting two hits and an RBI in the loss,
Cleveland's fourth in six outings after a 3-1 start.
Salazar fanned six of the first seven Chicago hitters and was staked to a 3-1
lead after 2 1/2 innings, but quickly coughed it up in the bottom of the
third. Ramirez drilled a homer to left to begin the White Sox' half of the
frame and Adrian Nieto reached on a single before advancing on a wild pitch,
which was followed by Eaton's base hit to right that knotted the score.
The young righty ran into more trouble an inning later, surrendering a single
to Dayan Viciedo and walking Alejandro De Aza prior to Ramirez sending both
runners home with a long double into the gap in right center.
Abreu made it a 6-3 game by slugging his second homer of the game and fourth
in three days, a line-drive shot off reliever Josh Outman in the fifth.
Danks, meanwhile, didn't have his night start off well, as Cabrera smacked his
second pitch of the game for a double and Nick Swisher drew a walk in front of
Jason Kipnis' RBI single. Swisher later crossed the plate on a Raburn sac fly
to quickly give Cleveland a 2-0 edge.
Abreu, the only batter to make contact off Salazar through the first two
innings, cut the deficit in half with a mammoth homer in the second, but
Cabrera countered with a long ball of his own to open the third for a 3-1
Indians' advantage.
Danks kept Cleveland off the board over the remainder of his stint, finishing
it off by getting Yan Gomes to fly out with two aboard in the top of the sixth
and the tying run at the plate.
"I feel like from the third inning on I was able to throw the ball where I
wanted to," Danks said. "It was kind of a tale of two games, but like I said,
I've never had a bad win."
Chicago tacked on an insurance run in the seventh, with Eaton leading off with
a double and eventually coming home on Abreu's fielder's choice grounder.
Game Notes
The Indians went 17-2 overall against Chicago last season ... Cleveland placed
infielder Lonnie Chisenhall on the paternity list before the game, with
infielder Justin Sellers recalled from Triple-A Columbus to fill the roster
spot ... Danks had been 0-6 with a 7.17 ERA in his previous starts against the
Indians at U.S. Cellular Field ... Kipnis, a Chicago-area native, has hit
safely in 19 of his 20 career games at U.S. Cellular Field.
Chicago, IL (SportsNetwork.com) - Pedro Alvarez and Travis Snider homered in a
five-run seventh inning and the Pittsburgh Pirates held on for a 5-4 win over
the Chicago Cubs on Thursday afternoon.
The Cubs loaded the bases against Jason Grilli in the ninth inning but didn't
score, giving the Pirates three straight series wins to open the season for
the first time in 22 years.
Alvarez's three-run homer off James Russell (0-1) gave Pittsburgh the lead
after Snider's pinch-hit two-run blast got them on the board earlier in the
inning.
Right-hander Gerrit Cole (2-0) picked up his sixth straight win going back to
last season after striking out 10 in six innings. He gave up four runs --
three earned -- on five hits and two walks.
"I pitched OK. Fortunately we played a great game as a team," said Cole. "In
those kind of games you have to keep grinding and try to give your teams as
many innings as you can and try to outlast the other guy."
The Pirates improved to 6-3 this season -- all against NL Central teams. They
have taken two series against the Cubs and one against St. Louis -- only the
fourth time in the last 49 seasons they have won their first three (1966, 1976
and 1992 were the others).
Starlin Castro had three hits, including an RBI single, and scored a run on a
controversial play at the plate that gave the Cubs a 4-0 lead in the fourth
inning.
Castro's last hit, a single in the ninth, came after Ryan Sweeney led off with
a walk. Grilli struck out pinch-hitter Luis Valbuena and Welington Castillo,
then walked Darwin Barney to load the bases, but Emilio Bonifacio grounded out
to end the game and give Grilli his third save of the season.
"We kept battling," said Cubs manager Rick Renteria. "We fell short. ... At
the end of the day we want better results."
Cubs left-hander Travis Wood was pulled after giving up a leadoff single to
Neil Walker in the seventh.
Wood struck out nine, gave up three walks and four hits and was charged with a
run when Snider belted Brian Schlitter's eighth pitch over the center-field
wall to get Pittsburgh on the board.
Schlitter gave up a single to Starling Marte and walked Andrew McCutchen,
who both scored on Alvarez's fifth homer of the season with two outs off
Russell.
"We've played some tough games against them so far this year," said Alvarez.
"Any time we come back, especially down so many runs, it's a huge plus for the
morale and for the team."
Earlier, Bonifacio scored all the way from first base in the third inning when
he stole second and kept running after Pirates catcher Tony Sanchez threw the
ball into the outfield.
A three-run fourth inning ignited by consecutive singles by Anthony Rizzo and
Nate Schierholtz extended the Cubs' lead to 4-0. Castro knocked in the first
run with a single, Schierholtz scored on a wild pitch and Castillo drove in
Castro with a hit to left field.
Marte's two-hop throw arrived in time and Sanchez appeared to apply the tag in
time to the Castro's left foot. Pirates manager Clint Hurdle came out to argue
the call, which wasn't reviewed.
Game Notes
The pitching staffs combined to strike out 28 batters ... The Pirates continue
a nine-game road trip Friday in Milwaukee ... The Cubs start a five-game road
trip Friday in St. Louis.
The Cardinals clash with the Cubs tonight in the first of three games at Busch Stadium. The Cards send Joe Kelly to the hill while the Cubs give the nod to Jeff Samardjiza. St. Louis took two of three last series against the Reds. The Cubs lost their three-game set with Pittsburgh yesterday. Coverage of the game can be heard on Newstalk 97.3 WTIM beginning at 6:40pm.
A recent shopper at the Taylorville Kroger has a big pay day coming their way. Pam Bullard, front-end backup manager at Kroger, tells Regional Radio News about the ticket:
[audio:bullardlottery041114.mp3]comment here[/audio]
The official amount is $20,250,000. Bullard says the winning ticket can be brought to Kroger or the person can go straight to the Illinois Lottery’s Springfield office.
THE CHRISTIAN COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICE REPORTS THE FOLLOWING ARRESTS:
Thomas J. Vavrik, 30, of 882 North 1700 East Road, Owaneco, was arrested April 10 for driving on a suspended revoked license.
Ashley L. Rockford, 29, of 719 West Vandeveer Street, Taylorville, was arrested April 10 on a bond forfeiture for contempt of court.
Deanna R. Durbin, 31, of 508 Northwest Avenue, Taylorville, was arrested April 10 on a bond forfeiture for reckless driving.
Steven S. Durbin, 22, of 404 South Clay Street, Taylorville, was arrested April 10 on a bond forfeiture for the issuance of warrant.
THE TAYLORVILLE FIRE DEPARTMENT REPORTS THE FOLLOWING CALLS:
Left to Right: Pat Boone and Don Behl
The Shelbyville Rotary Club held their weekly meeting at the Shelbyville Memorial Hospital. Club secretary, Jim Bolinger, informed the Club that they have raised $512.26 for the Rotary Scholarship award, as of March 31. The Club now has sufficient funds to make their award presentation at the Senior Awards Night.
Member, Phil Miller, announced that he has raffle tickets for sale, as a fundraiser for the Relay For Life. The winner will receive a pair of tickets to the Cubs vs. Cards game in St. Louis.
The program chairman was Don Behl. His keynote speaker was Pat Boone. Boone is the operations leader at the Pioneer Seed Plant, located next to the John Deere dealership east of town on Route 16. They raise 150 varieties of soybeans locally. These seeds are designed in Johnson, Iowa, in automated greenhouses. The program chairman for next meeting will be Mike Kiley.
With school ending in about a month, Big Brothers Big Sisters Capital Region will shift to summertime mode soon. Lisa Rakey, Director of Community Relations, says some of their activities are seasonal while some are not:
[audio:rakeybbbs041014.mp3]comment here[/audio]
Big Brothers Big Sisters has a golf outing in Springfield coming up next month. Find out more at bbbscapitalregion.org.
Fraudsters have found a new way to trick computer users into clicking on phony links. Public Advocate Mac McGuire explains what “clickjacking” is:
A possible bobcat sighting in Taylorville ended up being just a large cat according to the Illinois Department of Natural Resources. DNR Spokesman Chris Young says based off the video, their biologists determined it was not a bobcat. Young tells Regional Radio News the chances of someone coming across a bobcat are slim:
[audio:youngbobcat040914.mp3][/audio]
Taylorville Animal Control Officer George Calvert, who was at the scene, says it looked like a cat to him as well:
[audio:calvertbobcat041014.mp3][/audio]
Shawn White, who shot the video, says the cat walked by her prior to the video and it appeared to be a bobcat to her. Young says bobcat sightings are a positive thing as bobcats were once on the threatened species list and the sightings show the regrowth of the population.
[video:bobcat4.mp4]comment here[/video]
Chicago, IL (SportsNetwork.com) - Peter Budaj misplayed a harmless Patrick
Sharp shot and turned it into the game winner at 43 seconds of overtime, giving the Chicago
Blackhawks a come-from-behind 3-2 victory against the Montreal Canadiens at
United Center.
Marian Hossa tied the game inside the final minute with the extra attacker,
then Sharp won it when his contested, rolling shot from between the circles
rolled up Budaj's stick. Instead of trapping it, the Habs' netminder tried to
shake it away, and the puck was propelled backwards and over the line.
"I think we were due. It was the first time all season we managed to get one
in overtime," said Blackhawks head coach Joel Quenneville, about his club
failing to score in 22 overtime periods prior to Wednesday. "To take this long
to get it is certainly a relief and a huge two points."
Jeremy Morin also tallied and Corey Crawford came up with 28 saves for the
Blackhawks, who moved two points back of idle Colorado for second place in the
Central Division.
Dale Weise and Francis Bouillon scored for the Canadiens, while Budaj took the
loss despite 25 stops. Montreal moved three points up on idle Tampa Bay for
second in the Atlantic, but the two clubs are assured a first-round matchup.
"We were in a position to get two points, but I really liked the way we
played," Montreal head coach Michel Therrien said. "On the last two goals, it
was some bad coverage in front of the net. I'm sure on the last goal, the
winning goal, [Budaj] certainly would like to see that shot again, but those
things happen. This is not an easy place to play, but our effort was there
again."
The first 40 minutes passed without a goal. Crawford stopped 23 shots and
Budaj was equal to 17.
Montreal snapped the scoreless deadlock as Weise was open on the right side to
tap in a bouncing puck off a shot from Josh Gorges at 7:31 of the third
period.
Chicago fought back to tie with 9:26 left in regulation on Morin's quick shot
from the right circle.
Bouillon's point drive, from a left-circle faceoff win by David Desharnais,
eluded Crawford only 22 seconds later and the Habs led 2-1.
Chicago went with an extra skater as the clock ticked down to a minute left,
and Hossa was inside the crease when he redirected a centering feed by Sharp
with 47.7 seconds to play.
"I like that responsibility he's shown," Quenneville said of Sharp, who has
been leaned on in the absence of captain Jonathan Toews and fellow forward
Patrick Kane. "I thought in a game like this, he took charge at the end. I
think he's stepped up to the plate here and responded in the right fashion."
Crawford then made a diving stop to his right on a hard shot from Max
Pacioretty ticketed for the near post to keep the tie intact.
Game Notes
The Blackhawks improved to 3-0-2 in the last five meetings with the Canadiens
since October of 2009 ... Chicago begins a season-ending two-game road trip at
Washington on Friday, while Montreal hosts the Islanders on Thursday ... Habs
forward Alex Galchenyuk did not return after the first intermission, diagnosed
with a lower-body injury ... Canadiens defenseman Ryan White suffered a hand
injury and did not return following the second intermission.
Minneapolis, MN (SportsNetwork.com) - Joakim Noah's triple-double led the
Chicago Bulls to a 102-87 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves Wednesday
at Target Center.
Noah tallied 15 points, 13 rebounds and 10 assists and D.J. Augustin added a
game-high 21 points off the bench for the Bulls, who have won six straight.
Kirk Hinrich scored 16 points, Mike Dunleavy notched 15 and Jimmy Butler added
14 points and seven assists.
The triple-double was Noah's fourth of the season, tied with Indiana's Lance
Stephenson for the most in the league.
Kevin Love totaled 17 points and 10 rebounds and Ricky Rubio scored 15
points with six assists for the Timberwolves, who have lost two of three.
Ronny Turiaf contributed 11 points and five boards off the bench.
Chicago started the second half trailing 53-48, but a 9-2 burst gave them a
two-point lead with 8:48 on the third-quarter clock. The teams traded the lead
over the next three minutes before seven straight points from the Bulls gave
them an 70-62 cushion.
Minnesota netted the next six points but trailed 75-70 heading into the final
12 minutes.
The Bulls used a 12-6 run to stretch their lead to 87-76 with 7:43 left to
play. Just under a minute later, Chicago scored eight straight points to put
the game away. They led 95-79 with under five minutes left on the clock and
the teams combined for six baskets down the stretch.
"I thought we did a pretty good job the first half. The second half, third
quarter they just started making shots and we couldn't get one to go down and
we looked like we ran out of gas in the second half," said Minnesota head
coach Rick Adelman.
Earlier, after exchanging scores through three-plus minutes into the second
quarter Minnesota used a 10-2 run to take a 41-32 lead with just under
five minutes left in the half. Chicago responded with consecutive 3-pointers
from Augustin and Hinrich to pull within three. However, the T'Wolves led by
five at the break.
In the first quarter there was one tie and 13 lead changes, with neither team
up by more than five points. Chicago carried a 26-25 edge into the second
frame.
Game Notes
Chicago has won eight of nine against Minnesota and five straight at the
Target Center ... The Bulls are 31-2 when scoring at least 96 points in a game
... Chicago moved to 18-1 on the road when leading entering the fourth quarter
... The T'Wolves fell to 3-20 when scoring less than 100 points in a game ...
Minnesota is now 3-27 when trailing its opponent after three quarters.
Denver, CO (SportsNetwork.com) - DJ LeMahieu tied the game with an RBI double
in the sixth inning and hit a go-ahead two-run single in the eighth, leading
the Colorado Rockies to a 10-4 win over the Chicago White Sox in the finale of
a three-game series on Wednesday.
LeMahieu's hit in the eighth keyed a six-run rally that broke the game wide
open. He had three hits and scored twice for the Rockies, who took the first
and third games to win their second straight series.
Charlie Blackmon also had three hits, an RBI and two runs scored for Colorado.
Conor Gillaspie hit a two-run single for the White Sox, who finished 2-4 on a
six-game road trip.
Justin Morneau singled to lead off the eighth against Scott Downs (0-2) and
Nolan Arenado followed with a hit off Ronald Belisario. Both moved up on a
bunt and LeMahieu laced a 94 mph pitch to center field to bring them home.
"With the infield in I was just trying to elevate something," said LeMahieu.
"He threw the sinker but I think he left it up a little bit. I was just lucky
to hit it hard."
Josh Rutledge and Michael Cuddyer added RBI singles in the inning and Carlos
Gonzalez knocked in two with a double.
Earlier, LeMahieu knocked White Sox right-hander Erik Johnson out of his first
interleague start with his line-drive double to tie the game.
White Sox right fielder Avisail Garcia was hurt diving for the hit when he
rolled over on his left shoulder.
Garcia left the game, but the White Sox said initial X-Rays on his shoulder
were negative for fracture, separation or dislocation.
Johnson gave up nine hits and a walk and struck out four in 5 2/3 innings.
"The Rockies put together Some great at-bats," said White Sox second baseman
Marcus Semien. "They didn't get out of their zone. They got their pitch to hit
and they didn't chase too many. We tried as a defense but they hit the ball
hard."
Rockies righty Juan Nicasio went five frames, also allowing four runs on eight
hits and two walks with six strikeouts. Rex Brothers (1-0) got two outs in the
eighth and picked up the win.
Blackmon stroked Johnson's second pitch for a triple in the first inning and
scored on Cuddyer's ground out to give the Rockies a 1-0 lead.
Tyler Flowers and Adam Eaton each hit an RBI single in the second inning for
the White Sox, but Blackmon and Arenado did the same for Colorado -- in the
second and third innings -- to give the home team a 3-2 lead.
Gillaspie's two-run single for Chicago in the fifth scored Eaton and Semien,
who had led off with back-to-back base hits.
Game Notes
The White Sox return to start a four-game homestand with Cleveland on Thursday
... The Rockies start a seven-game road trip Friday in San Francisco.
Chicago, IL (SportsNetwork.com) - Junior Lake and Mike Olt smacked back-to-
back home runs in the fifth inning to help the Chicago Cubs to a 7-5 win over
the Pittsburgh Pirates in the middle test of a three-game set from Wrigley
Field.
