by Marianne Gasaway
Clear Lake earned a rare win over county rival Newman Catholic and evened its record at 2-2 heading into the long holiday weekend.
CL 8, West Fork 0
On Monday, May 22, the Lions were at West Fork. A five run sixth inning broke the game open and Clear Lake got an 8-0 victory.
Pitchers Andrew Theiss and Hudson Carney kept the Warhawks off the base paths. Theiss gave up just one hit in four innings on the mound. He struck out 10 and walked two. Carney also had the opponent on their heels with six strikeouts over three innings. He did not give up any hits or walks.
Titan Schmitt and Ben Loge had two hits apiece in the win. Schmitt’s offense earned him three RBIs, while Loge had one. Schmitt also caused the Warhawks trouble while on base. He stole three bases and scored three runs in the game. The Lions tallied a total of nine hits in the contest, including doubles from Dylan Bieber and Wesley Wharton.
CL 10, Newman 5
Newman 24, CL 6
Clear Lake split a pair of non-conference games with Newman Catholic in a doubleheader played Tuesday, May 23.
Big innings played a big part in each game.
In the first meeting, the Lions trailed 5-2 heading into the bottom of the fifth, but added eight runs in the frame on their way to a 10-5 victory. It was Newman’s first loss. The Knights came into the game rated number two in Class 1A.
Dylan Bieber and Taylor Plagge each had two RBIs in the win. Bieber and Titan Schmitt had two hits apiece to lead the team. Plagge, Luke Fuhrman, Ben Loge and Josh Monson accounted for the remainder of Clear Lake’s eight hits in the game.
Tate Garman started the game on the mound for the Lions and gave up five runs on two hits and three walks. He struck out five. Josh Monson pitched the final three and one-third innings and did not allow a hit. He struck out one.
In the nightcap, Newman erupted for 15 runs in the sixth inning and took home a 24-6 win.
The Knights scored four runs in the first and three in the second before the Lions answered with two in the bottom of the second. Through five, Newman was clinging to a 9-6 lead, but they were able to send 20 batters to the plate in the sixth to seal the win.
The Lions had six hits in the loss, with Titan Schmitt accounting for two of them.
Hudson Smith, Ben Loge and Luke Fuhrman had two RBIs apiece.
The Lions sent five pitchers to the mound. Cabot Neuberger threw three and one-third innings, giving up five runs on five hits and three walks with two strikeouts. Fuhrman pitched one and two-thirds inning and surrendered 10 runs on four hits and five walks. He struck out one. Wesley Wharton faced eight batters in two-thirds of an inning and gave up four runs on one hit and four walks. Mason Murphy was tagged with five runs on three hits and three walks.
