Beavers Beat Cascade, In Driver's Seat For RVC title

WILTON — The Wilton Beavers picked up a huge victory last Thursday at home against state ranked Cascade, 3­2 in a match­up of top­5 teams in class 2A. The loss was the second straight to a RVC South school for Cascade. The Cougars lost a 1­run, 1­0 game at home to Iowa City Regina on June 19. The Beavers improved to 6­0 against RVC North schools this season.
The Beavers improved to 12­1 overall in River Valley Conference games and lead RVC North leader Monticello by one full game. The Panthers have a record of 11­2 while Cascade drops to 11­3. Wilton has a full game over Iowa City Regina as well and four over Durant.
Wilton came into the game ranked #2 and Cascade #3 in class 2A. The two schools were joined by Iowa City Regina who was ranked #10 in the same poll giving the RVC three top­10 ranked teams.
Wilton opened the scoring with a Jared Townsend RBI single in the first inning that scored Colin McCrabb. McCrabb collected the Beavers first hit of the game two batters prior to Townsend’s hit. Wilton added two runs in the bottom of the second inning to extend their lead to 3­0. The Beavers sent seven batters to the plate in the inning. The big hit was a 2­run double by Cory Anderson that scored Tyler Hartman and Jake Lenker.
Cascade finally got on the scoreboard, in the top of the third.In the second time through the batting order, the Cougars sent five batters to the plate and came away with their first run, setting the score at 3­1.
That score held until the top of the fifth. There, Cascade got within one run, 3­2 after a run plated. That would be as close as the Cougars could get however, as Wilton held off Cascade scoring threats in the sixth and seventh innings to secure the win. Cascade advanced runners to second base in each of the final two innings, but could not plate the tying run.
A pair of sophomores handled the pitching duty for Wilton in the game. Colin McCrabb picked up his 8th win after pitching 6 2/3 innings, scattering six hits and giving up two unearned runs. He lowered his ERA to 0.85 in 41 1/3 innings and moved his record to 8­0. He struck out nine and walked one. Cory Anderson pitched 1/3 inning in the seventh to earn his 5th save. He gave up one hit and struck out one. Anderson leads the RVC in saves and is tied for the class 2A lead.
Brock Simon took the loss after starting and pitching two innings. He gave up three runs on five hits and walked two batters. Bryce Simon, Harris Hoffman and Ben Stecklein led Cascade hitters with two hits each.

Wilton Picks Up Win over Muscatine
WILTON — The Wilton Beavers welcomed MAC conference opponent to town last Tuesday and split two games with the larger Muskie squad. The Beavers improved to 17­4 with the victory. Wilton lost game one 15­2 and won game two, 2­1.
In game one, Wilton got back­to­back RBI singles from Jared Townsend and Kaleb Timmsen in the bottom of the first to give Wilton a 2­0 lead. Muscatine scored their only run in the top of the fourth to set the score at 2­1.

Nolan Leaton pitched well and got the complete game win in seven innings. He struck out seven and walked three. He scattered four hits. Wilton had six hits in the game, led by Timmsen and Townsend who each had two hits and a RBI. Brady Barrett and Colin McCrabb each had hits for the Beavers.
The Muskies beat Wilton 15­2 in game one. The Beavers fell behind from the start and could not recover. Muscatine scored four runs in the top of the first and lead 10­0 before the Beavers scored any runs.
Wilton pushed two runs across the plate in the bottom of the third inning to cut into the Muskie lead at 10­2 after three innings. That score stood until the top of the seventh when Muscatine put up five runs to stretch their lead to 15­2.
Jared Townsend took the loss after starting and pitching 2 2/3 innings. He gave up 10 runs on five hits and walked five while striking out three. Ashton Stoelk, Brock Hartley and Chantz Stevens pitched in relief.
Wilton had six hits in the game led by Cory Anderson who was 2­for­4 with a double. Evan Reifert, Brady Barrett, Kaleb Timmsen and Colin McCrabb each had hits. McCrabb drove in a run. 

Durant Splits With Mid-Prairie, Wins 13th Game

DURANT — The Durant Wildcat baseball team ended a interesting week with a split to RVC South foe Mid-Prairie on Friday, June 23.  The WIldcats played four games and were 2-2 in those games, dropping two games in a row for the first time this season.  Durant’s record sits at 13-5 going into a busy six-game week where they have varsity doubleheaders with Iowa City Regina, Keokuk and Tipton.  The Wildcats won game two, 11-1 in six innings and lost game one, 7-6.

In game two, the Wildcats beat Mid-Prairie 11-1 behind an 11-hit attack and a great game pitched by Brendan Paper.  Paper, a freshman, improved to 3-0 and lowered his ERA to 1.02 with the win.  He struck out six, walked three and gave up one-run on five hits in 5 2/3 innings pitched.  He has pitched at least five innings in each of his four starts this season.

Durant lead-off batter Jake Conley led the Wildcats at the plate, going 4-for-4 and was a home run away from hitting for the cycle, having collected two singles, a double and a triple in the game.  He had 2 RBI’s, 2 stolen bases a walk and scored three runs.