Jason Hammel (2-0) went seven strong innings for the Cubs, allowing three
runs on three hits while striking out six. Anthony Rizzo went 4-for-5 with
two doubles and two runs scored while Emilio Bonifacio continued his torrid
start to the campaign, recording two more hits in the triumph. Bonifacio
now has 19 hits in eight games.
Pittsburgh got its five runs on five solo homers, including a pair from both
Pedro Alvarez and Russell Martin. Travis Snider also went yard for the
Pirates.
"I got my first taste of Wrigley," joked Hammel, who signed with Chicago over
the winter. "When the wind's howling out, you have to keep the ball down. I
only made three mistakes today, and they all left the yard."
Jose Tabata's pinch-hit single in the eighth inning was the only Pittsburgh
hit that did not leave the ballpark.
Wandy Rodriguez (0-2) was tagged for four runs on nine hits over five innings
of work.
Olt's two-run homer with two outs in the fifth broke a 1-1 tie and put the
Cubs in front. Lake followed with his first of the year and after five,
Chicago held a 4-1 advantage.
The visitors tacked on three more runs in the sixth. Rizzo plated Bonifacio
with a double to center, Olt singled home Justin Ruggiano and Lake made it,
7-1, when Rizzo scored on his fielder's choice.
From there, Chicago survived a pair of two-run innings. Snider opened the top
of the seventh with a solo shot to center and with two outs in the inning,
Martin belted one just over the ivory for a 7-3 margin.
Pedro Strop took the hill for the ninth and induced an Andrew McCutchen
groundout before Alvarez and Martin hit consecutive jacks. Strop struck out
the next two batters he faced to end the game.
"No matter what the store is, we're going to give our best effort," said
Martin. "Today they were better than us. They scored more runs. We're trying
to win the series tomorrow."
Earlier, Ruggiano's RBI double in the first inning gave the Cubs a 1-0 lead,
and Alvarez tied it when he led off the top of the fifth with a home run.
Travis Wood and Gerrit Cole are set to take the hill in Thursday's rubber
match. The Pirates took 2-of-3 from Chicago in Pittsburgh to kick off the
campaign.
Game Notes
The Cubs went 2-for-10 with runners in scoring position, leaving 10 men on
base. Pittsburgh did not have an at-bat with a runner in scoring position ...
Chicago catcher Welington Castillo had his first multi-hit game of the season,
finishing 2-for-3 with a double.
St. Louis, MO (SportsNetwork.com) - Mike Leake tossed eight scoreless innings
and the Cincinnati Reds beat the St. Louis Cardinals, 4-0, to avoid a three-
game sweep.
Leake (1-1) allowed just four hits while striking out three for the Reds, who
improved to 3-6 on the young season.
Devin Mesoraco hit a two-run homer for Cincinnati, which got an RBI apiece
from Jay Bruce and Brandon Phillips. Billy Hamilton went 3-for-4 with two runs
scored and two steals.
"I didn't have a good start (to the season) at all, but I feel like now I'm
settling things down," Hamilton said of adjusting to his first full season in
the big leagues.
St. Louis starter Shelby Miller (0-2) gave up three runs on seven hits while
striking out five over six full frames.
Mesoraco's homer in the fourth gave the Reds a 2-0 lead. Chris Heisey hit a
two-out single and scored on Mesoraco's blast to left-center field.
Cincinnati tacked on another run in the fifth when Hamilton scored on Bruce's
sacrifice fly. Hamilton led off with a single, stole second, advanced to third
on a flyout and tagged up on Bruce's pop fly to shallow right.
St. Louis finally had a runner advance past first base in the seventh. Matt
Adams hit a two-out double to left, but Yadier Molina struck out swinging to
end the inning.
"He kept the ball down, had his sinker working, his cutter working," St. Louis
third baseman Matt Carpenter said of Leake. "He was as good as I've seen him."
Phillips' RBI single in the ninth made it a 4-0 contest.
Game Notes
St. Louis is 4-2 against Cincinnati this season ... The Reds went 1-for-11
with runners in scoring position and stranded nine.
THE CHRISTIAN COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICE REPORTS THE FOLLOWING ARRESTS:
Allison M. Kramer, 19, of 700 North 965 East Road, Palmer, was arrested April 9 for theft.
Chloe L. Windell, 19, of 516 Taylorville Boulevard, Taylorville, was arrested April 9 on a bond forfeiture for consumption of liquor by a minor.
Jeffery D. Dunkirk, 34, of South 11 Street, Springfield, was arrested April 10 for driving under the influence of alcohol.
THE TAYLORVILLE FIRE DEPARTMENT REPORTS THE FOLLOWING CALLS:
April 9
1 EMS, 1 Fire
Baseball:
Governor Pat Quinn has announced $100 million from the Illinois Jobs Now! construction program to repair municipal and township infrastructure throughout the state.
The announcement includes approximately $5.5 million for local governments in Christian, Macoupin, Montgomery, Sangamon, and Shelby Counties. The funding is the last of a series of annual transportation investments that municipalities have received through the Illinois Jobs Now! Program.
The projects will be selected and managed locally, with the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) providing oversight.
In addition to the Illinois Jobs Now! funds, local governments in the counties listed above will receive more than $31.7 million in Motor Fuel Tax funds this year.
For a list of the local governments receiving funding, go to dot.il.gov.
April 15th is just days away now, and the pressure to get your taxes filed is increasing. Laurie Henry of H and R Block says many people want to know: do you need to include foreign work earnings on your tax forms?
[audio:henryhandrcanada040914.mp3]comment here[/audio]
H and R block will take a free “second look” at your taxes before you mail them in, and Henry says many people find that they have more money coming than they think. H and R Block has locations in Taylorville, Pana, Shelbyville and Nokomis.
If you enjoyed reading Andrew Nelson's book “Perfect Pawn”, you'll be happy to know that there is a sequel now available. The former NYPD Detective says his wife helped motivate him to become an author:
[audio:nelsonperfectpawn102913.mp3]comment here[/audio]
Nelson says he'll be signing copies of his new book next month:
[audio:nelsonbooksigning040714.mp3]comment here[/audio]
The new book is entitled “Queen's Gambit” and is available at Dana's or online at amazon.com.
A plan to change the funding formula for schools is gaining momentum in Springfield. Pana School Superintendent Dr. David Lett supports the plan, which would likely provide more money in poorer districts. He says the current formula doesn't address the growing rate of poverty in downstate school districts.
[audio:rddEdfund31.mp3]comment here[/audio]
Senator Andy Manar is proposing a single funding formula that will even-out the playing field when it comes to dishing out state money to schools. It calls for more than 90-percent of the state's education dollars to go to schools based on their needs. Funding would be determined using a weighted system that will take into account the characteristics of each local school district, such as the percentage of students living in poverty. The bill was voted out of subcommittee and is expected to go before a full senate panel soon.
St. Louis, MO (SportsNetwork.com) - Alex Ovechkin scored his 50th goal of the
season and added two assists, leading the Washington Capitals to a 4-1 victory
over the St. Louis Blues on Tuesday.
Nicklas Backstrom had two goals and Mikhail Grabovski also scored for the
Capitals, who have won two games in a row on the heels of a five-game losing
streak.
Washington remains alive -- if only just -- in the hunt for a wild-card spot
in the playoffs, trailing Columbus by four points with three games remaining.
"All we can do is control our own situation," said Caps coach Adam Oates.
Braden Holtby had 28 saves in the win as the Caps swept the two-game season
series with St. Louis.
Maxim Lapierre scored for the Blues, who have lost three games in a row as
they cling to a one-point lead over Anaheim for first place in the Western
Conference, and a small lead over Colorado in the Central Division.
St. Louis hasn't scored more than two goals in its last six games, but not
everyone is worried by the recent paltry output.
"The last few we haven't been scoring but we've had guys scoring all year,"
said Blues forward Alexander Steen.
Ryan Miller gave up four goals on 22 shots.
Ovechkin reached the 50-goal plateau for the fifth time in his career -- and
first time since 2009-10 -- with a one-timer from the left circle on a power
play with 2:06 left in the opening period.
"I'm pretty sure my family's happy and my teammates are happy for me," said
Ovechkin. "I appreciate everyone who gives me the opportunity to be in the
right spot."
Lapierre tied it 2:39 into the second period, scoring on a rebound after Steve
Ott's shot from the high left side.
But the Caps scored three in a row to end the game, beginning with Grabovski's
slap shot from the left circle 8:52 into the second period.
Backstrom's first goal from the slot on Ovechkin's assist came with 1:10 left
in the second and he added a power-play goal 16 seconds into the third period,
again off an assist from Ovechkin, who found his teammate on a cross-ice pass
to the right side.
Game Notes
The Capitals play Carolina on the road Thursday ... The Blues also have three
games left. They start a two-game road trip Thursday against Minnesota.
Denver, CO (SportsNetwork.com) - Jose Abreu and Avisail Garcia both clubbed a
pair of homers to lead the Chicago White Sox in a 15-3 pounding of the
Colorado Rockies in the middle tilt of a three-game interleague set.
Abreu finished with five RBI and Garcia recorded four hits and drove in three.
Alexei Ramirez and Tyler Flowers also clubbed homers for the White Sox,
winners in two of their last three games.
Jose Quintana (1-0) allowed two runs on five hits over seven innings to earn
the win.
Michael Cuddyer went 2-for-4 with a solo homer and Troy Tulowitzki added a
pair of RBI for the Rockies, who were out-hit 19-7.
Franklin Morales (0-1) allowed six runs on eight hits and four walks over 6
1/3 innings to absorb the loss.
The White Sox scored three runs in the second inning. Garcia crushed a two-out
homer to left and after Ramirez singled, Flowers hammered a two-run shot to
left field.
With runners on the corners in the third, Dayan Viciedo lifted a sacrifice fly
to left to score Adam Eaton.
Cuddyer got the Rockies on the board in the fourth with his third homer of the
season and Tulowitzki added an RBI double in the sixth to make it 4-2.
Chicago broke the game open with three runs in the seventh and six in the
eighth.
With two on and one out in the seventh, Abreu just barely cleared the wall in
left for a 7-2 lead. The ball sailed just over Brett Barnes' glove as the
left-fielder attempted to rob the rookie of the homer, but came up empty.
"That at-bat was very, very important to me," Abreu said
In the eighth, Garcia and Ramirez hit back-to-back homers against Wilton Lopez
to make it 9-2. With two outs later in the frame, Marcus Semien doubled to
left to score Flowers. Abreu followed with a homer to right-center. Garcia
capped the frame with an RBI base hit to right field for an 11-run lead.
"I don't like to leave a guy out there as long as I did, or take him out in
the middle of the inning and have him walk off the field," Rockies manager
Walt Weiss said. "He's always a guy that's up for the challenge and be in
there in good times or tough times."
Tulowitzki added a sacrifice fly in the eighth and Semien and Viciedo had RBI
singles in the ninth to account for the final difference.
Game Notes
The White Sox were 6-for-12 with RISP ... Wilton Lopez allowed three homers in
just 2/3 of an innings in the loss ... Eaton and Semien each stole a base ...
Cuddyer has a nine-game hitting streak ... Colorado's Carlos Gonzalez did not
play Tuesday (rest).
Chicago, IL (SportsNetwork.com) - Russell Martin had two hits, two runs scored
and the game-winning sacrifice fly in the eighth inning to help the Pittsburgh
Pirates top the Chicago Cubs, 7-6, in the opener of a three-game set at
Wrigley Field.
Pittsburgh's led 6-4 through five, but the Cubs tacked on a run in both the
sixth and seventh innings to tie it. Pedro Strop (0-1) took the hill for
Chicago in the top of the eighth and walked a pair before giving way to James
Russell, who surrendered a walk to Pedro Alvarez to load the bags for Martin.
His sacrifice fly to right plated Starling Marte for the final margin.
"It was a fist fight off the mound for us most of the night. We executed
extremely well in the first inning on offense and kept building innings,"
Pirates manager Clint Hurdle said.
Tony Watson (2-0) took the win after yielding a run in the seventh, Mark
Melancon worked a perfect bottom of the eighth and Jason Grilli shut the
door in the ninth for his second save of the season.
Alvarez and Travis Ishikawa drove in two runs apiece for Pittsburgh, which
took 2-of-3 from Chicago to start the season. Marte scored three times and
stole two bags in the triumph.
Emilio Bonifacio and Starlin Castro had three hits apiece for the Cubs, with
the latter posting his first career multi-homer game. Castro drove in four of
Chicago's six runs.
Alvarez put Pittsburgh on the board in the top of the first with a two-run
double to the gap in right-center. It was the slugger's first two-bagger
of the season.
Alvarez came around to score on a Neil Walker single two batters later, and
Ishikawa plated a run with his sacrifice fly. The Bucs led 4-0 before starter
Charlie Morton took the hill.
Morton, who gave up five runs on eight hits. quickly lost the lead. The Cubs
got a run back in the second on Bonifacio's RBI single to center. Anthony
Rizzo and Luis Valbuena then singled in the third to put two on for Castro,
who belted a 1-2 offering over the wall in left to tie it.
"Had we laid down after the first inning, giving up four runs, I would have
been extremely disappointed," Cubs manager Rick Renteria said.
Pittsburgh went back in front a half inning later on Andrew McCutchen's RBI
single to center and padded the cushion on an Ishikawa RBI triple in the
fifth.
Edwin Jackson was torched for six runs on nine hits over 4 2/3 frames.
Chicago fought back to briefly tie it. Castro made it 6-5 with his solo shot
in the sixth off Morton, and Rizzo singled home Bonifacio to knot it at 6-6 in
the seventh.
Game Notes
Pittsburgh hit just 4-of-13 with runners in scoring position and left 11 men
on base ... Chicago pitchers walked seven batters ... Bonifacio has at least
two hits in 5-of-7 games this season and is hitting 14-for-21 against the
Pirates in four meetings.
Coverage of today's Cards and Reds game can be heard on Newstalk 97.3 WTIM beginning at 12:10pm.
St. Louis, MO (SportsNetwork.com) - Matt Holliday smacked a go-ahead double in
the sixth inning and Yadier Molina had three hits, including a solo homer to
lead the St. Louis Cardinals to a 7-5 win over the Cincinnati Reds.
The Cardinals climbed out of a 4-0 hole after 1 1/2 innings, tying the game
with a four-run rally in the second inning sparked by Molina's leadoff homer.
Holliday's hit to the right-field wall in the sixth was dropped by Jay Bruce
on a tough play, helping Lance Lynn pick up his second win over the Reds this
season.
Lynn (2-0) allowed five runs on eight hits in six innings, striking out four
and walking none. He also got the victory in a 7-6 decision over Cincinnati on
April 3.
"It's hard to explain with Lance. I think some guys just have a knack of being
in the right place when we've got a lot of offensive support," Cardinals
manager Mike Matheny said of Lynn.
The Cardinals have won the first two games of the three-game series and are
4-1 against the Reds this season.
Logan Ondrusek (0-1) replaced starter Homer Bailey to begin the sixth and took
the loss. Bailey, who lost to Lynn and the Cardinals on April 3, was knocked
around for nine hits and four runs in five innings. He fanned five and walked
two.
Jay Bruce had two hits, including a two-run triple in a three-run first inning
for the Reds, who fell to 2-6 on the season.
"Across the board, we just need to get better," Bailey said.
Peter Bourjos doubled to lead off the sixth against Ondrusek and went to third
on Daniel Descalso's pinch-hit sacrifice bunt. After Matt Carpenter was hit by
a pitch and Kolten Wong struck out, Holliday delivered his double to give the
Cardinals a 6-5 lead.
Bourjos added an RBI single in the seventh to score Molina, who had doubled,
and Randy Choate, Carlos Martinez and Trevor Rosenthal pitched the last three
innings for St. Louis to seal the win. Rosenthal worked around a leadoff
pinch-hit single by Brayan Pena in the ninth to record his third save of the
season.
Earlier, the Reds scored three runs with one out in the first inning after
Brandon Phillips doubled, Joey Votto was hit by a pitch, Bruce hit a triple to
the right-center field wall and Ryan Ludwick followed with a sacrifice fly.
Billy Hamilton's RBI single in the second made it 4-0, but the Cardinals tied
the game with their four-run rally in the bottom of the inning.
After Molina hit his third homer of the season into the left-field seats,
Carpenter added an RBI single up the middle with two outs and Wong followed
with a two-run triple into the right-field corner.
The Reds re-took the lead in the fifth when Ludwick grounded out to score a
run after Votto and Bruce hit back-to-back singles.
