Wolverines edged by Lenox, limit strikeouts against No. 1 Falcons

They came so close, but the Nodaway Valley/OM Wolverines, who are looking for another win so badly, nearly snapped a seven-game losing streak last Tuesday when they traveled to Lenox.

NV/OM scored eight runs in an inning and led 8-4 after six frames, but the Tigers won the game by a run in what was a heartbreaking 9-8 loss for the Wolverines.

The game was the first of two POI outings last week as the Wolverines also fell to Class 1A’s top-ranked Wayne Falcons in a home game Friday. A game scheduled for June 26 with East Union was postponed because of heavy rain and will now be played Thursday, July 3.

Lenox scored single runs in each of the four innings to build a 4-0 lead after four innings. Solo home runs by Sadie Cox in the first and third innings as well as an RBI single by Ashlynn Allee in the second and a sac fly RBI by Zoey Reed in the fourth accounted for the runs.

NV/OM got off to a slow start as the first seven batters were retired in order. The Wolverines loaded the bases with two outs in the top of the third; however, Lenox coaxed a two-out fly out by Emma Boswell to end the threat. The Wolverines also got two runners on in the fourth inning but couldn’t score a run.

Still down 4-0 in the sixth, the Wolverines erupted for eight runs, sending 12 girls to the plate. Big hits in the inning included a two-run single by Chloe Rardin, RBI singles from Emma Boswell and Addi Glade, and an RBI hit by pitch to Carter Osborne. Other runs were scored on errors in the frame. Lea Stonebraker, Rardin, Glade and Emma Boswell were the girls with hits in the game.

Lenox rallied in the bottom of the sixth with five runs. Piper Brokaw belted the biggest hit of that stretch with a two-out, three-run triple.

Needing a run in the seventh, a one-out walk was delivered to Ella Boswell and Osborne singled with two outs. Osborne advanced to second on a passed ball, which put runners at second and third with two outs. The Tigers extinguished the threat, stranding both runners.

Nodaway Valley/OM had eight hits in the game. Stonebraker was 2-for-4 with a run scored and Glade was 2-for-3 with a run scored and RBI. Emma Boswell and Osborne each had hits and a RBI.Other hits came from Taylor Laughery and Chloe Rardin.Ella Boswell took the loss after working six innings. Boswell struck out five, walked three and gave up eight runs on 10 hits.

Lenox was led by Sadie Cox, who hit two home runs and drove in three runs. Brokaw added a hit in four at-bats and drove in four runs. Reese Reed started, working 5 1/3 innings. She struck out four, walked four and gave up four runs on five hits. Reed pitched the final 1 2/3 innings and got the win.

While the Wayne game resulted in an 8-0 loss by the Wolverines, they were able to hold the Falcons at bay with no one inning being a major difference in the game. The most runs Wayne scored in an inning was three.

Izzy Moore, a three-time all-state pitcher, tossed a no-hitter. She struck out six batters and walked one in 15 batters faced. The Wolverines’ strikeout total is the second-lowest by a Pride of Iowa Conference team this year.

The Wolverines’ only baserunner was Emma Boswell in the bottom of the fourth inning when she reached on a five-pitch, two-out walk.

The Falcons took a 3-0 lead in the top of the first inning on RBI hits by Allie Jo Fortune, Moore and Brystal Peck. The Wolverines got out of the jam with only seven batters in the inning. The Wolverines got out of a jam in the second after Wayne’s lead-off batter got to second base with no outs.

The Falcons had a leadoff walk by Ava Whitney in the third inning, then Fortune reached on an error and Moore smashed a three-run homer to dead centerfield to extend the lead to 6-0.

The Falcons scored single runs in the top of the fourth and fifth innings to get their run total to eight. The game ended in the fifth inning by mercy rule after the Wolverines could not push a run home in the bottom of the fifth.

The Wolverines play three road games to finish the regular season. They traveled to Martensdale-St. Marys Monday and then to fourth-ranked Southeast Warren Tuesday. The last regular season game is Wednesday, July 2 at Central Decatur.

The Wolverines (3-10) will begin postseason play Monday, July 7 at Kuemper Catholic (10-15) in Carroll for the first round of Class 2A regional play. The winner advances to play Van Meter (23-2) in the regional quarterfinals July 9. The regional semifinals are July 11 at Van Meter. The highest remaining ranked team hosts the regional final July 14.