Visiting SESM broke a 7-7 tie with five runs in the seventh to top the Clipper varsity girls 12-8 on Tuesday.
The outcome was similar to the Clippers’ loss the day before when New Ulm Cathedral—ranked second in the state and tops in Section 2A— came to town and, with the game deadlocked 2-2, posted five runs in the seventh for the win.
The Friday before that, the Clippers, in their last Valley Conference game, easily downed Granada-Huntley-East Chain/Truman/Martin Luther 12-1 after a 6-5 loss in Comfrey, also decided in the seventh inning, to Mountain Lake Area the day before.
On Tuesday, May 7, the Clippers came back with five runs to beat Madelia in Janesville.
With a 4-2 record, the Clippers finished third in the conference. First place LCWM was 6-0. Martin County West had one loss. St. Clair/Loyola lost to Cleveland, MCW and LCWM.
The Clippers travel to Madelia tonight for a 7:00 game.
SESM 12, Cleveland 8
The Knights scored on unearned run in the first on a single, a wild pitch, a sacrifice bunt and an infield error, but the Clippers ended the inning with a double play and tied the game in the bottom of the first when Keira Schipper doubled, moved to third on a pickoff attempt and scored when Greta Hahn bunted into an error.
Taking advantage of hits and Clipper errors, the Knights posted a run in the second and the third, but with back-to-back singles from Kaitlyn Flowers and Cassandra Connor followed by a Laci Hollerich homer, the Clippers scored three runs in the bottom of the third to lead 4-3.
The Clippers added to their lead in the second when Schipper singled, moved to second on a passed ball, to third on a Flowers single and scored on a Connor double. While Flowers got picked off at third, Connor scored on a Greta Hahn hit, and the Clippers led 6-3.
The Knights tied the game in the fifth when they scored three runs on a walk, double, and a pair of singles. They took the lead in the sixth when they scored an unearned run on a walk and a pair of infield errors.
Hollerich led off the bottom of the sixth with a double and scored when Greta Hahn hit into an infield error. Hahn used her speed to reach second on the play and scored on a Lacey McCabe hit into centerfield, and the Clippers led 8-7.
But the Knight leadoff in the seventh got hit by a pitch, moved to second on a single, to third on a passed ball and scored on a single to knot the game 8-8. It was a hit parade from there on out with three more singles to pad the lead.
The Clippers started out the bottom of the seventh at the top of the order, but Connor had the only hit, and the other three batters grounded out.
Each team had 14 hits. Clevland struggled through five errors, two more than SESM.
Connor hit two singles and a double. Hollerich had a single and a homer for three RBIs. Schipper had a single and a double. Flowers and McCabe each had two singles. Lilly Lamont, Taylor McCabe and Hahn each had one single. The Clippers struck out three times and walked three times.
Starting pitcher Lamont gave up nine hits, walked five and beaned three while striking out three in her six innings. In relief, Flowers allowed five hits while striking out one and walking none.
NUC 7, Cleveland 2
Limiting Cathedral to just one hit, starter Flowers, with a strong defense behind her, kept Cathedral at bay for the first four innings.
“Kaitlyn was lights out, hitting her spots and keeping the ball down” said head coach Mike Barten.
Meanwhile, the Clippers posted a run in the third when Greta Hahn singled, moved to second on a Lacey McCabe sacrifice bunt, stole third and scored on a Taylor McCabe sacrifice fly.
The 1-0 lead held until the fifth, when the Greyhound’s leadoff batter got hit by a Flowers’ pitch, moved to second on a grounder, to third on a single and scored on a wild pitch.
Cathedral took a brief 2-1 lead in the fifth on a single, a sacrifice bunt and a sacrifice fly where the runner scored from second.
The Clippers stalemated the game right after though when Flowers led off with a walk. Running for her, Taylor Wolf advanced on a stray pitch and scored. Cathedral had to throw down to first for a putout after a dropped third strike, and Wolf moved to third on the play and scored when the throw from first got by the third baseman.
Back at the plate, Cathedral laid down a bunt single to start the seventh. The second batter bunted too, and Hollerich made a diving attempt to catch it in the air but just missed, and with another bunt single, the Greyhounds filled the bases.
Cathedral bunted again, but this time Hollerich made the throw to Anna Lamont behind the plate for the force. The bases were still loaded though, and with a hit to centerfield, the Greyhounds took the lead. After the next batter doubled, two more runs scored, and with another single, the Greyhounds were suddenly in front 7-2.
The Clippers went down one, two, three in the bottom of the seventh, and Cathedral, avenging last year’s 2-0 loss to the visiting Clippers, held on for the win.
Cathedral outhit the Clippers 9-4. The Hahn sisters, Hollerich, and Connor each singled. The Clippers struck out seven times and walked twice. Flowers walked one, struck out two and hit three batters. The Clippers had no errors. Cathedral committed one error.
“They’re second in the state for a reason,” Barten said. “They had 18 girls here today, and I bet all 18 could make the lineup. But it was a great game. I told the girls if we continue to play like that, we will go far in the playoffs.”