Game Notes
The Cardinals received their 2013 NL Championship rings in a pre-game ceremony
... St. Louis had 13 hits but left 10 runners on base ... Lynn threw 112
pitches, 73 for strikes.
Coming up today on Regional Radio:
THE CHRISTIAN COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICE REPORTS THE FOLLOWING ARRESTS:
Davante D. Reed, 21, of 536 West Center Street, Decatur, was arrested April 8 on a bond forfeiture for driving while license suspended.
Charles E. Johnson, 38, of 500 Central Street, Kincaid, was arrested April 9 for driving under the influence of alcohol.
Joseph D. Baietto, 23, 1737 South Country Club Road, Decatur, was arrested April 8 for driving with a suspended license.
THE TAYLORVILLE POLICE DEPARTMENT REPORTS THE FOLLOWING ARREST:
On March 20 at 3:54pm, Taylorville Police Department officers were dispatched o the 300 block of East Park in reference to three vehicle accident. One vehicle left the scene prior to officer's arrival. On April 4, officers located the third party involved. Following the investigation, Natasha S. Coultas, 25, of Tower Hill was arrested for driving while license revoked and leaving the scene of an accident.
THE TAYLORVILLE FIRE DEPARTMENT REPORTS THE FOLLOWING CALLS:
There are a number of things coming up for the Christian County Senior Citizen's Center. Program Director Gerry Mahr says the date has been changed for the annual spelling bee:
[audio:mahrspellingbee040814.mp3]comment here[/audio]
Mahr says one of the Senior Center's biggest yearly fundraisers is coming up in June:
[audio:mahrsrvariety040814.mp3]comment here[/audio]
Call the Christian County Senior Center at 824-4263 to find out more, or stop by at the corner of Adams and Shumway streets in Taylorville.
Governor Pat Quinn has announced $16.5 million in investments for 46 local park projects across Illinois.
The projects are funded through the state’s Open Space Lands Acquisition and Development program (OSLAD) and administered by the Illinois Department of Natural Resources (DNR).
This year’s OSLAD grant recipients includes:
Christian County
Shelby County
The OSLAD program began in 1986 and, not including these announced projects, has provided approximately $377.8 million for 1,641 local park projects in Illinois.
Denver, CO (SportsNetwork.com) - Jordan Lyles spun 6 2/3 strong innings and
also went 3-for-3 with a pair of RBI to lead the Colorado Rockies to an 8-1
win over the Chicago White Sox in the opener of a three-game interleague set
at Coors Field.
Lyles (2-0) allowed just one run on five hits while striking out four to pick
up the win.
Troy Tulowitzki went 3-for-3 with a solo homer and two runs scored and Carlos
Gonzalez added two hits and a homer for the Rockies, who took two of three
from the Diamondbacks over the weekend.
Alexei Ramirez drove in the lone run for the White Sox, who have dropped four
of their last five games.
Felipe Paulino (0-1) allowed six runs on nine hits and four walks in just 4
1/3 innings to saddle the loss.
The Rockies pushed a run across in each of the first three innings.
Gonzalez fell behind 1-2 in the first inning, but crushed a hanging slider to
right field for a 1-0 lead.
"I've been on deck for a lot of his home runs, obviously, and that one got out
quicker than any one that I've ever seen," Tulowitzki said of Gonzalez's
homer.
Lyles helped his cause in the second after stroking a double to left-center
field. D.J. LeMahieu worked a two-out walk before Lyle laced a double into the
gap to give the hosts a 2-0 lead.
With the bases loaded and one out in the third, Wilin Rosario ripped one up
the middle that was deflected by Paulino and beat Marcus Semien's throw to
first to score Michael Cuddyer.
The Rockies broke the game open with a three-run fifth inning. With the bases
loaded and one out, LeMahieu smoked a base hit to right to score Tulowitzki.
Daniel Webb replaced Paulino on the mound and immediately surrendered an RBI
single to Lyles. Charlie Blackmon followed with a sacrifice fly to left to
plate Nolan Arenado.
Tulowitzki led off the sixth with a homer for a 7-0 lead.
Chicago finally got on the board in the seventh when Ramirez doubled home
Avisail Garcia.
Cuddyer scored on Semien's fielding error in the eighth to account for the
final difference.
"At one point their pitcher is outhitting us," Chicago manager Robin Ventura
said. "That's never a good sign. We need to be a lot better than that."
Game Notes
The Rockies were 6-for-14 with runners in scoring position ... Gonzalez has
three homers this season ... Tulowitzki's homer was his first of the season
... All three White Sox pitchers allowed at least one run ... The White Sox
were 1-for-5 with RISP.
Coverage of tonight's Cards and Reds game can be heard on Newstalk 97.3 WTIM beginning at 6:40pm.
St. Louis, MO (SportsNetwork.com) - Michael Wacha worked six solid innings and
Yadier Molina hit an early three-run double, as St. Louis survived a close
call in the ninth to best Cincinnati, 5-3, in the opener of a three-game
set from Busch Stadium.
Allen Craig and Matt Holliday drove in a run each for the Cardinals, who
raised their NL champion banner and won a home opener for the first time since
2010.
Wacha (1-0) allowed a run on seven hits with three strikeouts and one walk,
then Carlos Martinez and Kevin Siegrist combined for two more scoreless
innings.
"There was a huge crowd out there. Lots of energy," Wacha said. "I don't know
who wouldn't thrive off of those kind of situations."
Trevor Rosenthal got into trouble in the ninth, walking Jay Bruce and Ryan
Ludwick and allowing a base hit to Todd Frazier which loaded the bases. Zack
Cozart singled in Bruce with one away and pinch-hitter Neftali Soto added a
sacrifice fly before Billy Hamilton's fly out ended the game.
"Collectively, we've struggled to do anything with runners in scoring
position," noted Reds manager Bryan Price. "That will change. It's just tough
to sit through it."
Roger Bernadina added a pinch-hit RBI double and Brayan Pena went 3-for-4 with
two doubles for the Reds, who have dropped four of their last five.
Tony Cingrani (0-1) lasted only four frames and was charged with three hits
and as many runs with five strikeouts and four walks.
After Hamilton doubled to start the game, he was sacrificed to third and then
erased in a rundown between third and home and Cincinnati went scoreless.
St. Louis countered in the home half as Matt Carpenter and Peter Bourjos led
off with hits, Holliday walked and Molina plated them all on a one-out bases-
clearing double.
Wacha held the Reds in check until the fifth, when Pena and Bernadina stroked
consecutive one-out doubles.
The Cards boosted their edge to four in the home seventh with three straight
one-out hits: doubles from Bourjos and Holliday followed by a single from
Craig.
Game Notes
St. Louis improved to 3-6 in home openers at the new Busch Stadium ... Wacha
hadn't allowed a run in 21 total innings against the Reds until Cincinnati
measured him in the fifth ... Prior to the contest, the Reds activated catcher
Devin Mesoraco from the 15-day disabled list and optioned catcher Tucker
Barnhart to Triple-A Louisville ... Attendance was a record 47,492.
THE CHRISTIAN COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICE REPORTS THE FOLLOWING ARREST:
Jacob W. Garrett, 26, of 1524 South Houston Street, Taylorville, was arrested April 7 for driving under the influence of alcohol.
THE TAYLORVILLE POLICE DEPARTMENT REPORTS THE FOLLOWING ARREST:
On April 6, a Taylorville Police Department officer was dispatched to Houston and Lawn in regards to a disturbance. The officer arrived and made contact with a male and female subject who were arguing. Following the investigation, Jacob A. Samson, 29, of Taylorville was placed under arrest for public intoxication. Samson was transported to Taylorville Police Department and later released on a notice to appear.
THE TAYLORVILLE FIRE DEPARTMENT REPORTS THE FOLLOWIN CALLS:
April 7
1 Automatic Alarm, 1 EMS
Joe Morelock of the Illinois Department of Natural Resources Conservation Police, was Tuesday’s guest speaker at the weekly luncheon of the Taylorville Kiwanis Club at the Taylorville Memorial Hospital auditorium.
Morelock outlined his career which led him to his current position of Chief of Field Operations. He started out in the military, and after a 5-year career there, began working in law enforcement in Thayer and Pawnee before landing a job with the Illinois Department of Natural Resources in DeWitt County.
Morelock told the Kiwanis Club that fish and game laws are among the most regulated in the state, and he added Conservation Police do a lot of education as well as enforcement.
To qualify to become a Conservation Policeman, candidates must have a 4 year college degree and at least 3 years of experience with the same law enforcement agency. They then go thru 14 weeks of Illinois State Police training, as well as 14 weeks of Conservation Police training then field training after that.
Morelock said that his enforcement duties include wildlife and fish, recreational boating, and even criminal code violations such as drugs and alcohol, among a list of a dozen different things his agency oversees.
[audio:MorelockaudioApr814.mp3]comment here[/audio]
3 members of the Taylorville Kiwanis Key Club from Taylorville High School, attended Tuesday’s Kiwanis Club meeting.
The Taylorville Kiwanis Club is part of global organization of volunteers dedicated to changing the world one child and one community at a time. Weekly meetings are held Tuesdays at noon at the Taylorville Memorial Hospital auditorium. For information on the club, go to taylorvillekiwanis.com.
A Hollywood legend who passed away this weekend had a Taylorville connection. Mickey Rooney, who died Sunday at the age of 93, came to Central Illinois for his performance of “Let's put on a Show”, a one man stage show the entertainer toured the country with. Rooney, who was one of the country's biggest stars for decades, appeared at the old Nashville North venue. He stayed at the Market Street Inn while in Taylorville. The appearance was sponsored by the Greater Taylorville Chamber of Commerce. Rooney, who was born Joseph Yule, Jr., died Sunday at the age of 93.
While many people think about spring cleaning this time of year, Nutrition Educator for the St. Louis Dairy Council Joyce Fikri says maybe its time to spring clean your diet. Fikri says there are a variety of ways to cut your fat intake while still receiving the nutrition of dairy products:
[audio:fikrilofat04014.mp3]comment here[/audio]
Check the Dairy Council's website at stldairycouncil.org.
If you are looking to rent a banquet facility, there may be a place that hasn’t crossed your mind. Jason Boldig, General Manager at Lakeshore Golf Course, tells Regional Radio News about their banquet facility:
[audio:boldigbanquet040814.mp3]comment here[/audio]
For more information, call Lakeshore at 824-5521
The WTIM Business of the Week last week was Pioneer Homes. Proprietor Curtis Ryen tells Regional Radio listeners how the business came about:
[audio:ryanbusofweek040414.mp3]comment here[/audio]
Pioneer Homes offers insulation, installs air conditioning and heating systems, and have special materials for pole barn structures for farms, business and residential. Pioneer Homes is at 430 S. Spresser St. in Taylorville. Call 820-0481.
Chicago, IL (SportsNetwork.com) - Patrick Sharp scored the go-ahead goal in
the final minute of the second period and Marcus Kruger found the net in the
first minute of the third to lift the Chicago Blackhawks to a 4-2 victory over
the St. Louis Blues on Sunday.
Jeremy Morin also scored and added an assist for the Blackhawks, who have won
three straight after a three-game skid and pulled within two points of
Colorado for second place in the Central Division. The Avalanche earned a
point with a shootout loss to Pittsburgh later Sunday.
"Very workmanlike three games in a row and we got rewarded each night," said
Chicago head coach Joel Quenneville. "It was a good week for us and I liked
our response to a real tough week prior."
Corey Crawford stopped 21 shots in the victory and Ben Smith scored into an
empty net in the final seconds.
Brian Elliott made 31 saves for St. Louis, which was coming off a 4-0 loss to
Colorado on Saturday but still sits on top in the Western Conference. The
Blues, however, remained two points behind idle Boston in the Presidents'
Trophy race.
Jaden Schwartz and Vladimir Sobotka scored for the Blues, who will close the
season with four games in six days, starting Tuesday against Washington.
"We're a little bit tired," said Blues coach Ken Hitchcock. "We still have
four more games to play. We have a lot of hockey to play yet and have to find
a way to re-energize ourselves and get back to work."
The game appeared to be headed toward the third period in a 1-1 tie, but
Andrew Shaw slipped the puck to Morin for a 2-on-1 in the final minute. Morin
sent a pass to Sharp in the left circle and he blistered a shot past Elliott
for his 33rd goal with 26.2 seconds left to put Chicago in front.
"Those are obviously momentum swings that can take a game in the opposite
direction," said Elliott about the late second-period goal. "We had the
opportunity to come back, but weren't able to do it."
The Blackhawks added to their lead just 56 seconds into the third. Joakim
Nordstrom fired a shot from the right circle that caromed off the right post,
hit the back of Elliott and tapped the left post. Kruger was on the spot in
the crease to quickly swipe the puck into the net for his eighth goal.
Sobotka beat Crawford with a shot from the left circle for his ninth goal of
the season with 2:02 remaining to pull St. Louis within one, but the Blues
were unable to net the equalizer with an extra attacker.
Alex Pietrangelo's stick broke as he was attempting a shot from the right
point in the closing seconds and the flub led to an empty-net goal for Smith
with 3.3 seconds left to seal it.
Schwartz gave the Blues the early lead just 1:57 into the contest on a power
play when his second shot from the left circle made its way through traffic
for his 24th goal.
Morin tied it for Chicago at 8:34 of the second when he flipped home the
rebound of a Bryan Bickell shot from the left circle.
Game Notes
Smith notched his 13th goal of the season and has now scored in three straight
games ... The Blues were 1-for-4 on the power play and killed off each of
Chicago's four chances with the extra skater ... Chicago finished 2-1-2 in the
season series.
Kansas City, MO (SportsNetwork.com) - Chris Sale tossed eight scoreless
innings as the Chicago White Sox downed the Kansas City Royals, 5-1, to avoid
a three-game sweep at Kauffman Stadium.
Sale (2-0) scattered four hits and a walk while striking out six to pick up
the win.
"He knows we've lost three in a row and he's going up against Shields and he
wanted to go out and shut them down," White Sox manager Robin Ventura said.
Alexei Ramirez and Tyler Flowers had two RBI apiece and Conor Gillaspie added
two doubles and a run scored for the White Sox, who visit the Colorado Rockies
on Monday to kick off a three-game set at Coors Field.
James Shields (0-1) was the hard-luck loser, allowing just one run on five
hits while striking out six over seven innings.
"He had everything working, his fastball at 94-95, a great cutter, a great
change, a great curveball," Royals manager Ned Yost said of Shields.
Alex Gordon had an RBI single and Lorenzo Cain went 2-for-3 in the setback for
the Kansas City.
After six scoreless frames, the White Sox pushed a run across in the seventh
inning. Gillaspie doubled to right, moved to third on Avisail Garcia's ground
out then scored on Ramirez's single. Ramirez ripped a grounder up the middle,
but Alcides Escobar was able to get a glove on in at the last second. Escobar
couldn't come up with the scorcher and Gillaspie score with ease.
Chicago added some insurance in the ninth inning. Adam Dunn singled and Dayan
Viciedo walked to put two on. Leury Garcia, who replaced Dunn on the bases,
stole third. Salvador Perez's throw on the play skipped into right and Leury
Garcia scored.
Garcia then worked a walk and Ramirez clubbed an RBI double to left. Flowers
followed with a two-run single to give Chicago a 5-0 lead.
Gordon's RBI single in the home half accounted for the final margin.
Game Notes
Leury Garcia has two stolen bases this season ... The White Sox were 3-for-8
with RISP ... Kansas City opens a three-game set at home against Tampa Bay on
Monday.
Chicago, IL (SportsNetwork.com) - Ryan Kalish led the way with three RBI as
the Chicago Cubs cruised to an 8-3 win over the Philadelphia Phillies,
avoiding a sweep of the three-game set.
Kalish went 2-for-3 with a triple and a double and Anthony Rizzo was 2-for-3
with one RBI for the Cubs, who host the Pittsburgh Pirates on Tuesday in the
opener of a three-game series.
"Today, we happened to have some balls find holes, and we took advantage of
it." Cubs manager Rick Renteria said.
Carlos Villanueva (1-2) surrendered one run on six hits through five frames of
work, fanning three and not allowing a walk.
Jimmy Rollins went 2-for-5 with an RBI and Chase Utley had the Phillies' lone
extra-base hit while picking up an RBI. Ben Revere scored a pair of runs in
the loss.
A.J. Burnett (0-1) was knocked around for eight runs -- four earned -- over 5
2/3 innings, issuing six walks and striking out three.
"I was pitching behind. I missed first pitches. The key today was throwing
strikes. That was embarrassing," Burnett said.
