Beavers season comes to an end in Substate

WASHINGTON — It wasn’t meant to be. A year after reaching the Class 2A state semi finals as one of the favorites to contend for the 2019 Class 2A state title, Wilton will not get that chance. The top- ranked Wilton Beavers were sidelined from postseason play last Tuesday, losing to Central Lee 14-0 in five innings. The Beavers stumbled down the stretch dropping three of their last five games. The Beavers will end the season 24-5 overall and district champions for the second straight season. Wilton beat Louisa-Muscatine 3-1 and Mediapolis 4-0 in the postseason games this year. Central Lee improves to 21-2 overall and will play Des Moines Christian in the first round of the 2019 Class 2A state tournament.
The game featured the conference champions of two conferences. The Wilton Bea- vers were River Valley Conference South Champions while Central Lee was the South Iowa Super Conference South Champion.
Wilton loaded the bases in the bottom of the first inning. Af- ter Cory Anderson struck out, the next three Beavers reached base. Chantz Stevens singled, Collin McCrabb walked and Jared Townsend singled to load the bases. Central Lee starter Waylon Weirather however, coaxed a out and ground out by the next two Wilton batters to end the in- ning and the threat. Central Lee responded, scoring four runs in the top of the second inning to take a 4-0 lead.
Central Lee took command of the ball game with a 10-run top of the fourth. Central Lee bat- ted around in the inning and had four hits, ve walks and

Wilton committed three errors in the inning which added up to the big inning.
Wilton got a baserunner on in each of the fourth and fifth innings, but it wasn’t enough. Clayton Cooling reached in the fourth on a walk and Cory Anderson reached on a single to lead off the fourth.
Wilton had just four hits in the ball game. Cory Anderson, Chantz Stevens, Jared Townsend, and Garrett Bohnsack all had hits. Collin McCrabb reached base twice via walks. Brayton Wade and Clayton Cooling each reached base via walks.

Jared Townsend took the loss after starting and working into the fourth inning. He is credited with three innings of work. He gave up eight runs on five hits. Townsend struck out three and walked four. Cory Anderson pitched 1/3 innings in relief and gave up six runs on three hits. He walked two and did not strike out a batter. A.J. Bosten closed the game out working 1 2/3 innings. Bosten pitched scoreless relief, striking out two and walking no batters.
Central Lee got a good pitch- ing outing from senior Waylon Weirather. Weirather got the

win after working ve innings and throwing a 4-hit shutout. He struck out four and walked four Wilton batters.
Jaden Hawk led Central Lee batters going 3-for-3 with three runs scored. Alex Sandoval had a 3-run triple and scored three runs and K.J. Skow and Dylan Stueker each had 2 RBI’s.
Central Lee entered the game with only 22 games played and a 20-2 record. Central Lee had postseason wins over Chariton 10-0 on July 16 and won their district title with a 5-4 win over Davis County.

O’Haver signs with Life University

FORT DODGE — A former Tipton Tiger has decided to continue her volleyball career as she pursues a bachelor’s

of arts degree. 2016 THS graduate Michele O’Haver recently signed a national letter of intent to play volleyball at Life University in Marietta, Georgia.

“I decided that I wanted to continue my education to get a Bachelor’s degree. I also knew that I still had two years of eligibility to play college volleyball, which was a no-brainer for me. I knew I wanted to keep playing,” said O’Haver.

O’Haver chose Life University over Peru State College in Peru, Nebraska, and Williams Jewell College in Liberty, Missouri.

“When I rst decided that I wanted to keep playing I knew I was going to keep my options small and go get a degree that will compliment my Associates degree in Dental hygiene, as well as playing volleyball, I didn’t want to go to school just to play volleyball even though I love it,” she said.

O’Haver plans to major in Health Coaching at Life. O’Haver is a 2016 graduate of Tipton High School and a 2019 graduate of Iowa Central Community College. She graduated with a dental hygienist degree. Only 15 are accepted into the program. O’Haver is the daughter of Lisa O’Haver and the late Mikel O’Haver.

In her senior season at THS, O’Haver had 40 kills, 33 digs, 13 blocks and served a near-perfect 41-for-45 in a shortened senior season. Her junior season, she earned all-conference honors while leading the Tigers in kills with 199 and served 237-for-263 while tying for the team lead in aces with 24. She had 145 digs and a team-high 37 blocks. O’Haver was a hitter for the THS volleyball team. The Tigers were 21-13 her senior year and while she was at THS, she was part of three winning seasons and was part of 71-match wins in her four years as a Tiger.

At Iowa Central, O’Haver played two seasons. She had 801 career digs including 769 her sophomore year in 38 matches. She had 43 assists as well. She played in 54 matches as a defensive specialist and libero. The Tritons placed 10th at the National tournament her sophomore year and helped them to a ranking of 16th and a 32-11 record. She broke the ICC school record for digs in a match with 44 in a single match on October 20, 2017, in a match with Labette. She was ranked 11th in the country at one point in dig totals her senior season.

O’Haver noted that the recruiting process was interesting this time around.

“Being recruited again was stressful progress, even more, stressful than coming straight out of high school. There is

so much more that goes into it, especially since I will come to a new school as a transfer student and wanting credits to transfer,” said O’Haver.

“Also I was injured my senior year of high school so I felt like I didn’t have a lot of options in the beginning but choosing Iowa central was the best decision of my life. My head Coach, Sara Horn played Division 1 volleyball at Nebraska after transferring from a school in California and she helped me through this process of recruiting so much since she has been in my shoes before. She encouraged me to follow my gut and pick a school that would bene t me the most,” she said.

Life University is a member of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA). The Eagles are in the Mid- South Conference. Schools in the conference are Campbells- ville University, Cumberland University, Georgetown College, Lindsey Wilson College, Shawnee State University, Thomas More University, The University of Pikeville, and the University of the Cumberlands. The Eagles were 11-22 overall last season and 5-9 in conference play. They boasted a 7-5 record at home last season. The Eagles are coached by Steve Wilcosky. Wilcosky enters his fth season as the head coach. He is the only coach in program history as the Eagles began volleyball in the 2015 season.

No one ghts alone 5k race results

On a hot and muggy 4th of July morning, 76 runners nished the Knights of Columbus No One Fights Alone 5K road race. This year Caleb Shumaker led the eld and won in a time of 17 minutes 31 seconds.

On the ladies' side, Hannah Ahrens-Denman was the rst female to cross the nish line in a time of 22 minutes and 2 seconds. Listed below are the times for the 5K road race.

The one mile fun for kids was untimed and Ry- der Laing was the rst boy to nish. Bryn Peder- sen was the rst girl to complete the mile course. All the proceeds from this race are being donated to the Cedar County General Assistance Fund, and to the Thayer triplets, who are relatives of Chad and Sam Rezac. The Knights of Columbus would like to thank all the runners, volunteers, and those who donated to our cause.

Results No One Fights Alone 5K July 4, 2019
Tipton, IA

Caleb Shumaker 17:31.64; Ben Ellis 17:57.28; Jackson Edens 18:36.24; Casey Mente 18:37.69; Easton Becker 18:56.77; Cody Bohlmann 19:23.61; Landan Hill 19:35.96; Ty Nichols 20:39.11; AJ Thumma 20:52.51; Dustin Vasquez 20:57.06; Kayden Rezac 21:11.93; Brody Deer- berg 21:19.05; Clay Bohlmann 21:50.38; Hannah Ahrens-Denman 22:02.70; Bob Ryan 22:20.19; Sarah Pedersen 23:06.87; Nathen Anderson 23:45.96; Alyssa Mente 24:13.53; Terry Mente 24:14.04; Lane Scorpil 24:15.57; Pamela Bisbee 24:24.00; Jessi Kelley 24:25.57; Bryce Edens 24:34.40; Murry Mente 24:50.97; Nicole Hamil- ton 25:12.66; Gabriel Born 25:25.01; Jacob Laing


25:35.52; Brooke Lafrenz 25:54.09; David Nelson 26:10.99; Mike Telsrow 26:30.15; Laurie Bradley 26.43.32; Kelli Wallace 26:50.20; Kaelee Free- man 27:04.09; Joy Kessler 27:15.03; Miles Chris- tian 27:18.83; Relissa Milligan 27:50.06; Saidee Hamilton 28:18.47; Mike Shotwell 28:12.32; Doug Ho man 28:19.45; Barrett Crock 28:25.3; Kara Rekemeyer 28:34.30; Emmarie Becker 29:11.99; Doreena Crock 29:30.07; Jared Gehrs 29:32.29; Shelly Palmer 29:58.86; Tyler Laing 30:00.11; Aaron Little 30:02.05; Dawn Kruse 30:13.05; Isaac Nelson 30:33.96; Heidi Shu- maker 31:26.26; Cindy Weber 32:52.61; Liz Os- born 33:43.62; Kathy Walter 33:57.54; Zoe Rezac 34:34.60; Chad Rezac 34:35.37; Paige Ahrens- Denman 34:41.00; Julie Jedlicka 34:40.59; Ca- leb Jedlicka 34:40.74; Sue McGuinty 35:54.02; Maggie Helmold 35:55.17; Heather Vasquez 36:10.35; Lori Ho man 38:00.44; Joan Wething- ton 41:16.40; Lisa Kepford 41:17.52; Sam Rezac 41:54.97; Katie Ryan 41:56.24; Sarah Nelson 45:17.29; Erica Christian 45:29.97; Jennifer Bo- edeker 45:31.19; Ashlyn Curry 46:50.09; Toni Curry 46:52.23; Denise Goetz 47:40.90; Ann Meyer 48:17.98;Whitney Gehrs 40: 19.89; Kim Regennitter 49:04.96; LuAnn Davis 49:08.11.

One mile runners were: Jacob Boedeker, Justin Boedeker, Jayson Johnson, Aubrey Kelly, Boden Laing, Graeme Laing, Ryder Laing, Bai- ley Little, Danielle Little, Jasmine Little, Caleb Meier, Emily Meier, Katelyn Mente, Scarlett Mente, Bryn Pedersen, Kason Pedersen, Keaton Pedersen, Tate Rezac, Kerrington Telsrow, Levi Vasquez, Hailey Webb, Kane Webb, Miranda Weber, Sarah Weber.

Beavers advance with 3-1 win over Louisa-Muscatine

WILTON — The Wilton Beavers began their run to the 2019 state baseball tournament on Tuesday, July 16 with a district game against Louisa-Mus- catine. Jared Townsend won his ninth straight start to improve to 9-0 in 47 2/3 innings. He lowered his ERA to 0.29 in the game. Townsend gave up one hit over ve innings. He struck out 12, walked three
and gave up one unearned run. Collin McCrabb pitched two innings in scoreless relief to earn the save. He struck out ve and walked no batters.

Wilton scored twice in the bottom of the third inning to take a 2-0 lead. An RBI single by Cory Anderson that scored Garrett Bohnsack and a McCrabb sac y for a RBI accounted for the two runs. Louisa-Muscatine scored their only run in the top of the fifth to cut the Beavers lead to 2-1. Wilton added an insurance run in the bottom of the sixth inning to extend their lead to 3-1.

