The St. Clair Cyclones blew into town on Tuesday, but the U12 Clippers easily weathered the storm with decisive wins of 13-0 and 14-1.
One of two Clipper U12 teams, this one is coached by Tracee Sandhurst, Heidi Wobbrock, Bree Hoffmann and Bob Bosse.
In game one, the Clippers posted three runs in the first and filled out the second and third innings to end the game early.
In the first, Addy Hoffmann reached first on a dropped third strike, stole second, advanced to third on a passed ball and scored on a Breanna Bosse single. Kenzie Sandhurst walked, and both scored on pitches that got around the catcher.
On five walks and a Bosse RBI single, and passed balls, the Clippers scored five runs in the second. On seven-straight walks and a Hoffmann RBI single, they added five runs in the third.
The Clippers had three hits, walked 13 times and struck out three times. Lexi Wobbrock threw all three innings. She struck out eight and walked two.
The Clippers jumped out to a 5-0 start in game two when Bosse walked and scored on a Sandhurst single. Sandhurst stole her way around the rest of the bases for a 2-0 Clipper lead. The Clippers added another run on four-straight walks and a steal of home before Anistyn Dauk, stepping in from U14, hit an RBI single.
On two singles and a walk, the Cyclones scored their only run of the night in the bottom of the first, but the Clippers added four runs in the second on a pair of walks, a hit batter, a Bosse single, an error and passed balls.
Jayda Roemhildt, who went the distance in the circle, struck out the side one-two-three in the second, and the Clippers stuffed their lead with five more runs in the third on four walks, a hit batter and a Mia Eisel RBI single.
With 13 free passes and two hit batters, the Clippers didn’t get a lot of pitches to swing at but outhit the Cyclones 4-2. Sandhurst, Eisel, Bosse and Dauk all had singles. Sandhurst brought in two runs, one after she walked.
Roemhildt struck out eight, including three looking, and walked just one.
The Clippers, 20-8 with the pair of victories, host Albert Lea today (Thursday). They take on Delano in Rochester on Saturday in the first round of the state tournament, which continues on Sunday.