After scoring three runs or less in each of their first five games, the Cubs
bested that total in the first inning with four. Kalish tripled off the right
field wall to plate Emilio Bonifacio, who led off with a walk. Rizzo then
walked before Nate Schierholtz hit a sacrifice fly to bring in Kalish and move
Rizzo to second.
Luis Valbuena followed with a four-pitch walk before Starlin Castro clubbed a
double to left center, which scored Rizzo. Then, Ryan Sweeney picked up an RBI
with a sacrifice fly to center, bringing in Valbuena.
Philadelphia got on the board in the fifth with the help of back-to-back
singles by Revere and Rollins. Revere stole second with Rollins at the dish
and moved to third on Rollins' single. Rollins then stole second before Utley
plated Revere on a fielder's choice up the middle.
Phillies manager Ryne Sandberg used his first challenge of the season on the
play at first. Sandberg disputed that Utley beat the throw but the call was
upheld and Utley remained out.
Sweeney kept the Cubs rolling in the sixth when he ripped a line drive to
center. Revere couldn't reel it in and allowed Sweeney to advance to third on
the error. John Baker was then hit by a pitch before Bonifacio singled home
Sweeney. Kalish then drove home Baker and Bonifacio before Rizzo knocked him
in to round out the scoring for Chicago.
In the ninth, Cody Asche, Tony Gwynn Jr. and Revere picked up consecutive
walks, which Rollins followed with a dribbler back to the mound. Asche scored
on the play and Revere scored the Phillies' final run on a wild pitch by Pedro
Strop.
Game Notes
Cubs reliever Hector Rondon has a 13-inning scoreless streak dating to
Sept. 3 last season (12 appearances). He threw two scoreless frames, striking
out two ... The Phillies home opener on Monday against the Milwaukee Brewers
has been postponed to Tuesday, which was a built in off day in case of weather
... Chicago went 4-for-7 with runners in scoring position, compared to
Philadelphia going 1-for-15 with RISP.
Coverage of today's Cards and Reds game can be heard on Genuine Country 94.3 WMKR beginning at 2:00pm.
Pittsburgh, PA (SportsNetwork.com) - Tony Sanchez's RBI double in the seventh
inning proved to be the difference as the Pittsburgh Pirates edged the St.
Louis Cardinals, 2-1, in the rubber match of a three-game set at PNC Park.
With the score knotted at 1-1, Pedro Alvarez worked a leadoff walk. Adam
Wainwright fanned the next two batters, but Sanchez hammered a double to
right-center to score Alvarez all the way from first.
"I had to almost trick myself into thinking I was ready for this, when really
I'm not," said Sanchez. "My heads spinning a million miles a minute and an ace
like Adam Wainwright on the mound and I'm supposed to drive in Pedro (Alvarez)
from first with two outs in the (seventh)? Yeah, you trick yourself, fake it
until you make it."
Mark Melancon worked a perfect eighth and Jason Grilli spun a scoreless ninth
to earn his first save of the season.
Neil Walker also had an RBI double for the Pirates, who start a nine-game road
trip on Tuesday against the Cubs.
Edinson Volquez allowed just one run on three hits and one walk while fanning
four over 5 2/3 innings. Tony Watson (1-0) worked 1 1/3 perfect innings in
relief to earn the win.
Jon Jay stroked an RBI triple for the Cardinals, who fell to 3-3 on the
season.
Wainwright (1-1) allowed both runs on five hits while striking out seven over
seven innings to absorb the loss.
"When you're playing tough teams, rivalry teams like we did today, especially
here in Pittsburgh, they're going to be really tough. It comes down to a
couple of plays that turn the game," Wainwright said.
Pittsburgh broke through in the fourth when Walker laced an RBI double to
right field. Andrew McCutchen reached on a one-out double to right and came
around to score easily when Walker smacked a double that bounced off the wall.
The Cardinals were unable to get a baserunner past first through the first
five innings, but finally got on the board in the sixth on Jay's run-producing
triple.
Game Notes
Starling Marte, who reached on a bunt single in the sixth, has reached base
safely in all 18 of his games against the Cardinals, hitting safely in 17 of
the 18 tilts ... Volquez hasn't lost to the Cardinals since May 22, 2012 ...
The Pirates are 3-0 when leading after seven innings this season ... The
Cardinals recorded just 17 hits in the three-game set.
This week Crimestoppers is seeking information in regards to a theft that occurred in Taylorville.
Sometime during the afternoon hours of Tuesday, April 1, 2014, an unknown subject stolen an I-PHONE 5 from the Big R Store, located on Route 104 in Taylorville. The phone had been left inside a restroom in the store by the victim. When the victim returned to retrieve the phone, it was gone. The phone was not turned into the store. The phone is described as blue with a yellow case. The total value of the phone is unknown at this time.
Please contact Crimestoppers if you any information on this crime or any other crimes or wanted persons. Crimestoppers will pay cash rewards of up to $1000.00 for information that leads to an arrest and you do not have to give your name. Crimestoppers will pay double the normal reward for information that leads to an arrest for the crime of the week.
You can contact Crimestoppers at 824-9100, at our website Christiancountycrimestoppers.org, or by texting CRIMES (274632) and then your tip. As always, you will remain anonymous.
THE CHRISTIAN COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICE REPORTS THE FOLLOWING ARRESTS:
Bryan C. Bock, 49, of 421 West Dunbar Apt 5, Blue Mound, was arrested April 5 for driving under the influence of alcohol.
William C. Duff, 54, of 319 Kennedy Street, Pana, was arrested April 4 for domestic battery and possession of drug paraphernalia.
Candice L. Smith, 22, of 200 Carol Street #14, Pawnee, was arrested April 5 on a bond forfeiture for traffic control device violation
John R. Castiaux, 44, of 131 1/2 South Livingston, Springfield, was arrested April 6 on a warrant for failure to appear/answer.
Deric D. Brown, 27, of 48 Fairview Court, Taylorville, was arrested April 6 on a bond forfeiture for the issuance of a warrant.
THE TAYLORVILLE POLICE DEPARTMENT REPORTS THE FOLLOWING ARRESTS:
On April 4 at 12:39pm, a Taylorville Police Department officer observed an employee from Walgreens following a male in a limited mobility scooter. The officer knew the male to be Roger C. Hammond, 52, of Taylorville. The officer spoke to the manager who told the officer that Hammond had failed to pay for items and left the store. Hammond was arrested, processed and released.
On April 4, a Taylorville Police Department officer was advised of a dog attacking another dog at 903 West Vine Street. Following the investigation, a dog running at large city ordinance citation was issued to Annette Fank, 55, of Taylorville.
On April 5 at 12:26pm, while on patrol Taylorville Police Department officers noticed Jessica N. Tyson-Ragan, 23, of Taylorville driving a gold Toyota. Officers knew Tyson-Ragan to have a suspended driver's license. Officers made contact with Tyson-Ragan at 1212 West Pauline Street as she exited the vehicle. Officers arrested Tyson-Ragan for driving while license suspended. Tyson-Ragan was transported to Taylorville Police Department, processed, and released with a notice to appear.
On April 6, a Taylorville Police Department officer was on patrol in the area of Houston Street and Vandeveer Street. The officer observed Tasha Tirpak and Deric Brown, 27, of Taylorville get into a vehicle. The officer had dispatch run both subjects through the Law Enforcement Agencies Data System. It was found that Brown had a valid warrant out of Sangamon County. The officer stopped the vehicle at Market and Shumway. Following the investigation, Brown was arrested for possession of cannabis and a warrant. Brown was transported to Christian County Correctional Center in lieu of bond.
CRASHES:
On April 2nd, Tamara M. Crist, 55, of Taylorville was traveling north on Route 29, about 1 mile north of Lake Drive. A group of deer ran across the roadway. Crist was not able to avoid a collision and struck one of the deer causing damage. Crist was able to leave the scene. The deer took off from the area and was not located. No injuries were reported.
THE TAYLORVILLE FIRE DEPARTMENT REPROTS THE FOLLOWING CALLS:
April 4
1 EMS, 1 Power Lines, 1 Public Assist
April 5
5 EMS, 1 Public Assist, 1 Automatic Alarm
April 6
1 Gas Odor, 1 EMS
The Taylorville City Council met Monday night and discussed the water rate increase that will happen in the near future. Mayor Greg Brotherton says it is something they have to do:
[audio:mayorwaterincrease040814.mp3]comment here[/audio]
Again the water rate increase will go towards funding the new water plant.
The Taylorville City Council addressed the noise problem at Ahlstrom’s during their Monday night meeting. Mayor Greg Brotherton told the Council about the latest he had heard from Ahlstrom:
[audio:mayorahlstrom040814.mp3]comment here[/audio]
Alderman Larry Budd then elaborated on the topic:
[audio:buddahlstrom040814.mp3]comment here[/audio]
Alderman Rob Heberling suggested that they do a sound study on the noise issue and possibly start a discussion about annexation.
The Taylorville City Council was presented with a motion to take control of the property located at 803 East Franklin and go forward with the demolishing of the building. Alderman Earl Walters further explains the situation:
[audio:waltersdemolish040814.mp3]comment here[/audio]
The Council approved the motion unanimously.
The Taylorville City Council approved a resolution to utilize Motor Fuel Transport funds for Cherokee Street/Pawnee Street project. Alderman Earl Walters says they will begin the project as soon as possible so it will be finished by the start of the next school year. The Council approved the motion to annex the Shanks Property located at 1430 West Sunset Drive. The Council also approved the motion to have all four Memorial Cannon Bases replaced. The Council was informed that Rick Champley and his wife, Lisa, have volunteered to donate the supplies and his labor to sandblast and paint the Memorial Block Cannons.
The meeting adjourned at 7:57pm.
While most of the focus is on Republican Rodney Davis and Democrat Ann Callis in the race for the 13th Congressional Seat in Illinois, there is still a third party out there that could appear on the November ballot. Josh Dill is running under his own Lincoln Liberty Party and explains why he would make the better representative:
[audio:dillbetterrep040514.mp3]comment here[/audio]
Dill says he has worked in the private sector since he was 15. Dill needs to get 16,000 signature by June in order to make it onto the November ballot. For more information, visit his website lincolnliberty.org.
Camp Invention, a national educational program recognized for fostering innovative thinking, real-world problem solving and the spirit of invention, is coming to Lake Land College the week of July 28 - 31.
The weeklong day camp experience for students entering grades 1-6 encourages inventive young minds through hands-on problem solving using science, technology, engineering and mathematics in a fun and creative atmosphere.
Camp Invention’s new curriculum for 2014 called “Morphed!” immerses students in hands-on activities, such as building original prototypes, creating a personalized motor-powered vehicle and disassembling electronics to build an insect-themed pinball machine.
Camp Invention was founded by Inductees of the National Inventors Hall of Fame. Programming is developed through partnerships with the United States Patent and Trademark Office and inspired by Inductees of the Hall of Fame and finalists of the Collegiate Inventors Competition.
For additional information or to register, visit www.campinvention.org, or call camp director Leslie Partlow at 217-234-5467.
Columbus, OH (SportsNetwork.com) - The Blue Jackets, battling for a playoff
spot, came within seconds of securing a valuable point and possibly a
second.
Ben Smith scored with 3.9 seconds remaining in the third period, lifting the
Chicago Blackhawks to a 4-3 win over Columbus at Nationwide Arena.
A point shot by Duncan Keith went off Columbus goalie Sergei Bobrovsky's glove
and triggered a goal-mouth scramble, with Smith pushing the rebound into the
open net.
"Somehow that puck found its way in," Smith said.
Keith had three assists and Antti Raanta made 24 saves for the Blackhawks, who
moved to within a point of second-place Colorado in the Central Division.
Bobrovsky had 34 saves for Columbus, which still holds the second wild-card
spot in the Eastern Conference. The Blue Jackets, who have lost 13 in a row to
the Blackhawks, are one point ahead of ninth-place Toronto and three points up
on 10th-place New Jersey.
"It doesn't matter it was a Western Conference team. I don't look at it that
way. I just look at it as a chance to get points and we weren't able to do
that," said Blue Jackets head coach Todd Richards.
Derek MacKenzie gave Columbus a 1-0 lead when he skated hard down the slot and
scored on a rebound 1:32 into the contest.
The Blackhawks tied the game on Jeremy Morin's goal with 2:50 remaining in the
first period, but Ryan Johansen put the Blue Jackets back on top, beating
Raanta high glove at the 36-second mark of the second period.
Chicago went up 3-2 later in the middle stanza on goals by Patrick Sharp and
Marian Hossa. Sharp ripped a slap shot from the top of the right circle past
Bobrovsky for a power-play goal at 4:14. Hossa scored on a rush, handling Kris
Versteeg's pass and moving to the middle before beating Bobrovsky blocker side
at 10:42.
The Blue Jackets countered 2:05 later on a power play as Artem Anisimov put
the puck in off Chicago defenseman Niklas Hjalmarsson at 12:47.
Game Notes
The Blackhawks last lost to the Blue Jackets on Feb. 18, 2011 ... Chicago
has also won nine straight at Columbus since an 8-3 setback March 25, 2010.
Chicago, IL (SportsNetwork.com) - Kirk Hinrich and Jimmy Butler scored 17
points apiece to lead the Chicago Bulls to a 102-90 victory over the Milwaukee
Bucks on Friday.
Carlos Boozer and D.J. Augustin tallied 14 points apiece, with Boozer adding
11 rebounds for the Bulls, who have won four straight. Joakim Noah contributed
11 points and 13 boards, while Taj Gibson and Mike Dunleavy added 13 and 12
points, respectively.
Brandon Knight had a game-high 22 points and Jeff Adrien posted a career-
high 21 points and had nine rebounds for the Bucks, who have tied a
franchise record with 62 losses on the season. Ramon Sessions and Zaza
Pachulia scored 14 and 13 points, respectively, with Pachulia adding nine
rebounds in defeat.
The Bulls led 27-15 at the end of the first quarter on the strength of
shooting 50 percent (12-for-24) from the floor, while the Bucks made 40
percent (6-for-15) of their field goals in the period.
Chicago expanded its lead to 37-21 with a 10-2 run two minutes into the second
frame. The Bucks had no answer and trailed by 19, 48-29, with 3 1/2 minutes
left in the first half.
Milwaukee trailed 51-35 to start the third period. After trading scores
through the first 4 1/2 minutes of the second half, the Bucks used a 9-4 run
to pull within 10 points. Chicago, however, stretched the margin to 82-62
heading into the fourth.
"We started to move the basketball. We started looking for the cutters," said
Bucks head coach Larry Drew.
The Bucks, though, did not go away. With 9:19 left they scored 11 straight to
pull within eight, the closest they had been since a minute into the second
quarter. The teams went back-and-forth over the next three-plus minutes before
a 7-2 surge put Chicago back up by 13 with just over two minutes to play.
"They played harder than us for a stretch. But when we needed to score, we got
it done," said Gibson.
Milwaukee scored the next four to pull within single-digits with 1 1/2 minutes
left, but Butler and Noah each knocked down a pair from the line to help the
Bulls seal the deal.
Game Notes
The Bucks now trail the all-time series 106-122 against Chicago ... Milwaukee
has lost 12 straight on the road and is now 1-22 on the road in 2014 ... The
Bucks tied the 1993-94 club with a franchise worst 62 losses in a season ...
Chicago had 12 turnovers, compared to 20 by the Bucks ... The Bulls went 33-
for-42 from the foul line, while Milwaukee shot 26-for-35 from the stripe.
Kansas City, MO (SportsNetwork.com) - Alex Gordon drove in three runs and
Lorenzo Cain had two hits and a pair of RBI as the Kansas City Royals downed
the Chicago White Sox, 7-5, in the first tilt of a three-game set.
Omar Infante went 3-for-5 with an RBI and Norichika Aoki had three hits and
scored a run for the Royals.
Jeremy Guthrie (1-0) allowed four runs on seven hits and four walks over 5 2/3
innings to earn the win and Greg Holland worked a perfect ninth to notch his
first save of the season.
"It was a good offensive day for us. It was a tough day for pitchers today
with the cold and the wind blowing. It was very difficult to grip the ball and
get a good feel on the ball," said Royals manager Ned Yost.
Adam Eaton had two hits and two RBI while Conor Gillaspie, Jose Abreu and
Avisail Garcia finished with one RBI apiece for the White Sox, who have
dropped two straight after winning their first two games of the season.
Erik Johnson (0-1) was tagged for all seven runs on 10 hits over 4 2/3 innings
to absorb the loss.
"I just have to compete better for my team. They put five runs on the board
after I got them in a hole. You have to give credit to the offense for never
giving up and fighting back," said Johnson.
