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.
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