After a highly competitive 2-2 road stand, where their two wins were in extra innings, there was no place like home for the Cleveland varsity boys on Friday when Medford came to town.
There was no place like home plate either, as the Clippers visited it 14 times during the five-inning triumph.
“It’s really nice to just reset and come out with a win and go on a break with a nice feeling,” said head coach Charlie Haugen. “Now we have a couple of days at rest, and we will be back in practice on Monday to prepare for Madelia and Loyola.”
The Clippers drew first blood in the third when Nathan Seeman walked. Back at the top of the order, Carson Lyons singled on a grounder and took second with an error on the play. Seeman advanced to third. Following up, Brennan Kortuem drove a hit into left field for a pair of RBIs, reached second on the throw and scored on a Miles Tomaszewski double.
With a pair of runs in the bottom of the fourth, the Tigers narrowed their deficit to one. After Alex Kortuem, who went the distance, issued a pair of walks, one run scored on a single. Another free pass loaded the bases, and another run scored on a groundout.
But those were the only points the Clippers conceded, and they took a merry-go-round ride in the fourth with 11 runs.
Kyle Connor led off the carnival with a single and scored when speedster Braeden Smith bashed a triple. Smith crossed the plate on an Alex Kortuem single. Seeman wore a pitch for the team, Lyons walked, and Brennan Kortuem grounded into a fielder’s choice to bring his sibling home. Next up, Caleb Connor tripled on a fly to center for two RBIs.
After a pitching change, Tomaszewski got beaned, and Kale Kelley hit a sacrifice fly that scored Caleb Connor. Batting for the second time in the frame, Kyle Connor walked, and Smith got hit by a pitch. After Tomaszewski scored on a wild pitch, Alex Kortuem walked. Seeman walked to score Kyle Connor, Lyons walked to score Smith, and after another pitching change, Brennan Kortuem walked to score Lyons.
The Clippers scored their final run when Caleb Connor drove a single into center field to score Seeman. The marathon inning finally ended when Tomaszewski popped up to center field.
With only a single strikeout, the Clippers put the ball in play. They collected eight hits, walked seven times and got hit by a pitch three times. Caleb Connor had a single and a triple. Smith had a triple. Tomaszewski had a double. Lyons, Kyle Connor and the Kortuem brothers each had a single.
Alex Kortuem gave up just one hit. He walked four and struck out five. The Clippers made one error while the Tigers committed two errors.
NUC 5, Cleveland 1
The second half on Tuesday’s double header had the Clippers journeying from Sleepy Eye to New Ulm to take on 4-0 Cathedral at Mueller Park. Not finding the clutch hit, they fell 5-1.
Down 3-0, the Clippers scored their loan run in the fourth when Caleb Connor singled and scored on a Tomaszewski double. With two outs, it looked like the Clippers might add another run when Tomaszewski rounded third on a Smith single, but the Greyhounds’ speed-of-light relay throw was right on the money, and Tomaszewski was just behind the tag at the plate.
The Greyhounds scored a run in the first when the lead-off batter set the tone with a double. The run scored on an infield error. With a trio of singles in the second, they posted two more runs, and with two walks, a sacrifice fly and a passed ball, they padded their lead in the sixth with two more runs on two walks, a passed ball and tag up and another passed ball.
With two doubles and a single, Tomaszewski led the offense. Alex Kortuem, Caleb Connor and Smith each had a single. The Clippers walked twice and struck out a dozen times.
On the hill for the first five innings, Brennan Kortuem allowed eight hits and two walks while striking out eight. In relief for one frame, Caleb Connor, in his first appearance on the mound this year, walked two, gave up no hits and struck out none. The Clippers stranded eight Greyhound runners, two more than they were left stranded themselves. They committed a pair of errors while Cathedral played perfect defense.
“The great thing about this game and the Sleepy Eye game was just seeing how far we’ve come,” Haugen said. “We know we can compete at the top of our section and with good state teams. Just seeing us battle and compete and be in those games was really encouraging. A couple of more hits here and preventing a couple plays there, and it’s a different ball game. It was really fun to watch. I just left encouraged more than anything else.”
SESM 8, Cleveland 5
Considering last year, the Knights ended the Clipper season with an 11-1 win in the first round of the sections before they fell to Madelia and in the third round and then to NUC, the 8-5 loss for the Clippers on Tuesday, the first game of a double header against two different teams, was a moral victory at least.
The visiting Clippers got off to a good start when Lyons, leading off the first inning, lasered a single into center field. Lyons purloined second and reached third on an out-of-control pitch. Brennan Kortuem walked, and Lyons scored when the Knights committed an error as Kortuem was stealing second. Kortuem advanced on a Caleb Connor flyout and stole home.
The 2-0 advantage held into the third when the Knights, who came into the game with a pair of losses to Springfield and a win over Wabasso, scored four runs on three singles, a double and a hit batter. They added a run in the fourth on a Clipper infield error and a pair of wild pitches.
The Clippers deadlocked the score 5-5 in the fifth. Smith led off with a walk, and Alex Kortuem walked too. Both advanced on a Seeman sacrifice bunt. Lyons hit into a fielder's choice where the Knights tagged Smith at the plate, but Lyons and Alex Kortuem scored on a Brennan Kortuem double. After two wild pitches, Kortuem crossed the plate.
The tie was short lived though as the Knights responded with three runs in the bottom of the same frame on a walk followed by an RBI single, another signal and a two-RBI single.
