Mankato Loyola/St. Clair posted five unearned runs in the second to pull ahead of the varsity Clipper girls 5-2, but the Clippers administered a steady dose of runs after, tying the game in the third, scoring the winning run in the fourth and then adding insurance runs in the fifth and seventh.
Meanwhile, Lilly Lamont, in relief of starter Kaitlyn Flowers, had the Cyclones mostly popping up or beating the ball into the Loyola Hill dirt, and the Clippers won the Tuesday game 8-5.
Leading off in the top of the first, Keira Schipper singled for the first of four hits she would have. Schipper shifted to second on a feral pitch, to third on a Flowers ground out and scored on a Cassandra Connor single.
Anna Lamont started the second inning with a single. She stole second, transferred to third on a passed ball and crossed the plate after Connor’s fly ball caromed off the right fielder’s glove. Running for Schipper, Taylor Wolf scored after a couple of pitches escaped the Cyclone catcher.
The Clippers posted two more runs in the third when Connor led off with a single and advanced on an Ava Hahn bunt single. Both runners proceeded on a passed ball, and Connor scored when Greta Hahn dropped a sacrifice bunt. Ava Hahn scored after Taylor McCabe punched a flyball that the centerfielder misplayed to deadlock the contest 5-5.
The Cyclones switched pitchers to start the fourth, but Schipper got to the eighth grader right away when she led off with a double, advanced on a Laci Hollerich groundout and scored what would be the winning run when Flowers bunted into a fielder’s choice where everyone was safe.
The Clippers padded their lead in the fifth and again in the seventh. Greta Hahn led off the fifth with a single, stole second and scored when Lilly Lamont hit a line drive into centerfield. With two outs in the seventh, Lacey McCabe took a walk, swiped second, and scored when Schipper grounded a ball into left field for a single.
The Clippers had 10 hits and struck out nine times. Schipper was four for five at the plate with three singles and a double and also got on base on an error. Connor had two singles. The Hahn sisters and the Lamont sisters each recorded one single.
The Clippers committed five errors, two more than the Cyclones.
Flowers lasted two innings. She gave up four hits and one walk, hit one batter and struck out three. In relief for five innings, Lilly Lamont struck out five while surrendering three hits and one walk.
The 4-4 Clippers play in a tournament in Caswell Park on Friday and Saturday.
Above: Shortstop Greta Hahn leans in for a tag. The runner was safe.
Cassandra Connor at third reaches for a tag. The runner slid under it.
Keira Schipper terrorized the Cyclones with four hits, one for extra bases.
Kaitlyn Flowers got the start. She had a hard-luck second inning where the Cyclones scored all their five runs, and all were unearned.
Ava Hahn sprints to first after dropping down a bunt hit.