PORTA/A-C

Softball

Branson tosses perfect game  – Lady Bluejays crush Hawks

The PORTA-AC Central Lady Bluejay softball team and senior pitcher Gabbie Branson certainly made the most of their only opportunity to play last week.  

Branson tossed her first career perfect game as the Lady Jays destroyed the Riverton Hawks 18 to 0 at Riverton.  Branson struck out ten batters in her four-inning perfecto, while also going 1 for 2 with two RBIs and two runs scored.  PORTA-AC had just seven hits but took advantage of fifteen free passes from the Hawk pitching staff.

Baseball

Bats are hot for Bluejay Baseball

Following a five-game gauntlet in four days last week, the PORTA-AC baseball team has fought their way back to the .500 mark at 5-5 for the season. Outstanding offense has been the key so far with the team batting .362 and averaging eleven hits and six runs per game. The week did not start out very well, with winnable games turning into losses at both North Mac and Springfield Southeast. The Jays bounced back by winning at Canton on Friday and then winning twice on Saturday in the Jacksonville High School Jamboree.

Track

Bluejays sweep track meet

The boys and girls track teams for PORTA-AC Central both dashed to first place finishes in a six-team meet last week in Havana.  

Bryson Schachtsiek brought home first place in the 110- and 300-meter hurdles and the long jump. Isaac Rennecker won both the high jump and the triple jump. Kade Parker won the 1600-meter run and Justin Zimmerman was second. Daxton Trueblood won the 800-meter run and Quincy Stuhmer was second. Jacob Vogel finished second in the 100 and third in the 200 and Noah Hardy placed third in the 400 meters.

Softball

Lady Bluejays flying high

The PORTA-AC Central softball team continued their impressive play, moving to 8-2 on the season with three wins in four games last week. The Lady Bluejays won a tight one, 4 to 2 on the road at Taylorville last Wednesday. They played host to Rochester, Warrenburg-Latham, and Liberty in the Bluejays Spring Slam at the University of Illinois-Springfield on Saturday. They lost 5-0 to the Rockets but knocked off the Cardinals 8 to 0 and the Eagles 17 to 4.  

Porta Bluejays

Lady Jays are on the rise

With their top three hitters and their top pitcher returning from last year’s 16-13 team, the PORTA-AC Central Lady Bluejays are looking to take the next step forward this season. Fourth year Coach Andrew Biermann (39-33 overall record) and asistants Mike Logsdon and Kassidy Johnson are hoping to improve on a 4-4 record and fifth place finish in the Sangamon Conference, push towards the twenty-win mark and make some postseason noise.

Porta Bluejays

High hopes for Bluejay Baseball

Returning all but three players from last year’s sixteen-win team, this year’s PORTA-AC Central baseball team has high hopes for the season. Head Coach Brett Leischner along with assistants Doug Blakeman, Rick King, Devon Roach, Jared Canterbury, and Dave Leischner are eager to build on a successful 2023 campaign. Coach Leischner knows it won’t be easy but feels the pieces are there to push towards twenty wins, improve on a 4-4, fifth place conference finish and make some hay in the postseason. According to Leischner, “there are high internal expectations this season.  The schedule is very competitive, and the Sangamo Conference is one of the best small school conferences in the state. This year could prove to be a great one if we can stay healthy and pull together as a team.”

Softball

Lady Bluejays stay hot

Three wins in four games last week pushed the PORTA-AC Central softball team’s record to 5-1 for the season.  The Lady Bluejays trounced Jacksonville Routt and Springfield Lanphier and snuck by North Mac before the season opening win streak was rudely snapped by Springfield High School.

Baseball

Two wins for Bluejay Baseball

The PORTA-AC Central Baseball Team got off the schneid after losing their first two games of the season, winning twice last week over Havana and Payson Seymour before falling to North Boone to move to 2-3 on the season.  

Bluejays Bat

Good Start for Lady Bluejays

It was a hot start to the season for the PORTA-AC Central softball team as they won a thrilling nine-inning battle on the road at Lincoln and trounced Beardstown at home to start the season with two wins.  

The Jays made a huge, late comeback to win the opener over the Railers scoring four runs in the top of the seventh to tie the score at eight and send it to extra innings.  After neither team scored in the eighth the Bluejays got two in the ninth and Gabbie Branson closed the door on Lincoln in the bottom half to preserve a 10 to 8 victory.  Control was the key on the mound for Branson as she walked no one in nine innings, scattering 16 hits and striking out seven.  She also got it done at the plate going four for five with two RBIs.  Megan Miller had three hits and two RBIs, Greta Butler had two hits and two RBIs, Karlie Hoke had two hits and one RBI and Hailey Brown had one hit and one RBI for the Jays. Bailey Dahmer added a hit and scored, and Aubrey Vogel drew a walk and scored.

Little League Sports

PORTA-AC Central Baseball

It was a slow start to the season for the PORTA-AC Central baseball team as they lost twice on the road last week.  They dropped a tough one in the opener, losing 5 to 3 to Litchfield, then got doubled up 11 to 5 by Lewistown-Valley-Cuba with one bad inning costing them dearly.