Litchfield High Sports | The Journal-News

Litchfield pitcher Ethan Saathoff comes off the mound to field Nathan Matoush's hit in front of the mound during the showdown between the Panthers and Toppers on Friday, April 28. Matoush and Saathoff dueled it out on the mound for the better part of the game, with Saathoff eventually coming away with the 2-0 victory thanks to a pair of unearned runs in the seventh inning.

Finally those baseball fans who enjoy close games featuring good pitching and drama had a dream game to watch Friday afternoon, April 28, when Litchfield came to Hillsboro’s Sports Complex for … more

by Ron Deabenderfer | 5/1/23

Litchfield's Annika Rhodes slides into third base and Hillsboro third baseman Mackenzie Jarman during the match-up between the two rivals in Hillsboro on April 28. Rhodes was safe on the play after the ball was jarred loose from Jarman's glove and Litchfield went on to win 5-2.

Litchfield Scores Win Over Lady Hiltoppers

A two-run home run by Bella Roach set the tone early for Litchfield on Friday, April 28, as the Lady Panthers held off Hillsboro 5-2 for their second South Central Conference victory of the … more

5/1/23

Litchfield High School boys track coach Dan Newkirk (left) was honored for his 33 years of dedication to the athletes of Litchfield High School and the sport of track during the Jokisch-Grandone Invitational in Carlinville on Saturday, April 29. Pictured with Newkirk, who will be retiring at the end of the year, are the event's namesakes, Dave Jokisch and Jerry Grandone, and former long-time Carlinville track coach Ken Garrison.

Newkirk Honored At Jokisch-Grandone

On April 29, the Carlinville Track community took time during the Jokisch-Grandone Invitational to honor Litchfield High School boys track coach Dan Newkirk, who retires at the end of this season. … more

5/1/23

Litchfield Girls 4th At Carlinville

The Litchfield High School girls track team finished in the top five at the Jokisch-Grandone Invitational in Carlinville on Saturday, April 29, picking up eight top five finishes, including one … more

5/1/23

Panthers' Readenour Ties Up Pretzels In Win

Litchfield-Mt. Olive received a stellar performance on the mound from Lili Readenour and scored five runs in the final three innings to beat New Berlin 6-2 on Saturday, April 29. Pitching on the … more

5/1/23

Panthers Make Short Work Of Eisenhower

After picking up win number five on Friday night, Litchfield claimed their second straight win on Saturday, April 29, in Decatur with an 18-0 win over Decatur Eisenhower. The last time Litchfield … more

5/1/23

Litchfield Baseball Falls To Breese Central

On Wednesday afternoon, April 26, the Litchfield baseball club hosted an uncommon opponent in a non-conference affair. The visitors would be the Cougars from Breese Central, who entered the contest … more

5/1/23

Pana defenders Claire Osborne (#7), Lilly Rochkes (#20) and Jaclyn Swenny (#15) trail Litchfield's Chloe Law as the freshman forward closes in on the Pana goal with 17 minutes to go in the first half of their South Central Conference game in Litchfield on April 25. Law scored seconds later, her third goal of the half, and would add a fourth goal in the second half as Litchfield went on to beat Pana 6-3 on senior night.

Litchfield Gets Round One Against Pana

A win on Tuesday, April 25, for the Litchfield girls soccer team would serve several purposes for the Purple Panthers, who hosted Pana at Lloyd Hill Field for a South Central Conference clash. A … more

by Kyle Herschelman | 4/27/23

Lady Panthers Bounce Back

After back-to-back double digit losses to Pana and Carlinville, the Litchfield-Mt. Olive softball team shook off the malaise and picked up their first conference win of the year with a 10-9 victory … more

4/27/23

Comets Come Back To Beat Litchfield

Litchfield and Greenville would square off on the diamond for the second time this season on Tuesday night, April 25. The first contest would be awarded to the Comets and a repeat performance on … more

4/27/23

With teammate Brooklyn Bechtel to her right, Hillsboro's Isabella White sends a pass down field past Litchfield's Alli Frerichs (#12) and Olivia Fleming (#24) on April 20 in Hillsboro. The Lady Hiltoppers managed to take a 4-3 victory over Litchfield, picking up their fourth South Central Conference win in the process.

Hillsboro Gets Rt. 16 Bragging Rights

Sandwiched in between a pair of 2-0 losses (at Greenville on April 18 and at Jacksonville on April 22), the Hillsboro High School girls soccer team picked up a 4-3 victory over Litchfield to earn … more

4/27/23

Cavies Get Past Panthers Again

Less than a week ago, the baseball teams from Litchfield and Carlinville met in a South Central Conference showdown in Litchfield, where the Cavies went on to defeat Litchfield 9-0. On Monday … more

4/27/23

Nokomis' Brenton Lyons dives headfirst into home plate just ahead of the tag by Litchfield catcher Jacob Budd during the second inning of the county tournament championship rematch in Litchfield on Saturday, April 22. Nokomis, who won the county crown with a 5-0 victory, won round two as well with a 14-1 win in five innings.

Redskins Take Round Two At LHS

On April 15, the Nokomis and Litchfield baseball teams met on a warm, slightly rainy day in the championship of the Montgomery County Tournament, a game that the Redskins won 5-0 thanks in large part … more

by Kyle Herschelman | 4/24/23

Litchfield Girls Third At Rocket Invitational

The Litchfield girls track team set nine personal records and had 19 top eight finishes on Friday, April 21, as they finished third overall at the Rocket Invitational in Rochester. Kendall … more

4/24/23

Eighth Inning Hit Lifts Litchfield Over Nokomis

Two Montgomery County teams duked it out in Litchfield on Wednesday, April 19, as the Nokomis Lady Redskins took on the host Purple Panthers. Litchfield had just two hits in the game, but made … more

4/24/23

Quarton, Powell Take Top Spots At Rocket Invite

Litchfield juniors Camden Quarton and Keenan Powell have their sights set on finishing the season as one of the best in the state at their respective events. On Friday, April 21, at the Rocket … more

4/24/23

Litchfield To Host Softball Camp May 22-24

The Litchfield High School softball program will be hosting a youth softball clinic on May 22, 23 and 24 for players ages five to 14. The three-day camp will be separate campers into two different … more

4/24/23

Litchfield sophomore Daphney Hartel (#13) works to get around a Gillespie defender during the Lady Panthers South Central Conference game on Tuesday, April 18. Hartel had two goals in the second half to help the Lady Panthers to a 4-1 win, their first since March 29.

Lady Panthers Get A Win And A Weird One

April had been a hard month for the Litchfield girls soccer team as they lost six straight games to start the month after dealing with tough competition, foul weather and unfortunate injuries. But … more

by Kyle Herschelman | 4/20/23

The determination on the face of Litchfield’s Keenan Powell is evident as the junior prepares to compete at the Greenville Open on Tuesday, April 18. Powell continued his preparation for what he hopes is a successful postseason as he set two new personal records with wins in the 400 meters and triple jump.

Records Fall As Panthers Dominate In Greenville

Even if they hadn’t scored an overall team win at the Greenville Open (they did, by 66.5 points) on Tuesday, April 18, 26 personal records and six season-bests gave the Litchfield boys track … more

4/20/23

Litchfield's Darby Braasch finished second overall in the 1600 at the Greenville Open on Tuesday, April 18, running a personal-best time of 6:12.69.

Lady Panthers Take Top Spot

The Litchfield girls track team continued their success this season with a first place finish at the Greenville Open on Tuesday, April 18. The Lady Panthers won eight events and racked up 98 team … more

4/20/23