Eagles Fall to Vikings in 8th Inning Heart Breaker

The Carl Sandburg High School Varsity Eagles baseball team matched the Homewood-Flossmoor Vikings run for run until the end, losing 4-3 in the 8th inning.

The Carl Sandburg High School Eagles Varsity baseball team lost a close game at home Thursday to the Homewood-Flossmoor High School Vikings. Two days after Sandburg won 10-1 against Homewood-Flossmoor, the Vikings proved to be an evenly matched competitor, winning the game 4-3 in the 8th inning. Both teams left several runners behind on bases as the game progressed, with the Eagles nailing 9 hits and the Vikings with 10 hits. The Eagles will next face Downers Grove South at home, while the Vikings take on Bloom High School in Chicago Heights. Both games are scheduled for Saturday. Find the full rosters for both teams online: Eagles Players Vikings Players - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Join Patch! Create a free user account and join the …

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Sunday Comics

Sunday Comic: Obama Sees Rough Months Ahead

What is it that has the president so pessimistic as spring unfolds? Oh ... that.

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Make the Call: Sox Bar or Cubs Bar?

Vote in our poll for the best place to boil up the crosstown rivalry during baseball season.

Arguably the best part of spring is now under way. Through April 15, the Sox are 5-3, and the Cubs have already found their way to the basement at 3-7 (spare me the “I told ya so”). Fortunately, this is only the beginning. With a long season ahead of us, we’d like to know where you go to tie one on during the baseball games. Vote in our poll for your favorite bar in Orland to watch a game. Our lineup was set by recommendations from our Facebook fans and from our trusty listing directory. Vote in the poll and click through the name of your place and leave a quick review. Our victor will be based on a combo of positive reviews and poll votes. Plus, one Patch user who leaves a review will be randomly chosen to win a Patch T-shirt. That’s a …

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Ben Feldheim

4:21 pm on Monday, April 16, 2012

Does that mean we can all come over to your place for the next game?   more ›

White Sox Baseball Camp: Old Pros Teach Young Kids How to Play the Game

Pitching, hitting and defense. Youngsters enjoy a week of training at Main Park.

Iva Evans was looking for a better way to introduce her 5-year-old son Edwin to baseball. She spent her share of time playing catch and throwing pitches to him in their yard, but she realized he was ready for further instruction. She turned to the White Sox Baseball Camp, which hosted a Little Sluggers camp for boys and girls, ages 5 and 6, at Main Park in Frankfort from June 27 through July 1. The camp was run along with a more advanced camp for children between the ages of 7 and 9. “He’s enjoyed it and I thought it would be a good introduction for him,” Evans said. “They’ve taught him more about the rules and now I’m going to look around here, Frankfort Square, Tinley Park and other areas for a league for him to play in this fall.” The …

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Three Guys, Five Years, Every MLB Stadium: Author Describes 'bLISTful' Trip

Author/tourist Todd Franiuk heads to the Evergreen Park Library to a provide a taste of travels he, Matthew Hart and Sfoklis Nikiforos chronicled in 'A bLISTful Five Years: The Baseball Stadium Tour.'

Five years. Todd Franiuk and friends took their time and covered 30 Major League Baseball stadiums, each team's hometown, foods along the way, baseball stats and lists of every sort, including unusual city names along the way, like Climax, Mich. And he's coming to the Southland to talk about it. To read more about Franiuk's book, A bLISTful Five Years: The Baseball Stadium Tour, check out this week's SouthScene arts and entertainment column. You'll also find an interview with an original member of the Buckinghams, a Polish festival on the hill, free concerts of all genres across the Southland, an intimate chance for dinner and chamber music, plus some murder and mayhem with mystery writer Helen Osterman.

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Local Sports Notebook

Playing Catch-Up With Former Prep Standouts From Orland

These Orland Park natives have continued their baseball careers and are still worth watching.

It’s always good to play catch-up with former local high school athletes. Here’s a trio who have continued playing baseball in their post-prep days. Sandburg alum Greg Billo is having a strong season on the mound for the Kane County Cougars, the Class A affiliate of the Kansas City Royals. Through 12 appearances, Billo was 4-1 in five starts with a 1.76 earned run average. According to the team's official stats page, Billo had allowed just 11 earned runs in 56 1/3 innings pitched. Sandburg alum Will Keuper recently finished his junior season at Harvard. According to his biography page, Keuper pitched well against rivals Princeton, Penn and Yale. Overall, Keuper appeared in 12 games for the Crimson, finishing with an 0-5 record, one save …

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Last Look: Providence Baseball Season One for the Ages

This year's Celtics team will go down in history as one of the program's all-time best. And the Celtics will send nearly every one of their seniors on to play in college next year.

The number three. It figured so prominently for a Providence baseball team that came so close to its third state title and first since 1982. The Celtics featured a roster with a handful of big-name third-year players, including Sam Travis, Matt Trowbridge and Collin McEnery. Back when coach Mark Smith was a senior in 1988, he was a pitcher for a Celtics team that was ranked No. 1 for most of the year, but lost in the regional championship to finish 33-3. In 1995, when the Celtics last advanced to state, the team went 33-3-1 before losing in the quarterfinals. On Saturday, Providence entered with three losses, just like the 1988 and 1995 teams, so the Celtics couldn't lose a fourth game, right? And, of course, there's the biggest No. 3 for …

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Providence Celebrates Second-Place Finish in State

An hour after coming up short in the Class 4A state title game to Lyons, the Celtics were honored back at the school in New Lenox with a pep assembly.

There were plenty of hugs, a lot of Italian beef and pizza—and eventually smiles and laughter. About an hour after Providence Catholic's historic baseball season came to an end with an 8-3 loss to Lyons in the Class 4A state championship at Silver Cross Field in Joliet, the players, coaching staff, families and friends gathered in the cafeteria at the New Lenox high school to celebrate the team’s outstanding achievements. The Celtics (37-4) fell short of a state title, but their second-place finish brought home a state baseball trophy for the first time since they won it all in 1982. “This is the first state trophy we’ve gone home with in 29 years,” Providence coach Mark Smith said. “It’s hard to believe it, because we have a heck of a …

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Local Sports Notebook

Update: Verzbicas Runs Mile in Under 4 Minutes to Win NYC Race

Sandburg grad and Orland Hills running sensation Lukas Verzbicas repeats as Adidas Grand Prix Dream Mile champion by finishing in under 4 minutes, establishing a new personal best.

Lukas Verzbicas defended his Dream Mile title in spectacular fashion Saturday. As reported by the Chicago Tribune, the Sandburg graduate and Orland Hills resident won the High School Dream Mile at the Adidas Grand Prix in New York with a time of 3:59.71, becoming one of only four U.S. high school runners to break the four-minute mark. The Dream Mile field featured top runners from across the country. Athletes competing in the Dream Mile and Dream 100 had the chance to receive coaching from mile legend Jim Ryun and Olympic gold medalist Maurice Greene.  Last weekend, Verzbicas broke the national high school record in the 2-mile run with a time of 8:29.46—five seconds better than the previous mark—while competing in Eugene, Ore. Verzbicas …

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