Even the blazing hot conditions didn’t stop Lillian Elder from enjoying herself at her first Lincoln County Athletic Association all-star game on June 21 at the Hawk Point Athletic Complex.

The Montgomery City resident competed in the 10-and-under Group B game of the contest and turned in a strong effort, striking out six batters in three innings.

“When I heard that I was on the all-star team, I was really, really excited,” Lillian said. “By the end of the game, my feet really hurt because I pitched three innings in a row.”

Lillian was one of many Montgomery City residents who accomplished history at the third annual LCAA all-star game. She was one of 27 players from the Montgomery City Youth Athletic Association who participated in the contest. They were the first players from the league to play in the all-star game. MCYAA joined the LCAA this summer.

Lillian played on a team that had a mix of players from Warrenton, Hawk Point, Elsberry, Silex and Old Monroe. She said even though her team didn’t win, she was thrilled to compete with a team that had players from other communities.

“I was nervous to meet my teammates at first,” Lillian said. “But once I got to know them, it was really fun.”

Also, Jonesburg had 19 players who participated in the all-star contest. It had 16 last year and 25 the year before.

This year, three of the Jonesburg players competed in the all-star game for the third year in a row. They were Aurora Gibson (14 and under softball), Emry Salazar (9 and under baseball) and Garrett Hoener (8 and under baseball).
Levi Wolfe (12 and under baseball), Claire McChristy (12 and under softball) and Aubrey Oden (12 and under softball) made their second straight all-star appearances.

Levi and his teammate, Miles Johnston, played on the same all-star team in the 12 and under baseball contest.

“It was fun,” Levi said. “I liked playing with the people I don’t get to play with all of the time.”

Miles said he enjoyed getting to play at a sports complex that had four different fields and attracted plenty of fans.

“It was nice and it was a good atmosphere,” he said.

Games were played in four different fields from 9 a.m. to about 10 p.m. There were eight baseball divisions and six softball divisions in the all-star game. State Rep. Jeff Myers, who serves part of Montgomery County, was one of the sponsors.

Lillian, Emmersyn Alder, Addyson Bethel and Ariel Theissen were the Montgomery City residents who played in the 10-and-under softball division of the all-star game. They’re all teammates of the Companion Hospital squad during the regular season.

But at the all-star game, all of them were split up into different teams. Addyson and Ariel played in the Group A game, which started at 9:15 a.m. Lillian and Emmersyn competed in the Group B game, which began at 11:45 a.m., when the weather started becoming unbearable.

Emmersyn helped the Green all-star team pick up a victory and posed with the squad with a winning trophy after the game. She also got a hit in the game.

“I was excited, but nervous,” Emmersyn said.

Levi and Miles played their game at night. The 12-and under baseball contest started at about 8 p.m. and was the last game of the day.

“We’re used to playing at night, especially in fall ball,” said Levi, who played catcher and the outfield.

Levi and Miles played for the Red All-Stars, while their teammate, Hunter Matney, played for the Blue All-Stars.