The Falcons stumbled down the stretch of the regular season. Louisa-Muscatine entered the game with only ve wins, one of them coming in the Falcons district opener in an 8-0 win over West Burlington at Wapello. Chase Kruse was 2-for-3 in the game to lead the Falcons. Louisa-Muscatine had a baserunner in the rst, fourth and fth innings before

Wilton retired the last seven batters, six by strikeout. Wilton had hits from Cory Anderson, McCrabb and Bray- ton Wade. Anderson and Mc Crabb hit doubles. Anderson, Bohnsack, and MccCrabb each had RBI’s. Wilton got six walks in the game o of Louisa-Mus- catine pitching by six di erent players. Anderson, Bohnsack, Brock Hartley, Chantz Stevens, Ashton Stoelk, and Wade all reached on walks.

Locals participate in Iowa Shrine Bowl

CEDAR FALLS — The South squad at the 2019 Iowa Shrine Bowl had a lot of familiar
faces this past Saturday in the annual high school football all-star game at the UNI-Dome in Cedar Falls. Wilton head football coach was one of the assistant coaches on the South coaching sta . Wilton’s head coach helped lead the Beavers to the 2018 Class 1A playo s. The South squad beat the North squad by a score of 24- 13. West Branch head coach Butch Pedersen was the head coach for the South squad.

The South took a 7-0 lead in the rst quarter when Beau Cornwell from West Branch connected with Durant’s Mason Compton for a 41-yard touchdown pass. After a Na- than DeBruin, Pella Christian, PAT, the score was 7-0. The South would add two second-quarter touchdowns to take a 17-0 halftime lead. The South extended their lead to 24-0 in the third quarter on a Landon Green, Iowa City West, fumble recovery in the end zone. The North tried to make things interesting in the nal quarter scoring all 13 points in the nal frame to set the score at 24-13 and avoid getting shutout.

Compton was a first-team Class A All-State receiver. He will attend Drake University this fall and continue playing football. Durant was 7-3 last year and were district champions. Compton caught 50 passes for 996 yards and 12 touchdowns. Those numbers were near the top in all classes. Defensively, he had 47 tackles. Compton was also dangerous in the return game. Compton returned both punts and kick- o s. Compton had 199 yards in kick-o returns and a touch- down and had 178 punt return yards and a touchdown.

Mays was a third-team All-State selection in Class 1A. Mays passed for 1,271 yards on 106 completions with 16 touch- down passes to ve interceptions. He rushed for 660 yards and 11 touchdowns. Defen- sively, he had 33 tackles, four tackles for loss, and one-interception which he returned for a 50-yard touchdown return.


2019 Shrine Bowl Rosters (Locals and area perimeter Only):
South Roster — Jerome Mays (Wilton); Beau Corn- well (West Branch); Mason Compton (Durant); Carter Bell (Bettendorf); Carson Rollinger (North Scott); Landon Green (IC West); Spencer Daufeldt (West Liberty); Anthony Valai- nis (Davenport Assumption).

South Coaches — Head Coach - Butch Pedersen (West Branch).
Assistant Coaches — Ryan Hetzler (Wilton); Cody Snitker (Iowa Valley); Jared Jensen (Sigourney-Keota); Shawn Striegel (Mount Plesant); Adam Goodwin (Marshall- town).
Managers - Kelby Burger (West Branch), Drake Berry (West Branch).

Iowa Shrine Bowl Saturday, July 20 At UNI-Dome Cedar Falls, IA

1 2 3 4 Final North 0 0 0 13 13 South 7 10 7 0 24

1st Quarter

S — Mason Compton (Durant) 41-yard pass from Beau Corn- well (West Branch), Nathan DeBruin (Pella Christian) PAT kick.

2nd Quarter

S — Nathan DeBruin 26-yard eld goal
S — Zach Eaton (Waukee) 51- yard pass from Ryan Gustafsen (Pella), Nathan DeBruin (Pella Christian) PAT kick.

3rd Quarter

S — Landon Green (Iowa City West) fumble recovery in the end zone, Nathan DeBruin (Pella Christian) PAT kick.

4th Quarter

N — Michael Storey (Spencer) 1-yard pass from Drake Miller (Fort Dodge), failed two-point conversion.

N — Kyler Fisher (Southeast Valley) 11-yard run, Ben Stef- fens (Spirit Lake) PAT kick.

Beavers advance to substate game

WILTON — For the second straight season the Wilton Beavers baseball team will be playing for a trip to the state tournament. Wilton beat Southeast Iowa Super Conference foe Mediapolis 4-0 to advance. It was the twelfth shutout this season in 28 games for Wil- ton. Last season, the Beavers earned their rst state trip since 2005 with a 4-0 win over Dyersville-Beckman at Solon. The 2018 Beavers advanced to the nal four in Class 2A before bowing out to eventual state champion Centerville. Where the season ends this year is yet to be determined. Seven starters return from last year’s state team and look to make an even deeper run this year.
Wilton improved to 24-4 with the win and are now 2-0 in the postseason. Wilton entered postseason play on a two-game losing streak after losses to Class 3A state-ranked Fair eld, and Class 1A No. 1 Mason City Newman.

Central Lee advanced to Substate after winning district 8 Monday with a 5-4 win over Davis County. Central Lee improved to 20-2 with the victory. The Hawks advanced to their second straight substate game. Central Lee lost to Iowa City Regina last year 4-1, one-game short of state.

Central Lee’s top hitters are seniors Tyler Hopp (.459 ave. 34 hits, 2 HR, 15 RBI, 30 SB, .525 OBP) and Sam Hirner (.418 ave. 28 hits, 25 RBI, 28 SB, .518 OBP). The Beavers will likely see Waylon Weirather pitching in the game.

Wierather has the most starts (6), appearances (13), and best record among seven Hawk pitchers. Wierather is 7-1 in 45 1/3 innings with a 0.77 ERA. He has 45 strikeouts to 11 walks and teams bat only .195 against the senior starter.

The winner of the game will play at the 2019 state baseball tournament in Des Moines, at Principal Park. The Class 2A state quarter nals are Mon- day, July 29 at 11:00 a.m., 1:30 p.m., 4:30 p.m., and 7:00 p.m. The Class 2A semi nals are Thursday, August 1 and the Class 2A state championship game is Saturday, August 3 at 1:30 p.m.

Wilton senior Collin McCrabb improved to 4-0 in four starts this season with the win. Mc- Crabb lowered his ERA to 2.10 in nearly 30 innings pitched. He became the second Wilton pitcher this season to reach

40 strikeouts this season by striking out six MEPO batters. Jared Townsend and A.J. Bosten are the others. Mc- Crabb needed a cool 100 pitch- es in the game and allowed only three hits. He walked two MEPO batters.

Wilton and Mediapolis were scoreless after three innings. Mediapolis had only one baserunner in the rst ve innings. Wilton scored the rst run of the game in the bottom of the fourth inning to take a 1-0 lead. Six Beavers batted in the inning. Chantz Stevens walked to lead o the fourth inning with a walk and went to second on a balk by Bulldog pitcher Chauy Massner. Stevens went to third and Collin McCrabb walked to give Wilton runners at the corners. Jared Townsend then doubled in Stevens for a 1-0 lead and on the play McCrabb advanced to third base. Wilton couldn’t add to their run, as Mediapolis struck out the next three Beavers to end the inning.

Wilton took control of the game in the bottom of the fth. Garrett Bohnsack drew a one-out walk. Stevens reached on a two-out single and Mc- Crabb walked to load the bases. Townsend then hammered a double to clear the bases, and give Wilton a 4-0 lead.

Mediapolis had their best chance to score in the top of the sixth inning. The Bulldogs led o the inning with a Dray- ven Fenton walk and a Nick Esminger walk. Zach Osborne ew out for the rst out and McCrabb struck out Massner for the second out. Alex Die- wold singled to load the bases, but McCrabb coaxed a line-out by Bulldog cleanup hitter Ben Wolgemuth to end the inning. Wilton retired the Bulldogs in order in the top of the seventh to secure the win.

Mediapolis won the SEISC North Division by one-game over IMS with a 12-2 conference record. Pekin was also in the mix, two games back and ends their season 19-9. Mediapolis had a season-best 7-game win streak in early June to mid-June. The Bulldogs started the season with ve straight wins. Mediapolis reached the district nal game with postseason wins over Anamosa 11-2 at Anamosa and they won a 9-1 district seminal game at Wilton against Wapello. Chauy Massner, Alex Diewold, and Brennan Breuer had the Bulldogs hits.

Wilton also had three hits in the game. Jared Townsend was 2-for-3 with two doubles and 4 RBI”s to lead Wilton batters. Chantz Stevens had the other Wilton hit. The Beavers drew ve walks o of Mediapo- lis starter Chauy Massner. Col- lin McCrabb had three of those walks while Garrett Bohnsack and Stevens had the other walks. Bohnsack had the only stolen base by the Beavers.

IPTV To Broadcast State Softball

 FORT DODGE — The 2019 Iowa High School State Softball tournament will be broadcast on live Iowa Public Television at the end of the week. Locally, IPTV is on over the air TV on channel 12, 24 or 36.

 The quarter nals, semi nals and consolation rounds for all classes is also available to watch online. Interested viewers can access the live feeds of those games through the Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union web- site. Their website is http:// www.ighsau.org. From the main page, there is a link for live feed.

 Coverage of Iowa girls’ high school championships continues, as teams from across the state take to the eld for the 2019 IGHSAU Iowa Farm Bureau Girls State Softball Championships. The coverage of each class title game will take place at Rogers Sports Complex in Fort Dodge. Each game will be broadcast on IPTV’s primary channel and streamed LIVE on Iptv.org, YouTube and Facebook.

 Stay tuned to IPTV throughout the rest of the year for live coverage of the state championships for girls volleyball.

 Programming support for the 2019 IGHSAU Iowa Farm Bureau Girls State Softball Championships is provided by Fareway Stores and Musco Lighting.

Regals slip past Tipton Tigers in rst round of districts, 12-7

 TIPTON — Getting past the rst round of district play has eluded Tipton for many years. Often times running into Camanche, Wilton or top RVC teams seems to derail lengthy postseason runs. This year however was di erent. The optimism of a deep postseason run ran high for THS with the absence of top-ranked Wilton or perennial power Cascade in the bracket. Not to mention that the Tigers swept their opening-round foe Iowa City Regina, earlier this season. It was not meant to be, however.

