War Eagle baseball team tries to break out of losing skid
Colton Hoeger pitched in relief in the doubleheader against Turkey Valley. (Photos by Bev Hamann)
Max Nuehring heads for second in the War Eagles’ twin bill versus the Trojans.
Drake Ostrander awaits a pitch in the War Eagles' doubleheader against Turkey Valley.
Nate Meier tosses a pitch in CR-C's loss to Ed-Co.
Braxton Bormann swings at a pitch versus Turkey Valley.
By Willis Patenaude, Times-Register
Last week was a difficult one for the Clayton Ridge-Central baseball team, as they lost all five games and were out-scored 51-8 in that stretch. The War Eagles currently sit at 2-3 in the Upper Iowa Conference and 2-9 overall.
The week started off with a doubleheader versus conference opponent Turkey Valley. The War Eagle bats were quiet in game one, as they were held scoreless in a 7-0 loss. The offense managed three hits—one single and two doubles—and struck out 11 times. The three hits came from Max Nuehring, Caden Helle and Kahne Bolsinger.
In the field, CR-C committed three errors and gave up seven stolen bases.
On the mound, Nuehring pitched 5.2 innings, allowing just one hit, three walks and two earned runs, while also striking out 10 Trojans. He was relieved by a trio of pitchers, one of whom was Helle, who allowed two hits and four earned runs. Nate Meier pitched a solid inning, giving up no hits and striking out one, while Colton Hoeger was sent to the mount for one-third of an inning, giving up one hit, one walk and one run.
In game two, the War Eagle bats were more active, but the result remained the same, as the Trojans took home a 10-6 victory.
CR-C held a two-run lead heading into the fourth inning, but Turkey Valley rattled off six runs that inning and closed the door on a War Eagle comeback.
The offense came away with four hits, all of them singles, and struck out 11 times.
Kurt Ross got one of the hits and an RBI, while Caleb Helle picked up two RBIs off one hit. The offensive star of the game was freshman Owen Ludovissy, who earned two hits and an RBI.
The offense was also more aggressive on the base paths, coming away with five steals on five tries, with Ross getting three of them.
In the field, both defenses committed three errors, but the War Eagles had a lower putout to total chances ratio and gave up five stolen bases of their own.
The CR-C pitching staff was steadier in game two, but walks and errors led to a slew of extra bases on runs for the Trojans. Caleb Helle pitched 3.2 innings, holding the Trojans to just two hits, but gave up five walks and hit a batter. Of the six runs scored during Helle’s time on the mound, zero were earned.
Drake Ostrander spent 3.1 innings on the mound, again stymieing the Turkey Valley batters and striking out eight, but three walks and a hit batter hindered the cause, as the Trojans scored four runs, though just two were earned.
The War Eagles’ next two games were a doubleheader at Don Bosco. The Dons took game one 11-1, as the CR-C pitching staff and defense had no answers for the potent and aggressive offense.
Braxton Bormann and Isaac Loan were on the mound for the War Eagles, combining to pitch four innings and allowing seven hits, six walks, three hit batters and 11 runs—nine of which were earned.
Defensively, CR-C committed seven errors and gave up 10 stolen bases.
The War Eagle bats, meanwhile, were silenced by a Dons pitching staff that limited them to three hits, two from Ostrander and one by Ross. They also struck out 11 times.
The second game of the doubleheader was over after four innings, as the Dons piled on 12 runs in the first inning, en route to a 15-0 win.
The War Eagles were once again undone by the aggressive playing style of Don Bosco, which took advantage of three errors and nine stolen bases.
Meier, Ross and Loan pitched for CR-C. The trio combined to give up 10 hits, eight walks, two hit batters and 15 runs—12 of them earned.
The War Eagles collected three hits, all singles from Kylar Millard, Meier and Nuehring, and struck out only one time, but couldn’t get anything going to keep pace with the Dons.
The War Eagles took on Edgewood-Colesburg in the final game of the week, losing 8-1. There were no stats available for this game.
CR-C looks to end its losing skid this week with another five-game slate. That includes a conference doubleheader at Kee on June 6, followed by a match-up against Wapsie Valley on June 7. A home game versus Sumner-Fredericksburg is scheduled for June 8, then the War Eagles will be back to conference play on June 9, at North Fayette Valley.
