Firecrackers at the plate and with star-spangled pitching, the U14 Clippers easily downed visiting Blooming Prairie in both games on Monday before splitting with visiting Owatonna Crush 24 hours later.
Coached by Eric Sandhurst and Patty Flowers, the Clippers upped their record to 23-3. They will return to action next Monday when they host Waseca.
Cleveland 12, Blooming Prairie 2
After Addison Sandhurst struck out three in the top of the first, Natalie Flowers initiated a three-for-three campaign when she led off the bottom of the first with a single. Flowers scored on a Blair Voit base hit, and the Clippers never looked back from there.
Borrowed from one of the Clippers’ two U12 teams, Voit scored from second when Jocelyn Kortuem hit an infield error.
Continuing the parade on the base paths, Anistyn Dauk singled, Kenzie Kortuem walked, and Jocelyn Kortuem stole home. After Kylie Wobbrock singled, Dauk got caught trying to rob home for the first Clipper out, but Sandhurst walked and Kenzie Kortuem crossed the plate on a stray pitch. When Wobbrock scored on a Lily McMillen ground out, the Clippers reached their five-run quota.
The Awesome Blossoms managed to get on the board with one run in the second after taking advantage of three walks and a hit batter.
But the Clippers added five more runs in the bottom of the same inning when Emily Baker attained first on a dropped third strike and took second on the play when the throw to first went askew. Flowers singled for the RBI.
After Voit and Jocelyn Kortuem walked, Dauk doubled for two RBIs. When Jocelyn Kortuem scored on a passed ball and Dauk crossed the plate on a Wobbrock single, the Clippers were way in front, 10-1.
Two more orange & black runs came in the third when Harley Samuelson walked, advanced to second on a passed ball, took third on a Sandhurst fly out and scored on a McMillen single.
Baker, Flowers and Voit followed up with three-straight singles for one more run and a 12-1 advantage.
The Blossoms posted another run in the fourth on a double, a walk and a dropped third strike. Hooking up with Wobbrock, catcher Flowers picked off a runner at third in that inning.
The Clippers out hit the Blossoms 11-2. Flowers had two singles and a triple and batted in one run. Wobbrock had two singles and one RBI. Dauk hit a single and a double and had two RBIs. Voit hit two singles and had two RBIs. McMillen hit one single and had two RBIs. Baker hit a single.
The Clippers walked five times and struck out only once.
Sandhurst tossed the first three innings. She didn’t allow a hit, struck out nine, walked five, beaned one and allowed just one earned run. McMillen threw the final inning. She surrendered two hits and one earned run while walking one and striking out one. The Clippers stranded six Blossom runners on base.
The Clippers had no errors while Blooming Prairie committed three errors.
Cleveland 15, Blooming Prairie 2
In game two, the Clippers hit the five-run quota in each of the game’s three innings.
Flowers and Voit walked to start the second game. Flowers stole her way home. Jocelyn Kortuem singled, and Dauk walked. Voit and Kortuem scored on a passed balls. Kenzie Kortuem walked. Dauk scored on a Wobbrock single. Kenzie Kortuem scored on a passed ball.
Samuelson, Sandhurst and McMillen walked to start the second inning. Samuelson scored on a passed ball, and Sandhurst scored on a Baker single. Up next, Flowers singled for two RBIs. After Voit walked, Jocelyn Kortuem singled to score Flowers.
Dauk led off the third frame with a single. Wobbrock took a pitch for the team, and Dauk scored on passed balls. Samuelson walked, Wobbrock stole home, McMillen walked, and Baker walked to bring Samuelson home. Sandhurst scored on a passed ball, Flowers walked, and Baker scored the final run after Kortuem got hit by a pitch.
The Blossom’s singled, walked, scored on a ground out and scored again on a wild pitch in the third for their two runs.
The Clippers out hit the Blossoms 6-3. Jocelyn Kortuem had two singles and two RBIs. Baker and Flowers each had a single and two RBIs. Wobbrock had one single and one RBI. Dauk had a single. They took advantage of 14 walks and two hit batters. No Clipper struck out.
Wobbrock tossed all three innings. She struck out four, walked three and hit two batters, the first she beaned all season. Both Blossom runs were earned. The Clippers marooned six Blossoms on base.
Neither team recorded an error.
Owatonna 8, Cleveland 2
Trailing 6-0, the Clippers, who had split with Owatonna in two separate outings earlier in the season, posted one of their two runs in the second when Dauk led off with a walk, advanced to second on a McMillen single, advanced to third on an error and scored on a passed ball.
After the Crush added another run in the third, the Clippers scored again in the fourth when Gretchen Heldberg singled and scored when Flowers launched a rocket into center field for a triple.
The Crush posted an unearned run in the first on an error and a single. They added five more runs in the second on four singles and a walk. Taking advantage of an error and a single, they added another run. A walk, an error and a RBI ground out led to another Owatonna run in the fifth before the game timed out.
The Clippers had five hits, two less than Owatonna. Flowers hit a triple and a single and batted in one run. Heldberg, Wobbrock and McMillen all had singles. The Clippers walked twice and struck out three times. They left five on base.
Sandhurst went the distance in the circle. She struck out five, walked three, hit one batter and left four on base. The Clippers committed four errors, three more than Owatonna.
Cleveland 12, Owatonna 3
Outhitting the Crush 11-3, the Clippers easily won game two 12-3.
With singles off the bats of Flowers and Hadley Thompson followed by a two-RBI Dauk single, the Clippers got the party started in the first. They added another run in the third when Sandhurst led off with a single, advanced to third on a groundout and scored on a passed ball.
Owatonna posted a run in the second on a walk and an error before deadlocking the game 3-3 in the third on a walk, a hit batter, a single and a pair of stray pitches.
But the Clippers quickly regained the lead in the fourth when they reached the five-run limit. Dauk walked, McMillen and Baker hit back-to back singles, and Heldberg hit into a fielder’s choice for an RBI. McMillen got a free pass home when Flowers got hit by a pitch. Sandhurst grounded out to score Baker, and with a Thompson double for two RBIs, the Clippers were in front 8-3.
Just for fun, the Clippers added four more runs in the fifth before the game timed out. Samuelson and Wobbrock singled, McMillen walked to load the bases, and Heldberg hit an RBI single. Continuing with her fireworks, Flowers singled for two more RBIs.
Every Clipper collected at least one hit. Borrowed from her Mankato team for the day, Thompson had a single and a double for two RBIs. Flowers ripped two singles and brought home four runners. Heldberg and Dauk each had a single and two RBIs. Sandhurst had a single and one RBI. Sandhurst, Wobbrock, McMillen and Baker each hit a single.
The Clippers walked three times, got hit by one pitch and struck out twice.
Wobbrock staffed the circle for all four innings. She allowed just three hits and two earned runs while walking two, striking out five and hitting one batter. Each team marooned three runners. Cleveland made one error while Owatonna made no errors.
Above: Shortstop Kenzie Kortuem reaches down to corral a Blooming Prairie grounder.
