March 28, 2024

Falcons salvage split with Panthers in extra innings

Squeeze play in ninth wins nightcap

COUNCIL BLUFFS — The Creston baseball team was one out away from a doubleheader sweep of St. Albert Thursday night, but came home with a split as the Falcons pulled off an extra-inning victory in the nightcap.

Jaden Driskell pitched a complete game five-hitter as the Panthers won the opener, 2-1.

Chase Shiltz was pitching with a 4-2 lead in the bottom of the seventh in game two, but with two outs the Falcons scored twice on two singles and an error to force extra innings.

St. Albert scored on a bases-loaded squeeze bunt play in the bottom of the ninth to win the second game, 5-4.

The teams remain close to each other in the Hawkeye 10, as St. Albert now stands 8-6 in league play, starting the night in fifth place, and 12-10 overall. Creston, starting the night in seventh place, moves to 7-6 in the conference and goes into next week at 8-8 overall.

“We had good pitching in both games and played well defensively except for the one error,” Creston coach Steve Birchard said. “Hats off to St. Albert for getting the momentum there in the bottom of the seventh, in front of their own fans. They are a competitive team. Both teams played good baseball.”

Creston took a 2-0 lead in the opener in the third inning. Brody Frain drew a walk, Gavin Woods singled and Conner Pals singled in Frain. Woods was caught in a rundown on the play, but Pals moved up and Brenden McDowell delivered one of his two hits for the second RBI.

St. Albert closed it to 2-1 in the fifth on a two-out single by Wyatt Suhr, a stolen base, and two more singles. A groundout to Chase Shiltz at third ended the inning and preserved the one-run lead.

“Driskell was really efficient tonight,” Birchard said. “He threw 70 pitches in seven innings, got eight flyball outs early in the count. Shiltz, Pals and McDowell all made some nice plays in the infield.”

The outfield for that game had Dustin Merritt in left, Woods in center and Frain in right.

Second game

Creston again took an early lead in game two, plating a pair of runs in the first inning. Pals led off with a single, McDowell reached on an error and both advanced on a wild pitch. The runs came home on a Shiltz sacrifice fly and single by Merritt.

St. Albert had four of its eight hits against Shiltz in the third inning to cut it to 2-1.

Creston spread it to 4-1 in the fourth. Merritt singled, Kadon Hulett was hit by a pitch, Cody Crawford singled in Merritt and Frain reached on a fielder’s choice. As Woods lined out to right field, Crawford tagged up and scored on the sacrifice fly.

The lead was cut to 4-2 in St. Albert’s fifth inning.

Then the Falcons staged their two-out rally in the seventh. After a batter was hit by a pitch, Shiltz got two outs on a popup and strikeout. Jake Petry followed with a single. Tom Sneed then hit a single, and a second runner scored on the play as the ball got through the outfield on an error.

A popup with the bases loaded got the Panthers out of the jam, but the game headed into extra innings at 4-4.

Creston threatened in the top of the ninth as Pals singled. But on a hit-and-run, McDowell lined to the pitcher, who threw to first for the double play.

St. Albert answered with a walk and single in the bottom of the ninth, and Birchard asked for an intentional walk to set up a force out at the plate.

Travis Miller pushed a suicide squeeze bunt to the right side, and Shiltz was unable to retrieve the ball in time to beat the runner to the plate and the Falcons snared the 5-4 victory.

It was a wild night in the Hawkeye 10, as Atlantic scored 10 runs in the bottom of the seventh to overtake Glenwood, 11-10. League leader Lewis Central routed Clarinda 11-0, Harlan edged Shenandoah 8-6 and Denison-Schleswig swept Red Oak, 5-2 and 2-0. In non-conference play, Dallas Center-Grimes beat Kuemper Catholic 13-0.

Creston starts a busy week on Monday at Class 1A sixth-ranked Martensdale-St. Marys before a full slate of conference games. The Panthers host Red Oak Tuesday, make up a home doubleheader against Carroll Kuemper Catholic on Wednesday and play at home again Thursday against Atlantic, before a Friday afternoon non-conference game at Treynor.

Creston 2, St. Albert 1

R H E

Creston 002 000 0 — 2 6 0

St. Albert 000 010 0 — 1 5 1

Cr: Jaden Driskell 2K 1BB and Kadon Hulett. SA: Travis Miller 2K 1BB and Wyatt Suhr. W — Driskell. L— Miller. 2B — SA: Ben VanSoelen. RBI — SA: Jake Petry 1; Cr: Brenden McDowell 1, Conner Pals 1. Multiple hitters — Cr: McDowell 2.

St. Albert 5, Creston 4

R H E

Creston 200 200 000 — 4 8 1

St. Albert 001 010 201 — 5 8 1

Cr: Chase Shiltz 6K 6BB and Kadon Hulett. SA: Brandon Williams 3K 1BB, Jake Petry (9) 0K 1BB and Wyatt Suhr. W — Petry. L— Shiltz. 2B — SA: VanSoelen. RBI — Cr: Shiltz 1, Dustin Merritt 1, Cody Crawford 1, Gavin Woods 1; SA: Tom Sneed 2, Travis Miller 1. Multiple hitters — Cr: Brenden McDowell 2, Merritt 2, Brody Frain 2; SA: Petry 3, Sneed 3..