Galesburg High School
Streaks show fight in one-run loss to Moline
Galesburg’s softball team walked off the field Tuesday with another loss, but not with the same feeling.
Just days after what coach Andrea Sampson described as a flat performance against Canton, the Silver Streaks responded with sharper energy and a more competitive edge in a 2-1 Western Big 6 loss to Moline at home. For a program still searching for consistency, that mattered.
Sampson said she challenged her players after the Canton game to think bigger than the final score. One day, she told them, the game will be over for good, and what will matter is whether they were proud of how they played. This time, she said, the answer was different.
“That was not what softball was about,” Sampson said of the earlier loss, adding that the team answered the challenge in practice and came back as “a totally different ball club.”
Players felt the change, too.
“You know, I feel like we’ve really got the mental part down. We’re really locking in,” pitcher Taylor Lee said. “Even if stuff doesn’t go our way one inning, we’re not just holding our heads down.”
Galesburg showed that difference nearly from the start.
The Silver Streaks matched Moline inning for inning for most of the afternoon. After the Maroons scored once in the second, Galesburg answered in the third when freshman Mavery Bland drove in the Streaks’ only run. The game stayed tied until Moline pushed across the go-ahead run in the seventh.
Although the Streaks committed three errors — two of which led to both Maroon runs — they also saved several runs with strong fielding in the infield and highlight catches in the outfield. One came when second baseman Mary Moore raced into shallow outfield to make an over-the-shoulder catch.
Galesburg finished with six hits to Moline’s three and got strong work in the circle from Lee, who pitched a complete game and allowed two runs, neither earned, over seven innings.
At the plate, Lee doubled, Bland tripled and drove in a run, and Addison Stanley, Evelin Guel, Layla Shepler and Tamryn Davis each added hits.
Lee said she felt comfortable in the circle and credited both her coach and the defense behind her.
“I’m feeling great,” Lee said. “I feel like I’ve definitely picked up a lot of what Coach Sampson has told me.” She added that after dealing with a shoulder injury last season, her arm feels stronger this year because of her postgame arm-care routine.
Lee also pointed to the defense as one of Galesburg’s biggest strengths Tuesday.
“I had great defense behind me today,” she said. “They came through on all the plays.”
The missed opportunities were hard to ignore. Galesburg left seven runners on base, and Sampson said that was the difference.
“We had quite a few batters left on base,” Sampson said. “Can’t do that. That’s how you score. You can’t let them stay on base. We’ve got to drive them in.”
Even so, Lee said Galesburg did more right than the final score suggested.
“Rather than striking out, we were putting our bats on the ball,” she said. “We were doing great in the field, great up at the plate. I mean, it really was a good game.”
Lee said Moline was one of the tougher teams Galesburg has faced and believed the Silver Streaks were close to turning the result.
“I feel like we could have beat Moline for sure,” Lee said. “Just the little errors and just little things.”
Still, Sampson saw something worth building on.
She said the Streaks played with more energy, made more plays and, maybe most importantly, looked like they were enjoying themselves again. Even in defeat, she said, this was the kind of game a team can live with — one played with effort, emotion and pride.
Lee agreed. “It was a great game,” she said.
“That’s what softball is about,” Sampson said. “I would take that kind of a loss over the kind of loss that we had the other day, any day.”
The loss drops Galesburg to 3-12 overall and 0-5 in the Western Big 6. Moline improves to 6-9 and 1-3.
The Silver Streaks continue a busy week with a 4:30 p.m. game April 15 at Sherrard, a 4:30 p.m. game against Alleman in Galesburg and a 10 a.m. game April 18 at Dunlap.
Galesburg soccer falls to Geneseo
Galesburg’s girls soccer team remained winless at home after dropping a 5-1 decision to Geneseo on Tuesday.
Technically, it was not a home loss because the match was played at the YMCA soccer field because of a scheduling conflict at CBI Bank & Trust Stadium. Still, it was a loss to a Western Big 6 rival that left the Silver Streaks 7-3 overall and 1-2 in conference play.
All three losses have come in Galesburg, while all seven wins have been on the road.
“Despite the loss, this was a big step for our program,” coach Jessica Jones said. “We were 1-1 at the half, and we fought very hard throughout the entire game. Last year, we lost this game 9-0, so we are very proud of our progress against one of the best teams in the conference.”
Haleigh Jezek-Irle scored the lone goal for Galesburg. The freshman has 14 goals and eight assists this season.