Abreu's sacrifice fly scored Eaton in the first inning, but Kansas City
countered with three runs in the home half to take the lead. With the bases
loaded and one out, Gordon laced a double to right-center to plate three.
The Royals added another run in the second. Cain singled, moved to second on
an Alcides Escobar groundout, then scored on Infante's single to center.
Chicago made it 4-2 in the fifth inning. With the bases loaded and one out,
Gillaspie lifted a sacrifice fly to right field that scored Tyler Flowers.
Abreu flew out in the next at bat to end the threat.
Kansas City broke the game open with three runs in the home half. With the
bases loaded and one out, Johnson threw a wild pitch that allowed Butler to
score. Cain followed with a two-run single to center to make it 7-2.
The White Sox made a late push, scoring two in the sixth and one in the
seventh, but were unable to get any closer as Wade Davis and Holland shut them
down in the eighth and ninth.
In the sixth, Eaton smacked a two-run single to left to score Adam Dunn and
Alexei Ramirez. Gillaspie scored on Garcia's groundout in the seventh to
account for the final margin.
Game Notes
Game time: 3:37 ... KC finished 4-for-16 with RISP and the White Sox were just
2-for-11 with RISP ... Cain, Salvador Perez and Jarrod Dyson each stole a bag
for the Royals ... Chicago will send John Danks to the mound on Saturday to
battle Kansas City's Bruce Chen.
Chicago, IL (SportsNetwork.com) - Ryne Sandberg fittingly managed his team to
a win on the 100th anniversary of famed Wrigley Field Friday afternoon.
Unfortunately for Chicago Cubs fans, Sandberg was managing the Phillies and
not the team that made him a household name as a Hall-of-Fame second baseman.
Chase Utley homered and drove in three runs and Philadelphia spoiled the Cubs'
home opener with a 7-2 win on a crisp, overcast day in the Windy City.
John Mayberry clubbed a pinch-hit, two-run homer in the eighth inning to give
the Phillies some breathing room, something they sorely needed having suffered
consecutive walk-off losses to the Rangers in their opening series.
Offseason acquisition Roberto Hernandez (1-0) yielded two runs on three hits
and a walk over 5 1/3 effective innings to pick up his first NL victory.
Travis Wood (0-1), Chicago's lone All-Star last year, was tagged for four runs
-- three earned -- on six hits over 6 1/3 innings as the Cubs dropped their
fourth straight home opener.
Wrigley Field was without its signature green ivy along the outfield wall, but
the nostalgia was nonetheless present for a park that opened in 1914 and began
serving as the Cubs' home two years later.
Chicago started the season on the road in Pittsburgh and salvaged the three-
game series with a 3-2 win on Thursday.
Welington Castillo staked the club to an early lead Friday when he crushed a
solo homer into the left-field bleachers in the second, and Darwin Barney's
heads-up baserunning led to another run in the third.
After singling and getting sacrificed to second, Barney never stopped running
when Starlin Castro bounced one into the hole on the right side. Utley ranged
to his left and made a diving stop, but the ball squirted away and Utley's
throw home was not in time to get a hustling Barney.
The Phillies countered with seven unanswered runs, first taking advantage of
shoddy fielding in the fourth as Marlon Byrd reached on Luis Valbuena's error
and scored when Domonic Brown's two-hopper bounced over Castro's glove at
short.
"We were just trying to put some good at-bats together. We got some guys on
base," Utley said. "I felt like we got a lot of guys on base throughout the
course of the game. We were able to capitalize on a few of those."
Utley hit what turned into the deciding homer in the fifth, as his towering
shot carried into the seats in right-center for his first home run and
scored Carlos Ruiz -- who singled in the previous at-bat -- ahead of him.
In the seventh, Ben Revere scored from second when Utley singled in front of
Ryan Sweeney in right, and Mayberry took Wesley Wright deep to left an inning
later with a line drive into the left-field bleachers.
Brown's double over Junior Lake's head in left field plated a slow-moving Ryan
Howard all the way from first in the ninth to account for the final margin.
Jake Diekman, Justin De Fratus, Antonio Bastardo, Mario Hollands and Jeff
Manship kept the Cubs hitless over the final 3 2/3 innings.
"We've been having good at-bats. I think guys are seeing pitches," Barney
said. "We're getting to the starter a little bit, getting his pitch count up,
but we're not keying in on certain situations."
Game Notes
Revere and Brown each recorded three of the Phillies' 11 hits ... The Cubs
only had one runner in scoring position past the third ... Emilio Bonifacio,
who went 11-for-16 against the Pirates, went 0-for-3 with a walk ... Sandberg,
along with fellow Cubs Hall-of-Famers Fergie Jenkins, Ernie Banks and Billy
Williams, joined together in throwing out the ceremonial first pitch.
Game 2 between Cards and Pirates can be heard today on Genuine Country 94.3 WMKR beginning at 5:30pm.
Pittsburgh, PA (SportsNetwork.com) - Pedro Alvarez stroked two solo home runs
and finished with three RBI to help the Pittsburgh Pirates to a 12-2 rout of
the St. Louis Cardinals on Friday to open a three-game series.
It was the first time the teams played since Adam Wainwright outdueled Gerrit
Cole, 6-1, in Game 5 of the 2013 NLDS.
Cole (1-0), who toed the rubber for Pittsburgh on Friday, worked seven innings
and allowed two runs on six hits with three strikeouts to earn the win.
The start was Cole's first in the regular season against the reigning National
League champions. He defeated the Cards in Game 2 of the NLDS with six innings
of one-run ball before dropping the pivotal fifth game.
Travis Ishikawa also hit a solo shot for the Pirates, who opened the season by
taking 2-of-3 from the Chicago Cubs.
Andrew McCutchen and Russell Martin each collected two hits and knocked in a
pair of runs, while Starling Marte had three hits with a run scored in the
win.
Matt Carpenter accounted for the only runs in the setback, crushing a two-run
homer to right field in the fifth inning.
Shelby Miller (0-1) was on the bump for St. Louis, surrendering five runs on
six hits with three walks and two strikeouts over 5 1/3 innings. St. Louis has
lost two of its last three games.
Alvarez led off the bottom of the second with an opposite-field blast that
opened the scoring.
Cole worked his way out of a bases-loaded jam in the top half of the fourth.
After retiring nine straight batters, Kolten Wong singled to left before Matt
Holliday laced a single to center.
Allen Craig and Yadier Molina were then set down in order after each hitter
flew out, then Matt Adams walked to load the bases. Jhonny Peralta proceeded
to fly out to right and Cole escaped the inning unscathed.
Alvarez started the home half of the fourth much like he did the second,
hitting a towering drive to right-center that pushed the hosts' lead to 2-0.
Two batters later, Ishikawa blasted one over the right-field fence to give the
Pirates a three-run edge.
Following a single from Miller, Carpenter belted a homer over the wall in
right to cut the deficit to 3-2.
Pittsburgh broke the game open in the late innings as Martin singled Alvarez
home and then scored on a throwing error by Molina.
Pinch-hitter Gaby Sanchez then drove Neil Walker in with a single and the
Pirates took a 6-2 lead into the seventh.
Martin added on in the bottom of the seventh with a bases-loaded single that
plated Travis Snider.
McCutchen highlighted a five-run eighth with a two-run triple to right and
Justin Wilson finished the Cardinals with a scoreless ninth.
Game Notes
Entering the game, Miller was 0-4 with a 5.32 ERA against the Pirates ...
Marte tripled with two outs in the third but was stranded after a McCutchen
lineout ... Pittsburgh was 6-for-11 with runners in scoring position ... The
Bucs pounded out 16 hits to just six for St. Louis ... The Cardinals send Joe
Kelly to the mound on Saturday and he will oppose Francisco Liriano, who makes
his second start of the season.
Nearly 200 runners turned out Saturday for the first-ever March of Dimes March for Babies Team Princess Alexis 5-K Color Run at Manners Park in Taylorville.
The event was one of 3 fund raisers held by Team Princess Alexis, headed by Sheri Miller of the Miller Media Group.
Runners and walkers in the 5-K Color Run were treated to corn starch colors being thrown at them at various locations thru-out the course.
And the event culminated with a color festival, where packets of various colors of corn starch were thown into the air for a spectacular view of practically every color of the rainbow.
The final fund raising event for Team Princess Alexis will be next Saturday, April 12th, when Sheri and her family will hold their annual drive-thru donation day at the Miller Media Group studios at 918 East Park in Taylorville, from 9am to 2pm. Listeners can stop by during the event, and for a donation of any amount, be given a March of Dimes t-shirt or bag.
All donations raised by Sheri’s team, will be given to the March of Dimes, at their annual March for Babies event April 26th at the Illinois State Fairgrounds in Springfield.
This is the 3rd consecutive year that Sheri and her team have raised money for the March of Dimes, in memory of her daughter Alexis who died 40 minutes after being born on April 2nd, 2011, from a birth defect.
Donations for the March of Dimes are also being accepted on-line at teamprincessalexis.com.
Summer will be here soon, and many students will be looking for jobs. Tad Mayhall with the Shelbyville Chamber of Commerce says the Army Corps of Engineers will be hiring:
[audio:tadsummerjobs040414.mp3]comment here[/audio]
Again, call the Army Corps of Engineers at 774-3951 if you're interested.
The speaker for the next Lunch and Learn event will be Taylorville Fire Chief Mike Crews, who is also the Emergency Management Director. Greater Taylorville Chamber of Commerce CEO Patty Hornbuckle says the Chief will discuss storm preparedness:
[audio:pattylunchnlearn040414.mp3]comment here[/audio]
Again, this month's Lunch and Learn will take place April 17th. Contact the Chamber for more information at 824-4919.
April 15th is less than 2 weeks away now, so getting your taxes done is becoming a little more urgent. Laurie Henry of H and R Block says it's important when dealing with the IRS that you dot all your I's and cross all your T's. Henry says she sees a lot of commonly made mistakes on people's tax forms:
[audio:henryhandr040414.mp3]comment here[/audio]
H and R block will take a "second look" at your tax forms to make sure you have them properly filled out. There is no charge for the service unless your form is amended. H and R Block has locations in Taylorville, Pana, Shelbyville and Nokomis.
St. Louis, MO (SportsNetwork.com) - Brian Elliott came through with an
outstanding fill-in job for Ryan Miller, a 24-save effort that lifted the St.
Louis Blues to a 2-1 victory over the Buffalo Sabres.
Maxim Lapierre and Brenden Morrow each tallied goals, with the latter's coming
with 1:52 left to play to help the Western Conference-leading Blues improve to
13-3-1 since they acquired Miller, Buffalo's all-time leader in wins and games
played by a goaltender, on Feb. 28.
The longtime Sabre was rested in his first encounter with his former club
since the trade, with Elliott taking a shutout bid that was finally spoiled by
Cody Hodgson with under a minute remaining.
"I've been around Brian (Elliott) for three years, this is the best I've ever
seen him play," St. Louis head coach Ken Hitchcock said. "He's playing
terrific."
With the result, St. Louis set a new franchise record with its 52nd win of the
season.
Nathan Lieuwen recorded 26 saves for Buffalo in a losing cause.
"We can definitely look at the mistakes and see where we can get better,"
Lieuwen said. "I definitely think we could have taken this game in overtime
and given them a run for their money."
Lieuwen, fresh off earning his first NHL win in Tuesday's shootout decision
over New Jersey, matched Elliott for much of the way, with the lone goal over
the first 58 minutes of action supplied by Lapierre early in the second
period.
Camped out in the slot, the Blues' center fired a behind-the-net feed from
Ryan Reaves 1:59 into the middle session for a 1-0 edge.
The score remained that way until the game's final stages, when Morrow came up
with a crucial late goal by crashing the net to poke in the rebound after
Lieuwen stopped Vladimir Sobotka in close.
Buffalo responded swiftly, with Hodgson one-timing a cross-ice pass from Tyler
Ennis past Elliott while stationed in the left circle with 55.1 seconds to go.
The Sabres got off one more shot in the final seconds, which Elliott turned
aside.
Game Notes
The Blues had 51 wins in 1999-2000, the only season they took home the
President's Trophy ... Buffalo defenseman Jake McCabe made his NHL debut just
one day after the 20-year-old Wisconsin product signed an entry-level contract
with the team. He became the 44th player to suit up for the club this season,
a franchise record ... The Blues also played without leading scorer Alex Steen
(upper body) and defenseman Barret Jackman (lower body), with blueliner Jordan
Leopold getting into the lineup for the first time since Feb. 8 ... Elliott
improved to 9-0-2 all-time against the Sabres ... Sabres forward Marcus
Foligno was injured on his first shift and did not return.
Chicago, IL (SportsNetwork.com) - Marian Hossa scored the lone shootout goal
in the second round, as the Chicago Blackhawks clipped the Minnesota Wild,
3-2, on Thursday at United Center.
After the first two shooters came up empty, Hossa skated in deliberately
before firing a heavy slapper from the slot that overpowered Ilya Bryzgalov
and slipped across the goal line to put the Blackhawks on top.
Corey Crawford then turned aside the final two shooters with relative ease, as
Chicago snapped its three-game slide. The Blackhawks sit three points back of
Colorado for second place in the Central Division.
Ben Smith and Bryan Bickell each scored once, while Crawford finished with 25
saves for the Blackhawks.
"I thought we played the way we had to be: plain and simple," Chicago head
coach Joel Quenneville said. "We didn't give up much all game."
Charlie Coyle and Erik Haula had a goal apiece for the Wild, who salvaged a
point to move five clear of Dallas for the first wild card spot in the Western
Conference.
"I just felt like mentally we were tired," Minnesota's Zach Parise said. "I
don't know if physically we were, but mentally -- we just looked like a tired
team."
Bryzgalov stopped 24 shots in the setback.
Bickell broke a 1-1 tie 2:45 into the final frame, as he buried his own
rebound attempt from the low right side following a nice initial save from
Bryzgalov.
Haula brought the Wild even with 1:54 to play when he threw a seemingly
harmless shot on net from the right circle that fooled Crawford and snuck
under the Chicago netminder's glove to make it 2-2.
An entertaining extra session failed to produce a winner.
Early on, Coyle's tip-in from the low right side with 5:41 left in the first
gave Minnesota a 1-0 lead, but Smith stuffed home a rebound 2:29 into the
second to tie the game at 1-1.
Game Notes
Minnesota wrapped up a four-game roadtrip at 2-1-1 ... The Wild dropped to
18-1-4 this season when leading after one period ... Both teams went 0-for-1
on the power play ... Chicago improved to 18-12-8 on the road this season.
Chicago, IL (SportsNetwork.com) - Oswaldo Arcia's RBI triple capped a ninth-
inning rally that lifted the Minnesota Twins to a wild 10-9 victory over the
Chicago White Sox at U.S. Cellular Field.
Arcia's first hit of the young season followed Trevor Plouffe's single off
Matt Lindstrom (0-1) that tied the score at 9-9, and enabled Minnesota to
avoid being swept in the season-opening three-game series.
Chris Colabello drove in a career-high six runs on a pair of doubles and a
groundout earlier in the contest, while Plouffe finished 2-for-4 with two RBI.
Josmil Pinto belted a solo homer in the top of the eighth that forged an 8-8
tie, right before Marcus Semien put Chicago back ahead by homering in the
bottom of the inning.
The White Sox had battled back from a 5-1 deficit after 4 1/2 innings, with
Jose Abreu going 2-for-4 with four RBI to help fuel the comeback. Tyler
Flowers collected a career-best four hits and Adam Dunn slugged a two-run
homer that aided Chicago's cause.
Chicago starter Jose Quintana pitched well in a no-decision, permitting five
runs -- just two of which were earned -- while striking out eight over six
innings.
Lindstrom came on in the ninth to protect a 9-8 lead given to him by Semien,
who snapped an 0-for-13 skid to begin the season by launching an offering from
eventual winning pitcher Caleb Thielbar (1-0) over the wall in left. The
Chicago closer retired two of the first three hitters, but Plouffe took a
full-count pitch the other way for a base hit that plated pinch-runner Jason
Bartlett with the tying run.
Arcia, also mired in an 0-for-13 rut, then stepped to the plate and crushed a
Lindstrom slider to the wall in center as Plouffe circled the bases.
The White Sox brought the tying run to third in the bottom of the ninth, as
Dayan Viciedo delivered a one-out, pinch-hit double off Twins closer Glen
Perkins and advanced a pass when Arcia's relay throw from right field got
away.
Perkins, who blew a save chance by allowing two ninth-inning runs in
Wednesday's 7-6 loss, did manage to escape trouble by getting Alexei Ramirez
to line right to shortstop Pedro Florimon and inducing a game-ending grounder
to Paul Konerko.
