ADVANCE'S WALLACE GOES ON SPREE, LEADS AREA HOME RUJN RACE (PREP NOTEBOOK)

ADVANCE -- The home run race between Kelly's Bradley Kolwyck and Notre Dame's Josh Eftink has been well documented.

But one Advance slugger, 6-foot-1, 210-pound first baseman Chris Wallace, has quietly surpassed the dynamic duo in the regional home run derby.

He now has 10 home runs, all coming in his last 12 games.

As of his game against Oak Ridge on Tuesday, Wallace was batting .468. He homers about once every 5.5 at-bats and sports a slugging percentage well over 1.000. He hit six home runs in six days the same week Kolwyck hit five in five consecutive at-bats.

"This kid is as hard a worker that I've ever seen," Advance coach Chuck Powers said. "He's just relentless about improving himself. He's got as good a bat speed as anyone in the area."

To further prove Wallace's clout as one of the area's best power hitters, Powers said he hit a ball 485 feet off Delta's Ryan Livingston at Advance, likely the longest fair ball hit in the region this year.

"We measured it from the fence," Powers said. "It was 156 feet behind the 330 sign. The ball took one bounce and died in the field. We stepped off 20 feet (toward the fence) from where it stopped and measured it from there."

Kolwyck follows Wallace with nine long balls, while Eftink has eight.

Wallace missed two games early in the year with a twisted ankle and it took him about two weeks to get back to 100 percent, Powers said.

"I guarantee if someone (a college scout) saw his bat speed, they would be drooling," Powers said. "He hits the ball harder than anyone I've ever seen. Hit bat speed is amazing."

Winning is Oran's `Dustin-y'

ORAN -- Oran's baseball team has proven that it is capable of beating any team in southeast Missouri.

The Class 1A school which took second in state last year, knocked off Kelly 6-5 in dramatic fashion on Monday, took Notre Dame to extra innings in a loss last week then beat Chaffee on a home run in the bottom of the seventh yesterday.

Kelly, Notre Dame and Chaffee will be the top three seeds in a difficult Class 2A district and are generally regarded as the best three teams in the area.

The Eagles (13-4) have benefited from solid pitching from two Dustins -- Glastetter and Dannenmueller -- this season and appear poised to make another run at the state title.

In`K'redible

ADVANCE -- Oran shouldn't have much trouble winning its district ... unless it meets Advance's Garrett Broshuis in the finals.

Broshuis, a junior, has struck out 27 batters in his last 9 2/3 innings.

One of the area's best basketball players, Broshuis throws a fastball in the mid-80s and also throws a slider, change up and curve ball.

He boasts a 2.37 earned run average and has struck out 74 batters in 38 1/3 innings.

He has three double-digit strikeout games this season, including 19 against Bloomfield last Thursday.

Broshuis' most impressive number, however, is 32: his score on his ACT test.

L.A. shows flare of Hollywood

SCOTT CITY -- Scott City senior center fielder/closer Lance Amick completed an impressive week last week, going 12-for-16 with nine runs scored, seven stolen bases and six RBIs. He had two assists from the outfield and also saved a game.

The senior, who bats second in the lineup, is batting .500 this season.

"When he's hitting the ball, we're scoring runs," said Scott City coach Mike Umfleet. "He really leads by example. He hustles on every play. He's just a good hitter. It doesn't matter who's pitching. He'll foul off pitches and get good swings. He used to not be able to hit curveballs, now he's the best curveball hitter I have."

Webb master

Dionna Webb, who was runner-up in state last year in the long jump, bettered her own school record with a jump of 18 feet, six inches last Saturday at the Kirkwood Invitational. The jump was also the fifth-best ever recorded at the acclaimed Kirkwood Invitational.

Webb was also fourth in the 100-meter and 200-meter dashes.