The Regals broke open a close ball game in the sixth inning, scoring four runs to take a 10-5 lead, after the Tigers had battled back to make it a one-run game, on their way to a 12-7 win. The Tigers end the season 12-17 in 29 games. The Regals won their 10th game and improved to 10-21. The Regals will face West Branch (17-7) at Mid-Prairie in a district semi nal Tuesday, July 16. The winner of that game faces the winner of Mid-Prairie (17-11) and West Liberty (11- 14) in the District Final game on Saturday in Wellman.
Iowa City Regina retired the first seven Tipton batters in the game. Regal starter Caden Smith allowed only to balls out of the in eld. Regina scored the game’s rst runs in the top of the third. There, Regina scored four runs after eight batters came to the plate for a 4-0 lead. Tipton scored their rst run of the game in the bottom of the inning to set the score at 4-1. Regina sent seven batters to the plate in the top of the fourth inning and scored two more runs to extend their lead to 6-1. Again, the Tigers responded, the Tigers got closer by pushing four runs across after sending 10 batters to the plate in the inning to trim the Regal lead to 6-5 after four innings. That score held until the top of the sixth inning. There, Regina scored four runs after batting around to take a 10-5 lead after six. The Regals added two more runs in the top of the seventh inning to take their biggest lead of the game, seven runs, putting the score at 12-5. The Tigers tried to rally in the bottom of the seventh inning. Tipton would push two runs across the plate but could get no closer than the game’s nal score of 12-7.

Luke Becker took the loss after working four innings. He gave up six runs, ve earned, on seven hits. He did not strike out a batter and walked four. Cole Syring pitched 2 2/3 inning in relief and gave up six runs, ve earned on six hits. He did strike out a batter and walked two. Trent Pelzer pitched 1/3 inning in relief and struck out one batter.

Caden Smith pitched a complete game over seven innings. He gave up seven earned runs. He walked six Tigers and struck out four.

Tipton had seven hits in the game with two players collecting multi-hit games. Cole Syring led THS in batting, going 3-for-4 with two RBI’s. Connor Hermiston was 2-for-4 with an RBI and two runs scored. Luke Becker and Nile Schuett each had hits. Caden Schmidt, Becker, and Dylan Mente each had RBI’s in the game. Schmidt drew two walks in the game and Kael Jauron, Trent Pelzer, Becker and Mente all reached base via a walk in the game.

Iowa City Regina had 13 hits in the game. The Regals had four players with multi-hit games led by Scotty Arendt who was 4-for-5 with an RBI and three runs scored. Caden Smith, Chase Becker, and De- clan McCoy each had two hits. The Regals 1-4 hitters were a combined 10-for-16 with eight RBI’s, three walks and nine runs scored.

The Tigers will say goodbye to three seniors. Graduating o this year's team are seniors Luke Becker, Dylan Mente, and Jacob Tischuk. Becker was a super-sub/utility/pitcher this season for THS. Going into the postseason, he made 11 starts and had an 8-2 record in 54 1/3 innings pitched. He had an earned run average of 1.93 with 41 strikeouts. Those numbers are the best for a Tipton pitcher in quite some time. Becker also excelled at the plate and was the second leading batter for THS this year. He was second on the team in hits (33) and batting average (.340). He had an on-base percentage of .379 and was second on the team in RBI’s with 14.

Mente will be remembered as a ne catcher and leadoff batter for Tipton that brought toughness to the Tiger teams he was on. Mente led Tipton in stolen bases, stealing 21- for-24 attempts. He was the third leading batter with a .287 average with 25 hits, and eight RBI’s. Mente had a fielding percentage of .933 and threw out seven runners trying to steal on him.

Tischuk came back out for baseball in 2019 after sitting out in 2018. Tischuk batted clean up for the Tigers most of the year and batted .267 with 20 hits and 13 RBI’s. He also stole six bases. Tischuk also pitched and made two starts and appeared in six games. He pitched in 11 innings and had an ERA of 7.64.

The Tigers will return two of their top-5 batters this season led by 2019 leading hitter junior Trent Pelzer. Pelzer batted .434 with 36 hits and 17 stolen bases. Junior Connor Hermiston also returns after batting .301. The Tigers will be loaded in the pitching department next year, returning 11 pitchers.

Camanche beats Tipton in Reginoals, 15-0

CAMANCHE — The Tipton softball team ran into a red-hot softball team in their Class 3A Region 1 opener last week. The Tigers traveled to 3A No. 9 Camanche to take on the Indians. Camanche entered the game with 30 wins in 39 games.
They left with win No. 31 as Ca- manche eliminated the Tigers from the postseason with a 15-0 win in three innings. The Tigers lost to the Indians 10-0 in Camanche on June 4.
The Indians took command of the game in the bottom of the rst inning, scoring 10 runs and batting around in their batting order. Camanche lead- o hitter Tarah Wehde singled, followed by singles from Cam Carstensen and Madi Parson, the third one scoring Wehde. The Indians came into the game on a three-game losing streak and had only scored three runs in there previous three games. Camanche led 10-0 after the rst inning. The Indians batted around again in the bottom of the second inning scoring ve more runs to push the score to 15-0. The game ended after three innings by the 12-run mercy rule when the Tigers were retired in order in the third inning.
Morgan Wendel took the loss after working two innings. She gave up 15 runs, eight earned, on nine hits. She struck out two and walked one batter. Indian starting pitcher Abby Stock, a senior, nearly pitched a perfect game. Stock settled for a no-hitter, giving up a walk to Madelyn Ham in the second inning. Senior catcher Madi Parson led Camanche at the plate going 3-for-3 with three RBI’s. Stock and Abby Beal each had two RBI’s. Every player in the Indian lineup had at least one hit.
Coming into the game, since 2010, Tipton had played Camanche three times in the postseason. The Tigers lost to the Indians in 2011 and 2013 by scores of 7-4 and 10-2 respectively. The Last Tipton postseason win came against Camanche in 2010 in a 1-0 win. Tipton beat the Indians out of the Big East 1-0. Jaden Comp- ton and Jordyn Hamann each had hits. Christina Newton  had an RBI. Taylor Doermann was the winning pitcher - 7 IP, 1-hit, six strikeouts, one walk.
 The Tiger's recent history has had back-to-back seasons with close postseason losses to North Cedar - 5-4 in 2018 and 4-2 in 2017 - and losses to Wapello (1-0) in 2016, North Cedar (12-0) in 2015, and Ben- ton (17-0 in 3 innings) in 2014.  

 The Tigers end the season 5-29. Tipton will return two of their top three batters from this season. Tipton had two seniors on the team this year in catcher Laken Hermiston and in elder Bryanna Sim- mermaker. Hermiston led Tipton in batting with 31 hits, a .348 batting average and a .402 on-base percentage. She also had a team-high 13 RBI’s and a slugging percentage of .416. Simmermaker batted .186 with 18 hits, and seven RBI’s. Tipton had two teammates collect 30 or more hits in the same season for the first time since 2013. Junior Britney Ford joined Hermiston with 30 hits and a .288 batting average. Junior Grace Nichols had a career-best hit total for a season with 21 to go with a .208 batting average. Both return next season.
 Tipton has been hit hard with pitching depth in recent years but will return their two varsity pitchers next season in sisters Morgan and Taylor Wendel.

Wildcats stunned at home by No. 10 Beckman

DURANT — Sometimes life isn’t fair. Despite hard work, sometimes things just don’t go as expected. Monday night, that was the case in Durant as the No. 2 team in Class 2A, Durant Wildcats were upset by 2A No. 10 Dyersville-Beckman 4-2 in the Region 6 Final in Durant. The Wildcats were seeking their fourth trip to state in ve seasons, and first since 2017 when they placed third in Class 2A. The Wild- cats end the season 29-7 while Dyersville-Beckman improves to 29-13 and quali es for the state softball tournament for the rst time in school history.

“We win and lose as a team,” Durant head coach Kevin Kaalberg said. “We had been getting timely hits when we needed to. Tonight, we didn’t get them.”

The pitching matchup was between two seniors in the pitching circle. Durant senior All-Stater and University of Nebraska-Omaha signee Ka- mryn Meyer faced o against Sydney Ste en from Beckman. Meyer was locked in early and pitched a great game. Meyer retired the rst ve Blazer batters, four by strikeout. Meyer allowed only one run and struck out eight batters in the rst four innings. Meyer nished with 15 strikeouts in the game.

Steffen was also good. Holding the Durant o ense in check in the rst four innings. The Wildcats entered the game with a team batting average of .331. Only once did Durant get a runner to second base in the

First four innings. Ste en was the winning pitcher after working seven innings. She struck out six, walked two and gave up two earned runs on seven hits. Meyer took the loss after also working all seven innings. Meyer gave up four runs, three earned on ve hits. She struck out 15 and walked three batters.

Meyer recorded career strikeout No. 700 in the game. It’s a remarkable accomplishment considering she had a combined total of 54 in her eighth grade and freshman seasons. This season she nished with 215 strikeouts this season.

Dyersville-Beckman took control of the game in the top of the fifth inning. There, the Blazers pushed three runs across the plate to extend their 1-0 lead to 4-0. Durant rallied in the bottom half of the inning. The Wildcats scored their only two runs of the ball game in the bottom of the fifth, setting the score at 4-2.

Durant had more hits than the Blazers with 7 hits compared to Dyersville-Beckman’s 5 hits. Two Wildcats had multi-hit games. Ally Happ and Al-

lie Poston each had two hits. Ruby Kappeler, Kylie Schult, and Kira Schult each had hits. Ally Happ and Allie Poston each had RBI’s in the game. Hannah Happ did not have an o cial at-bat in the game but reached base three times via a walk.

Dyersville-Beckman was led by All-State shortstop Heather Boeckenstedt who was 2-for-3 with two runs scored, 1-RBI, and a walk. Jaydn Welling, Shea Steffen, and Emily Wulfekuhle had the other Blazer hits.

Beckman improves to 29-13 and will be the No. 5 seed at the state tournament. Beckman will play Mount Ayr (25-2) who advanced to state after upsetting 2A No. 4 West Monona 9-0 to win Region 3. Beckman and Mount Ayr will play Monday, July 22 at 3:30 p.m.

Beavers win one of three games last week

 WILTON — The Wilton Beavers had a rough end to the regular season with two losses in their nal three games. Both losses were to ranked teams in the Iowa Baseball Coaches Association. Wilton beat Monti- cello 10-4 on Wednesday, July 10 to improve to 18-1 in RVC games. The Beavers lost to Class 3A No. 8 Fair eld 17-3 and Class 1A No. 1 Mason City Newman 8-2 to close the week.

Beavers Wrap RVC Season 18-1
WILTON — Wilton Baseball team won their 18th River Valley Conference game after getting a come from behind victory over Monticello, 10-4 last Wednesday, July 10. The win was number two in a row for Wilton.

Monticello scored single runs in the rst and second inning to take a 2-0 lead after two innings. Wilton scored their rst runs on a grand slam by Jared Townsend in the bottom of the third to take a 4-2 lead. The Beavers would score six unanswered runs to take a 10-2 lead. Monticello would add two final runs in the top of the seventh, but couldn’t get closer than the nal score of 10-4.

Jared Townsend was the winning pitcher after ve innings of work. He struck out eight, walked three and gave up two runs on ve hits. Collin Mc- Crabb pitched the nal two innings in relief and gave up two runs and struck out three. Wilton had eight hits in the game with two players collect- ing multi-hit games. Brayton Wade and Collin McCrabb each had two hits while Cory Anderson, Chantz Stevens, Ashton Stoelk, and Townsend each had hits.