Curtis Lilienthal and Cole Miedema each had two hits and Leo Callison had a RBI double and 2 RBI’s and Bryce Lafrenz had a RBI single in the game.  Durant was very patient at the plate, drawing eight walks in the ballgame.

The Wildcats broke a scoreless tie in the bottom of the third inning with three runs.  Durant added two more runs in the bottom of the fourth to extend their lead to 5-0.  Durant kept the offense moving with four runs in the bottom of the fifth to take a 9-0 lead.

Mid-Prairie scored a single run in the top of the sixth before Durant scored twice in the bottom of the inning to end the game by the 10-run mercy rule, 11-1.

Colin Gingrich fell to 1-2 in four starts after taking the loss for Mid-Prairie.  He pitched into the third inning and gave up two of the three Durant runs in the third.  He walked three batters.  Rex Peck, Braeden Nielsen and Eli Steckly all pitched in relief.  Five different Golden Hawks had hits led by Derek Rich with a RBI single.

Game one saw the Golden Hawks take a 7-6 ball game, sending the Wildcats to their second straight loss.  It was just the fifth loss in 18 games for Durant, but the first time all season they have lost two in a row.  Mid-Prairie sophomore Ashton Bush started and pitched four innings, keeping the Wildcats off balance.  He gave up three runs, but on only two hits.  Brad Tornow was the winning pitcher, pitching 2 2/3 innings in relief of Bush and Colin Gingrich got the save.

The Golden Hawks dropped three runs in the top of the first inning on Durant to take an early lead.  The runs were the most scored in the first inning by the Golden Hawks since a 15-0 win over Grundy Center on June 9.

Mid-Prairie led 5-0 after scoring twice in the top of the third.  Durant had to fight from behind the whole game and began that fight with a single run in the bottom of the fourth to set the score at 5-1.  The Wildcats continued to chip away at the Golden Hawk lead, scoring three more unanswered runs to set the score at 5-4 after six innings.  Mid-Prairie plated two runs in the top of the seventh to put the score at 7-4.  Durant did score two of their own runs in the seventh, getting to within 7-6, but could get no closer.

Colin Weih took the loss, giving up five runs on eight hits in three innings pitched.  Luke Whitlock pitched the final four innings, allowing two runs on five hits and striking out two batters.  Durant had 10 hits in the ball game with Jake Conley and Weih each collecting two.  Mason Compton, Leo Callison, Bryce Lafrenz, Curtis Lilienthal, Reece Bird and Cole Miedema each had hits in the game.  Conley had 2 RBI’s while Compton, Callison and Bird each had one RBI in the game.

Jared Miller was 3-for-4, Ethan Danner 2-for-3 and Keaton Duwa drove in two runs for Mid-Prairie.

WIlton Battles Four Tough Teams At Muscatine Tournament

MUSCATINE — The WIlton Beaver softball team had a rough two days at the Muscatine softball tournament, dropping all four games they played.  However, when you look at the opponents, you have to consider the teams the Beavers played.  Wilton played Washington, Muscatine, Davenport Assumption and Louisa-Muscatine.  All four teams had at least 16 wins, two had 20 or more with a third at 19 wins and one had 30-plus wins.  The Beavers fell to 17-15 in 32 games and are knocking on the door of their first 20-win season since the 2012 season when they were 21-6.  Since, the Beavers have been close winning 19 games in 2015 and 2014.  The Beavers end the regular season with two doubleheaders against West Liberty Thursday and at Mid-Prairie Friday.

Beavers Score 8 runs in two Friday Losses

The Wilton softball team scored eight combined runs in two losses on Friday, June 23.  The Beavers lost 7-6 in a close game to Washington and 6-2 to Louisa-Muscatine.  

Chloe Wells took the loss for WIlton in a 7-6 game with Washington.  Wells pitched 6 1/3 innings and gave up seven runs on 11 hits.  

Wilton grabbed a 4-3 lead, scoring four unanswered runs after Washington took a 3-0 lead after the first inning.  Wilton extended their lead to 6-3 and six unanswered runs with a two-run fifth.  Washington however, fought back with two runs in each of the sixth and seventh innings to take a 7-6 win.

Wilton had eight hits in the game led by Falloyn Grunder who was 2-for-3 with 2 RBI’s and a stolen base.  Amanda Fowler and Shelby Oien each had a RBI singles in the game.  Kortney Drake, Allison Bosten and Alexis Maurer each had hits in the game.

Against the Falcons, Wilton led 2-1 after the top of the third only to see Louisa-Muscatine score five unanswered runs.  The Falcons were ranked in the top-15 for class 2A as recent as last week and had a record of 21-1 coming into the game.  

Falloyn Grunder took the loss with six innings of work where she gave up six runs on 10 hits.  Wilton had a tough time with starter Hailey Sanders.  Sanders allowed three hits and two runs over seven innings.  Kylee Sanders was 2-for-3 in the game.

Karlie Schult, Kortney Drake and Allison Bosten each had hits for Wilton.  Drake had the only RBI.