Cleveland 12, GHEC/T/ML 1
The Clippers didn’t have much trouble with the Jaguars, whose only run came in the sixth.
They outhit the Jags 11-6. With a single and a double and three RBIs, Hollerich led the offense. Ava Hahn hit a single and a double and batted in two runners. Schipper had a single and a double. Connor had two singles. Taylor Wolf and Greta Hahn each hit a single.
The Clippers struck out four times and walked five times.
Lilly Lamont pitched all six innings for the win. She struck out four and walked one.
“Lilly threw strikes and made them hit her pitches,” Barten said. “I thought she did a lot of great placement of pitches. Granada is a little down right now, but I thought we played great from top to bottom.”
MLA 6, Cleveland 5
In Comfrey against Mountain Lake Area, the Clippers posted a run in the first, took a one-run lead in the top of the seventh, but the Wolverines scored two runs to walk off with the 6-5 triumph.
Connor homered in the first, and the 1-0 lead held until the third when the Wolverines scored a pair of runs on hit batter, a couple of walks and a single. They added another in the fourth on a walk, a single and an infield error during a bunt.
Flowers led off the sixth with a double and scored on a Lilly Lamont single, but the Wolverines canceled the run in the same inning when the Clippers made another error during a bunt. The runner scored on a single for a 4-2 MLA lead.
The Clippers pulled ahead in the top of the seventh though when Schipper singled, Flowers bunted into a fielder’s choice where everyone was safe. Connor dropped an RBI line drive into left field. Flowers stole third and tied the game on a Hollerich ground out. Running for Connor, Anna Lamont scored when her sister hit into an infield error, and the Clippers were in front 5-4.
But a hit batter followed by yet another error on a bunt put the first two Wolverine runners on base. Both advanced on a grounder and scored on a single for the walk-off win.
The Clippers outhit MLA 7-5. Flowers had a single and a double. Connor hit a single and a homer. Ava Hahn, Schipper and Lilly Lamont each had a base hit.
Flowers started in the circle and lasted three and a third innings. She allowed three hits while walking five, striking out three and beaning two. Lilly Lamont took over with one out in the fourth and the bases loaded. She gave up two hits and hit one batter while striking out one and walking none. The Clippers made three errors, one more than MLA.
Cleveland 12, Madelia 11.
Hosting Madelia on the Janesville turf because of a wet field in Cleveland, the Clippers came back from a 6-4 deficit.
The Clippers got on the board first when Kiera Schipper led off the bottom of the first with a single. Flowers followed with a sacrifice bunt, but Schipper scored when on an overthrow after the putout at first.
On an infield error, a walk and a couple singles, the Blackhawks tied the game in the next frame, but the Clippers quickly got the lead back when Lilly Lamont led off the bottom of the second with a single. Running for her, \Wolf moved to second on a passed ball, to third on a Lacey McCabe ground out and to home on a Taylor McCabe single, and the Clippers were in front 2-1.
Taking advantage of two singles, two walks and a pair of errors, Madelia put up five runs in the third. The Clippers narrowed their deficit in the bottom of the same frame when Flowers led off with a single, and Connor bashed a two-run homer.
Connor ripped another homer with one out in the fifth. Greta Hahn, singled, advanced to second on a wild pitch and stole third. Anna Lamont got on board when the Madelia catcher couldn’t glove her pop fly, and with a two-RBI Lacey McCabe single, the Clippers were up by a run.
Madelia responded with five runs in the sixth on a hit batter, a walk, a fielder’s choice and grand slam followed by a walk, another hit batter and a fielder’s choice. But Schipper threw out a runner at third for the second out, and the inning ended on a force out at second.
Trailing by four runs, the Clippers didn’t throw in the towel and responded right away with five more runs to regain the lead.
Flowers led off with a walk. Hollerich hit a one-out single. Madelia didn’t take any more chances with Connor and issued her a free pass. Greta Hahn hit into a fielder’s choice that stopped Flowers at home, but Lilly Lamont came up with a clutch three-RBI triple to pull the Clippers within a run. Next up, Anna Lamont singled to score her sister and stole second and third and scored on a Taylor McCabe sacrifice fly.
Madelia threatened in the top of the seventh when Flowers hit a batter and walked a batter, but the game ended on a groundout to Hollerich at first.
The Clippers totaled 13 hits. Hollerich had two singles. Lamont had a single and a triple, Connor had to homers, Lacey McCabe hit two singles. Schipper, Anna Lamont, Taylor McCabe, Flowers and Greta Hahn each hit one single. The Clippers struck out six times and walked three times.
Lilly Lamont pitched the first three innings. She allowed five hits, four walks and struck out three. In relief for four innings, Flowers gave up one hit and four walks and struck out four. The Clippers survived seven errors, four more than the Blackhawks committed.
“On the turf, we had some balls that got away from us,” Barten said, “But we’ve tightened up the defense a lot since then.”
Above: Greta Hahn makes a throw from her knees to put out a SESM runner.
