It was a blast from the Valley Conference past when St. Clair/Loyola came to town on Thursday.
But it wasn’t a welcoming reunion as the Clippers avenged an 11-9 loss they suffered in their final 2024 regular season game, when the Spartans were in the Valley, with a 4-1 triumph.
The victory also got the Clippers back on track after a lackluster effort and subsequent 6-1 loss to MCW in Welcome on Tuesday.
Head coach April Thompson told her players that they need to be accustomed to pitchers who throw fast, like MCW’s, as well as pitchers who throw with less velocity, like that of the Spartans.
“Every team is going to have a different speed pitcher,” she said. “If we can somehow figure out how to hit fast and slow, we’re going to be unstoppable.”
Also in Welcome, the Clippers suffered through four errors, which resulted in an equal number of unearned runs. Against St. Clair/Loyola, they were perfect in the field.
“We weren’t throwing the ball around and making those silly errors,” Thompson said. “Today, (St. Clair/Loyola hit) the ball, but we made the plays.”
The Clippers’ two runs in the bottom of the first were enough for the win. Leading off, Delaney Thompson got hit by a pitch. Ava Hahn beat out a bunt single. After a double steal, Keira Schipper lofted a sacrifice fly to center field for the RBI. Hahn advanced to third on a wild pitch and scored on a Kaitlyn Flowers ground out.
The Spartans, who are now part of the newly formed, all double -A South-Central Conference, pulled within a run in the top of the second when the lead-off batter dropped a bunt single. She stole second and advanced home after a pair of ground outs. But that was the only run the Clippers would allow.
The 2-1 score held into the bottom of the six when the Clippers posted two more runs. Leading off, Hahn raced out another bunt single, stole second and scored on a Schipper line drive to center field for a single. Up next, Flowers drove a hit away from Schipper’s path, and she made it to third on the play. Later, she scored on a wild pitch.
Going the distance in the circle, Thompson only allowed one hit. She walked four, beaned one, struck out eight and left four on base. The Clippers had one double play. It came in the fourth when Taylor McCabe at second snared a line drive and relayed it to Taylor Wolf at first to catch the runner off the bag.
The Clippers totaled six hits: two Hahn bunt singles, base hits from Schipper, Flowers and Cecelia Gair and a Wolf double. The Clippers walked twice and struck out six times. Four were left stranded.
The Spartans also didn’t commit an error.
The Clippers have a double header in Nicollet on Tuesday. The Raiders are solid. They lost 10-8 to host MCW in their opener. But they beat Madelia twice and topped BLHS, Sibley East and SESM. They fell to JWP and NUC as well as to USC.
Above: Ava Hahn readies for a tagout at third.