"To be up four runs and then be down three runs and battle back and then they
take the lead, that's a character win for sure right there," said Colabello.
"A lot of great at-bats by a lot of guys today."
Twins starter Phil Hughes held the White Sox to one run over the first four
innings, but was hit hard in the fifth as Chicago began to climb out of its
5-1 hole.
Adam Eaton began the rally with a leadoff triple and Abreu doubled him home in
front of Dunn's mammoth homer to right that suddenly pulled Chicago within
5-4.
The White Sox then scored four times against reliever Anthony Swarzak in the
sixth to pull ahead. One-out singles by Flowers and Leury Garcia and a walk to
Eaton loaded the bases, and Semien worked a game-tying free pass before Abreu
drilled Swarzak's curveball off the center-field wall for a bases-clearing
triple that put Chicago up by an 8-5 count.
"We did a good job rallying back," said Flowers. "The enthusiasm in the dugout
has been great this first series. If you look at the series, it's a good
series, a good way to start the season."
Chicago's Nate Jones began the seventh by walking Brian Dozier and Mauer in
succession, with both coming around to score on a Colabello grounder and
Plouffe single, respectively.
Pinto then led off the eighth by connecting off Ronald Belisario to create an
8-8 deadlock that Semien erased in the bottom of the frame.
Quintana was let down by his defense during a 36-pitch third inning in which
the Twins scored three times to erase a 1-0 deficit.
Minnesota's Eduardo Escobar avoided an out on two occasions during the frame,
reaching first after striking out on a ball that skipped past Flowers for a
wild pitch and taking second when first baseman Abreu was called for
obstruction on Quintana's successful pickoff play.
Quintana then issued a pair of walks to fill the sacks for Colabello, whose
sinking liner to right got by a diving Avasail Garcia for a bases-clearing
double.
Colabello struck again in his next at-bat, following consecutive fifth-inning
singles from Mauer and Josh Willingham with an opposite-field smash to the
base of the right-field wall that sent home both runners and increased the
lead to 5-1.
Chicago had taken an early 1-0 edge on Alejandro De Aza's third homer in as
many games, a leadoff blast in the bottom of the second.
Game Notes
Colabello's six RBI were one more than his previous career best, set at
Houston on Sept. 2 of last season ... Quintana led the majors with 17 no-
decisions last season ... Prior to the game, the Twins activated reliever
Brian Duensing from the paternity list and optioned pitcher Michael Tonkin to
Triple-A Rochester ... Dunn has homered in back-to-back games for the first
time since June 10-11 of last season ... White Sox third baseman Conor
Gillaspie sat out a second straight day with the flu.
Pittsburgh, PA (SportsNetwork.com) - Emilio Bonifacio continued his blazing
hot start with a pair of hits and two runs scored to back a strong effort from
Jason Hammel in his Cubs debut, as Chicago salvaged the finale of a three-game
set in Pittsburgh with a 3-2 victory over the Pirates on Thursday.
Mike Olt clubbed his first big league homer for the Cubs, who will open their
home schedule on Friday afternoon against Philadelphia. Bonifacio was 2-for-4
with a double and finished 11-for-16 in the series.
"I only walked in (Wrigley Field) a couple times and last time I was in it it
was snowing," Olt said when asked about Friday's home opener. "It will be nice
to get over there. I'm excited for the opening day."
Hammel (1-0) yielded just two hits and one run with five strikeouts and one
walk in 6 2/3 innings. He signed a one-year deal in the offseason after
spending the past two seasons in Baltimore.
Wandy Rodriguez (0-1) went the first six innings for Pittsburgh and allowed
three runs on five hits with a walk and five strikeouts. The lefty hadn't
pitched in the majors since last June 5 because of forearm pain.
The Pirates won the first two games in walkoff fashion -- 1-0 on a 10th-inning
homer by Neil Walker on Monday and 4-3 in a nearly six-hour, 16-inning
marathon on Wednesday. Thursday's game started less than 12 hours after Tony
Sanchez's game-winning hit on Wednesday.
"The three games have been tough," said Cubs manager Rick Renteria, who earned
his first MLB win. "Taking this one home at the end feels very gratifying."
Sanchez drove in both Pittsburgh runs in the seventh inning and the Pirates
had chances to pull it out against the Chicago bullpen.
The Pirates managed only a pair of singles through the first six innings and
trailed 3-0, then chased Hammel in the seventh. After Andrew McCutchen and
Pedro Alvarez were retired, Walker drew a walk to end Hammel's day and pinch
hitter Gaby Sanchez doubled down the left field line off James Russell.
Justin Grimm was next on the hill and Tony Sanchez grounded a single up the
middle to score both runners. Sanchez raced to second when the throw from
center field went to the backstop, but Jordy Mercer flied harmlessly to right
field to keep it a one-run game.
Pittsburgh threatened again in the eighth. Jose Tabata led off with a single
and Grimm set down the next two batters on strikes, the first coming on a foul
bunt attempt by Starling Marte. McCutchen drew a two-out walk to push the
tying run to second, but Brian Schlitter retired Alvarez on a tapper up the
first base line.
"We didn't have a bunt on with two strikes," Pirates manager Clint Hurdle said
about Marte's bunt attempt. "He was confident he could pull it off, but I told
him I was confident he could hit it in the gap with two strikes."
The Pirates then got a leadoff single from Walker to start the ninth against
Pedro Strop, but Gaby Sanchez popped up a bunt and Tony Sanchez hit a soft
liner back to the mound that turned into an game-ending double play. Strop
notched his first save.
"All in all, we won a series and we'll move on," added Hurdle.
Bonifacio's incredible start continued when he led off the game with a single,
stole second with two outs and scored on a base hit by Anthony Rizzo.
Olt made it 2-0 with a leadoff homer in the second and Bonifacio was at it
again in the third. He doubled to right field, took third on a single by
Starlin Castro and scored on a double-play grounder by Justin Ruggiano.
Game Notes
Bonifacio also stole four bases during the series ... The Cubs haven't opened
with three straight losses since an 0-14 start in 1997 ... The Pirates last
started 3-0 in 2007 ... Pittsburgh will host St. Louis for three games this
weekend, then will visit Wrigley Field for a three-game series, starting next
Tuesday ... Rodriguez fell to 9-8 in 25 career starts against Chicago.
Coverage of today's Cards and Pirates Game 1 can be heard on Newstalk 97.3 WTIM beginning at 5:30pm
Cincinnati, OH (SportsNetwork.com) - Jhonny Peralta smacked a two-run homer
and Matt Adams went 3-for-5 with two runs scored as the St. Louis Cardinals
waited out another long rain delay before posting a 7-6 win over the
Cincinnati Reds.
Matt Holliday added two hits, including an RBI double, and Trevor Rosenthal
shut the Reds down over the final 1 1/3 innings to enable the defending
National League champions to take the season-opening three-game series between
the division rivals.
Rosenthal's efforts preserved a victory for Lance Lynn (1-0) after the St.
Louis starter allowed three runs while striking out seven over five innings.
Cincinnati's Homer Bailey (0-1) wasn't as effective in his season debut,
permitting four runs on seven hits and walking three before exiting after 4
1/3 innings.
All of the Reds' scoring came via the home run, with Jeff Frazier belting a
three-run shot as well as a solo blast and Jay Bruce cracking a two-run homer
as part of a 2-for-4 day. Joey Votto finished with three hits and two runs
scored in the loss.
"I'll [rather] take 0-for-4 and get a 'W' any day of the week," said Frazier
afterward.
The start of the game was pushed back three hours and 42 minutes by the
weather. Wednesday's matchup, a 1-0 Reds' walk-off win, was delayed two hours
and 40 minutes by rain.
"It's tough to stay mentally into it, but that's what we had to do to make
sure we go out there and perform," Adams said.
Bailey was able to escape out of a bases-loaded, one-out jam in the third
inning to keep an early 3-2 lead intact, but St. Louis reached the right-
hander for single runs in each of the next two frames to move in front.
Adams led off the fourth with a double and Jon Jay singled him home two
batters later to tie the score, and Bailey issued a costly walk to Kolten Wong
in the fifth that turned into the go-ahead run after Holliday followed with a
double down the left-field line.
Back-to-back bases-loaded singles by Allen Craig and Yadier Molina in the top
of the seventh extended the Cardinals' lead to 6-3, with Holliday tacking on
an important insurance run later in the inning by crossing the plate on Logan
Ondrusek's wild pitch.
The final run proved to be pivotal, as Frazier greeted reliever Pat Neshek in
the bottom of the seventh with a three-run homer that brought the Reds back
within one. Votto and Bruce reached on a walk and single, respectively, off
Kevin Siegrist in front of the blast.
Rosenthal shut the door, however, upon entering with a man on and two out in
the eighth. He fanned Brandon Phillips to close out the inning, then set the
Reds down in order in the ninth.
A series that had the first two games each decided by 1-0 scores saw plenty of
early offense in the rubber match. Votto doubled before Bruce's towering
homer well into the right-field seats, with Frazier following with a no-
doubter into the upper deck in left that quickly staked the Reds to a 3-0
lead.
"After the first inning, I was able to make some pitches when I needed to,"
Lynn said.
The Cardinals closed the gap in the second courtesy of the long ball, with
Peralta's screaming liner wrapping around the left-field foul pole with Adams
on base.
Game Notes
Siegrist had a streak of 26 consecutive scoreless innings, the longest active
stretch in the majors, halted after being charged with a pair of runs ...
Frazier's first homer was estimated to have traveled 474 feet ... Reds catcher
Tucker Barnhart, who hails from the same hometown as Lynn (Brownsburg, IN),
went 0-for-4 in his major league debut ... Bruce, who turned 27 on Thursday,
is 7-for-16 with two homers lifetime against Lynn ... Reds leadoff hitter
Billy Hamilton went 0-for-4 and is now hitless in 12 at-bats to begin the
season.
THE CHRISTIAN COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICE REPORTS THE FOLLOWING ARRESTS:
Del L. Burkey, 19, of 820 East Oak Street, Taylorville, was arrested April 3 on a bond forfeiture for resisting a peace officer.
Joseph G. Beishir, 43, of 700 West Park Boulevard, Taylorville, was arrested April 3 for domestic battery.
THE TAYLORVILLE POLICE DEPARTMENT REPORTS THE FOLLOWING ARRESTS:
On April 3 at 10:38pm, Taylorville Police Department officers were dispatched to Casey's West on a report of a domestic battery. Following the investigation, Joseph G. Beishir, 43, of Taylorville was arrested for domestic battery.
On April 3 at 6:51pm, a Taylorville Police Department officer conducted a traffic stop on a vehicle at Long and Vine. Following the stop, Del L. Burkey, 19, of Taylorville was arrested for a Christian County failure to appear warrant.
CRASHES:
On April 2, Alecia M. Grafton, 34, of Taylorville said she saw a green arrow and thought it was a green light and went through the intersection. Rosalie Morgan, 75, of Taylorville said she saw Grafton coming and tried to stop but could not stop in time to avoid hitting Grafton. No injuries reported.
On April 2, Shawn M. Mills, 35, of Taylorville was traveling west on Spresser Street and was stopped in traffic to turn south onto Houston. A 16-year-old female from Taylorville was also traveling west and was behind Mills. The female could not stop in time and struck Mills. Mills' vehicle had to be towed from the scene. Mills was transported to Taylorville Memorial Hospital for treatment of minor injuries. A 6-year-old boy and a 3-year-old boy were also taken to Taylorville Memorial Hospital for treatment of injuries that were not physically evident. No other injuries were reported.
THE TAYLORVILLE FIRE DEPARTMENT REPORTS THE FOLLOWING CALLS:
April 2
3 EMS, 1 Motor Vehicle Accident
April 3
3 EMS
April 4
1 EMS
The 2 games today will not be played today.
Atlanta, GA (SportsNetwork.com) - D.J. Augustin scored 23 points and the
Chicago Bulls defeated the Atlanta Hawks, 105-92, on Wednesday night.
Jimmy Butler and Kirk Hinrich netted 17 points apiece, while Joakim Noah
added 10 points, 10 rebounds and six assists for the Bulls, who have won five
of their last six games.
"I thought the ball movement overall for the team was very good," Bulls head
coach Tom Thibodeau said.
Paul Millsap had 22 points and 11 boards for Atlanta, which has dropped seven
of its last eight games and is in a virtual tie with the New York Knicks for
the eighth spot in the Eastern Conference.
"We still feel like we have a chance. Still got a lot more games left, try to
tough it out and see what happens," Millsap said.
After Mike Muscala's jumper pulled Atlanta within 73-70 late in the third
quarter, Chicago used a 14-3 run that bridged into the final frame to pull
away for good.
Augustin had a three-point play to begin the burst and added a 3-pointer early
in the fourth before Noah capped it with back-to-back buckets for an 87-73
margin with 8:26 left.
The Hawks never got within less than six the rest of the way.
Earlier, the game was tied 31-31 after the first quarter and Mike Dunleavy
nailed a triple to finish off a 10-0 Bulls flurry during the middle stages of
the second to stake them to a 48-42 advantage.
Augustin's trey right before the half gave the Bulls a 57-49 spread heading
into the break.
Game Notes
Chicago tallied 21 points off 16 Atlanta turnovers ... Jeff Teague had 21
points for the Hawks ... Chicago shot 51.3 percent (40-of-78) from the floor
and 48 percent (12-of-25) from beyond the arc.
The Dudley Smith Research Farm continues to work on ways to improve the world of agriculture. Gary Letterly, University of Illinois Extension Educator, says one project they are working on is soil health:
[audio:letterlysoilhealth040214.mp3]comment here[/audio]
The Dudley Smith Farm is located off of Route 29 between Taylorville and Pana.
An important fundraiser is coming up for the Taylorville Public Schools Foundation. The President of the organization Alta Himstedt says the event will once again feature Dueling Pianos:
Those interested in signing up for classes at Lincoln Land Community College should take note: registration time is here. Executive Director of the Taylorville campus, Scott Stallman says the sooner you get registered, the better:
[audio:stallmanregistration040314.mp3]comment here[/audio]
Stallman says taking a few summer classes each year can really help you reach your goals sooner. Call the Taylorville campus for information at 287-7081 or go online to llcc.edu.
Chicago, IL (SportsNetwork.com) - The Chicago White Sox tied the game with a
two-run ninth inning and pulled out a 7-6 win over the Minnesota Twins thanks
to a wild pitch in the 11th inning on Wednesday.
Leury Garcia led off the bottom of the 11th inning with a bunt single before
advancing to second on a balk by Samuel Deduno. Garcia moved to third on a
wild pitch in the dirt, and Deduno sailed a 3-2 pitch to Adam Dunn outside and
past catcher Kurt Suzuki, and Garcia scored without a play at the plate.
Alexei Ramirez went 2-for-3 with a two-run double and Garcia was 2-for-4 with
an RBI single in the ninth inning. Adam Eaton drove in two despite not
recording a hit and Dunn hit a solo home run.
Paul Konerko started the bottom of the ninth with a pinch-hit single in his
first at-bat of the season. Pinch-runner Adrian Nieto went to second on Dayan
Viciedo's singled and scored on Garcia's hit. After a wild pitch from Glen
Perkins, Eaton reached base on a fielder's choice, which brought Viciedo
across to send the game to extras.
"You want to be a good team, day in and day out. The struggle with the small
things, you really have to pay attention to those things. It's not fun, you
have to have discipline, you have to show up everyday focused and that's what
it takes to be a big leaguer and that's what it takes to be a good team,"
said Konerko.
Perkins' blown save robbed Twins starter Kevin Correia of a win. Correia was
touched for three runs -- two earned -- over six innings, allowing five hits
and picking up five strikeouts. Perkins gave up two runs in the ninth and
Deduno (0-1) was tagged with the loss.
"A lot of things happened in that game, throughout the game. Some missed
opportunities by us, some fundamental things we didn't get done. Ultimately
you have the lead and you get the ball to your closer, you feel pretty good
about it. It just didn't work out, couldn't finish the game off," said Twins
manager Ron Gardenhire.
Trevor Plouffe drove in three runs, going 3-for-5, and Jason Kubel went 2-
for-6 with two doubles and an RBI. Suzuki added three hits in six at-bats with
a double and an RBI.
In his first major-league start since June 6, 2012, Felipe Paulino allowed
two runs -- one earned -- on seven hits while fanning six through 5 1/3
innings. Ronald Belisario (1-0) retired all four hitters he faced to pick up
the win.
