I'm Phil Ney with WRC Radio Sports. A few things are canceled today at this point.
The Richland Center track meet that was to involve several area teams will not be held.
Still on the schedule at this hour and depending on field conditions and certainly cold weather
comes into play as well. The Richland Center softball teams game at Plattville and the Richland
Center baseball game at Boscow Bell. Coach Ryan Lemke talked to me about the team getting ready
for conference play. It's here. Normally, you look at preseason and there's a lot of guys
from a Dodgeville or Prairie, we're going to be careful with them, but there's not any of those
guys here. I truly think it's a five-horse race this school year or this season for the conference
championship and I think it's wide open. We'll see with everyone's gone, but since I've been here
it's the most wide open. I've seen it. So we're in a really good spot. We obviously got to play well.
We got to do what we know how to do and we got to play confident and comfortable and loose baseball.
I think if we can do those three things, I think we will be right there at the end for conference
champions. The million dollar question is always, do you have enough pitching though, Coach?
Yeah, yeah, that's always the million dollar question. We've got two starters returning from last
year. Looks like I said Miller. He's going to be our number one and likely McDonald is our number
two, but our number three is turning out to be really nasty and it's a really good position for
us to be in. He's got a lot of off-speed pitches that really give some hitters fits and I think
we've got people. We've got to see how our bullpen shapes up, but I think with those three guys,
especially in conference games this week, as a coaching staff, we manage our pitches well,
our pitchers well. We'll be in a good spot. Again, Richstone Center's game at Bosque Bell. We'll
have more about that a little bit later on today, but we'll tell you that most of these games are on
the schedule, whether permitting for today. River Valley has canceled its non-conference baseball
game with Potosi Castville for later today and River Valley softball team is slated to go to
Lancaster this afternoon. The Riverdale softball team has his schedule contest at Iowa Grant and
the Riverdale track teams will not be going to Richstone Center. As mentioned, that event has been
called off. The Ithaca baseball team and softball teams are scheduled to go to Soto, the play at
Stoddard and the coach Danny Clarey talked to me this week about the Ridge and Valley conference
and how even it will be this year. It's going to be really good from top to bottom. Seneca,
they have, I think they graduate two of their guys, but other than that, they got a lot of
athletes coming back from a team that's won the conference for the past couple of years.
Then he got, like, Weston. They have everybody back from a team that went to sectionals last year.
Even teams we play this week, LaFarge has everybody back from a team that beat us last year.
To Soto, I think they started seven freshmen against this last year and beat us when we played
up there. North Crawford was getting very competitive last year. I think they had us down
all the way through the six inning last year and they return everybody. So in Laszika,
they probably lost the most conference-wise, but then again, they have a
lomas boy that'll be, when he's going to be on the mound, they're going to be competitive.
So really from top to bottom, it's going to be a solid year for our conference.
For the Bulldogs, I think you always have a little bit of a target on your back, but especially
this year, don't you? Yeah, last year, we had graduated so many guys the previous season.
So last year's group, when they came in, they were a little bit unseen by the conference.
We knew what we had, but nobody else kind of really did and they had some growing to do.
Now, like I said, this year, we're not going to speak up on anybody and we're going to get
everybody's best game, but that just brings the best out of us, makes us prepare day in and day out
and that's the way you want it to be. So I know the guys are really looking forward to
getting out there and getting you playing again. That's Ithaca coach Dan Clary, the Bulldogs
slated for DeSoto today, Weston with a schedule game against Wozika Stuban at Casanovia Park,
and also Kikapu with a slated game against Seneca at home and baseball and softball.
Bulling scores from the Merchants League last night, Harris Exteriors at 2775,
Goggers salvage 2762, Badger State duct cleaning and Kelly's coffee each roll 2726's.
High game honors Harris Exteriors at 998, Pizza Hut a 984, Kelly's coffee a 969.
Jordan Slaney with a 688 series, Chase Keller a 671, Mike Carpenter a 664,
individual high game Taylor Canothe a 258, DJ Adams a 257, Andre Jensen a 256,
in the Merchants bowling league. Top ranked rookie Jackson Cheerio, he is first major league
home run Wednesday afternoon, but it wasn't enough to keep the brewers from losing the game,
7-3. Minnesota handed Cheerio's team its first defeat of the young season.
