On 8th grade night, the Lions host the Braves of Morris.  Grady Phillips earned the start on the bump and kept Morris in check.  After a solo homer out Morris up 1-0 in the top half, the Lions tied the game at 1-1 after Mason Jordan walked, Kash Olsen doubled, then scored on an RBI fielder’s choice from Grady Phillips.  GSWB extended their lead to 3-1 after using a couple of Morris errors to their advantage after 2 innings of play.  In the 3rd, Ryan Male and Fallon Stein each singled to male the lead 4-1 in favor of GSWB.  The Lions carried a 4-2 lead into the 5th but ran out of gas.  The Braves dominated the last couple innings of play in route to a 14-5 win.  Fallon Stein collected 2 hits for GSWB on the day in addition to scoring a run and getting an RBI.  The Lions fall to 13-5 on the season and have a busy weekend.  They host MVK on Friday, then play Dwight and Coal City Saturday.

The Lions traveled up to Rockdale to take on the Rams on Monday.  GSWB got on board in the 1st with a lead-off triple from Mason Jordan, followed by a walk to Fallon Stein.  Grady Phillips then cranked a 3-run home run over the right field wall to put the Lions up 3-0 early.  The Lions used a steady attack as each player would reach base safely in the contest.  Matthew Tyree scored 3 runs while Peyton Welsh scored a pair himself.  Grady Phillips and Keaton Phillips each had 3 RBI’s while Tyler Hill and Parker Thompson each had a pair of RBI.  Riley Hall went the distance for GSWB on the mound tossing all 4 innings and striking out 5 Rams.  Although Rockdale scored 3 runs, none were earned.  With the win, GSWB is now 13-3 overall and hosts Pontiac St. Mary’s on Wednesday.

In non-conference action, the Lions gave the ball to Chase Chandler who was magnificent.  The Lions used back-to-back singles from Mason Jordan and Fallon Stein to gain 1 -0 lead.  Grady Phillips reached via base on balls and Ryan Male reached on a fielder’s choice.  Keaton Phillips would get an RBI on fielder’s choice to jump up 2-0.  Grand Ridge used a couple of hits of their own to make it a 2-1 ball game after 1 inning of play.  In the top half of the 2nd, Mason Jordan went deep to. make it 3-1 in favor of the Lions.  But the Mohawks had an answer yet again with a couple of hits to make it 3-2.  In the 3rd, the Lions took advantage of a couple of errors, and Fallon Stein grabbed 2 RBI on a double to break it open.  Grady Phillips, Chase Chandler, and Ryan Male each had RBI singles to make the lead 9-2.  The Lions would gradually tack on their lead in route to a 12-6 win.  Chase Chandler threw 4 innings and struck out 6.  Riley Hall earned the 3-inning save for the Lions who improve to 12-3 on the season.  Mason Jordan grabbed 3 hits, including a home run while Grady Phillips and Fallon Stein each had two.  Jordan also scored 4 runs, followed by Cal Christensen who scored 2.  Fallon Stein had 3 RBI for GSWB, who is next back in action on Monday @ Rockdale.

Wilmington came out of the gates swinging and jumed out to a 2-0 lead after the top of the 1st.  Bust GSWB came back with an answer as Mason Jordan singled, then stole 2nd.  After being moved over to 3rd, he would score on a sac fly with 2 outs.  With 2 outs, Ryan Male reached via walk, and eventually scored on a Keaton Phillips single to make it 2-2.  In the bottom of the 2nd, Riley Hall would get an RBI ground out to score Chase Chandler and put GSWB up 3-2.  However, in the 4th the Lions defense struggled and Wilmington blew the game open to 5-3 after 4.  Then Wilmington would tack on and make it 14-3 as GSWB committed 6 errors in the next couple of innings.  The Lions came back to make it 14-10 in the end but still came up short.  Fallon Stein was Fallon Stein pitched 5 solid innings only allowing 2 earned runs.  Mason Jordan and Chase Chandler each had 2 hits and scored 2 runs.  Grady Phillips and Chase Chandler each had 2 RBI as well.  The Lions now support an 11-3 record overall and travel to Grand Ridge Wednesday.