Geneseo improved to 6-1 overall and 3-1 in the Western Big 6, good for third place. United Township, at 4-0, leads the conference, followed by Alleman at 3-0.
The Streaks return home Thursday to host Monmouth-Roseville at 4:30 p.m. before traveling to Quincy for a 6 p.m. match Saturday.
Carl Sandburg College
Sandburg women’s golf earns second straight trip to nationals
The Chargers qualified for the NJCAA Division II Women’s Golf Championship on April 14 after finishing second at the Central District Championship at Shawnee Country Club in Shawnee, Oklahoma.
Sandburg will compete in the national tournament May 12-15 at Ol’ Colony Golf Course in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. It is the second straight year and fourth time overall the Chargers have qualified. Sandburg previously advanced in 2019, 2023 and 2025.
Freshman Allie Thome finished seventh overall to earn all-district honors. The La Salle-Peru product opened with an 87 on Monday and followed with an 86 on Tuesday. She recorded Sandburg’s low round on both days.
Thome birdied the par-3 seventh and par-5 13th in the opening round and added another birdie on No. 13 in the final round. She also made seven pars Tuesday.
Sandburg shot 752 over 36 holes to finish runner-up and claim one of the three national qualifying spots. The Chargers were second after opening with a 369 and held that position after shooting 383 in the final round.
Jessica Schultz shot 93-98 to finish 12th for the Chargers. Olivia Seei was 15th at 91-105, Anna Carroll placed 16th at 98-99, and Abigail Strode tied for 17th after rounds of 100 and 100.
Murray State College of Oklahoma won the district title at 633 after rounds of 315 and 318. Murray State’s Hana Cunnane was medalist by five strokes after rounds of 76 and 75.
Hathaway pitches, homers in Sandburg baseball win
Chuck Hathaway did a little bit of everything for Carl Sandburg College on April 14.
Hathaway earned the win on the mound and added a home run at the plate as the Chargers rolled past Sauk Valley 12-2 in seven innings in Galesburg.
Sandburg broke the game open early with a five-run first inning and never let up.
Colton Allen opened the scoring with an RBI single, Braley Burford followed with a three-run homer, and Carter Ramsey added an RBI double as the Chargers built a 5-0 lead in the opening inning.
Sauk Valley scored twice in the fourth to cut the deficit to 5-2, but Sandburg answered immediately. Damien Snell hit a three-run homer to right field in the bottom of the inning to stretch the lead to 8-2.
Hathaway helped finish it off.
After throwing five strong innings, Hathaway led off the fifth with a solo home run — his sixth of the season — to spark a four-run inning that stretched Sandburg’s lead to 12-2.
Hathaway allowed two runs on three hits and four walks in five innings. He struck out five and threw 50 strikes in 87 pitches. At the plate, he went 2 for 4 with a home run and two runs scored.
Sandburg got production throughout the lineup.
Snell finished with a three-run homer and two runs scored. Allen went 2 for 4 with a run and an RBI. Burford was 2 for 4 with two runs and three RBIs, and Nathan Hill went 2 for 4 with two runs and an RBI.
Brandon Barrientos worked the final two innings, allowing no runs or hits while striking out four and walking none.
Sandburg is scheduled to host Illinois Valley at noon April 18.
Black Hawk offense erupts against Sandburg softball
Black Hawk swept a softball doubleheader from Sandburg on April 14 in Galesburg, winning 14-3 and 20-4 in five innings.
Black Hawk piled up 34 runs and 40 hits across the two games.
Sandburg collected 11 hits in the doubleheader but struggled to keep pace with Black Hawk’s explosive innings.
In the opener, Black Hawk scored four runs in the second, three in the third and seven more in the fifth. Sandburg scored single runs in the second, third and fourth innings but could not slow Black Hawk’s 18-hit attack.
Hannah Pyle and Madalynn Knapp each had two hits for Sandburg in Game 1. Pyle drove in a run, and Payton Ruggles added two RBIs.
In Game 2, Black Hawk scored 11 runs in the first inning and added five more in the second. Sandburg scored three runs in the fourth and one in the fifth.
Pyle again led the Chargers, going 2 for 3 with a double and an RBI. Knapp scored twice, and Ruggles and Jaylynn Hamilton each drove in a run.
For the doubleheader, Pyle went 4 for 6 with two RBIs. Knapp added three hits and scored four runs, and Ruggles drove in three runs.
Sandburg will play a doubleheader April 16 at Illinois Valley beginning at 3 p.m. and host John Wood on April 17 beginning at 2 p.m.