Beavers Face Ranked MAC Schools

The Beavers lost two games Saturday, June 24, a 10-0 game to Muscatine and an 8-1 game to Davenport Assumption, both are state ranked MAC schools.  Muscatine is ranked #12 in class 5A while Assumption is ranked #1 in class 3A.

The first game of the day was against a 19-win Muscatine Muskie squad.  The Muskies won the game in six innings, 10-0.  The big inning was a 5-run third that took a 1-0 Muscatine lead to 6-0.

Falloyn Grunder took the loss after working three innings.  She gave up 11 hits and six runs.  Chloe Wells pitched 2 1/3 innings in relief and gave up four runs on four hits.

Wilton had six hits in the ball game by six different players.  Karlie Schult, Kortney Drake, Amanda Fowler, Chloe Wells, Allison Bosten and Taylor Garvin all had singles in the loss.  Kali Milder, Grunder, Wells and Alexis Maurer all reached base via a walk.

The last game of the tournament for Wilton was against the top-ranked Knights from Davenport Assumption.  Though in class 3A, the Knights were 30-1 entering the game.

WIlton scored the first run of the game in the top of the second to take a 1-0 lead.  Assumption responded with three runs in the bottom of the third and five runs in the bottom of the fifth to score eight unanswered runs.

Wilton had six hits in the game, led by Allison Bosten who was 2-for-3 with a run scored.  Taylor Garvin had a RBI double while Karlie Schult, Amanda Fowler, Chloe Wells each had hits.  Falloyn Grunder took the loss after six innings of work.  She gave up eight runs on 10 hits.

Wells Homers, Beavers Beat 19-Win Cougars

WILTON —  The Wilton Beavers got a big victory last Thursday over the River Valley Conference North Division leaders at home in a 4-3 win over Cascade.  The Cougars had 19 wins coming into the game and had a season best 8-game win streak earlier this month.  Thursday, the Beavers got a solo home run from 8th grader Chloe Wells and held off a late Cougar rally to capture the win.  Wilton won their 17th game of the season with the win and are three wins away from 20 wins, a mark they have not reached since the 2012 season.

Falloyn Grunder was the winning pitcher with a complete game.  Grunder gave up a lot of hits, 14, but only allowed three runs.  She struck out one and walked one in earning her 11th win this season.

Wilton 8th grader Chloe Wells smashed her 11th home run of the season in the bottom of the sixth inning.  The blast extended the Beavers lead to 4-2 heading to the seventh inning.  Wells is second in class 2A in home runs and 13th in 2A in hits with 45.

Wilton had five hits in the ball game led by Karlie Schult who was 2-for-3.  Amanda Fowler, Emily Lange, Chloe Wells all had hits.  Fowler, Lange and Wells all had RBI’s in the game.

Laura Kremer was the losing pitcher after six innings of work.  She gave up four runs and struck out three.  Bailey Clemens was 4-for-4 with a double and RBI and Riley Takes was 3-for-4.  Seniors Lisa Tucker and Ellie Loes each added two hits.

Wilton dodged trouble in the first inning as Cascade advanced runners to second and third with two outs, but could not plate a run.  In the bottom of the first, Wilton scored the games first runs after sending six batters to the plate.  Karlie Schult led off with a single and scored when Kortney Drake reached on an error and a comedy of errors allowed Schult to score and Drake to reach third.  Drake scored on Amanda Fowler’s RBI single, giving the Beaver two runs and their first three batters reaching base.

A Bailey Clemens RBI single scored Noelle Green who walked, in the top of the third to get Cascade on the scoreboard and set the score at 2-1.  Wilton got that run right back in the bottom of the third when an Emily Lange single scored Karlie Schult who led off the inning with a single to put the score at 3-1.

Cascade got back within one-run with a Lisa Tucker RBI single, scoring Ellie Loes to set the score at 3-2.  That score stood until the bottom of the sixth.  Cascade left four runners on base, two in each of the fifth and sixth innings, including getting runners to second in each inning.

Wilton got a big insurance run of the bat of Chloe Wells in the bottom of the sixth.  Wells took a 2-ball, 1-strike count and deposited the softball over the right centerfield fence for her 11th home run of the season, giving Wilton a 4-2 lead.

In the seventh, Cascade’s first two batters, Riley Takes and Clemens, singled.  Two batters later an Ellie Loes RBI single scored Takes to set the score at 4-3 with one out and move courtesy runner Linda Boeffeli to third.  Whitney Clemens then flied out to left field.  Cascade tried to score the tying run, sending Boeffeli in a tag-up situation.  Fowler fired a strike to catcher Emily Lange.  Lange applied the tag.  Boefeli was out and the game was over with Wilton securing a big victory.

Bettendorf Sweeps Beavers at Home

WILTON — The Wilton Beavers ran into a white hot Bettendorf squad last week in a non-conference doubleheader.  There, the Beavers fell to the MAC school by scores of 8-1 in game one and 13-8 in game two.  The wins extended the Bulldogs win streak to 12.