Seneca 3 vs GSWB 9 (Semi-final)

In the semi-final game of the IVC tournament, Keaton Phillips took the ball for GSWB.  After an infield single, Seneca would score on a GSWB error to go up 1-0.  The score remained true until the bottom of the 3rd when the Lions used five consecutive singles to take a 5-1 lead.  In the 4th, the Lions would use a double from Mason Jordan and an RBI single from Fallon Stein to make it 6-1.  Ryan Male then scored Stein on a sacrifice fly to go up 7-1.  Keaton Phillips took care of business on the mound tossing 5 innings and only allowing 4 hits.  Phillips also struck out 7 Raiders while earning the win.  Chase Chandler came in for the 2 inning save to shut the door for GSWB.  Fallon Stein collected 3 hits while scoring 3 runs and driving 2 in.  Grady Phillips had 3 hits while scoring a run and driving one in.  Mason Jordan and Keaton Phillips also each had a pair of hits.

GSWB 2 vs Saratoga 6 (Championship)

In game 1 of the twin-bill, Rylin Wright-Salmon took the ball and kept the Huskers in check.  In the bottom of the 1st, Mason Jordan tripled and would score on a Kash Kerner single.  Grady Phillips then singled and Ryan Male walked to pack the bags.  Keaton Phillips had an RBI fielders choice to make it 2-0.  With runners on 2nd and 3rd, the Lions used a Serena error to make the score 4-0.  Wright-Salmon would carry a 3-0 lead into the 3rd when Serena pieced together a few hits to make the score 4-1.  In the bottom of the 3rd, Male doubled to leadoff the innings as Keaton Phillips and Fallon Stein each walked.  GSWB would extend the lead after drawing a couple walks and hit by pitch to make the score 7-1.  Keaton Phillips relieved Wright-Salmon who came to close the doors for GSWB as they coasted to a 7-3 victory.  Wright-Salmon earned the win allowing 3 runs on 2 hits but walking 8.  Keaton Phillips earned the save.  Ryan Male scored 2 runs for GSWB who had balanced attack offensively.

Serena 4 @ GSWB 7 (Game 2)

After spotting the Warriors 3 runs in the 1st, the Lions had work cut out for them.  GSWB cut into the lead in the 1st inning as Kash Kerner singled and scored on a double from Grady Phillips.  Grady Phillips would then score in an RBI fielders choice from Keaton Phillips.  In the bottom of the 2nd, the Lions capitalized on a couple errors from Streator Woodland to take a 5-3 lead.  Kash Kerner doubled to score Mason Jordan, and Grady Phillips had an RBI single.  After taking the ball in relief in the 1st, Kerner was flawless on the bump in 6.1 innings of work.  Kerner sat down 14 via strikeouts while walking none.  GSWB would tack on to their lead inning as the sailed to an 11-3 victory.  Kerner would get the win, while Kerner and Grady Phillips each had 2 hits, 2 runs, and 2 RBI.  Mason Jordan had 2 hits while crossing the plate 3 times.  The Lions improve to 8-1 and host Serena for a DH Saturday.

In a crucial conference game, the Lions traveled to MVK.  In the top of the 1st, Kash Kerner singled and was brought home on a double from Grady Phillips.  They would add to their score in the 2nd inning after a couple of free passes, followed by a Ryan Male single to break open the game to 4-0.  Grady Phillips would need nothing more on the mound as he kept the Mavericks in check.  Phills threw 6.1 innings only allowing 3 hits and sitting down 8 via strikeout as he improved to 2-0.  Kash Kerner had 3 hits while Fallon Stein and Grady Phillips each had a pair.  Ryan Male and Grady Phillips each had 3 RBI for the Lions who are now 7-1 overall.  The Lions host Streator Woodland Friday.

The Lions also played 3 innings of a B game in which they won 7-1.  Matthew Tyree and Tyler Hill each had big hits while Cal Christensen tossed all 3 innings earning the win.

In non-conference action, the Lions hosted Ransmon St Michael’s who had a 4-0 record.  Fallon Stein earned the nod on the bump and threw the ball well.  After a scoreless 1st from both sides, the defenders would use a hit by pitch followed by a double to take a 1-0 lead after 2 innings.  In the bottom of the 3rd, Mason Jordan doubled and was brought home by Grady Phillips single.  The Lions would also capitalize on an error to take a 3-1 lead after 3 innings.  In the top of the 4th, Stein found himself in a jam but wiggled out of it only allowing one run to cross to carry a 3-2 lead into the bottom of the 4th.  GSWB exploded for 10 runs in the bottom of the 4th to make it a 13-2 game and would sail to a 5 inning victory.  Fallon Stein was the winning pitcher only surrendering 3 hits.  The Lions defense was solid behind Stein committing no errors.  Mason Jordan led GSWB at the plate going 3-3 with a pair of doubles while scoring 3 runs and driving in 2 runs.  Kash Kerner also had 2 RBO of his own while Chase Chandler, Jaxon Pluger, and Grady Phillips each had 2 runs.  The Lions are now 6-1 and travel to MVK Thursday.

