March 29, 2024

Area baseball

Co-champs

Orient-Macksburg ended in a four-way tie for the Bluegrass Conference baseball championship after Thursday night’s results.

Twin Cedars defeated Murray 9-0 and Moravia beat Moulton-Udell 8-3, leaving those two winners in a deadlock at 6-2 with Iowa Christian Academy and O-M.

During the conference season, O-M beat ICA and Moravia, and lost to Twin Cedars and Lamoni. Twin Cedars lost to Moravia and ICA. Moravia lost to O-M and ICA. ICA lost to O-M and Murray.

This is just the third conference baseball championship for Orient-Macksburg in the past 33 years — Rolling Hills 1993 and 2008; Bluegrass 2015.

O-M (8-9 overall) closes the regular season this week against Mount Ayr tonight, Guthrie Center on Tuesday and Exira/Elk Horn-Kimballton on Wednesday.

Nodaway Valley 16, Mount Ayr 0

GREENFIELD — Sam Marnin led Nodaway Valley to a 16-0 win over Mount Ayr here on Thursday in game one of a varsity doubleheader.

Marnin finished 3-for-4 at the plate with a double and four RBI. Jackson Lamb also hit a double and drove in two runs. Casey Ladd and Spencer Lamb each added two RBI. Joe Herr and Beau Weinheimer drove in one run apiece.

Casey Ladd picked up the win, giving up three hits in five innings of work with three walks and six strikeouts.

Tristan Holmes picked up the loss for Mount Ayr, with Lucas Wurster and Kole Paxson each pitching in relief.

Mount Ayr 4, Nodaway Valley 1

GREENFIELD — Mount Ayr bounced back to win the nightcap of the doubleheader, 4-1, on the strength of a strong pitching performance from Jacob Taylor.

Taylor scattered four hits and struck out 12 in the win. Offensively, he added two hits, two stolen bases and a run scored. Nick Wurster, Levi Jarred and Kyle Dolecheck each finished with a hit in the win, as well.

For Nodaway Valley, Nathan Andrews doubled, while Casey Ladd scored the lone run of the game.

Brandon Mangles took the loss on the hill, walking three and striking out six.

SW Valley 8,

East Union 0

AFTON — Southwest Valley scored five runs in the sixth inning of an 8-0 win over East Union here on Thursday in game one of a varsity doubleheader.

Kessler Tomas took the loss for East Union, while Nick Frederick earned the win for the Timberwolves, giving up just two hits and two walks over seven innings, striking out 14.

Bryan Pearson hit two singles and drove in three runs. Ryan Carlson added two singles and drove in a pair of runs. Cody McMann hit a double for Southwest Valley.

SW Valley 21,

East Union 11

AFTON — Southwest Valley won a barnburner here Thursday in game two of a varsity doubleheader, scoring 14 runs combined in the sixth and seventh innings to beat East Union 21-11.

Freshman Chance Cobb hit two singles and a double, driving in four runs for the Timberwolves. Ryan Allison singled and doubled with four RBI. Lane Peterson, Colten Drake, Ryan Carlson and Hunter Pontius each drove in two runs.

Drake hit a home run. Trenton Drake added a single and one RBI.

Cobb gave up no earned runs on two hits with five walks and four strikeouts. Nick Frederick picked up the win in relief, pitching one inning and giving up two earned runs on two hits.

Colten Drake pitched the final two innings, giving up no hits and walking one with four strikeouts.

Brandon Lee took the loss for East Union. East Union statistics were not available at press time.

“All in all, it was one of our better offensive performances of the year,” Southwest Valley head coach Pete Nett said. “Nick Frederick was really sharp on the mound with a two-hit shutout in the first game. He threw one inning of relief and got the win in the second game when we put up an eight-spot in the sixth inning.”