Bettendorf had 13 hits in game one led by senior Alli Wroblewski and freshman Emma Dennison who each had three hits.  Allison Folin and Erin Hatch each had 3 RBI’s.

Wilton led 1-0 through the second inning, but a three-run third and four-run fourth inning by the Bulldogs gave Bettendorf a 7-1 lead.  Madison Temple and Sophia DelVecchio combined to scatter six Wilton hits, give up one-run and strikeout three Beaver batters.

Falloyn Grunder took the loss after working seven innings.  Wilton was led at the play by Emily Lange and Allison Bosten who each had doubles.

In game two, Bettendorf won 13-8 in a high scoring affair.  Bettendorf led 5-0 before Wilton put up three runs in the bottom of the third to set the score at 5-3.  However, a 5-run top of the fourth extended the Bulldogs lead to 10-3.  Wilton chipped away with a two run fourth to set the score at 10-5 and a two-run fifth to set the score at 13-7, but could not get closer than the final five-run margin.

Chloe Wells took the loss after 3 2/3 innings of work.  She struck out one and walked two.  Grunder pitched 3 1/3 innings in relief.  Karlie Schult was 4-for-5 with a RBI to lead Wilton.  Grunder was 3-for-3 and Alexis Maurer was 3-for-4 with a RBI.  Emily Lnage, Kortney Drake, Wells and Kali Milder each had two hits.

DelVecchio was the winning pitcher after working five innings.  Jess Wells pitched in relief.  Bettendorf collected 18 hits off Wilton pitching led by Anna Forai who was 4-for-5 with 2 RBI’s while Allison Folin and Alli Wroblewski each had three hits and multiple RBI’s.

Tigers snap 7-game losing streak, get big win at North Cedar

LOWDEN — The Tipton baseball team snapped a 7-game losing streak last Thursday, getting a big 7-1 win over North Cedar in Lowden.  The two teams met in the first round of the Tipton baseball tournament earlier this month with North Cedar getting the win that day.  Tipton got a good pitching outing by senior Daulton Mente and eight hits from their offense in the victory.

Tipton scored the game’s first runs with a 2-run first.  That was followed by a 2-run second and a 2-run third inning to give Tipton a 6-0 lead.

In the first, Luke Becker scored on a wild pitch and Daulton Mente scored on a Kael Jauron single to give Tipton a 2-0 lead.  Mente stole second, went to third on a wild pitch and scored.

In the second, a Quinten Mesick two-out triple scored Ben Emrich who had singled earlier in the inning.  Mesick would score on an error on his triple to give the Tigers a 4-0 lead.

In the top of the third, Daulton Mente reached on an error, stole second base and advanced to third on a Kael Jauron single.  He scored on a Logan Hoffman ground out to set the score at 5-0 Tipton.  Later, a Dylan Mente sac bunt scored Kael Jauron to get the score to 6-0.

North Cedar finally scored their first run in the bottom of the third inning to set the score at 6-1.  Tipton tacked on another run in the top of the seventh on a Knight error to put the score at 7-1.

Daulton Mente started and pitched 5 1/3 innings.  He gave up three hits and one run.  He struck out seven and walked three batters.  Luke Becker pitched 1 2/3 innings in relief allowing no runs, no hits and he struck out four batters.

Six Tigers collected at least one hit in the game.  Quinten Mesick and Daulton Mente each had two hits in the game.  Luke Becker, Logan Hoffman, Kael Jauron and Ben Emrich each had hits.  Bryce Deerberg and Dylan Mente reached base via a walk.  Hoffman had a double and Mesick a triple for Tipton.

North Cedar struggled against Tipton pitching in the game, collecting only three hits in the ball game.  Byron Boleyn was 2-for-3 in the game and Alex Woodward was 1-for-3.  Devon Willis and Tyler Thurston each reached base by walks and Aaron Woodward scored the only North Cedar run.

Carter Johnson started the game and took the loss.  Johnson pitching one inning and gave up two runs on four hits.  He struck out one Tipton batter.  Tyler Thurston pitched six innings in relief, giving up five runs on two hits.  He struck out four and walked two batters.

Tigers Fall To Warriors 9-4 in make-up game

WHEATLAND — The Tipton baseball team fell 9-4 to Calamus-Wheatland last Friday in a non-conference game.  The Tigers trailed 5-4 in the fifth before a four-run fifth by the Warriors set the score at the final 9-4.  The game was a make-up from an earlier weather postponed game scheduled earlier this month.

Logan Hoffman took the loss after starting and working three innings.  He struck out two, walked one and gave up four runs on four hits.  Bryce Deerberg and Elliot Cummins pitched in relief.

Tipton had nine hits in the game.  Quinten Mesick and Luke Becker each had two hits and a RBI to lead Tipton batters.  Kolton Crok had a RBI and a hit and Daulton Mente, Hoffman, Kael Jauron and Ben Emrich each had hits in the game.

Tipton stole five bases in the game, one each from Mesich, Mente, Deerberg, Dylan Mente Emrich.  Deerberg and Emrich each reached base via a walk.

