Visiting Madelia put up two runs in the first inning, but it was all Clippers from there in a 17-2 four-inning stomping on Saturday morning.
The Clippers burst for 14 hits with the entire lineup collecting at least one of them.
“We worked hard at our batting this week and got the bats going,” said head coach April Thompson.
Powering the offense, Kaitlyn Flowers slammed a homer and a double and collected four RBIs. Delaney Thompson swung for two singles and a double and batted in one run. Broke Bosse had two singles. Ava Hahn had a double and a single and three RBIs. Cecelia Gair had a double and one RBI. Anna Lamont, Keira Schipper and Lacey McCabe each had a single and one RBI. Taylor McCabe had a single.
Thompson threw all four innings. She allowed one earned run, one hit and one walk while striking out six, two looking. She stranded three runners.
The Blackhawks two runs came on an error and a home run. The error was on April 17, when rain quickly postponed the game, so Madelia started on Saturday with a runner on first base.
The Clippers aren’t typically a morning team in most any sport, but the 10:00 a.m. start didn’t seem to be an issue.
Thompson led off the bottom of the second with a single and scored on a Hahn line drive to left field for a double. Hahn advanced the rest of the way on Schipper and Flowers ground outs to deadlock the game 2-2.
In the second, Lacey McCabe walked, Bosse singled, and the Clippers scored the go-ahead run when Thomson drove a single into left field. Bosse scored on a Hahn sac fly, Schipper singled to score Thompson, and Flowers swung for her second home run of the year (above), this one over the left field fence. Taylor McCabe singled, and Gair walked. Lamont made it to second when the third baseman overthrew her grounder. Taylor McCabe scored on the play. With a Lacey McCabe RBI single, the Clippers were in front 10-2.
Thompson walked to start the third, and Hahn hit into an error. Both advanced on a wild pitch, and Thompson scored on a Schipper sacrifice fly. Flowers ripped an RBI double. Gair doubled too to score Flowers, Lamont singled to score Gair, and the Clippers led 14-2.
With three runs in the bottom of the fourth, the Clippers, who had beaten the Blackhawks 7-3 in Searles on April 8, walked off with a win.
Bosse led off with a single, Thompson airmailed a hit into the centerfield gap for an RBI double. After Thompson stole third, Hahn swung for an RBI single and then stole second. Flowers grounded into a fielder’s choice where the shortstop held up Hahn at second before throwing to first. But Flowers reached first safely, and Hahn took off for third anyway. The throw from first was off target, and Hahn crossed the plate on the error for the quick ending.
The Clippers walked four times and struck out once. Madelia committed five errors, two more than the Clippers. Seven Clipper runs were unearned. They were left on base three times.
The start of a busy week, the Clippers host Alden-Conger/Glenville-Emmons today (Monday). Combined, the Knights are in the Southeast Conference and are 2-12 overall.
Hahn and Lacey McCabe will be recognized after the game for Senior Night.
On Tuesday the Clippers travel to Sleepy Eye to take on SESM. On Thursday, they road trip to Caswell Park in North Mankato for a Valley-Tomahawk showcase game, likely with against a Tomahawk conference team. On Friday, they journey to Minnesota Valley Lutheran just east of New Ulm.