Plouffe worked a one-out walk in the top of the ninth before reaching second
on a fielder's choice. Suzuki ripped a line drive the opposite way to bring
Plouffe around to score, giving Minnesota a 6-4 lead heading into the bottom
of the frame.
Dunn's two-out solo home run in the eighth was No. 441 for his career, which
moved him one behind Dave Kingman for 38th on the all-time list. The blast
brought the White Sox within 5-4.
Earlier, Joe Mauer and Josh Willingham recorded consecutive walks to lead off
the seventh, which Kubel followed up with a ground-rule double to score Mauer.
Plouffe then drove in Willingham and Kubel with a single to right, giving the
Twins a 5-3 lead.
The teams were scoreless from the fourth through the sixth inning, combining
for just three hits, while stranding four men on base.
The Twins' Oswaldo Arcia scored the first run of the game in the top of the
second after Paulino issued back-to-back walks following a Suzuki single.
The Solid White Sox fired back in the bottom half of the second with three runs.
Avisail Garcia and Alejandro De Aza hit back-to-back singles before Ramirez
doubled down the left field line to bring them around to score. Tyler
Flowers then ripped a single, sending Ramirez to third, one batter before
Eaton hit a sacrifice fly to center to bring Ramirez home.
In the top of the third Plouffe picked up an RBI single following a one-out
double down the right field line from Kubel.
Game Notes
Robin Ventura picked up win No. 150 as the manager of the Sox ... The White
Sox have won seven of eight against Minnesota ... Chicago, which won the
opener of the three-game series on Monday, is 2-0 for the third time in the
last four seasons ... Jared Burton made his 300th career appearance, allowing
Dunn's home run in his one inning of work ... The Twins were 5-for-16 with
runners in scoring position, compared to the Sox going 3-for-12 with RISP.
Pittsburgh, PA (SportsNetwork.com) - Tony Sanchez ended a marathon at PNC Park
that lasted nearly six hours with a pinch-hit RBI single in the 16th inning,
as the Pirates outlasted the Chicago Cubs, 4-3, in another extra-inning win
for Pittsburgh.
Two nights after they edged Chicago, 1-0, on Opening Day, the Pirates plated
the winning run again against Carlos Villanueva (0-2), who surrendered Neil
Walker's walk-off homer in the 10th on Monday.
Jordy Mercer singled to open the deciding frame, hustled to third on Starling
Marte's one-out base hit and trotted home when Sanchez, in his first at-bat of
the season, dribbled one through a drawn-in infield to send the few remaining
Pirates fans into a frenzy.
This three-game series concludes Thursday with the first pitch set for 12:35
p.m. (et), less than 12 hours after Sanchez's game-winner.
It was the longest game ever played in Pittsburgh in terms of time (5:55).
Both teams had plenty of opportunities to end the replay-filled stalemate
sooner. Pittsburgh stranded 15 runners and Chicago left 19 on after going 1-
for-16 with runners in scoring position.
The Pirates were in a pickle in the eighth. That's when Cubs manager Rick
Renteria challenged an out call that would have resulted in an inning-ending
double play.
Emilio Bonifacio and Luis Valbuena singled, and the runners advanced on a
Starlin Castro groundout. After Anthony Rizzo was hit by a pitch to load the
bases, Mark Melancon got Nate Schierholtz to hit a potential double-play ball.
The throw from Walker at second base was high to Mercer covering second, but
umpires originally ruled the double play when Mercer's return throw to first
was easily in time.
Replay, though, showed Mercer came off the bag before he made the catch. That
made it a 2-1 game and put runners at second and third, though Ryan Sweeney
grounded softly to second to end the frame.
Junior Lake and Bonifacio singled in the away ninth. With two outs, Valbuena
singled to tie the game. The Cubs had been 0-for-19 with men in scoring
position in this series until Valbuena's solid single to right field brought
home Lake from second base.
The Cubs went ahead in the 12th. Rizzo, who was hit by pitches twice on the
right thigh earlier in the contest, led off the frame by crushing a ball over
the right field wall on the ninth pitch of the at-bat against Jeanmar Gomez.
The game was tied again in the bottom half thanks to Marte's line base hit to
left on a 3-2 pitch that brought in pinch-runner Clint Barmes. Andrew
McCutchen, last season's NL MVP, fanned with the bases full to end the inning.
The Pirates had a golden opportunity to win in the bottom of the 13th after
loading the bases with nobody out. Barmes, though, grounded into a 7-2-3
double play after the Cubs brought in a fifth infielder. Jose Tabata then
grounded into a force play to send the game to the 14th.
Lake fanned to leave runners at the corners in the top of the 14th.
Charlie Morton pitched six shutout innings for Pittsburgh. He allowed four
hits, a walk and had six strikeouts, and was cruising until being removed
after the top of the sixth when a line drive from Schierholtz caromed off his
glove and resulted in a double play.
Edwin Jackson threw the first 5 1/3 frames for the Cubs and gave up just two
hits, but walked four while fanning five.
Pittsburgh's first two runs came on a Mercer single in the second and on an
error in the sixth. The ball went by the glove of Castro, allowing Marte to
come home.
Game Notes
Bonifacio went 5-for-7 with a run scored. The Cubs infielder is 9-for-12 in
the first two games ... The Cubs used eight relievers while Pittsburgh used
six ... The Cubs recorded 15 hits to Pittsburgh's eight.
Coverage of today's game between Cards and Reds can be heard on Newstalk 97.3 WTIM beginning at 11am.
Cincinnati, OH (SportsNetwork.com) - Five hours and 25 minutes after the game
was scheduled to start, Chris Heisey gave the Cincinnati Reds a walk-off win.
Heisey's pinch-hit single in the ninth inning scored Ryan Ludwick to lift the
Reds to a 1-0 win over the St. Louis Cardinals in a rain-delayed game that was
dominated until the end by good pitching.
Ludwick and Frazier led off the ninth with back-to-back singles off Cardinals
right-hander Carlos Martinez and both moved up on Zack Cozart's bunt. After
Martinez (0-1) intentionally walked Brayan Pena, Heisey laced an 0-1 fastball
into left field and was mobbed by his teammates in the infield.
It was new Reds manager Bryan Price's first win as a major league skipper.
"From a selfish standpoint it feels great," said Price. "From a team
standpoint it feels even better because it's good to get the ball rolling."
There were only six total hits in the game before Cincinnati's three singles
in the ninth.
That's mostly because Reds left-hander Tony Cingrani and Cardinals righty
Michael Wacha combined to strike out 16 batters and allow only five hits in 13
2/3 combined innings after the start of the game was delayed 2 hours and 40
minutes because of rain.
The Cardinals won the season-opener 1-0 on Monday on Yadier Molina's home run
in the seventh.
The finale of the three-game series is scheduled to start 12 hours after the
finish of Wednesday night's game at 12:35 a.m.
Joey Votto was 2-for-3 with a double and reached base three times for the
Reds. Ludwick was the only other player with two hits.
The starters basically came out at the same time in the bottom of the seventh
-- Cingrani for pinch-hitter Roger Bernadina and Wacha for Kevin Siegrist, who
got Bernadina on a fly out to end the inning.
Cozart, the Reds shortstop, made an inning-ending diving catch in shallow
center field to potentially save a run in the eighth after Manny Parra had
given up a double to Kolten Wong.
J.J. Hoover (1-0) struck out Matt Adams with runners at first and second base
to escape the top of the ninth inning and ended up getting the win.
"We had a tough stacking any kind of offense on top of anything we got going,"
said Cardinals manager Mike Matheny.
Cingrani, who was 2-0 against St. Louis last season, fanned nine and allowed
two hits and two walks in his seven frames. Wacha, who won his first four
postseason starts last season for the NL champion Cardinals, walked one and
struck out seven.
Votto sliced a two-out double to left field in the first inning for his
1,000th career hit. It was Cincinnati's only baserunner until Votto's one-out
single in the fourth. The Reds loaded the bases in the inning, but Cozart
grounded into a force out to end the threat.
Cingrani worked his way through the Cardinals lineup without a baserunner
before Matt Carpenter led off the fourth with a single. He escaped trouble in
the seventh with runners at first and second base when he got Molina to fly
out to left field, then struck out Adams to end the inning.
Game Notes
Ludwick was hit on outside of his left hand by a 93 mph Wacha fastball in the
fourth inning. The ball also caught home plate umpire Kerwin Danley in the
mask. Both were looked at by trainers and remained in the game ... Two right-
handers will start the series finale on Thursday: Lance Lynn for the Cardinals
and Homer Bailey for the Reds.
THE PANA POLICE DEPARTMENT REPORTS THE FOLLOWING:
On April 1, Pana Police are investigating a theft that occurred at 215 East 1st Street on March 30. An unknown person reportedly used a stolen debit card and completed three separate transactions.
On April 1, Eric S. Resor, 31, of Fairfield, was issued a citation for speeding 62 MPH in a 45 MPH zone.
On April 2, Ethan S. Law, 20, of Pana was arrested on a Montgomery County Warrant for a failure to appear for operating a motor vehicle with registration suspended. Law was transported to Christian County Correctional Center in lieu of bond.
The attempted murder charge against 24-year-old Reginald Britton of Springfield has been dismissed by the State. After presenting their case, Appellate Prosecutor Michael Vujovich made a motion to dismiss the one count of attempted murder and the one count of aggravated battery against Britton. Britton was facing the charge of attempted murder for allegedly beating 37-year-old Roxanna Fanshier of Jacksonville severely and leaving her for dead in a dog kennel in Edinburg in November of 2011. Public Defender Greg Grigsby said the State lacked the necessary evidence to put Britton at the scene of the crime. The lone piece of evidence that put Britton on the scene was a hat. While the DNA results showed the hat was worn mostly by Britton, there were several other small traces of DNA on it that could not be identified. The State will continue on with one charge of aggravated domestic battery.
The Shelbyville Rams Baseball game scheduled for today vs. Tri-County has been cancelled due to weather. No make-up day has been announced
Due to the rain delay and coverage of the NIT Championship at 5:45pm tonight on Newstalk 97.3 WTIM, today's Cardinals and Reds game has been moved to Genuine Country 94.3 WMKR.
The jury in the trial for 24-year-old Reginald Britton of Springfield ruled him to be not guilty on charges of aggravated domestic battery Thursday. This came after Appellate Prosecutor Michael Vujovich dismissed the one count of attempted murder and the one count of aggravated battery against Britton. Britton was facing the charge of attempted murder for allegedly beating 37-year-old Roxanna Fanshier of Jacksonville severely and leaving her for dead in a dog kennel in Edinburg in November of 2011. During the trial Thursday, Public Defender Greg Grigsby said the State lacked the necessary evidence to put Britton at the scene of the crime. The lone piece of evidence that put Britton on the scene was a hat. While the DNA results showed the hat was worn mostly by Britton, there were several other small traces of DNA on it that could not be identified. Britton was instead found guilty on just a misdemeanor charge of domestic battery.
A local author's book is now available for purchase. Kevin Corley's book “Sixteen Tons” has to do with the coal mine wars of the last century. The novel is largely set in Christian County, and Corley says there is a good reason for that:
[audio:corleynovel040214.mp3]comment here[/audio]
The book is available locally at Dana's Book Store on the Taylorville Square. It's also on sale at a bookstore in Virden, and at Barnes and Noble in Springfield. You can also order the book online from Amazon.
St. Louis, MO (SportsNetwork.com) - T.J. Oshie and Kevin Shattenkirk scored in
the shootout as St. Louis tied a franchise-high for wins in a season thanks to
a 1-0 victory over Philadelphia at Scot trade Center.
Oshie opened the game's final segment with a backhander under the crossbar at
the left post, and Shattenkirk ended it to start the third round with a low,
hard slapper from the slot. In between, Ryan Miller stopped Vincent Lecavalier
and Claude Giroux.
Miller came up with 31 saves in regulation for the Blues, whose 51st win tied
them with the 1999-2000 Central Division champions for most in team history.
"We had 'a' good player tonight," said St. Louis head coach Ken Hitchcock
about Miller. "He was terrific, he was focused and competitive and whatever
else we needed from him."
St. Louis also trails idle Boston by a single point in the race for the
Presidents' Trophy.
Ray Emery stopped 28 shots for the Flyers, who have lost four of five but only
two of those in regulation (1-2-2).
"We played a good hockey game and got a point out of it," said Philadelphia
head coach Craig Berube. "Of course we want two points, but you can't do that
if you don't put it into the net."
Philadelphia is now three points behind the Rangers, who beat Vancouver on
Tuesday, for the second spot in the Metropolitan Division.
Miller came up huge early, stopping Michael Raffl from the left side to thwart
a 2-on-0 break in the first 2 1/2 minutes. Giroux had a better angle and
clearer shot but elected to pass.
Several close calls on either side did not result in a goal, with Emery
halting 11 pucks and Miller making 10 stops in the game's opening 20 minutes.
The Blues rang two shots off the post in the middle frame and had the better
of the chances, but 16 more shots (eight apiece) failed to find the net.
St. Louis effectively killed off a high-sticking minor to Vladimir Sobotka
with 4:57 on the clock, then got a prime chance to win the game when Giroux
was sent off for the same infraction with 1:24 remaining.
Miller slid from left to right to stop a one-timer by Nicklas Grossmann from
the circle with 2:19 to go in overtime. He then dove forward to smother two
in-close tries by Jake Voracek with 90 seconds on the clock.
Game Notes
Miller earned his first shutout since March 21, 2012 when he backstopped
Buffalo over Montreal ... St. Louis has won three in a row at home against
Philadelphia after dropping the previous five from 2001-05 ... Flyers
defenseman Kimmo Timonen was scratched with a facial injury, and Erik
Gustafsson returned to action after a 14-game absence.
After a day off on Tuesday, the Cardinals resume their season-opening series against the Reds tonight in Cincinnati. Michael Wacha will start for St. Louis, while Cincinnati counters with Tony Cingrani. The Cardinals shut out the Reds 1-0 on Monday. Coverage can be heard on Newstalk 97.3 WTIM beginning at 5:35pm.
THE CHRISTIAN COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICE REPORTS THE FOLLOWING ARREST:
Ethan Law, 20, of 506 East 2nd Street, Pana, was arrested April 2 on a bond forfeiture for failure to appear.
THE TAYLORVILLE POLICE DEPARTMENT REPORTS THE FOLLOWING ARREST:
On March 30, Taylorville Police Department officers made contact with Joshua A. Page, 32, of Taylorville. The officer knew Page to have a valid warrant. Page was placed under arrest and transported to Christian County Correctional Center in lieu of bond.
THE TAYLORVILLE FIRE DEPARTMENT REPORTS THE FOLLOWING CALLS:
April 1
4 EMS, 1 Public Assist
April 2
1 EMS, 1 Automatic Alarm
All games can be heard on Solid Gold 98.3 WRAN. Games subject to change due to weather
Thurs, Apr 3 vs. Tri-County 4:15pm
Wed, Apr 9 vs. Mt. Zion 4:15pm
Thurs, Apr 17 vs. Vandalia 4:15pm
Fri, Apr 18 vs. Tuscola 4:15pm
Tues, Apr 29 vs. Beecher City 4:15pm
Note: All games this season will be heard on Groovy 93.5.
Games subject to change due to weather
Taylorville Baseball
Wed, Apr 9 vs. Southeast 4:15pm
Sat, Apr 12 vs. Maroa-Forsyth 9:45 am
Thurs, Apr 17 vs. Argenta-Oreana 4:15pm
Taylorville Softball
Tues, Apr 15 vs. Lincoln 4:15pm
Fri, Apr 18 vs. Pawnee 4:15pm
Tues, Apr 22 vs. Mt. Zion 4:15pm
Fri, Apr 25 vs. Edinburg 4:15pm
Wed, Apr 30 vs. Jacksonville 4:15pm
The Taylorville Tornadoes baseball game scheduled for today @Lanphier have been postponed to Thursday April 10 due to weather. The games will be played at the same time as scheduled for today.
Christian County Extension is offering an Ag scholarship to current 4-H members who will be attending college or trade school and majoring in an Ag-related field in the fall of 2014. The scholarship is due to the generosity of an anonymous donor. The $500 per semester scholarship is renewable for up to seven semesters if all guidelines are met. For more information and a scholarship application, contact the Christian County Extension office at 217- 287-7246. All applications must be completed and returned by May 1, 2014.