Wilton had 10 stolen bases in the game. Senior catcher Brock Hartley had three stolen bases to lead the Beavers.

Trojans Spoil Regular Season Home Finale 

WILTON — It was a tough night for Wilton against Class 3A state ranked Fairfeld on Thursday, July 11. The Trojans scored eight runs in the top of the rst inning to take command of the ball game. 

Jared Townsend smoked a two-run home run in the bottom of the rst to get Wilton within 8-2, but the Beavers would get no closer. Fair eld plated ve runs in the top of the second inning to take a 13-2 lead and added three runs in the top of the fourth to take a 16-2 lead. Each team would score one more run, setting the final at 17-3 after ve innings.

Ashton Stoelk started and took the loss after not getting out of the rst inning. He gave up six runs on four hits. A.J. Bosten and Brock Hartley each pitched. Wilton had six hits in the game from six di erent players. Garrett Bohnsack had a hit and RBI while Clayton Cooling, Collin McCrabb, Chantz Stevens and Brayton Wade each had hits.

Newman Catholic Gets Best Of Battle Of Top Teams
CEDAR RAPIDS — It’s not common or usually possible for two, top-ranked high school baseball teams in di erent classes to meet in the regular season. However, last Friday, that is what happened in Cedar Rapids. The top ranked team in Class 2A Wilton Beavers, played the top ranked team in Class 1A, Mason City Newman, in a non-conference game in Cedar Rapids. There, Mason City Newman beat the Beavers by a score of 8-2.

Cory Anderson started and took the loss. He gave up eight runs, three earned, struck out one batter, walked three, and gave up seven hits.

Newman Catholic scored two runs in the bottom of the rst and three runs in the bottom of the second to take a 5-0 lead. Wilton responded scoring their two runs in the game in the top of the third to trim the New- man Catholic lead to 5-2 after three innings. Wilton however, would be outscored 3-0 the rest of the way, falling 8-2.

Wilton had four hits in the game. Chantz Stevens was 2-for-3 with a run and Ashton Stoelk and Brock Hartley each had hits. Hartley had the only Wilton RBI. Five different Wilton players reached base via walks. Cory Anderson, Collin McCrabb, Stevens, Ashton Stoelk, and Brayton Wade all had walks.

Wildcats Can’t Catch Cougars in loss

 CASCADE — The Cascade Cougars took an early lead in the rst inning of their RVC cross-division match-up against Durant on July 8, scoring three runs. That early lead held up, as the Cougars beat the Wild- cats 7-2. The loss snapped a three-game win streak for the Wildcats. Durant ended the regular season 12-11.
 Nate Dierickx took the loss after starting and working 3 2/3 innings. He struck out four, walked four and gave up six runs on three hits. Only one- run was earned. Ethan Gast pitched the nal 2 1/3 innings in relief and gave up one run.
 Durant cut Cascade’s lead to 3-1 with their rst run of the game in the top of the fourth inning. Cascade would drop three more runs on the scoreboard in their half of the fourth inning to extend their lead to 6-1. Each team would add another run in the game to set the nal at 7-2. Durant had seven hits in the game. Jake Willkomm was 2-for-4 with a triple and a run scored. Drew DeLong, Ben Orr, Brendan Paper, Keagan Head, and Lucas Callison each had hits. Durant had three doubles in the game, one each from De- Long, Paper, and Keagan Head.

Golden Hawks Beat Knights 13-2 In 2019 Home Finale
 LOWDEN — The Mid-Prairie Golden Hawks scored four rst inning runs on their way to a 13-2 win at North Cedar in ve innings on Wednesday,
 July 10. North Cedar dropped to 1-5 against River Valley Conference South teams this year. The Knights only RVC South win was against Durant. The Knights did not play West Branch, due to weather.
 Ethan Sahr started and took the loss. He gave up all four rst inning runs. Taden Lange and Chase Miller pitched in relief. North Cedar had three hits in the game from three di erent players. Jacob Wagner, Devon Willis, and Gage Walshire accounted for the Knights hits in the game. Ethan Sahr, Jax- on Sander and Taden Lange all reached base via a walk. Walshire drove in both North Cedar runs and had a double.

Tigers win two of three nal games

  TIPTON — The Tipton baseball team entered the 2019 postseason with a boost, winning two of their final three regular-season games in a three-day span, to win their 11th and 12th ball game of the year. Tipton beat two teams from the South Iowa Cedar League in English Valleys and Iowa Valley and lost to regional rival Lisbon. The Tigers end the regular season 12- 16 overall and 4-5 in nine non- conference games. The Tigers lost non-conference games with Midland, Davenport North, and Central City this summer due to weather.

Tigers Snap 6-Game Losing Streak With EV Win At Home
 TIPTON — The Tigers snapped a six-game losing streak at home on Monday, July 8 with a 9-0 win over English Valleys. The Bears were the first of two South Iowa Cedar League opponents that Tipton played last week. The Tigers scored the most runs in a game since their 15-5 win over North Cedar on June 20.
 Tipton senior Luke Becker started and got the win pitching ve innings and allowing no runs. Becker lowered his team-leading ERA to 1.93 with the five shutout innings. He also improved to 8-2 in 11 starts this year. Becker struck out ten, walked one and gave up only four hits. He needed 70 pitches in the game. Peyton Gaertner pitched two innings of scoreless relief. He struck out ve batters in the six outs he got. Becker struck out ve EV batters in the first two innings including all of the outs in the second inning. English Valleys had their best scoring chance in the second when they got a runner to third base with one out.
 Tipton sent 11 batters to the plate in the bottom of the third and scored six runs to take control of the game 7-0. The Tigers led 1-0 after two innings after an RBI double by Caden Schmidt. The Tigers led o the third with singles by Luke Becker, Trent Pelzer, and Jacob Tischuk. The Tigers would see the score swell to 4-0 before RBI singles by Nile Schuett, Ca- den Schmidt, and Dylan Mente plated three more runs to set the score at 7-0.
 Tipton extended their lead to 8-0 in the bottom of the fourth with a run scored on an RBI double by Kael Jauron. The Tiger's last run came in the bottom of the sixth on a Tischuk RBI single.
 Tipton had nine hits in the game with two players getting multi-hit games. Luke Becker was 2-for-3 with 2 RBI’s. Trent Pelzer was 2-for-3 with a stolen base and walk. Kael Jauron, Nile Schuett, Jacob Tischuk all had hits and RBI’s. Caden Schmidt also had a double, single, and two RBI’s in his first varsity game.
 English Valleys lost their seventh game in a row with the loss to the Tigers. Cale Hester took the loss after giving up eight runs in ve innings. Hester walked ve and did not walk any batters. Cooper Andreas- sen pitched one-inning in relief. English Valleys had ve hits in the game led by Andreassen who was 2-for-3 with three stolen bases.

Tigers Lose Last Road Regular Season Game
 LISBON — The Tigers struggled against non-conference foe Lisbon last week when they traveled to the Tri-Rivers team’s home eld for a single baseball game. There, the Lions broke open a 2-0 game with a 9-run bottom of the third inning to take an 11-0 lead. The Lions would cruise to a 14-0 win in four innings.

Comets take game with Durant in 7th

TIPTON — The Durant Wildcat baseball season ended abruptly Saturday, July 13 in Tipton. The Wildcats fell 4-3 in extra innings to West Liberty. Durant ends the season 12-12. West Liberty advances with a record of 11-14. The Comets will play Mid-Prairie in the next round. The Wildcats snapped a six year win streak in postseason openers. The last time the Wildcats lost their rst postseason game was in the 2012 season. The Wildcats end the season losing their last two games. West Liberty has won three of its last four games.
 The winning hit came in the bottom of the eighth inning on a hit by Caleb Wulf. Will Esmoil reached on a hit. He promptly stole second and got to third base on a throwing error to get in scoring position. Wulf then hit the game-winning RBI single, scoring Esmoil.
 Durant scored the game’s first run of the game. Jake Willkomm reached on an error to lead o the game and advanced to second on an elder’s choice and took third on a wild pitch. Willkomm scored on a sacri ce y by Ben Orr to give Durant a 1-0 lead.
 West Liberty took the lead an inning later with two runs in the bottom of the second to set the score at 2-1. Durant tied the game at 2-2 with a single run in the top of the fourth. Nate Dierickx drove on Orr. Orr would single in Willkomm in the top of the fth inning to give Durant the lead back at 3-2. West Liberty would tie the game in the bottom of the sixth, setting the score at 3-3.
 Durant loaded the bases in the eighth after Orr and Lucas Callison were hit by pitches and Logan Callison reached base. However, none scored and the game went to the bottom of the eighth setting up Wulf’s game-winner.
A.J. Lenz started for West Liberty and pitched seven innings. He struck out 12 Wildcats and walked one. He gave up three runs on ve hits. Caleb Wulf was the winning pitcher after pitching a scoreless eighth inning. He struck out one and did not allow a hit.
 West Liberty had only three hits in the game. Wulf was 2-for-3 with a run and an RBI. Will Esmoil had a hit, run and stolen base. Lenz and Drake Collins each reached base via a walk. Lenz and Caleb Sterbenz each had two stolen bases.
 Durant had ve hits in the game. Ben Orr led the Wild- cats o ense, going 2-for-2 with a run scored and 2 RBI’s. Jake Willkomm and Nate Dierickx each had hits in the game. Dierickx had an RBI and stolen base. Drew DeLong also had a stolen base. Nolan DeLong reached base via a walk.

From The Cheap Seats: Tipton Boy Catches Home Run Ball At Cubs Game

By Ryan Stonebraker

Sports Editor, Tipton Conservative

  Most summers, the Lyle Hermiston family embarks on what has become a family tradition. Going to a Chicago Cubs game. Hermiston, his wife Tonya, daughter Laken and sons Connor and Carter were in attendance on Monday, July 15 when the Cubs hosted the Cincinnati Reds. That night Tipton senior to be Connor Hermiston snagged a home run ball hit by Chicago Cubs left fielder Kyle Schwarber, giving this Cubs family another special memory. It was the first time that the Hermiston have sat in the bleachers for a Cubs game, as they usually try to sit near the Cubs dugout if possible.

  The Hermiston family is busy in the summer as their kids play ball games. Connor Hermiston started in left field for the Tigers this season and was the fourth leading batter. He finished his junior season with career bests in batting average (.301), hits (22), RBI’s (13), and stolen bases (11). He had an on-base percentage of .338. Defensively, Hermiston had a fielding percentage of .956 with only

Tipton junior left fielder Connor Hermiston caught
a home run ball by Chicago Cubs left fielder Kyle Schwarber
during a family trip last week.  Hermiston and his family attend
Cubs games each summer.  Photo by Tonya Hermiston.

two errors this season in the Tigers 19 games this summer. Laken Hermiston was the Tigers starting catcher for softball turning in her best season leading THS in batting average (.348), hits (31), and RBI’s (13). Their youngest, Carter, also had had a busy summer of activity.

