Arcola E.I. league baseball team falls just short in first game; 3-2
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By Mike Monahan
ARCOLA – Who was the first team the Arcola High Power Eastern Illinois Baseball team beat in 2024? The same team it almost beat Sunday in the first game of a doubleheader at Kelly Moore Memorial Park on Edwin “Dale” Buxton Field; the Paxton Swedes. Arcola, beat them 8-4 on July 7 , 2024, in Arcola. High Power came the closest it has been to winning a game this season, but fell 3-2 in a regularly scheduled nine inning game that took two hours and twenty-five minutes with a heat index of 98 at the start of the first game. The second game was not as close as Arcola fell 16-5 in six innings of a regularly scheduled seven inning contest.
In games against Paxton Arcola is 1-19. The average score is 12-3 in the 20 games the two teams have played, in favor of the Swedes.
Arcola, 0-14, tries to snap its 22 game losing streak Sunday against the White Health Warriors at the Monticello baseball field.
Entering the games Arcola had a 9.91 earned run average with Lawrence Davis not only leading the team with a .437 batting average, but he is also fifth in the league. However, the team batting average was .169.
Paxton improved to 6-4.
Game one Sunday
Paxton scored two runs in the first, but Arcola answered with two runs in the second. The winning run occurred in the seventh when with one out Payton Young singled on a bunt to the third base side. He stole second and moved to third on a single by Daulton Busboom (a 2021 Paxton-Buckley-Loda grad who played at Rose Hulman) to center. Yong scored on a sacrifice bunt by Nolan Remore.
The game started with a pop up by Paxton. However, a walk to Thomas Schwartz and a single by Young put runners on first and second when Busboom doubled to center, driving in Young and Busboom moved to third. A walk to Allen was followed by another walk to Alex Barney to force in Busboom for the second Swedes run.
Arcola, who turned a 6-3 double play in the second, started its second when Caleb South (a 2024 Meridian grad now at McKendree University) reached on an error. Gavin Houchins followed with a single to left. With two outs and Davis, the leadoff batter, singled to right, driving in South. Houchins scored on a single to center.
Arcola had its chances, especially in the ninth when with one out Dario Ayala walked on a full-count pitch and after Paxont’s Gavin Schunke got the next batter to strikeout, Davis smacked a double to right and the next batter was intentionally walked to load the bases. However, the game ended on an 0-2 ball hit back to the pitcher, who made the easy toss to first.
Arcola left 10 runners on base, including five in scoring position, while Paxton left 11 on, including seven in scoring position.
Brock Leverly, a 2021 Argenta-Oreana graduate, who played at Blackburn College,suffered the loss for the High Power. He threw 115 pitches, 67 for strikes in six and a third innings and allowed nine hits and three runs with four walks and three strikeouts.
Game two
A seven run third inning helped Paxton take a commanding 12-4 lead as they sent 12 men to the plate. The first nine batters reached base safely before the first out was recorded. The Swedes were helped by four walks and a hit batsmen, but also delivered two singles and a two-run double by Young, who was 3-for-4 in the game with three RBIs.
The five runs by Arcola was the most in one game for them. They added the fifth run in the fourth when Davis started the inning with a single, went to second on an error, third on a walk and scored on a two-out passed ball.
Trailing 5-0 Arcola climbed to within four as they batted around. With one out a hit by pitch got it going and a walk and single as well to load the bases. As the No 7,8 and 9 batters all reached. Davis walked in a run and a single and scored another before there were three straight fielder’s choices, two of which scored a run.
Remole was 3-for-4 with three runs batted in for Paxton while Schunke helped himself by going 3-for-5 with an RBI.
Paxton 200 000 100–3-11-1
Arcola 020 000 000–2-6-1
Losing pitcher: Brock Leverly 6 ⅓ innings, 9 hits, 3 runs, 3 earned, 4 walks, 3 strikeouts; relief: (named not available) 2 ⅔ innings, 2 hits, 0 runs, 0 earned, 0 walks, 0 strikeouts
ARCOLA: Lawrence Davis 2-for-4, double, stolen base, RBI; 39 2-for-3, double, RBI; Trevor Frohling 1-for-2; Caleb South run; Gavin Houchins 1-for-4
Game two Sunday
Paxton 237 202–16-17-3
Arcola 040 100–5-6-3
Losing pitcher: 37 2 innings, 6 hits, 9 runs, 9 earned, 6 walks, 0 strikeouts: Starter: (name not available) 4 innings, 11 hits, 7 runs, 7 earned, 1 walk, 1 strikeouts.
ARCOLA: Davis 1-for-3, 2 runs, RBI; Frohling RBI; four other players (names not available) were 4-for-10 with three runs scored.