Tigers Survive Knights Rally, Win First Game

Tipton’s Grace Nichols looks to apply the tag on North Cedar’s Morgan Sander (9) during the Tigers road game at North Cedar last week. Tipton beat the Knights 5-4, picking up their first win of the season. The two teams will play Monday, July 3 in Lowden in a first round, class 2A Region 5 posteason game. The winner of that game plays in Durant Wednesday July 5. Photo by Darren Miller. 

By Ryan Stonebraker
Sports Editor, Tipton Conservative

LOWDEN — The Tigers finally get to make a tally in the win column for the 2017 season.  This, comes after a 5-4 road win at North Cedar last Thursday over rival North Cedar.  The win was a long time coming and was only a matter of time, as the Tigers bats were picking up hits and runs were being made, but a win eluded the young Tiger squad.  Not this time.  The Tigers used a seven-hit attack and held off a late North Cedar comeback attempt to get the victory.

North Cedar led 2-0 after scoring single runs in the first and second innings.  An RBI by Anna Petersen in the first and a RBI single by Kayla Syring in the second gave the Knights an early lead.

Tipton got their first run in the top of the third inning.  Tipton sent six batters to the plate.  Hunter Humphrey led off with a single and went to second on Mara Jauron’s ground out.  Humphrey advanced to third on a wild pitch and scored on Britney Ford’s fielder’s choice, setting the score at 2-1.  North Cedar took a 3-1 lead after adding a run in the third from a Tipton error.

The 3-1 Knight lead held through four innings.  Tipton’s bats came alive in the top of the fifth.  There, the Tigers nearly batted around, sending eight batters to the plate and scoring four runs to take a 5-3 lead.  All four runs came with two outs after Ford and Rylee Conrad went down on strikeouts by North Cedar starter Alyssa Barnhart.  Tipton’s rally started with an Ashley Mente walk.  That was followed by walks to Laken Hermiston, Bryanna Simmermaker and Morgan Wendel.  Wendel picked up an RBI on the bases loaded walk, getting the score to 3-2 Knights.  Grace Nichols then stepped up and smacked a bases clearing double, scoring Hermiston, Simmermaker and Wendel to give Tipton a 5-3 lead.

The Tigers lead held into the seventh inning.  Tipton could not add to their lead in the top of the seventh despite getting two runners on base.

North Cedar’s hopes didn’t look good in the seventh as the Tigers got the first two Knight batters out to start the inning.  Barnhart reached on a two-out single and went to third on an error on a ball in play by Morgan Sander.  Barnhart scored on an Anna Petersen single to set the score at 5-4.  That is as close as the Knights could get.  Tipton induced a groundout to end the game.

Alyssa Barnhart took the loss after seven innings of work.  She gave up five runs on seven hits.  She walked seven and struck out four Tiger batters.

North Cedar had eight hits in the game led by Barnhart and Anna Petersen each with two hits.  Petersen drove in two runs and Barnhart had three stolen bases.  Morgan Sander, Kassidie Galloway, Katie Thompson and Kayla Syring each had hits in the game.  Syring had one RBI in the game.

North Cedar fell to 4-17 and end the week with RVC North doubleheaders Monday at Camanche and Thursday at home against Cascade.  The Knights will host Tipton in the first round of the class 2A Regional tournament on Monday, July 3 at 7.

Tipton got five of their seven hits from their number-8 and number-9 batters in the order.  Third baseman Grace Nichols was 3-for-4 with a double and 3 RBI’s and Hunter Humphrey was 2-for-4 to lead Tipton.  Mara Jauron and Rylee Conrad also collected hits in the game.  Ashley Mente and Laken Hermiston each reached base via two walks.

Morgan Wendel was the winning pitcher with a seven-inning complete game.  Wendel gave up four runs on eight hits.  She struck out four and walked one batter.

Tigers Drop Two At Davenport North

DAVENPORT — The Tigers traveled to Davenport North last Wednesday, June 21 and had to dodge rainy weather to get their non-conference doubleheader in with the Wildcats.  There, Davenport North won both games, by a game one score of 11-1 and a game two score of 12-1.

In game one, Tipton trailed 5-0 before the Tigers scored their first run to set the score at 5-1.

Tipton had six hits in the game led by Ashley Mente and Laken Hermiston each with two hits.  Kelsi Hein and Mara Jauron each had hits.  Mente had the only RBI for the Tigers and Britney Ford had a stolen base for the Tigers.

Morgan Wendel took the loss after working five inings where she gave up 11 runs on 11 hits.  She struck out two and walked two batters.

In game two, Tipton lost 12-1.  Davenport North scord five runs in the bottom of the first to take control of the game.  Tipton scored their run in the top of the third to set the score at 8-1.

Tipton had three hits in the game, one each from Laken Hermiston, Bryanna Simmermaker and Morgan Wendel.  Lake Hermiston drove in the only Tipton run and Kelsi Hein had two of the five walks by Tiger batters in the game.

Tigers start ‘road’ week with 15-5 loss at Central City

CENTRAL CITY — The Tipton softball team began a busy eight-game week on the road last Tuesday, June 20 at Central City.  All eight games were played on the road.  There, the Tigers fell 15-5 to Central City, scoring the most runs in a game since a 10-9 loss at Mid-Prairie on June 5.