  Free nights are hard to come by for the family and a spur of the moment decision found them at the Cubs night game on the 15th. The family usually goes to at least one Cubs game a summer and has even been to a couple road games in the past.

  “We have been a Cubs family for a while. Even when they weren’t doing so hot. We were still going to games,” said Connor. “Colorado is our furthest road game we have been to. We thought about going to San Diego this year, but we didn’t,” he said. The Cubs travel to San Diego Monday, September 9-Thursday, September 12 a month into the new school year.

  Schwarber is one of the family’s favorite Chicago Cubs players. He happens to also play the same position as Connor. Left field. Schwarber is the Cubs starting left fielder and is currently is batting .229 with 22 home runs and 47 RBI’s. He has hit seven of his home runs in the last 30 games.

  “There has been some players over others that my family has liked. Schwarber is one of them. I have liked him ever since he went on the run he had in the 2016 World Series,” said Hermiston.

  The home run came in the bottom of the third inning with the Cubs trailing 1-0. The play before the home run, Cubs pitcher Kyle Hendricks grounded into a double play giving the Cubs two outs. Schwarber launched the fourth pitch he saw from Reds starting pitcher Luis Castillo into the left center bleachers. The ball hit off part of the concourse and bounced back to Hermiston who like Tiger fans have seen a lot this season, made the play on the ball.

  The home run’s distance was officially measured at 426-feet and came on a 2-ball, 1-strike count. The homer tied the game at 1-1. The Cubs would take a 3-1 lead with a two-run fourth, but watch the lead slip away. The Reds scored one run in the sixth and two runs in each of the seventh and eighth

Tipton's Connor Hermiston gets ready to drive a pitch during the Tiger's
final regular-season game against Lisbon recently.  Photo by Toby Hollis.

innings to win the game 6-3 behind five unanswered runs. Castillo would be the winning pitcher, picking up his ninth win of the season to improve to 9-3. Swarber would finish 2-for-5 in the game with an RBI and a run scored.

  The home run was Swarber’s 20th this season. No one asked for the ball to give to Schwarber, but security personnel did check to make sure he was okay and not hurt.

  After catching the ball, Hermiston said that after about 10 minutes he checked his phone which was blowing up with messages on SnapChat and Twitter from friends who had seen them on TV. The game was broadcast on Comcast SportsNet out of Chicago and the Hermiston had a brief cameo of the catch as scenes cut to Swarber rounding the bases.

  “My phone blew up. Messages on twitter and snapchat were nuts. There is a buzz in the crowd when something like that happens, but it dies down. The game goes on,” said Hermiston.

  “The rest of the game, I was just amazed. I couldn’t believe that I caught a live home run ball,” he said.

  The Schwarber home run was technically the second ball Hermiston caught that night. While waiting to get to their bleacher seats they had to wait in line outside the stadium. As with most games, teams have batting practice. While waiting, a ball flew out of the stadium and Hermiston caught it on the bounce. He gave that ball to a young fan also waiting in line.

  The home run ball was the eighth ball caught by the family. Most balls come on toss ups. The first ball the family got was in 2006 when then Cubs relief pitcher Scott Eyre tossed one up to Lyle. The Schwarber ball was Connor’s eighth ball he has caught.

  “This is my eighth ball overall. I usually get a player to toss one up. As you get older, it’s cool to happen, but when you are younger, it’s like you have to have a ball when you go,” he said.

  It’s been some time since he has collected baseball cards, but Connor does have a place for the baseballs he has caught.

  “At games, I go on the foul lines to get some toss ups. I have a place for the baseball in my room. I have a shelf. I have a couple of cases with home run balls I have hit as a youth or from travel ball. This one (Schwarber ball) will go in a case,” he said.
 
  The Hermiston family will turn their attention to fall activities soon, but keep one-eye on Schwarber and the Cubs. Connor will begin his senior season on the Tiger football team and school will be back in session soon. They hope to see the Cubs reach the postseason for the fifth straight season and reach another World Series.

Tigers slide continues with four losses in four games

 TIPTON - The Tipton baseball team is in need of a victory as they head to the nal week of the regular season. The Tigers played four games last week, three of which were River Valley Conference games, and finished with Class 1A state-ranked No. 4 Calamus-Wheat- land. The Tigers have lost six games in a row over the last two weeks. The Tigers are 10- 14 heading to the nal week of the regular season. The Tigers will host English Valleys and Iowa Valley and travel to Lisbon this week. Tipton will host a Class 2A district game for the second straight season. The Tigers will host Iowa City Regina in the second of two games this Saturday. The rst game will have Durant and West Liberty at 5 p.m.

Tigers Fall Behind Early, Try To Rally Late In Cal-Wheat Loss  WHEATLAND — The Tipton baseball team played the No. 4 ranked Class 1A Calamus- Wheatland Warriors tough in their non-conference game last week on the road. The Tigers fell behind early but tried to rally late, before falling 7-3.
 The Tigers enter the last week of the regular season 10-15 overall.
Calamus-Wheatland scored two runs in the rst and three runs in the second inning to take an early 5-0 lead. Tipton scored their rst run of the game in the top of the third on an RBI single by Dylan Mente, scoring Kael Jauron. Tipton cut the Warriors lead to two runs, 5-3 with a pair of runs in the top of the fourth. Tipton sent seven batters to the plate in the half inning. Calamus- Wheatland plated two runs in the bottom of the fourth inning to set the score at its nal of 7-3.
 Nick Howell took the loss after 2 2/3 innings of work. He started and gave up ve runs on ve hits and walked one. Brady Connor pitched 3 1/3 innings of relief and gave up two runs on one hit. He struck out two and walked one.
 Tipton had 10 hits in the game and three Tigers had multi-hit games. Dyland Mente, Nile Schuett, and Kael Jauron each had two hits. Luke Becker, Trent Pelzer, and Connor Hermiston all had hits in the game. Tipton had three walks in the game with Hermiston, Schuett, and Connor each reaching base via walks.

Comets Score Three Runs In 7th To Beat Tipton
 BELLEVUE — The Tipton baseball team lost a 9-8 ball game in eight innings to RVC North foe Bellevue in Bellevue last Wednesday, July 3. The loss to the Comets snapped a four-game win streak by THS over the RVC North Division competition. The Tiger's loss was there fth in a row.
Tipton scored first with four runs in the top of the third to break a scoreless tie. Tipton had RBI singles from Luke Becker, Trent Pelzer, and Nile Schuett in the inning. Bellevue would score two runs in the fth and four runs in the sixth to take a 6-4 lead to the nal inning. Tipton however, would score twice in the top of the seventh to tie the game at 6. Two-out RBI singles by Becker and Pelzer accounted for the tying runs. Tipton held Bellevue in the bottom of the seventh to force extra innings. In the top of the eighth, Con- nor Hermiston drew a lead- o walk and promptly stole second. Nile Schuett walked. Hermiston went to third and both would later score to give Tipton an 8-6 lead. Bellevue countered in the bottom of the eighth, scoring three runs to capture the game by one-run.
 Kayden Rezac got the start and turned in his longest outing this season of ve innings. Rezac struck out two, walked six and gave up two runs on ve hits. Carter Hill, Trent Pel- zer, and Carson Charves also pitched. Pelzer took the loss.
 Tipton had 11 hits in the game with three players collecting multi-hit games. Trent Pelzer was 4-for-4 with a run scored and two stolen bases. Dylan Mente and Luke Becker each had two hits and scored twice. Mente had two stolen bases and Becker had one. Jacob Tischuk, Nile Schuett, and Kael Jauron each had hits in the game.

Bears Sweep Tigers In Doubleheader
 WEST BRANCH — The Tip- ton baseball team fell twice at West Branch last week in their final regular-season doubleheader. The Bears beat Tipton 13-10 in game one and 11-1 in game two.

 In game one, the Tigers led 10-1 after two innings but watched as the Bears chipped away at the Tigers lead and outscored them 12-3 to capture the win.

 West Branch scored six runs in the third to trim the Tiger lead to 10-7 and got within one run in the fourth inning, push- ing two runs across the plate to set the score at 10-9. That score stood until the bottom of the fourth inning when the Bears scored four runs to set the score at its nal of 13-10.

 Luke Becker started and pitched ve innings. He gave up nine unearned runs on 11 hits. He struck out two and walked one batter. Carson Charves and Trent Pelzer each pitched in relief. Pelzer took the loss.

 Tipton had 15 hits in the game and had four players with multi-hit games. The Tigers top-3 hitters in their line-up were a combined 8-for-14 with two doubles and ve RBI’s. Trent Pelzer was 4-for-5 with
a double, two runs scored and three RBI’s. Connor Hermis- ton, Luke Becker, and Dylan Mente each had two hits. Mente, Becker, Kael Jauron, and Nile Schuett each had RBI’s. Hermiston had three RBI’s. Jacob Tischuk, Jauron, Cole Syring, Schuett and Carter Hill all had hits in the game.

In game two, West Branch won 11-1 in ve innings. Cole Syring took the loss after giving up 11 runs in 4 1/3 innings. Jacob Tischuk had a double and RBI and Luke Becker and Dylan Mente each had hits.

Beavers claim RVC Baseball title, 22nd win

GOOSE LAKE - Coming off of just their second loss in 24 games this season, the Wilton Beavers got back on the winning ways with an 11-1 road win over River Valley Conference North Division
foe Northeast. The win was the third in four games for the Beavers last week. The wins give Wilton a record of 22-2 heading to the nal week of the regular season. The Beavers remain ranked No. 1 in Class 2A after the nal Iowa Baseball Coaches Association’s poll was released over the weekend. Ashlton Stoelk was the winning pitcher in the Beavers 6-inning win over the Rebels. Stoelk struck out seven, walked three and gave up one unearned run on six hits. The Beavers scored rst with a run in the top of the second. Northeast tied the game at 1-1 in the third. Wilton would outscore the Rebels 10-0 from that point one with four runs in the top of the fourth and six runs in the top of the sixth to get the 10-run difference on the scoreboard.
 Wilton had 13 hits in the game with four players having multi-hit games. Clayton Cooling was 4-for-4 with a run scored, stolen base and RBI. Jared Townsend, Collin McCrabb, and A.J. Bosten each had two hits. Garrett Bohn- sack hit a home run, had two runs, and drove in two runs.
 Brock Hartley added a solo home run. Jared Townsend had a double and drove in a team-high four runs. Bosten also had an RBI.
 The loss was the fth straight for Northeast. Sam Moraetes took the loss after starting and working 3 1/3 innings. Moraetes gave up three runs, walked three and struck out two. Riley Wolfe also pitched in the game. Northeast had seven hits led by Cade Hughes and Anthony Adney who each had two hits.

Beavers Are Outright RVC Champs
WELLMAN — The top-ranked team in Class 2A Wilton Beavers split their RVC South doubleheader at Mid-Prairie on Tuesday, July 2. With the game one, 12-1 win in six innings. Mid-Prairie outlasted the Beavers 4-3 in the nightcap in a game that was delayed due to weather.

