March 28, 2024

Clarinda takes two from Creston

Cardinals walk-off in game two

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CLARINDA – It took eight innings, but the Creston baseball team fell to Clarinda Monday 7-6 after a walk-off hit by Clarinda’s Cooper Neal in the eighth inning. The loss came after Creston dropped the first half of the doubleheader 10-0, making up a game that was postponed in the first inning on May 29.

Neal, the nine-hole hitter, came to the plate with teammate Austin Patton on first. Patton, who had walked, stole second before being driven home by Neal’s single back up the middle.

Beau Barncastle was on the hill for the Panthers when the winning run crossed the plate, incurring the loss.

Barncastle was the fourth Creston pitcher to take the hill in the second game of the doubleheader.

The Panthers jumped out to a 4-0 lead after an inning and a half, but Clarinda bounced back by putting three runs on the board in the bottom of the second.

Evan Bruce took over for starter Eli Loudon after Loudon allowed the three runs and pitched well. In 3 2/3 innings of work, Bruce allowed just two hits and didn’t walk a batter, allowing just one run in the final inning of work.

Clarinda plated two in the sixth, one in the seventh and one in the eighth inning.

Michael Scherer tallied two hits, a double and an RBI as four other Panthers added RBIs as well. Scherer also crossed the plate three times.

Make-up game gets lopsided

The first half of the doubleheader started with the Panthers trailing 1-0 in the bottom of the first inning.

Clarinda scored its one run in the top of the first on May 29, but rain postponed the contest.

The Cardinals’ Bryce Neal threw seven scoreless innings and allowed just one hit while getting plenty of run support in the 10-0 win.

Luke Latham was the lone Panther to record a hit.

Jack Frey picked up where Jaden Driskell left off and threw three innings, giving up six runs (only three of which were earned).

Clarinda batted around in the fourth inning, scoring six runs in the inning before adding three more in the fifth, ending the contest in a run-rule.

Creston head coach Steve Birchard was not available for comment.

Results

Game one

R H E

Cl 100 63 — 10 12 0

Cr 000 00 — 0 1 4

Cr: Jaden Driskell 2K 0BB, Jack Frey (2) 2K 3BB, Evan Bruce (5) 2K 0BB and Beau Barncastle. Cl: Bryce Neal 7K 0 BB and Zach Pirtle. W — Neal. L— Driskell (1-3). HR — none. 3B —Cl: Bryce Neal 1. 2B — Cl: Sy Young 1. RBI — Cl: Young 3, Brenten Bond 2, Parker Rock 1, Kam Fulk 1, Zach Pirtle 1, Michael Shull 1. Multiple hitters — Cl: Young 3, Fulk 2, Bond 2.

Game two

R H E

Cr 220 001 10 — 6 7 2

Cl 030 002 11 — 7 5 3

Cr: Eli Loudon 2K 4BB, Evan Bruce (2) 2K 0BB, Keagan Smith (6) 1K 2BB, Beau Barncastle 1K 2BB and . Cl: Kam Fulk 1K 2BB, Jakob Childs (3) 7K 2BB, Parker Rock (7) 0K 1BB, Michael Shull (8) 0K 2 BB. W — Shull. L— Barncastle (2-3). HR — none. 3B —None. 2B — Cr: Michael Scherer 1, Garrett Dahl 1. Cl: None. RBI — Cr: Scherer 1, Loudon 1, Barncastle 1, Gavin Gillam 1, Smith 1. Cl: Nathan Lindsay 2, Shull 1, Bryce Neal 1, Zach Pirtle 1, Cooper Neal 1. Multiple hitters — Cr: Scherer 2. Cl: Austin Patton 2.