After allowing a single in the 1st, the Hawks scored a run to take an early 1-0 lead in the 1st.  But the Lions would use 3 consecutive hits to take a 2-1 lead.  Kash Kerner and Grady Phillips each doubled as Ryan Male followed it with a single.  The game would teeter back and forth until Saratoga used a couple of Lions’ errors to their advantage to take a 8-3 lead.  But GSWB came climbing back to cut it to 8-6.  Saratoga opened their lead to 13-6 in the 7th but GSWB came roaring back and would fall 13-12 in the marathon game.  Keaton Phillips took the loss for GSWB as he only allowed 2 earned runs but didn’t have much help defensively.  Offensively Kash Kerner paced the Lions with 3 hits while Ryan Male and Keaton Phillips each picked up a pair of hits themselves.  Kerner also scored 3 runs while driving in 3 Lions.  The Lions fall to 5-1 on the season and host Ransom Wednesday.

In game 1 of a double-header, GSWB jumped out to an early lead and never looked back.  Rylin Wright-Salmon earned the win in relief striking out 3 Bobcats in 2.1 innings.  Ryan Male had 2 RBI for the Lions while Rylin Wright-Salmon scored 3 runs.

GSWB 15 @ Donovan 8

Keaton Phillips took the ball for the Lions and was dominant on Friday.  Phillips allowed an unearned run with 2 outs in the 1st innings, but the Lions answered with 5 runs in the bottom half of the 1st inning.  K. Phillips would never look back as he tossed 4 innings of no hit ball while striking out 8 Falcons.  Peyton Welsh had 3 RBI on the day with a single and sac fly.  Jaxon Pluger, Mason Jordan, and Chase Chandler each scored a pair of runs.  Riley Hall, Jaxon Pluger, and Chase Chandler each threw an inning of relief.  The Lions are now 3-0 and travel to Donovan for a twinbill on Saturday.

The Lions squared off with the IVC rival Redbirds on Thursday.  GSWB capitalized on a Dwight error and walk to take a 2-0 lead behind Ryan Male’s sac fly.  But in the bottom of the 1st, the Redbirds tied it at 2-2 behind a couple walks and big double for Peters.  In the 3rd, the Lions again reached on an error and Grady Phillips singled.  Rylin Wright-Salmon had an RBI on a fielders choice and Keaton Phillips had an RBI single to make it 4-2.  In the bottom of the 3rd, Dwight used a walk to cut the lead to 4-3.  The Lions would execute then execute a couple 1st and 3rd situations to extend their lead to 7-3.  Grady Phillips took the ball for GSWB going 5 innings while wallowing 3 hits on 7 strikeouts.  Entering the 7th with a 7-3 lead, Ryan Male who had relieved Phillips hit a wall.  Male recorded 4 outs, 3 of them K’s. He turned the ball over to Keaton Phillips who recorded a save on a controversial ending.  In a game with twice as many walks(11) as hits(5), the Lions narrowly escaped with a 7-5 win.  The Lions improve to 2-0 and will host Flanagan Friday.

In their home opener, Kash Olsen got the nod on the bump.  After a couple of walks, and fielders choice, the Lions trailed 1-0 entering the bottom half of the 1st.  However, the Lions capitalized on a couple of Raider errors and scored 2 on an RBI double from Grady Phillips.  Over the next few innings, the Lions would extend their lead to 9-1.  However in the 6th, Seneca cut the lead to 9-6, but GSWB held on for the 12-6 win.  Kash Kerner earned the win in relief, striking out 4 over 4 innings pitched.  Tyler Hill made a big play defensively in left field for GSWB.  Kash Olsen, Kash Kerner, Falling Stein, and Ryan Male each collected multiple hits for GSWB.  Kerner collected 5 RBI while Olsen scored 4 runs.  GSWB travels to conference rival Dwight on Thursday.