Marion County College Report

Jeff Miller posts a career low
at Branson Creek Invitational

Posted on April 23, 2010 by Daniel L. Chamness

Meat Loaf had a song in the 1980's, which stated, "Two out of Three Ain't Bad."

Centralia grad Jeff Miller may not share the popular rock musician's opinion, but two of Miller’s three rounds at the Branson Creek Invitational posted were nothing short of terrific. The Southern Illinois-Carbondale freshman rode those two rounds to his best 54-hole score of the year with a 73-72-83—228 and a 21st place finish.

"I was not at all satisfied with the third round," Miller said. "My goal going into the round was a 75. I had a 9 on the par 5 14th hole, and that number killed my score. Shooting 36 holes on the first day was tough, but it is much more fun when you’re playing well. I was striking the very ball well over those two rounds."

As a team, SIU-Carbondale took third with a stroke count of 894, just four strokes off the winning total of 890 posted by Stephen F. Austin State and Western Illinois.

Miller's previous best 54-hole score was a 230, which he shot at the Grover Page Classic to start the spring.

The Branson Creek Invitational will be the final outing Miller shoots this spring. Because of academic obligations, he will not golf in the Missouri Valley Conference Championships. Miller played in four tournaments this spring and finished his 11 rounds with an 865 stroke count for a 78.6 scoring average. ...

Salem grad Zach Phillips and Centralia grad Michael Fowler each competed in the Great Lakes Valley Conference Championships at the Otter Creek Golf Club in Columbus, Indiana.

Phillips (Illinois-Springfield) finished 51st with a 239 and Fowler (Maryville) placed 62nd with a 249. Both golfers saved the best for last, each shooting a low round of 78 in the final round. As a team, Illinois-Springfield was 11th with a 939 and Maryville took 13th with a 953. Northern Kentucky University won with an 881. ...

Salem grad Miranda Gibson, a McKendree University golfer, finished 81st in the Illinois Wesleyan Spring Fling at the Ironwood Golf Club in Normal. Gibson shot a 186 over 36 holes, carding a 92 in the first round. She helped McKendree finish 11th with a 693. DePauw took first with a 630. ...

Rend Lake College golfers and Salem graduates Mallorie Cummings and Taylor Landers both competed in the Southern Illinois-Carbondale Saluki Invitational at Hickory Ridge. Cummings was 73rd with a 178, while Landers took 74th with a 179. Cummings opened with a low round of 85 and Landers shot a low round of 87 in the final round. Rend Lake finished 15th with a 712. Indiana State University won the title with a 617. ...

Sandoval grad Kaskaskia golfer Kaitlin Young finished 38th at the Millikin Spring Classic held at the Scovill Golf Course in Decatur. Young shot a 199 over 36 holes with a low round of 94 in the opening round. As a team, KC took ninth with an 825, well back of Wheaton’s winning total of 699. ...

Baseball

Odin graduate and McKendree pitcher Alex Young improved to 4-2 following a 4-3 win over Williams Baptist. Young whiffed five over six innings, allowing three earned runs on four hits. ...

Fellow McKendree player Tyson Moore, a Salem grad, had a pair of multiple hit games for the Bearcats this past week. Moore was 3-for-4 with a double and two runs as McKendree downed Harris-Stowe State 9-8. In McKendree's 11-0 triumph over Bethel, Moore was once again 3-for-4 and scored two runs. McKendree is 21-18 overall and 6-7 in the American Midwest Conference. ...

Centralia product and Rochester Red Wings slugger Brian Dinkelman is hitting over .300 over his first 14 games of 2010. More recently, he smacked his first career homer at the Triple-A level, as he smacked a two run dinger during a 9-8 loss to the Pawtucket Red Sox. In Rocheester's lone win over Pawtucket, a 6-5 victory, Dinkelman was 1-for-3 with a walk. Rochester, the Triple-A affiliate of the Minnesota Twins, is 6-8 in the International League-North Division. ...

Softball

Southern Indiana's Amanda Brendel had three multiple hit games recently. The former Salem Lady Wildcat had her best effort in USI's 9-4 triumph over Kentucky Wesleyan, finishing 2-for-3 with a double, a stolen base and an RBI. In USI's 4-0 loss to University of Wisconsin-Parkside, Brendel was 2-for-3 with a double. She was also 2-for-3 and scored a run in the 3-2 USI win over Kentucky Wesleyan. Southern Indiana is 16-22 overall and 13-11 in the Great Lakes Valley Conference. ...

Lindenwood has won 12 softball games in a row. They won the McKendree Tournament, beating Westminster College (11-0), Robert Morris College-Springfield (5-3), Millikin University (9-0) and William Woods University (5-1). In the win over Westminster, Lindenwood player Bailee Winkeler, a Centralia grad, was 1-for-1. Lindenwood is 24-16 overall and 12-2 in the Heart of America Athletic Conference. ...

Basketball

Matt Shaw, a Centralia grad and Illiabum Clube professional player, scored 23 points to lead Illiabum Clube to a 74-66 victory over Barreirense/Unilogos. Shaw, who drained 8-of-10 from the field and 5-of-5 from the stripe, also had eight rebounds and two assists. Shaw struck twice from beyond the arc. With the win, Illiabum Clube improved to 9-11. ...

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— Daniel L. Chamness