Reese Hoskins also knocked the ball out of the park as Milwaukee jumped out to a 3-1 lead.
The twin scored six times off the bullpen, who L-Piams took the loss,
the brewers have another off day and the schedule today they will host Seattle on Friday.
Slugga Reese Hoskins says the team is not going to win every game.
You win four out of the gate and you kind of get this feeling like,
man, are we going to lose? Of course we're going to lose, right? It's a long season,
it's a marathon. But yeah, we're playing good baseball. Obviously the one big inning that they
had today, but you know, we put ourselves in a position late in the game with the lead and
you take your chances with our bullpen. The brewers have placed right hand in reliever Trevor Miguel
on the seven day concussion related injury list. You reportedly suffered food poisoning on the road
trip to New York City. When he got back home, he went to a store where he fainted and hit his head.
That caused a concussion. The 30 year old Miguel has not allowed a run in two innings on the mound
this season. As far as the team is concerned, manager Pat Murphy is excited about the future for
Jackson Sherry. He'll remember it for sure. I'll remember it. A lot of people that are close to him,
you know, we'll certainly remember it. Kid is day by day. You notice more and more that Jackson
belongs in the big leagues. You know what I mean? And there was some touch and go early in spring
training. We're like, hey, is he ready for this? But he's proven that he's ready. Again,
Sherry with his first major league home run yesterday Detroit at the Metz was postponed so
was Atlanta at the white socks. The angels beat Miami 10 to Yankee 6 Arizona 5 in the National
League Cincinnati 4 1 over Philadelphia San Diego 3 Saint Louis 2 Washington 5 3 over Pittsburgh.
The Cubs 9 Colorado 8 and the Dodgers 5 4 over San Francisco in the American League Texas 4 Tampa Bay
Baltimore 4 3 over Kansas City Boston beat Oakland 1 nothing Cleveland 8 Seattle nothing
Houston 8 nothing over Toronto. In the NBA, the Memphis Grizzlies and to the third period with
three straight baskets taking a 79 78 lead and they went on to beat the Bucks 109 101. It was Milwaukee's
fourth loss in the last five games as the team tries to hang on to second place in the NBA Eastern
Conference. Brooke Lopez talked about facing the Grizzlies last night and a great job of just
sharing the ball, getting downhill, you know, making an extra pass and getting easy ones and it's
tough to guard. You know, you can tell they're having fun out there and they made us, you know,
move second guess ourselves and you know, kind of had us all over the world.
The Bucks are off tonight. They'll host Toronto on Friday night elsewhere. Portland 89 Charlotte 86.
The Lakers over Washington 125 120 Atlanta 121 Detroit 113 Boston 135 Oklahoma City 100
Brooklyn beat Indiana 115 111 Minnesota 133 Toronto 85 Phoenix 122 Cleveland 101
Orlando beat New Orleans 117 108 coming up this weekend. The final four for men's and women's
basketball defending national champion Yukon at a tough time getting off the ground on the
way to the final four Huskies finally took off from Bradley International Airport near Hartford
at about 130 this morning after the plane they were supposed to take experienced mechanical issues
getting to the East Coast after the five hour flight. The team was expected to arrive at Sky Harbor
International Airport in Phoenix at about 330 Midwestern time this weekend. The flight was originally
scheduled to leave at about 6 p.m. yesterday, but a mechanical issue kept the plane that was
supposed to be used from arriving at Bradley according to the school. The bills have agreed to
trade their top receiving threats. Step on digs to the Houston Texans. The bills acquired the
Texans second round pick in the 2025 draft. Long before Caitlin Clark broke records packed arenas
across the country like Taylor Swift and sneakers and inspired young girls to be like her.
Women's basketball looked very different. Clark who will lead Iowa in this week's final four
in Cleveland at her path paved by pioneering players who make make the game. What it is today
Clark's assault on the NCAA record books this season has illuminated some of the grades.
Women like Nancy Lieberman and Myers Driesdale Pearl Moore and Lynette Woodard
often played an empty arenas with little fanfare. Women's basketball is here to stay
according to the experts and that's an update on sports. I'm Phil Ne.