Wilton senior Jared Townsend struck out 14 batters and gave up an unearned run over six innings of the rst game, 11-1 win for the Beavers. Wilton scored in ve of the six innings in the game. Wilton led 4-0 after two innings and 7-0 after four innings. The Beavers outscored the Golden Hawks 5-1 the rest of the way including five runs in the top of the sixth.

Wilton had ten hits in the game led by Chantz Stevens and Collin McCrabb each with two hits, and four RBI’s. McCrabb had a home run while Stevens, Pat- rick Barszczewski, and Garrett Bohnsack each had doubles.

In game two, Mid-Prairie got a gem pitching e ort from Brad Tornow to pick up a 4-3 win. Tornow pitched a complete game and struck out 17 Wilton batters. He did walk one and he gave up three earned runs.
A.J. Bosten took the loss after six innings. He struck out six, walked two and gave up four runs on six hits.

Wilton had four hits in the game led by Collin McCrabb who was 2-for-3 with two home runs, three RBI’s, and two runs scored. Chantz Stevens and Jared Townsend each had hits.

Wilton led 2-0 after two, top of the rst runs. Mid-Prairie scored three runs in the bottom of the rst to take a 3-2 lead. Wilton tied the game with a single run in the top of the third, but Mid-Prairie took the lead for good with a run in the bottom of the fourth.

Beavers Beat West Branch To Complete Doubleheader Sweep
WILTON — The Wilton Beavers beat West Branch 4-1 on July 1 to complete a doubleheader between the schools. The Beavers also completed a suspended game two against West Liberty, 8-3 the same day. Those wins helped Wilton claim a share of the RVC title. The doubleheader was postponed earlier this season. Collin Mc- Crabb was the winning pitcher, going six innings to get the win. He struck out nine, walked two and gave up one-run on three hits. Cory Anderson pitched a scoreless seventh inning to earn the save.

Wilton scored three runs in the bottom of the rst to take an early lead. The Beavers would not trail in the game. West Branch scored their only run in the top of the second.

Wilton had ve hits in the game. Chantz Stevens was 2-for-4 with a run and stolen base. Cory Anderson, Ashton Stoelk and Brayton Wade each had a hit. Stoelk, Jared Townsend, and Wade all had RBI’s. A.J. Boston, Stoelk, and Townsend each had stolen bases.

In the completion of the suspended game with the Comets, Cory Anderson was the winning pitcher after 5 2/3 innings. He gave up three runs on three hits and struck out seven. Ashton Stoelk pitched 1 1/3 innings of scoreless relief.

Wilton scored two runs in each of the rst two innings to take a 4-0 lead. West Liberty scored three in the third to cut Wilton’s lead to 4-3. The Beavers put the game away with a four run fth to set the score at its nal of 8-3.

Wilton had 13 hits in the game led by Brayton Wade who was 3-for-3 with an RBI and run scored. Collin McCrabb and Garrett Bohnsack each had two hits.

Tigers win last regular season game at Bellevue

BELLEVUE — After playing three games earlier in the week with two on the road, Tipton ended their week at RVC North foe Bellevue for their last regular season game. There, Tipton collected their fth win of the season with a 6-2 win over the Comets. The Tigers end the regular season with a record of 5-28 and will travel to Camanche next Wednesday to play the Class 3A No. 9 Indians in the rst round of Class 3A Regional play.

Tipton scored runs in four of the seven innings in the game. The Tigers scored a run in the first to take a 1-0 lead. That lead held until the third when Tipton scored again to push their lead to 2-0 after three innings. Bellevue cut the Tigers lead in half with a single run in the fourth. Tipton took control of the game in the top of the fth when they plated three runs to take a 5-1 lead. Tipton led 5-2 heading to the seventh when they added another run to set the score at its nal of 7-2.

Morgan Wendel was the winning pitcher. She pitched a complete game. Wendel struck out six, walked one, and gave up two runs on four hits. Tipton had 11 hits in the game with four players collecting multiple hits. Grace Nichols, Bryanna Simmermaker, Laken Hermiston, Kaylea Claussen, and Morgan Wendel each had two hits in the game. Simmer- maker had a triple and Nichols a double as extra bast hits for THS. Wendel drove in three runs and Simmermaker two runs. Laken Hermiston also had an RBI. The 6-run outburst was the most runs scored for THS in a game this season, since a 14-4 win over Bellevue at the Bellevue tournament back on Saturday, June 15.

Bears Beat Tigers In RVC Doubleheader
WEST BRANCH — Tipton traveled to West Branch on Tuesday, July 2 to face the Bears in their last regular-season games against River Valley Conference South opponents. There, the Beavers swept the Tigers by scores of 3-0 in game one, and 10-4 in game two. The wins snapped a three-game losing streak for the Bears.

Kaiya Luneckas was the winning pitcher after working seven innings and giving up no runs. She scattered four Tipton hits struck out nine THS batters and walked ve. West Branch had eight hits in the game led by Lexi Klinkkammer who was 3-for-3 with a home run and three RBI’s. West Branch scored all three runs in the game in the bottom of the sixth inning.

Morgan Wendel took the loss after six innings of work. She struck out three, walked two and gave up three runs on eight hits. Tipton was led by senior Laken Hermiston who was 3-for-3. Britney Ford had the other hit for THS, a single. Tip- ton had ve walks in the game with Keeli Claussen and Wen- del each getting two and Mad- elyn Ham reaching base on one walk.

In game two, Tipton lost but scored their rst runs in four games with four runs in a 10-4 loss. Taylor Wendel took the loss for Tipton after four innings of work. She struck out two and walked three. Wen- del gave up nine runs on eight hits. Morgan Wendel pitched one-inning in relief and gave up one run on two hits. Tipton had two hits, a double by Bry- anna Simmermaker and a single by Grace Nichols. Britney Ford had two RBI’s and Laken Hermiston had one RBI. Ford, Kaylea Claussen, Jacie Havill, and Riley Batzkiel each reached base on walks. Ford stole two bases.

Lexi Klinkkammer started and pitched 1 1/3 innings. She gave up four runs on one hit and walked four. Sasha Koenig got the win after pitching 3 2/3 innings in relief and shutting Tip- ton out while giving up only two hits.

Tipton led 4-2 after two innings. West Branch, however, tied and grabbed the lead in the bottom of the fourth with a six-run inning, while taking an 8-4 lead. West Branch extended their lead to 10-4 with a two-run fourth.

Tigers Fall To 3A No. 8 Anamosa
 TIPTON — The Tipton softball team fell 16-0 in four innings to the No. 8 ranked team in Class 3A, Anamosa Raiders. Anamosa led 7-0 after three innings and took command of the game with a 9-run fourth to take the game 16-0.

 Morgan Wendel took the loss after giving up 16 runs on 13 hits. She struck out one and walked one batter. Tipton had just two hits in the game, singles by Grace Nichols and Riley Batzkiel. Wendel reached base twice by walk and Kaylea Claussen also reached base by a walk.

Durant collects two more victories

CASCADE - A seven run sec- ond was enough for Durant to cruise to a 10-0 win in ve in- nings at Cascade last Wednes- day, July 3. The Wildcats improved to 6-0 against River Valley Conference North Divi- sion foes. Durant improved to 27-6 overall and 16-3 in the RVC. The Wildcats nished second in the RVC South, one- game behind West Liberty. The Comets won the South Division with a record of 17-2 in RVC games.

Durant led 2-0 after the first inning but took control of the game with a seven-run top of the second to take a commanding 9-0 lead. That score held until the Wildcats pushed a run across the plate in the top of the fourth to get the score to 10-0.
The Wildcats senior pitchers Kamryn Meyer and Jenna Lawson combined on a no-hitter. Meyer was the winning pitcher after two innings of work and striking out four Cougars and walked no batters. Jenna Lawson pitched the nal three innings in relief. She struck out seven, walked one and did not give up a hit. Durant had eight hits in the game and stole six bases. Han- nah Happ and Allie Poston each had two hits Ruby Kappeler, Jada Rock, Kylie Schult, and Paige Werthmann each had hits. Kappeler and Rock each drove in two runs while Happ, Poston, Schult and

Meyer each had RBI’s. Six different Wildcats stole a base in the game.

The loss snapped a ve-game win streak by Cascade. In the streak, Cascade won four RVC games. Durant will begin postseason play this week on Wednesday at home. The Wildcats will host the winner of the Regional game between Bellevue and Maquoketa Valley.

Wildcats Shutout Washington At Home DURANT - The Durant softball team picked up a 1-0 win over Washington in their home regular season nale last Tuesday. The Wildcats were supposed to host Washington for two games, but after a couple lightning delays, rain moved in and the second game was cancelled. The shutout win was the Wildcats fourth in their last ve games and 13th this season.

Kamryn Meyer was the winning pitcher after the complete-game win in seven innings. Meyer struck out 12, walked three and gave up only three hits in the game. A Hannah Happ RBI single in the bottom of the fth inning scored Paige Werthmann for the games only run. Durant had seven hits in the game led by Ruby Kappeler who was 2-for-3 with a double. Jada Rock, Kylie Schult, Meyer, and Werthmann all had hits in the game.

Beavers have rough end to regular season

WILTON — The Wilton Beavers wrapped up their regular season schedule last week with six games in seven days. The Beavers played ve games against River Valley Conference teams and went 1-4. Overall in the six games, Wilton was 1-5 and finishes the regular season 18-19. The Beavers will have a bye in the rst round of the 2A Regionals and will play either Danville or Pekin at home on Wednesday, July 10. The Beavers also were ranked from start to nish this year in Class 2A, nishing No. 11 in the nal 2A poll released this week.

8th Ranked Regals Sweep 7th Ranked Beavers In Iowa City

IOWA CITY — The Iowa City Regina Regals got the best of the Wilton softball team in a Class 2A Top-10 match up. The Regals won game one, 11-0 in ve innings and won game two, 9-5. Regina improved to 16-14 overall and 13-3 in RVC play while Wilton fell to 17-16 overall and 8-8 in RVC games.

Wilton could not solve Regal senior ace Katie Bracken in game one. Bracken retired the rst seven Wilton Batters and allowed only one Wilton baserunner to reach second base. Bracken struck out eight Wilton batters and held the Beavers to two hits in the game. Singles by Emily Coss in the third and Payton Ganzer in the fifth were the only hits for Wilton.

Bracken also had a night at the plate with two hits with a double and RBI. Emma Nibaur added two hits and three RBI’s.

Regina scored three times in the first on an RBI double by Courtney Kessler and a RBI singles by Emma Nibaur, and Jess Hunter for a 3-0 lead. A solo home run by Annie Gahan and a RBI single by Bracken extended the Regals lead to 5-0 after two innings. Regina sent 12 batters to the plate in a six-run fourth inning to take an 11-run lead. A two-run Nibaur single was the big hit in the inning.