The attempted murder trial for 24-year-old Reginald Britton of Springfield continued Wednesday. One of the witnesses to testify was Roxanna Fanshier, the victim in the case. In November of 2011, Britton was arrested after allegedly beating Fanshier severely and leaving her in a dog kennel in Edinburg. Fanshier stated she had no memory of the beating but only of the moments leading up to it including Britton allegedly hitting her in the head at a bar. Fanshier said the next thing she remembered was waking up in the hospital days later. Several other former girlfriends testified as well and all gave examples of domestic abuse by Britton. Forensic scientists from the Illinois State Police presented the DNA results on a hat that was found at the scene. They said that the results showed the hat was worn mostly by Britton but had several other small traces of DNA on it that could not be identified. The trial is predicted to last for another couple of days.
Pana Community Hospital Celebrates its 100th anniversary this year. Melissa Rybolt, Marketing Coordinator for PCH says they have some special events coming up:
[audio:rybolt100thanny040114.mp3]comment here[/audio]
Pana Community Hospital opened its doors in 1914.
Springtime is here and you may be thinking about a few rounds of golf. Jason Boldig, General Manager of Lakeshore Golf Course, says they are still offering one of the most money-saving deals of the year:
[audio:boldigspecialdeal040114.mp3]comment here[/audio]
Boldig says the special passes are available on a limited first-come-first-serve basis and the projected cut-off date for the passes is April 15th. For more information, call Lakeshore at 824-5521.
The University of Illinois Extension is bringing back an old program. Extension Director Amanda Cole tells Regional Radio News that Ag Literacy will soon return to Christian County:
Chicago, IL (SportsNetwork.com) - Joakim Noah scored 10 of his 19 points in
the fourth quarter as the Chicago Bulls pulled away late for a 94-80 victory
over the Boston Celtics at United Center.
Up by one entering the final frame, the Bulls outscored the Celtics by a 23-10
margin the rest of the way to complete a home-and-home sweep of the clubs.
Chicago posted a 107-102 win in Boston on Sunday.
The Bulls also received a game-high 22 points from Mike Dunleavy and 18 out of
Jimmy Butler in the triumph, which moved Chicago into a tie with Toronto for
third place in the Eastern Conference. Noah added 11 rebounds and Taj Gibson
notched a double-double as well, finishing with 14 points and 11 boards.
"I think we're playing pretty good basketball, but I think we can play
better," Noah said.
Jerryd Bayless, starting in place of Rajon Rondo, tallied 18 points in the
Celtics' 10th consecutive road loss. Brandon Bass also had 18 points to go
along with nine rebounds.
"We looked heavy-legged the whole second half," Celtics head coach Brad
Stevens said. "That's no excuse because they played last night, too."
Rondo was held out to rest his surgically repaired knee with Boston playing on
back-to-back nights.
Despite the absence of their star point guard, the Celtics owned a 63-60 lead
with 4 1/2 minutes left in the third quarter. However, a Dunleavy 3-pointer
ignited a 9-0 Chicago run and the Bulls never trailed thereafter.
The game was still tight entering the fourth quarter, however, after Phil
Pressey's three to end the third brought Boston within 71-70. The Bulls then
proceeded to embark on a 17-2 spurt over the next 5 1/2 minutes that all but
sealed the outcome.
Noah put up six points during the pivotal sequence, which Butler capped with a
long 2-pointer that put Chicago up by a comfortable 88-72 count.
Boston whittled an early eight-point deficit down to 25-24 at the end of one
quarter, then scored the first eight points of the second to forge ahead. The
Celtics owned a 46-37 lead after Bass' dunk off a Pressey steal with 4 1/2
minutes left in the half.
Chicago then reversed the momentum behind an 11-2 run in which Dunleavy had
five points, but went into the break down 50-48 after Bayless hit two foul
shots with 1.3 second left in the second quarter.
Game Notes
Boston guard Avery Bradley did not play in the second half after aggravating a
previous ankle injury ... The Bulls completed their first season sweep of the
Celtics since the 2006-07 campaign ... D.J. Augustin, who deposited a career-
best 33 points in Sunday's victory, had just four for Chicago but dished out
11 assists ... The Bulls went just 3-of-16 from 3-point range but scored 48
points in the paint compared to Boston's 30.
Chicago, IL (SportsNetwork.com) - Alejandro De Aza stroked two home runs as
the Chicago White Sox defeated the Minnesota Twins, 5-3, on Opening Day for
both teams.
De Aza's two-run blast in the second inning and solo shot in the sixth made
him the first White Sox player to homer twice on Opening Day since Jim Thome
in 2008 at Cleveland.
Jose Abreu and Adam Dunn each drove in a run for the White Sox, who featured
its first Opening Day lineup in 16 years that did not include first baseman
Paul Konerko. Abreu, who signed a six-year, $68 million deal in the offseason,
also doubled in his major league debut.
Chris Sale (1-0) recorded eight strikeouts and surrendered three runs on five
hits in 7 1/3 innings of work. The left-hander finished fifth in the AL Cy
Young Award voting last season. Matt Lindstrom picked up the save after
allowing one hit and fanning a batter in a scoreless ninth.
"It's a big deal because of what last year was," White Sox manager Robin
Ventura said of the win.
Chicago lost 99 games last season after finishing second in the AL Central in
2012.
Kurt Suzuki went 2-for-4 with three RBI for Minnesota, which dropped its sixth
straight road opener. Chris Colabello and Aaron Hicks also supplied two hits
apiece.
Ricky Nolasco (0-1) was reached for five runs on 10 hits with two walks and
four strikeouts. He made his third Opening Day start after signing a four-year
contract with the Twins in December.
Abreu stroked a sharp line drive to right for a double to leadoff the
second. After Nolasco issued a walk to Dunn, Garcia grounded into a double
play. Abreu moved over to third on the play and the next batter De Aza
launched the ball into the right-field seats to give the White Sox the
early lead.
The Twins responded with two runs of their own in the next inning. Oswaldo
Arcia walked and Aaron Hicks singled to left before Pedro Florimon's sac
bunt moved them each over a base. Suzuki then hit a line-drive single to
left that brought them home to knot the game at two.
Adam Eaton singled and Conor Gillaspie doubled to put runners on second
and third in the bottom half of the third. Abreu's single to left brought
Eaton home and Dunn's sac fly in foul territory brought Gillaspie around to
beat the throw at home as the White Sox regained the lead.
De Aza added to the lead after he drove a line drive over the fence in right
for his second blast of the day, making it a 5-2 game in the bottom of the
sixth.
Sale retired the next 10 batters until Hicks smacked a line drive over
the glove of Gillaspie at third into the left-field corner for a double. Sale
stayed in to strike out pinch-hitter Eduardo Escobar before being lifted with
one out in the eighth.
Ronald Belisario entered in relief of Sale. After striking out Dozier,
Suzuki's single brought in Hicks from second. Donnie Veal came in and promptly
got Joe Mauer to ground out to end the inning.
Matt Lindstrom started the ninth for the White Sox. He got Josh Willingham to
fly out to right before Colabello's flyball dropped in right for a double.
Lindstrom did not let that rattle him. He fanned Trevor Plouffe and got Arcia
to ground out to end the game.
Game Notes
The White Sox are now 63-51 on Opening Day while the Twins are 24-30 ...
Minnesota has not won on Opening Day since when they defeated the LA Angels,
3-2, in 2008 ... The Twins went 2-for-8 with runners in scoring position.
Pittsburgh, PA (SportsNetwork.com) - Neil Walker belted a leadoff homer in the
bottom of the 10th inning to lift the Pittsburgh Pirates to a 1-0 victory over
the Chicago Cubs.
Walker, a Pittsburgh native, drove a 3-2 pitch from Carlos Villanueva (0-1)
into the right field seats to send the largest crowd in PNC Park history home
happy.
"This one feels pretty special," Walker said. "This is a special day for this
team, this organization. We've come a long way."
The blast made a winner of Bryan Morris (1-0), who worked around a one-out
single in the top of the 10th with a pickoff that was overturned in
Pittsburgh's favor on a replay challenge.
Pirates manager Clint Hurdle asked for a review after Emilio Bonifacio was
called safe on a pickoff attempt. The umpires conferred with headquarters in
New York and reversed the call.
It was the second challenge of the game.
The first use of expanded replay in the majors occurred in the fifth inning
when the Cubs put together the first threat of the game after Nate Schierholtz
led off with a single and Darwin Barney drew a walk. Jeff Samardzija tried to
bunt the runners over, but Francisco Liriano quickly fielded the ball in front
of the mound, threw to third for the first out and Pedro Alvarez fired back to
first for the double play.
Cubs manager Rick Renteria calmly and slowly walked toward first base umpire
Bob Davidson to question the close call and decided he wanted to challenge it.
The review, which took about two minutes, upheld Davidson's decision.
"It was a combination of Samardzjia's reaction and what we were looking at,"
Renteria said of the challenge.
The Pirates are trying to build off a banner 2013 season. They earned a
National League wild card berth last year for their first playoff appearance
since 1992 and the fans packed the house on Monday with a PNC Park attendance
record of 39,833. Andrew McCutchen, last year's NL MVP, went 1-for-3 and
Travis Ishikawa added two hits.
Liriano, last year's NL Comeback Player of the Year, went the first six
innings for Pittsburgh and surrendered four hits with three walks and 10
strikeouts.
Samardzija, who threw eight innings of two-hit shutout ball in Chicago's 3-1
win at Pittsburgh last year on Opening Day, yielded five hits in seven
scoreless innings on Monday. He walked two and struck out three.
Bonifacio had four hits for the Cubs, who are coming off their fourth straight
losing season at 66-96. Chicago had plenty of chances Monday, but finished a
dismal 0-for-11 with runners in scoring position.
The Cubs threatened in the sixth when Junior Lake led off with a base hit to
left and Starlin Castro walked. Liriano then fanned Anthony Rizzo and got Mike
Olt on a pop up before striking out Welington Castillo to end the inning.
Pittsburgh had a great chance to score in the bottom of the sixth after
Starling Marte led off with a double and McCutchen drew a one-out walk.
Alvarez then ripped a pitch up the middle, but the Cubs had him played that
way to start an easy double play.
Bonifacio began the top of the eighth with a double and became the first
runner to reach third on a bunt, but he was caught in a rundown after Castro
grounded to second and Rizzo popped up to keep the game scoreless.
Game Notes
Liriano tied a Pirate record for strikeouts on Opening Day. Bob Veale set the
mark in 1965 against San Francisco and John Candelaria matched it against St.
Louis in 1983 before A.J. Burnett also accomplished the feat last year against
the Cubs ... The Pirates last played extra innings in a home season opener in
1979, a loss to Montreal, and last won an extra-inning season opener at home
in 1965 against San Francisco ... Before the game, McCutchen received his MVP
award from former Pirate MVP Barry Bonds, who was given a warm ovation by the
PNC Park fans ... Liriano was given his second Opening Day assignment and
first since 2009 with the Twins. He was the ninth straight different Opening
Day starter for the Pirates, the longest such streak since 1900. The last
Pirate to start consecutive openers was Oliver Perez in 2005-06 ... The
Pirates improved to 69-59 in season openers, including 16-15 at home ... The
Cubs are now 75-62-2 on Opening Day ... This was the 22nd meeting between the
Cubs and Pirates on Opening Day. Pittsburgh improved to 13-9 ... The Pirates
are wearing a No. 4 patch on their uniform sleeves this season to honor the
late Ralph Kiner, who is second on the club's all-time home run list with 301
and died this past February ... The teams will take Tuesday off and will
resume the three-game series on Wednesday with Charlie Morton set to start for
Pittsburgh and Edwin Jackson scheduled to take the ball for Chicago.
Cincinnati, OH (SportsNetwork.com) - Yadier Molina homered for the game's only
run and Adam Wainwright fired seven splendid innings to help the St. Louis
Cardinals begin defense of their National League pennant with a 1-0 victory at
Great American Ball Park.
Wainwright (1-0) held the Reds to three singles and racked up nine strikeouts
while working around four walks to barely outperform counterpart Johnny Cueto
in a terrific Opening Day pitchers' duel and spoil the debut of new Reds
manager Bryan Price.
"It was me wanting to go out and set the tone better than I did in the World
Series," said Wainwright in reference to his Game 1 loss to the Boston Red Sox
in last October's Fall Classic.
The two aces were engaged in a scoreless deadlock that Molina broke with a
one-out homer in the top of the seventh.
Cueto (0-1) was otherwise outstanding as well, yielding just three hits and
the game's only run while fanning eight over his seven-inning stint.
"Johnny was terrific," said Price. "We're pretty accustomed to seeing that
kind of pitching from Johnny."
Molina and Matt Adams each collected two hits for St. Louis, which managed
just five as a team.
Cueto had set down 15 of the last 16 Cardinal hitters until Molina belted a
first-pitch cutter about five rows deep in the left-field stands, and
Wainwright followed with a 1-2-3 bottom of the seventh to cap off his strong
outing.
"[Cueto] threw me something in the middle and I put a good swing on it," said
Molina.
The Reds nearly tied it in the eighth, however, loading the bases with the aid
of a pair of Cardinal errors but failing to come up with the clutch hit.
Brandon Phillips began the threat with a leadoff walk off Pat Neshek and Joey
Votto reached on a mishandled ground ball by St. Louis second baseman Kolten
Wong to put two on with none out. Two batters later, Adams dropped Jhonny
Peralta's relay throw to first on a would-be inning-ending double-play
grounder to keep the Reds at the plate.
Todd Frazier was caught looking at a third-strike curve from Carlos Martinez,
however, to keep it a 1-0 game.
The Reds then mustered little against Trevor Rosenthal in the ninth, with the
Cardinals closer fanning the first two hitters before getting pinch-hitter
Roger Bernadina to fly to right for the final out.
Cincinnati also came up empty on a scoring chance in the fifth, created when
Cards center fielder Peter Bourjos dropped Brayan Pena's soft fly ball to put
the leadoff man on second. Cueto then bunted the ball straight back to
Wainwright, who fired a throw to third to easily gun down Pena.
Game Notes
Wainwright earned his 100th career victory in his third-ever Opening Day
assignment ... Reds leadoff hitter Billy Hamilton struck out in all four of
his plate appearances ... Frazier collected two of Cincinnati's three hits ...
Peralta became the eight different Opening Day shortstop for the Cardinals in
as many years, following Pete Kozma, Rafael Furcal, Ryan Theriot, Brendan
Ryan, Khalil Greene, Cesar Izturis and David Eckstein ... Wainwright went 1-3
with a 7.77 ERA in four starts against Cincinnati last season.
THE CHRISTIAN COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICE REPORTS THE FOLLOWING ARRESTS:
Derek W. Kelmel, 28, of 309 East Cherokee Street, Morrisonville, was arrested March 31 on a bond forfeiture for failure to appear.
Daniel T. Crosby, 19, of 358 North Illinois Route 29, Pana, was arrested March 31 on a bond forfeiture for possession of liquor by a minor.
Joshua C. Wells, 23, of 1202 Rosevelt Road Taylorville, was arrested March 31 on a bond forfeiture for delivery of cannabis to a person under 18 years-old.
THE TAYLORVILLE FIRE DEPARTMENT REPORTS THE FOLLOWING CALLS:
March 31
1 EMS, 1 Fire
(Taylorville)—The Taylorville Kiwanis Club held their monthly business meeting at their weekly luncheon Tuesday at the Taylorville Memorial Hospital auditorium.
Kiwanis membership chair Dean Ray announced that a membership drive, to be called “Spring Fling”, will take place in May. Ray said there will be 4 teams all working to attract new members to the club. The membership effort will be culminated with a cookout at the end of May at Kiwanis Park.
Park chairman Jerry Woodard reported to the Kiwanis Club that specifications have been drawn up for a 2nd pavilion, 12-foot by 24-foot in size. The 2nd pavilion will enable more families to use the park, according to Woodard. He added that Pro Stitch owner Russell Stare will be manufacturing and installing new 4-inch vinyl covers around the Kiwanis Park playground equipment. Woodard also said the existing fence around Kiwanis Park will be replaced this year.
Kiwanis Club spiritual aims chairman Reverend Dick Wamsley announced that this year’s annual Kiwanis Prayer Luncheon is scheduled for Tuesday, May 13th, with guest speaker being former Taylorville minister and Kiwanis Club president Doctor Randy Perry.
Club publicity co-chair Randy Miller announced that the Kiwanis Club will have its own Facebook page created this week, with club information posted on a regular basis. Miller encouraged members to “like” the page on Facebook.
The Taylorville Kiwanis Club is part of global organization of volunteers dedicated to changing the world one child and one community at a time. Weekly meetings are held Tuesdays at noon at the Taylorville Memorial Hospital auditorium. For information on the club, go to taylorvillekiwanis.com.
Lee Mateer has announced that he is resigning as the Head Coach of the Taylorville High School Wrestling team. Mateer tells Regional Radio News why he is stepping down:
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