by Scott Watson
The Clear Lake Lions baseball team (10-6, 7-2) sits in second place behind Humboldt (16-2, 8-0) in the North Central Conference. The Lions had four games last week, going 2-2 overall. Their first games were against Algona and Dike-New Hampton.
CL 5, Algona 1
The Clear Lake baseball team (9-4) hosted the Algona Bulldogs (7-11) on Monday, June 12, winning the ball game by a score of 5-1.
For three innings the game was scoreless. Clear Lake then scored two runs in the second, and answered when Algona got a run of their own to try a comeback.
The Lions had eight hits on the day, all for singles. They also had four RBIs, five walks, and were hit by a pitch three times.
Titan Schmitt went two-for-four at the plate, hitting two singles for two runs. He was also hit by a pitch. Ben Loge recorded two runs as well, going one-for-two at the plate for a single and two walks.
Andrew Theiss had two RBIs, and Hudson Smith and Taylor Plagge each had one.
Theiss gets the win from the mound, throwing 101 times against 27 batters for only two hits, two walks, one hit batter, and a staggering seven strikeouts.
DNH 14, CL 4
The Lions baseball team (9-5) played the Dike-New Hartford Wolverines (11-5) on Tuesday, June 13, losing the game by a score of 14-4.
Both teams took turns trading shots to start the game. The Wolverines were first on the board, with the Lions answering each run. Six runs in the fourth inning put the Wolverines soundly in front, proving too much for Clear Lake to overcome.
Clear Lake had seven hits in the game, all for doubles. They tallied three RBIs, one walk, and were hit by one pitch. The Wolverines were walked nine times and had 13 hits, 10 for singles, and three for doubles.
Dylan Bieber went one-for-four at the plate, scoring a run and hitting a double. Ben Loge was one-for-two and was hit by two pitches. He had one hit for a double, along with a run and two stolen bases.
Luke Fuhrman was one-for-three with a run, RBI, and a double. Alex Kerr also scored as a pinch runner.
Tate Garman recorded the loss, throwing 87 times against 25 batters for seven hits, five walks, and two strikeouts. Joshua Monson threw 53 times against 13 batters for three hits, two walks, and one strikeout. Rounding out the bullpen was Wesley Wharton, throwing 30 times for three hits, two walks, and two strikeouts.
CL 11, St. Ed 1
On Wednesday, June 14, the Clear Lake baseball team (10-5) hosted the St. Edmond Gaels (2-10), defeating the Gaels by a score of 11-1.
The Lions were hot from the very start of the game, putting up five runs in the first inning and four more in the second. The Gaels received the run rule in five innings.
Clear Lake had 11 hits, nine for singles and two for doubles. They also had nine RBIs, were walked twice and hit by two pitches. St. Edmond had two hits and no walks.
Ezekiel Nelson led the Lions in runs with three, going two-for-three at the plate for two singles, and two stolen bases. Ben Loge had two runs and went one-for-one with a base knock, RBI, walk, and a beamed pitch.
Luke Fuhrman had one run, went one-for-three for a double, and four RBIs. Andrew Theiss was a perfect three-for-three for a run, three singles, and an RBI. Alex Kerr had two runs as a pinch runner.
Hudson Carney did the pitching for the Lions, taking the win with 72 pitches at 17 batters. The opposition took two hits off him and were struck out seven times.
Red Oak 3, CL 0
The Lions of Clear Lake (10-6) played the Red Oak Tigers (11-8) on Friday, June 16, losing the game 0-3.
The Tigers’ defense was strong this game, defeating the Lions despite holding a deficit in the hits column. Clear Lake had seven hits for six singles and a double, while Red Oak had five hits for four singles and a double.
The walk column looked similar, with the Lions taking two with two hit batters, while Red Oak was not walked at all. Both teams had two stolen bases, Red Oak had three RBIs and one error, while Clear Lake had three errors.
Ezekiel Nelson led the Lions at the plate, going three-for-four for three singles. Luke Fuhrman went two-for-three with a single and a double. Tate Garman went one-for-two with a single and was hit by a pitch. Wesley Wharton went one-for-one with a single.
Fuhrman took the loss, throwing 65 times against 25 batters. He gave up four hits and struck out four.