Each team retired 1-2-3 in the sixth. Seeman led off the bottom of the seventh with a single, but the next three batters struck out.
The Clippers struck out 10 times, walked six times and had four hits: singles by Tomaszewski, Seeman, Lyons and Brennan Kortuem.
In the first four innings, Tomaszewski gave up six hits, five earned runs and three walks while striking out five and hitting one batter. Throwing the last two innings, Lyons allowed three hits, two earned runs and one walk while striking out three. Each team errored once. The Clippers left four on base, three fewer than SESM.
Cleveland 12, USC 8
With the score tied 5-5 after regulation a week ago Monday (April 14), the Clippers battered the Rebels with seven runs in the eighth.
Kelley got the party started with a single, Smith walked, and the pitcher errored on Alex Kortuem’s sacrifice bunt to load the bases for Seeman. The junior said ‘no problem’ and torpedoed the second pitch he saw into center field for two RBIs.
With no outs and Haugen wanting to add to the lead, Lyons laid down a bunt. The Rebels couldn’t get to it, and the Clippers clogged the bags again.
After a Brennan Kortuem infield fly, the Clippers had one out. Up next, Caleb Connor singled to score Alex Kortuem and keep the bases jammed for Tomaszewski, who came through with a single for two RBIs and a 10-5 Clipper advantage.
Up again after Kyle Connor grounded into a fielder’s choice for out two, Kelley got hit by a pitch to again load the bases, and two more runs scored when the USC center fielder couldn’t get a handle on a Smith fly for an error. The inning ended on a pop fly.
On a double, a pair of walks and a pair of singles, the Rebels scored three runs in the bottom of the eighth inning, but the Clippers halted the uprising.
“It was good to show a lot of resiliency and just pull it out,” Haugen said.
The Clippers scored two runs in the first on an error, a Brennan Kortuem double and a Caleb Connor two-RBI double.
The Rebels, who came into the game with wins over Alden, Medford, NRHEG and St. Clair and a loss to Maple River, tied the game in the bottom of the inning on a double, a walk and an error on a double steal for one run and a score from third on a ground out for the other.
Seeman led off the fifth with a single, stole second and found his way home after stealing third to put the Clippers in front 3-2. Went up 5-2 in the seventh when Lyons, leading off, reached first on an error and scored on a Brennan Kortuem double. Kortuem advanced to third on a wild pitch and scored on a Caleb Connor grounder.
But the Rebels needed three runs to stay alive and got them on a single, a walk, a two-RBI double and a single before Smith caught a pop fly in center field that grounded two runners and sent the game into extra innings.
The Clippers out hit the Rebels 11-8. Seeman had three singles. Brennan Kortuem had two doubles. Tomaszewski and Caleb Connor each had a double and a single. Lyons and Kelley each added a single. USC committed five errors, three more than the Clippers. Each team left eight on base.
Starting pitcher Alex Kortuem threw for six and a third innings. He allowed three hits, while walking four and striking out six. Kyle Connor, in his first stint on the hill this season, tossed one inning. He permitted four hits and four walks. Lyons took over with one out in the eighth and, facing three batters, gave up one hit and whiffed one.
“It was fun to see us compete,” Haugen said. “Alex threw a really good game.”
Cleveland 4, GHET/T/ML 3
The Clippers scored the winning run in the 10th. With two outs, Caleb Connor took four-straight pitches for a free pass. Tomaszewski singled, and Kale Kelley walked. Kyle Connor walked to bring home his cousin before a groundout ended the frame.
Lyons allowed a hit in the bottom of the inning but fanned one before the other two grounded out, and the Clippers hung on for the victory.
Granada-Huntley-East Chain/Martin Luther/Truman took a 1-0 lead in the third on a walk, a single and a fielder’s choice.
The Clippers stalemated the game 1-1 in the fifth when Kyle Connor walked and Smith singled. Both advanced on a wild pitch. After the Jags intentionally walked Alex Kortuem, Connor scored on a Seeman sacrifice fly.
The Clippers took a brief lead in the sixth. Brennan Kortuem led off with a line drive to left field for a single, stole second, advanced to third on a Caleb Connor groundout and scored on a wild pitch. But the Jaguars took advantage of a pair of walks, an infield error on a bunt, and a single to tie the game 2-2.
Each team scored a run in the eighth. The Clippers’ run came when Lyons tripled and scored on a Brennan Kortuem sacrifice fly. The Jags scored after three-straight walks and a double. But the Clippers saved the game on the play when catcher Caleb Connor tagged out the runner trying to score the winning run.
Each team had five hits. Lyons’ was a triple. Kyle Connor, Brenman Kortuem, Tomaszewski and Smith each singled. The Clippers walked six times, struck out seven times. Nine were stuck on base.
Throwing the first four innings, Brennan Kortuem allowed one hit and eight walks while striking out six. He stranded seven on base. Taking over for three innings, Tomaszewski gave up two hits, walked three and struck out five. He stranded four batters. Throwing the final three innings, Lyons permitted two hits and three walks while striking out one. He marooned five on base.
The Clippers committed two errors, one more than the Jags.
This week
The Clippers have a rematch against Madelia on Tuesday in Searles before taking on Loyola in a double header at ISJ field in Mankato starting at 5:00 p.m. on Saturday. Madelia, whose only loss is to Cleveland, is coming off an 8-4 win over Loyola. The 2-4 Crusaders’ only other game in the Valley was a 4-2 victory over GHEC/T/ML.
Above: Brennan Kortuem gloves an easy pop fly during the Clippers’ home win over Medford.