Central City scored three runs in the bottom of the first to take control of the game.  Tipton cut the Central City lead to 3-2 with two runs in the top of the third and took a 5-4 lead with a three-run fourth.  Central City however grabbed the lead right back with a two-run fourth inning to take a 6-5 lead into the fifth.  In the Central City 5th, they scored nine runs to end the game early, 15-5, by the 10-run mercy rule.

Morgan Wendel was the losing pitcher after five innings.  She struck out two and walked three.  She surrendered 15 runs on seven hits.

Tipton had four hits in the game, led by Hunter Humphrey who was 2-for-2 with a RBI and run scored.  Bryanna Simmermaker, and Morgan Wendel each had hits.  Wendel had a RBI and walked.  Kelsi Hein also had 2 RBI’s in the game.

Wildcats Win 4th Straight With 10-2 Monticello Win

DURANT — The Durant softball team picked up their fourth win in a row with a 10-2 win at home last Thursday over Monticello.  The Wildcats improved to 5-1 against River Valley Conference North schools this season and won their 19th game of the season.

Jenna Lawson followed up her perfect game four days earlier against Mid-Prairie with a complete game, 2-run, 8-hit game.  She struck out seven and walked one in getting her 8th win of the year.

The Wildcats scored in double digits for the first time since a 12-5 win over Wilton two weeks earlier.  Durant scored most of their runs in the first three innings of the game.  Durant led 1-0 after one-inning, 3-0 after two innings and after a four-run third, led 7-2 after three innings.

Durant had nine hits in the game.  Mallory Warner was 2-for-3 with 3 RBIs and Haleigh Carnes was 2-for-3 with a double, 2 RBI’s, a stolen base and a walk.  Aubrey Werthmann, Kira Schult and Kamryn Meyer each had a hit and RBI while Ruby Kappeler added a hit, stolen base, walk and run scored.

2-Run 7th By Monticello Sinks Wildcats

DURANT — Two innings after a solo home run by Luke Whitlock gave Durant a 2-1 lead, Monticello broke a 2-2 tie with two runs in the top of the seventh inning to take a 4-2 RVC cross-division game last week.

Curtis Lilienthal took the loss after working the final three innings of the game.  Lilienthal struck out six, walked no batters and gave up three runs on five hits.  Durant started Reece Bird.  Bird pitched the first four innings, allowing one-run and striking out three.

Durant had eight hits in the game led by Mason Compton, Leo Callison and Lilienthal who each had two hits.  Colin Weih and Whitlock each had hits.

Lawson Throws Perfect Game Against Mid-Prairie

By Ryan Stonebraker
Sports Editor, Tipton Conservative

DURANT — Durant sophomore Jenna Lawson pitched a perfect game last Tuesday for Durant in game two of the Wildcats doubleheader with Mid-Prairie.  The 5-0 win gave the Wildcats a sweep over the Golden Hawks.

Lawson faced the minimum 21 batters in the game and had outstanding control.  Lawson had at least one strikeout in six of the seven innings.  Mid-Prairie had three fly outs, nine ground outs and Lawson struck out nine.

Durant broke a scoreless tie in the bottom of the third inning with two runs.  A Kamryn Meyer 2-run single scored Ruby Kappeler and Hannah Happ who reached base earlier in the inning on a walk and single respectively.  The Wildcats added single runs in the fourth, fifth and sixth to extend their lead to 5-0.

Durant had 12 hits in the game.  Hannah Happ and Kamryn Meyer each had three hits.  Meyer had a team high 3 RBI’s.  Mallory Warner had two hits and a RBI.  Ruby Kappler, Aubrey Werthmann, Kelly Alexander and Kira Schulte each had hits in the game.

Mid-Prairie senior Abby Tornow was the losing pitcher after six innings of work.  She struck out one, walked two and gave up five runs.

The Wildcats won game one, 6-1, behind a 4-hit complete game by Kamryn Meyer.  Meyer scattered four hits, gave up one run and struck out 10 batters.  It was the sixth time this season that Meyer has reached double digit strikeout totals in a game and fifth RVC game she has done that in.  She also has two games this year with nine strikeouts and another with eight.

Durant led 1-0 heading to the bottom of the third.  There, they broke the game open with a three-run third where they sent eight batters to the plate.  All three runs scored with two outs.  Mallory Warner, Kira Schulte and Ruby Kappler all had RBI hits in the inning.  The runs gave Durant a 4-0 lead.  Durant led 4-1 going to the sixth, when they scored two more runs to set the final at 6-1.

Durant had 11 hits off of Mid-Prairie starter Cassidy Rourke.  Ruby Kappeler, Cathy Ralfs, Haleigh Carnes and Mallory Warner each had two hits.  Kappler led five Wildcats with RBI’s with 2.

Rourke was the losing pitcher after five innings of work.  She struck out three, walked two and gave up nine hits.  Abby Tornow was 3-for-4 at the plate with a triple and two stolen bases.