In game two, Wilton had to ght from behind after trailing 9-2 after four innings. The Regals scored two runs in the bottom of the second and third innings to lead 4-0 after three innings. Wilton got on the scoreboard with two runs in the top of the fourth to cut the Regal lead in half. Wilton sent seven batters to the plate in the inning. Kortney Drake reached on a lead-o single followed by a Payton Ganzer single. Drake scored on a Charlotte Brown ground out and Ganzer scored on a Madelyn Wade RBI single to set the score at 5-2.

Regina took control of the game with ve runs in the bottom of the fourth inning to extend their lead to 9-2. Regina batted around in the fourth and had an RBI single from Bracken and a two-run triple by Court- ney Kessler. Wilton pushed a runacrosstheplateinthe fifth on a RBI single by Ganzer and scored two more in the top of the seventh to get the score to 9-5, but no closer.

Bracken was the winning pitch- er in the game after ve innings. She gave up three runs on four hits and struck out ve. Emma Nibaur pitched two innings and gave up two runs on three hits. Bracken led Regina at the plate, going 2-for-4 with a home run, two RBI’s and a run scored. Charlotte Brown took the loss after six innings. She gave up nine runs on seven hits, struck out one and walked one.

Rebels Hold Beavers Offense Down In RVC Cross- Division Contest

GOOSE LAKE — The Wilton o ense struggled in their RVC cross-division game at Northeast Goose Lake on Wednes- day, July 3. There, the Rebels broke open a tight ball game with eight runs in the bottom of the sixth to pull away for the 11-2 win.

The victory for the Rebels was their third in their last four games and gave the Rebels a 3-4 recordagainstRVCSouthDivi- sion teams. The 11 runs were the second time in a row and third time in the last four games that Northeast had scored 11 or more runs in the game.

Wilton had eight hits in the game with two players with multi-hit games. Kortney Drake was 3-for-3 with a double and run scored and Payton Ganzer was 2-for-3 with a run scored and stolen base to lead Wilton. Ella Ca rey, Taylor Garvin, and Madelyn Wade had the other Wilton hits.

Wilton scored both of their runs in the top of the sixth inning to cut Northeast’s lead to 3-2. The Rebels had 19 hits in the game with ve players collecting multi-hit games. Alexis Ehlers and Makenna McDon- ald each had four hits. Au- drey Morris and Abby Boyer each had two RBI’s. Ehlers led Northeast with three RBI’s.

Alyssa Pessman was the winning pitcher after starting and going ve innings. Ehlers pitched two innings in relief. Charlotte Brown took the loss for Wilton after working six innings and striking out two batters.

Beavers Split With Golden Hawks
KALONA — The Wilton Beaver softball team traveled to Kalona to play Mid-Prairie in their last RVC South doubleheader of the season. There, Wilton split with Mid-Prairie, winning game one 13-8 and losing game two, 7-5. The Beavers scored 20 runs and had 33 combined hits in the two games.

In game one, Wilton pounded out 21 hits in a 13-8 win. Mal- lory Lange was 5-for-6 with a double, 4 RBI’s, and four runs scored. Alexis Walker was 4-for-5 with two RBI’s and three runs scored. Kortney

Drake, Payton Ganzer, Peyton Souhrada, and Emily Coss all had two hits. Souhrada had two RBI’s and Ganzer had one RBI. Other Wilton hits came from Charlotte Brown, Taylor Drayfahl, Taylor Garvin, and McKenzie Pallischeck.

Wilton led 6-3 after two innings and did not trail in the game. Single runs in the third- sixth innings for Wilton set the score at 10-5 after six innings. Each team pushed three runs across the plate in the seventh inning to set the game at its final of 13-8.

In game two, Wilton fell behind 6-2 after ve and trailed the whole game after leading 1-0 in the rst inning. Wilton fell 7-5 to the Golden Hawks in the second game. Wilton trimmed the Golden Hawk lead to 6-5 after scoring three runs in the top of the sixth inning.

Halee Driscoll took the loss after three innings of work. She gave up three runs on four hits and walked three. Charlotte Brown pitched three innings in relief and gave up four runs on three hits and struck out one batter.

Wilton had twelve hits in the game with ve players with multi-hit games. Kortney Drake was 3-for-4 with a double and two runs while Mallory Lange, Payton Ganzer, Alexis Walker, and Emily Coss each had two hits. Ganzer drove in two runs while Lange and Ella Caffrey each had RBI’s. Wilton had four doubles in the game.

Beavers Clipped By CCA Clippers In Regular Season Finale
WILTON — The Wilton softball team fell 1-0 at home on senior night last Friday to end the 2019 regular season. The Beavers fell to 18-19 overall and enter the postseason on a three-game losing streak.

Clear Creek-Amana scored the winning run in the top of the seventh inning, spoiling a gem of a pitching outing by eighth-grader Charlotte Brown. CCA got a lead-o double from Ga- brielle Bedford who then advanced to third on a wild pitch by Brown. Grace Downes then hit into what should have been a routine ground out, but a throwing error to rst base, allowed Bedford to score the game’s only run.

Brown gave up only one-run on ve hits to the larger school out of the WaMac conference. She struck out three and walked no Clipper batters. Wilton had four hits in the game by four di erent players, but only one- hit after the third inning. The Beavers had many groundouts in the contest. Mallory Lange, Kortney Drake, Payton Gan- zer, and Josie Said had the hits. Lange also reached base via a walk in the game.

NC regular season ends with rain out

LOWDEN — The end to the 2019 North Cedar softball season will be remembered for years to come. The Knights saw their regular season end on an uncommon streak. North Cedar entered last week on a ve-game losing streak. Last week, North Cedar had one game and three games get called due to weather and not being able to get schedules lined up. The Knights fell 11-8 in their only game last week.

The North Cedar softball team scored their most runs in a game sincey a 13-0 win over Central Elkader at the Springville tournament on Sat- urday, July 8, when they took an 11-8 loss. The Knights fell to 6-16 overall with the loss and 3-13 in the River Valley Conference.

Freshman Kendall Smith took the loss after working the whole 7-inning game. She gave up 11 runs, seven earned, on ten hits. She struck out seven and walked three.

Samantha Recker was the winning pitcher for Cascade. Recker pitched 6 1/3 innings and gave up 10 hits and eight runs. She struck out two and walked one. Alyssa Koppes pitched the nal two outs to earn the save. She did not give up a run.

North Cedar had 14 hits in the game. Five Knights had multi-hit games. Kendall Smith, Kassidie Galloway, Carly Meier, Alyssa He e n- ger, and Sam Koth each had two hits. Meier and Kayla Syring each had doubles and Jenna Sy- ring had a triple. Smith, Galloway, and Katelyn Jackson each had RBI’s in the game. Sam Koth had two of the four North Cedar stolen bases and Alyssa Barnhart and Kayla Syring also had stolen bases. He e nger reached base via a walk.

Four Cougars had multi-hit games. Devon Si- mon and Whitney Clemens each had three hits. Simon scored ve runs and stole three bases. Morgan Kremer and Madison Gehl each had two hits. Clemens and Kremer each had three RBI’s. Gehl had two RBI’s.

North Cedar led 2-1 after the rst inning after each team scored in the rst inning. Cascade took a 3-2 lead with a 2-run top of the third. North Cedar tied the game at 3-3 in the fourth inning. Cascade led 4-3 going to the sixth inning. The Cougars would score four runs to take an 8-3 lead. North Cedar tried to get close, scoring four runs of their own in the bottom of the sixth to trim the Cougars lead to 8-7 after six. North Cedar however, would give up three runs in the top of the seventh to take an 11-7 lead. North Cedar was able to put a run across the plate in the bottom of the inning, but could not get closer than the nal score of 11-8.

The second game of the softball doubleheader with the Cougars was called o due to rain and weather. The Knights game on Wednesday, July 3 was called o due to weather and will not be made up. The Knights were to play Mid-Prairie on Saturday, July 6 in a make-up game, but could not due to weather, and the game will not be made up.

Wildcats clinch winning regular season record

LONE TREE — The Durant baseball team clinched a winning record for the 2019 regular season last week with two wins over Highland and Lone Tree. The victories were the third straight for Durant and fourth in their last ve games. The Wildcats improved to 12- 10 overall with the wins and finish the 2019 season with a perfect none-conference record of 4-0. Durant is four wins better at this point of the season than all of last year when they won eight games total. Durant owns wins over Highland, Lone Tree, Springville, and Keokuk. The Wildcats travel to Cascade to nish out the regular season before entering district play Saturday in Tipton. The Wildcats will play West Liberty at 5:00 p.m.

Wildcats Take 9-3 Win at Highland
HIGHLAND — The Durant baseball team won a big 9-3 game at Highland on Monday, July 1. There, the Wildcats used a 14-hit attack to score nine runs and get their 11th victory in 21 games.

Brendan Paper improved to 2-2 and lowered his ERA to 2.03 with the win. Paper surrendered all three Highland runs over 5 2/3 innings of work. He needed 110 pitches. He gave up eight hits, struck out seven and walked three batters. Ethan Gast pitched 1 2/3 innings in scoreless relief. He struck out one, walked no one and gave up one hit.

Drew DeLong was 4-for-4 with a double, three RBI’s, two runs, a stolen base, and a walk. Jake Willkomm was 3-for-4 with three stolen bases and three runs scored. Bren- dan Paper and Nate Dierickx each had two hits and an RBI. Keagan Head, Ethan Gast, and Tevin Miller had the other Durant hits. Durant had seven stolen bases and drew two walks in the game.

Durant took the lead for good in the top of the rst inning, scoring four runs. Durant led 5-0 before Highland scored their rst run in the bottom of the third. Durant answered the Huskies run with a pair of runs in the top of the fourth for a 6-1 lead. Durant led 9-2 before the Huskies scored their last run in the bottom of the sixth.

Wildcats Score Double-Digit Wins For the Second Time In Three Games
LONE TREE — For the second time in three games, the Durant Wildcat baseball team scored double-digit runs in a baseball game. Both led to victories. The win was the 12th of the season for Durant. Durant is a tough ball club when they score seven or more runs. Nine of the twelve wins for Durant have seen the Wildcats score seven or more runs.

Durant opened the games scoring with two runs in the top of the rst inning for a 2-0 lead. Durant led 3-0 before Lone Tree plated three runs in the bottom of the third to tie the game at 3-3. Durant broke open the game with a 9-run top of the fourth to take a 13-4 lead. Lone Tree trimmed the Wildcat lead to 13-6. Three Wildcat pitchers led the way for the Wildcats, each pitching 2 1/3 innings in the game. Ben Orr started and gave up three runs on four hits. He struck out ve and walked three. Ethan Gast pitched next in scoreless relief. He gave up no hits, struck out ve and walked three. Jake Willkomm pitched the nal 2 1/3 innings in relief to get the win. He struck out six, walked three and gave up three runs on three hits.

Durant collected 14 hits in hte game and had six players with multi-hit games. Lucas Callison was a 4-for-4 night with an RBI and two runs scored. Willkomm, Drew DeLong, Ben Orr, Nate Dierickx, and Ethan Gast all had two hits. DeLong had two of the three extra-base hits in the game with a double and triple. Dierickx added a double. DeLong had four RBI’s and Gast two RBI’s. Keagan Head, Callison, Brendan Paper and Orr each had an RBI’s.