Durant sophomore Jenna Lawson threw a perfect game against Mid-Prairie last week in game two of a RVC South doubleheader. Lawson and the Wildcats swept the Golden Hawks. Photo by Ryan Stonebraker. 

TC Sports June 28th

TC Sports June 21st

The sports pages of the Tipton Conservative Sports Section for the week of June 21st.

Adams Earns 7th All-America Honor

IOWA CITY, Iowa -- University of Iowa junior Jake Adams earned his seventh All-America distinction, garnering second-team All-America honors from the American Baseball Coaches Association/Rawlings.    

 
The Brandon, South Dakota, has earned second-team honors from the ABCA/Rawlings, Perfect Game, the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association, Collegiate Baseball, and College Sports Madness, while being a third-team selection by Baseball America.
 
Adams, who was selected June 13 (and has since signed) in the sixth round of the 2017 MLB Draft by the Houston Astros, earned the distinction after being tabbed as the unanimous Big Ten Player of the Year and the only unanimous first-team All-Big Ten selection in 2017.  He leads the NCAA lead with 29 home runs in his first season of Division I baseball, while ranking first in home runs per game (.48), third in total bases (183), fourth in slugging percentage (.747), and seventh in RBIs (72).
 
Adams was also named a semifinalist for USA Baseball's Golden Spikes Award on May 31, an honor that is given to the top amateur player in the United States.  He is the first Hawkeye to be selected to the prestigious list.
 
In 61 games, Adams led the Big Ten Conference in home runs, RBIs, slugging percentage, runs (55), and total bases, while also ranking second in hits (82), sixth in batting average, 12th in on-base percentage (.417), and 14th in doubles (14).  Adams hit .335, having hit safely in 46 games and reached safely in 53 contests. He had 27 multi-hit and 16 multi-RBI games this season.
 
Adams shattered Iowa's single-season home run record of 22, which had stood since 1986, and he broke the all-time single-season Big Ten Conference record.  He had four multi-home run games, including a three home run game at Kansas State on March 19, where he went 3-for-4 with four runs and seven RBIs.
 
Adams' presence in the middle of Iowa's lineup helped guide the Hawkeyes to the first Big Ten Tournament title in school history and the program's second NCAA Regional appearance in three seasons.  Iowa won 39 games, the fifth most in a single season in program history.

Durant's Aubrey Werthmann and the Durant Wildcats remain ranked #4 in class 2A this week.  The Wildcats picked up two wins last week.  Photo by Ryan Stonebraker.

Wildcats Go 2-3 In five Games This Week

DURANT — It was an interesting week for the Durant softball team.  Five games, the first three on the road, and three straight losses for the first time since the 2014 season.  The Wildcats knew that losses could pile up this year after taking a traditionally aggressive approach to scheduling to another level.  The 2017 schedule heading into this upcoming week has 11 non-conference opponents and the average win total for those teams is 11.5 victories.  Of those, two schools are 2A or lower and the other nine are 3A or bigger.  Durant will play four home games this week before playing at the Linn-Mar softball tournament Friday and Saturday.

Wildcats Split Two Games At Home Round Robin Tournament

DURANT — The second round-robin softball tournament hosted by Durant brought larger schools Cedar Rapids Prairie and Davenport North to town.  Durant entered the game ranked #4 in 2A and Cedar Rapids Prairie ranked #15 in class 5A.

Durant split their two games with a 1-0 loss to Prairie and an 8-2 win over Davenport North.  The Wildcats fell 1-0 to Prairie.  The Wildcats couldn’t solve Prairie starter Natalie Halvorson.  Halvorson shutout the Wildcats over seven innings and struck out 13 Durant batters.  Haley McFarlane was 2-for-2 with a RBI single in the fourth.

The Wildcats beat Davenport North 8-2 in the second game.  The victory was the 16th for Durant on the season.

2-Run Fourth The Difference In Loss At Goose Lake

GOOSE LAKE — The Wildcats played well, but could not get past Northeast Goose Lake last Thursday in a RVC cross-division game.  There, the #4 ranked Wildcats fell 3-2 to the Rebels, losing their second game in four days.

Durant scored the game’s first run when Ruby Kappeler doubled, advanced to third on a Hannah Happ single and scored on the play when the Rebels committed an error.  Happ took second, on the play, but was stranded.  Northeast tied the game at 1-1 with a run in the third.  The Rebels took the lead for good with two runs in the fourth inning.  Megan Crockett singled to lead off the fourth and scored when Bree Mangelsen singled off Meyer to tie the game at 2-2.  Natalie Spooner was next and hit a sacrifice fly scoring Mangelsen who had advanced to third on a passed ball, to set the score at 3-2.

Meyer took the loss after pitching six innings.  She struck out seven and walked two batters.  Alyssa Livesay was the winning pitcher after seven innings of work.  Livesay struck out two and walked no Durant batter.

Durant out-hit Northeast Goose Lake 7 to 6.  Meyer was 2-for-3 and Aubrey Werthmann and Ruby Kappeler each had doubles.  Hannah Happ, Cathy Ralfs and Haleigh Carnes also had hits in the game.

Six different Rebels collected hits in the game.  Mangelsen, Spooner and Makenna McDonald all had hits and one RBI in the game.  Spooner and Cassidy DonDiego each had doubles for the Rebels.

Wildcats Pound Beavers In Game One, 12-5

WILTON — The Wildcats began the week ranked #4 in class 2A and traveled to rival Wilton last Monday for a RVC South doubleheader.  There, the two games were very exciting with each team claiming a win.  Durant won game one, 12-5 and Wilton won game two, 3-2.

I n game one, the Wildcats flexed their muscles and beat the Beavers 12-5 after a 5-run first inning to set the tone of the game.  Durant batted around in their order and used four hits to account for their five runs in the first inning.  Ruby Kappeler led off with a single and scored two batters later on a RBI single by Aubrey Werthmann.  Cathy Ralfs singled and later scored on an error to give Durant a 2-0 lead.  Next, Kamryn Meyer, Haleigh Carnes and Kelly Alexander all reached base to load the bases with two outs.  Mallory Warner then smashed a double to left centerfield, driving in all three runners to give Durant a 5-0 lead.  Wilton got out of the inning by getting Kira Schulte to ground out.

The Wildcats poured on four more runs in the top of the third inning to take a 9-0 lead.  Kappeler had a two-run single, Haleigh Carnes a RBI single and Kelly Alexander a RBI on a ground out in the inning.

Wilton finally got something going in the bottom of the third inning, sending seven players to the plate and scoring their first two runs of the game to chip into the Wildcat lead at 9-2.

The Wildcats tacked on two runs in the top of the sixth to put the score at 11-3.  Wilton scored once in the sixth to put the score at 12-4.  Each team would add a run in their half of the seventh inning to set the final at 12-5.

The Wildcats won their 13th straight ball game with the win.  Durant had 16 hits in the game.  Kappeler was 3-for-5 with 2 RBI’s and 3 stolen bases while Carnes was 3-for-5 with 2 RBIs and two runs scored.  Warner finished with three hits in four at-bats with a double and team high 4 RBI’s.  Ralfs had two hits and a double and Werthmann, Hannah Happ, Meyer, Alexander and Schulte each had hits.  Meyer and Carnes also drove in two runs.  The Wildcats stole six bases and walked four times in the game.

Meyer was the winning pitcher in the ballgame working seven innings, striking out six and allowing five runs.

Falloyn Grunder took the loss after starting and going 2 1/3 innings.  She gave up nine runs on six hits and struck out one.  Chloe Wells pitched 4 2/3 innings in relief and gave up three runs.

Wilton had 11 hits in the game led by Wells, Grunder and Alexis Maurer, each with two hit.  Karlie Schult, Amanda Fowler, Emily Lange, Kortney Drake and Kali Milder each had hits in the game.

Beavers Get First Durant Win Since 2011

The Beavers got a big victory over the state ranked Wildcats.  Game two saw the Wilton Beavers pick up their first win over Durant since July 5, 2011.  There, the Beavers won a 4-3 game over Durant at Wilton.  That night Paige Wheeler was the winning pitcher and had eight strikeouts and Carlee Grunder, Kelsie Dugan and Avery Carter each had two hits.  Leah Duffe had a home run and 3 RBI’s.

Durant scored the first runs of game two in the top of the second.  Kamryn Meyer led off the inning with a single and advanced to second on a Haleigh Carnes single and scored on Kelly Alexander’s double.  

Wilton responded with two runs of their own in the bottom of the inning.  The Beavers sent seven batters to the plate in the second and got their first two batters on base in Kortney Drake and Allison Bosten.  Both scored on a 2-run single by Alexis Maurer to give Wilton a 2-1 lead.

The lead didn’t last long as Durant tied the score at 2-2 in the top of the third on a RBI single by Cathy Ralfs that scored Ruby Kappeler who led off the third with a single of her own.

The 2-2 score held until the bottom of the seventh.  Falloyn Grunder led off with a double.  Taylor Garvin, pinch hitting for Kali Milder, flied out for the first out.  Alexis Maurer then singled in Grunder with the winning, walk-off hit.

Durant advanced a runner to third with one out in the fifth and didn’t score and were retired in order in the sixth.  

Falloyn Grunder rebounded from a tough start in game one to get the win in game two.  Grunder pitched all seven innings, scattering seven hits and striking out one batter.

Wilton had eight hits in the game, led by Maurer and Allison Bosten each with two hits.  Grunder, Amanda Fowler, Chloe Wells and Karlie Shulte each had hits.  Maurer drove in all three Beaver runs.

Jenna Lawson took the loss after pitching all seven innings.  She struck out three, walked no Beaver Batters and gave up three runs.  Ruby Kappler was 2-for-4 with a run scored while Aubrey Werthmann, Cathy Ralfs, Kamryn Meyer, Haleigh Carnes, Kelly Alexander and Kira Schult all had hits.  Alexander and Ralfs each had RBI’s and Werthmann and Alexander each reached base via a walk.