The Wildcats were able to get on base 14 times via walks. Willkomm had three walks while DeLong, Orr, and Callison each had two walks. Lone Tree used four pitchers in the game. Keegan Edwards started and pitched 2 2/3 innings. He gave up three runs on seven hits and struck out four. Avery Knock pitched two innings in relief and took the loss. He gave up six runs on two hits. He walked ve and struck out three.

Rain, rain, go away. Knights deal with weather this week

 LOWDEN — A horrible week for weather saw four of the ve North Cedar scheduled baseball games postponed due to wet weather. Wiped out were four River Valley Conference games. Things get interesting in trying to make-up these games. This week is the last regular season week for high school baseball. North Cedar had their doubleheader with RVC North foe Anamosa, and one of their two RVC North games with Cascade was rained out. Also postponed is a single game at West Branch. This week, as of presstime, North Cedar hosts Mid-Prairie Wednesday, and travel to Anamosa Thursday for a doubleheader.
 North Cedar’s one game they got in, came on Tuesday, July 2 at home. It was the rst of two games in a doubleheader against RVC North power Cascade. The Cougars were ranked in Class 2A earlier this year, but are not at this point of the year. There, the Cougars took a 7-0 victory in the game. The loss was the Knights eighth straight loss. North Cedar fell to 2-14 overall and 2-12 in the River Valley Conference.
 Ethan Sahr and Tyler Thur- ston pitched for North Cedar. Sahr started and went four innings while taking the loss. He struck out seven, walked one and gave up only two runs on four hits. He used 92 pitchers in the game. Thurston pitched three innings and gave up ve runs on ve hits. He struck out six and walked three. He used 68 pitches.
 Sophomore Eli Green was the winning pitcher for Cascade. He pitched a complete game, 7-inning gem. He gave up four hits and did not give up a run. He struck out nine North Cedar batters. Cascade scored the game’s rst runs with a single run in the top of the rst to put the score at 1-0. That score stood until the top of the fourth when they added another single run to take a 2-0 lead. Cascade put the game away late, scoring three runs in the top of the sixth and two runs in the top of the seventh to set the score at its nal score of 7-0.
 North Cedar got four hits in the game. Senior rst baseman Devon Willis led North Cedar, going 2-for-3. Jacob Wagner and Taden Lange each collected the other two hits in the game.
 Cascade was led at the plate by two players with multi-hit games. Senior catcher Riley Reed was 3-for-4 with a double, a home run and twoRBI’s. Har- ris Ho man was 2-for-5 in the game with a solo home run and two runs scored. Cascade drew six walks and stole ve bases in the game.

Knights Hang With Top-Ranked 2A Beavers

  LOWDEN — It’s not every year that you get to play the top-ranked baseball team in the state. That was the case for North Cedar when they welcomed the top ranked team in Class 2A Wilton Beavers on Monday, June 24. North Cedar lost the match up by a score of 6-0. The Knights dropped their seventh game in a row with the loss.
  The Knights had only one-hit in the ball game, a single by junior Ethan Sahr. North Cedar had one other player on base. Se- nior Devon Willis reached base via a walk.
 Three North Cedar pitchers tried to corral the Beavers offense. Alex Woodward started and pitched three innings. He gave up one-run on four hits. Woodward struck out four, struck out no batters and used 51 pitches. Cole Taylor then pitched in relief, going 2 2/3 innings. He gave up three runs on three hits. Taylor struck out two, walked three and used 58 pitches. Tyler Thurston pitched in relief in part of the sixth inning and all of the seventh. He gave up two runs on one-hit. Thurston struck out three, walked one and used 22 pitches.
 Wilton improved to 5-0 against River Valley Conference North teams. The Beavers have wins over Camanche, Cascade, Bellevue, Anamosa, and North Cedar now. The Knights fell to 1-4 against RVC South schools. The Knights only RVC South win was against Durant at Duane Banks Field in Iowa City, 6-1.
 Collin McCrabb was the winning pitcher for Wilton. He struck out eight Knights and did not walk anyone. Mc- Crabb gave up only one-hit and needed 65 pitches in 4 2/3 innings of work. Cory Anderson pitched the nal 2 1/3 innings in scoreless relief. Anderson struck out two and walked one.
 Wilton had eight hits in the game led by McCrabb and Ash- ton Stoelk who each had two hits. Stoelk had a home run and two RBI’s and McCrabb had a RBI.
 The Knights doubleheader against Anamosa was postponed on Thursday, June 27 due to weather. At press time, the doubleheader had not been rescheduled. North Cedar hosted state ranked Cascade for their last RVC North doubleheader on July 2. North Cedar played West Branch July 3 in their last regular season game pending the Anamosa make-up.

Knights To Open Postseason At Bellevue
 LOWDEN — The North Cedar Knight baseball team will begin postseason play on Saturday, July 13. The Knights will travel to Bellevue to play the Comets at 7:00 p.m. The North Cedar game will be the second game that night as Monticello will face Northeast at 5:00. If the Knights win, they would play Camanche, at Camanche at Dy- ersville-Beckman on July 16 at 5:00 in a district semifinal.

Tigers take loss at Mount Mercy to Lone Tree

 CEDAR RAPIDS — The Tigers traveled to Mount Mercy University last Wednesday to play non-conference foe Lone Tree. There, the Tigers fell 4-0 and did not lead in the game. The Tigers fell to 2-2 in non-con- ference games. Lone Tree won their second game in a row and improved to 9-9.
 Tipton used three pitchers in the game. Seniors Dylan Mente and Jacob Tischuk along with freshman Brady Connor pitched. Mente took the loss after starting and not getting out of the rst inning. Mente gave up two runs on two hits and walked three batters. Jacob Tischuk pitched the next 2 2/3 innings in relief. Tischuk struck out one, walked one and gave up two runs on three hits. Brady Connor pitched the nal three innings of scoreless relief. He struck out two and walked no one.
 Lone Tree scored the game’s rst runs with two runs in the rst. Lone Tree extended their lead to 4-0 with two more runs in the bottom of the second inning. Neither team could score the rest of the way.
 Tipton had six hits in the game. Trent Pelzer was 2-for-4 with a stolen base to lead THS. Luke Becker, Connor Hermiston, Kael Jauron, and Cole Syring each had hits.
 Keegan Edwards was the winning pitcher in the game after a complete game shutout in seven innings. He struck out four, walked one and gave up six hits. Lone Tree had eight hits with two players collecting multiple hits. Bryce Thomp- son and Avery Knock each was 2-for-3 in the game.

Tigers Split With Wildcats
 TIPTON — The Tipton baseball team hosted Durant for a conference doubleheader last Thursday night. There, the Tigers and Wildcats split their two games. Tipton won game one, 3-0 and Durant took game two, 12-0. The Tigers record is now 10-10.
 In game one, Tipton got a complete game shutout by Luke Becker to secure the win.
Becker gave up four hits, struck out three and did not walk a batter. Tipton had ve hits in the game led by Trent Pelzer with a 2-for-2 night. Pelzer had a double, a run scored and reached base via a walk. Dylan Mente, Jacob Tischuk, Connor Hermiston all had hits in the game. Tischuk and Hermiston had RBI’s.
 Tipton broke through the scoring drought by both teams with a three-run bottom of the sixth. The Tigers batted around in the inning. Two of the three runs were brought in by RBI singles by Jacob Tischuk and Connor Hermis- ton. Tipton had three hits and drew two walks in the inning.
 In game two, Durant broke open a close 2-0 game with 10 runs in the top of the seventh to secure the 12-0 win. The Tigers had two hits in the game, singles by Luke Becker and Jacob Tischuk. THS did have four stolen bases and had four di erent players reach base on walks.
 Cole Syring took the loss after working six innings. He gave up four runs on six hits. He struck out two and walked three. Nick Howell, Carter Hill, and Peyton Gaertner all pitched in relief in the seventh.

Weather hampers Beavers week

 WILTON — The crazy summer weather hampered a big week of games for the top-ranked Wilton Beavers baseball team. Before the week, six games were on the schedule. When the week ended, the Beavers had played three games. One game was canceled at Davenport West last Wednesday and two games where postponed in-game due to lightning. The Beavers were playing 1A No. 6 Alburnett at home on Tuesday, June 25 and at West Liberty in game two of two when both were called o due to lightning delays and subsequent late starts. The Beavers won at North Cedar last Monday 6-0, 3-0 at West Liberty Thursday, and 9-1 at home against Midland last Friday. The Beavers improved to 17-1 overall and continue to be ranked No. 1 in Class 2A. 

Beavers Beat Knights 6-0
  LOWDEN — Wilton senior Collin McCrabb made his return to the pitching mound, helping the Beavers beat North Cedar 6-0 on Monday, June 24. McCrabb, who has played in the eld, but not pitched in a while, improved to 2-0 in 11 1/3 innings with the win. He pitched 4 2/3 innings, struck out eight Knights and did not walk a batter. He gave up only one hit in the game.
 Wilton scored rst with a run in the second inning to take a 1-0 lead. That score held until the Beavers pushed three runs across the plate in the top of the fifth to extend their lead to 4-0 after ve innings. Wilton added two runs in the top of the seventh to set the nal score at 6-0.
 Wilton had eight hits in the game and two players with multi-hit games. McCrabb was 2-for-3 with a double, RBI and a run scored. Ashton Stoelk was 2-for-4 with a home run and two RBI’s. Garrett Bohnsack had a hit and RBI and Brock Hartley, Jared Townsend and Brayton Wade each had hits.

Wilton wins one, gets another postponed
 WEST LIBERTY — Weather played havoc in the Beavers mid-week games last week. Lightning forced the Beavers game with Alburnett on Tuesday, June 25 to be postponed with Wilton trailing 1-0. Then, the following night on Wednesday, June 26, Wilton’s game with Davenport West was canceled before West had to make up a conference doubleheader with Muscatine because of an earlier weather issue. At press time, no word or decision has been made to resume the Alburnett contest. Wilton got back on the eld Thursday, June 27 at West Liberty. There, the Beavers beat the Comets 3-0 in game one. Game two was called due to lightning delays that had the second game starting around 10:45 p.m. The two teams were looking for dates to nish up the game.
 Against the Comets, senior Jared Townsend won his sixth game of the year, improving to 6-0 in 31 2/3 innings pitched. Townsend allowed only two hits to the Comets and struck out 14. He lowered his ERA to 0.22 and his opponent’s batting average against him to 0.097.
 Wilton scored a run in the top of the third and added two more in the top of the third to take a 3-0 lead. That score would hold for the rest of the game to give Wilton a win.
 The Beavers had nine hits in the game led by Cory Ander- son who was 3-for-4 with two stolen bases. Chantz Stevens collected two hits in four at-bats. Jared Townsend, Ashton Stoelk, Collin McCrabb, and Garrett Bohnsack also had hits.