Collecting wins of 11-0 and 16-4 in Welcome, the varsity Clipper boys didn’t have much trouble with Martin County West on Tuesday.
Jack Mons and Kiptyn Coon combined to throw the shutout.
Mons stepped on the mound first. The freshman surrendered three hits over three innings, striking out one and walking three. Coon tossed four innings in relief and gave up one hit while striking out six and walking three.
After a hit batter and two walks loaded the bases, the Clippers jumped out in the top of the first inning when Alex Kortuem doubled to score three runs. Kortuem advanced to third on a Braeden Smith groundout before a Coon grounder scored another run.
The Clippers extended their early lead with two runs in the top of the second thanks to RBI singles by Tony Hollerich and Caleb Connor. Carson Lyons got hit by a pitch, stole second and scored when Hollerich hit an infield popup that fell for a single. After a Connor single, Hollerich crossed the plate on errors.
Another Clipper run came in the sixth after a pair of walks and a Kortuem groundout that scored Hollerich.
With a trio of runs in the seventh, which came after an error, a Urijah Hoheisel double, a pair of walks and a passed ball, the Clippers put frosting on the victory.
The Clippers totaled five hits, struck out nine times and took advantage of nine walks and four hit batters. Connor, Hollerich and Nolan Schlaak each singled, and Kortuem and Hoheisel each doubled. Kortuem batted in four runners.
MCW suffered three errors, one more than the Clippers.
With a pair of runs in the first inning of game two, the young Mavericks showed signs of life, but on a walk and singles by Connor and Smith, the Clippers quickly canceled them before exploding for 13 runs in the second.
The Clippers took advantage of seven walks in that frame as well as singles by Hoheisel, Lyons, Kortuem and Smith and doubles off the bats of Hollerich and Connor.
With the contest morphed into a JV game for the Clippers, their final run came in the fourth, the Clippers’ last at bat, on a walk, a Lyons single, another walk and a fielder’s choice.
The Mavericks posted two runs in the top of the fifth.
The Clippers totaled nine hits: two Smith singles, a Connor single and double, a Lyons single, a Hoheisel single, a Hollerich double, a Kortuem single and a Pierce Lyons single, his first varsity hit. The Clippers walked 10 times, got beaned once and struck out five times.
Connor threw the first four innings. He allowed one hit and one walk while striking out seven. Hollerich closed. He gave up two hits, one walk and two earned runs while striking out three. The Clippers committed four errors, one more than MCW.
Madelia 8, Cleveland 0; Madelia 5, Cleveland 1
While Madelia is ranked third among state Class A teams, the Clippers didn’t bring their A game in a 6-0 home loss on April 28 and a 5-1 road loss in Searles two days later.
In Cleveland, the Blackhawks jumped out to the lead in the top of the second inning after an error scored one run, and a double scored two more.
Taking advantage of a walk and three singles, they added two more runs in the sixth and, after a pair of hit batters and a walk to load the bases, they capitalized on a passed ball to score one more run in the seventh.
In five and two-thirds innings, Kortuem gave up 10 hits, two walks and three earned runs while striking out two. Throwing an inning and a third, Lyons allowed one hit and one walk while beaning two batters and striking out one. The Clippers erred three times, one more than Madelia.
The Clippers bats were all but silent against Madelia’s one-two pitching punch. Lyons was the only Clipper to record a hit, a single in the third. The Clippers struck out a dozen times, walked four times and got beaned once.
On the Searles field, the Clippers were the first to get on the scoreboard when Lyons led off the first with a double and scored when, next up, Miles Tomaszewski singled.
The lead lasted until the second when the first Hawk batter got hit by a pitch, advanced on a walk and scored on a single. Another run came in on a sacrifice fly.
They added three more runs in the fourth on a walk, a single, an RBI single, a bunt single to load the bases and a groundout where the Clippers twisted a double play.
Madelia outhit the Clippers 5-4. Connor off the top of the fourth with a line drive for a double to account for the other Clipper hit. The Clippers walked four times and struck out 13 times.
The Clippers errored twice while Madelia did not commit an error.
Tomaszewski started on the hill. He hit one batter, allowed two hits, five walks and one earned run while striking out two. In relief, Mons started the fourth. He gave up three hits, three walks and a pair of earned runs while hitting one batter and striking out none.
Cleveland 10, Nicollet 0
On the same day as the first Madelia game, the Clippers topped visiting Nicollet 10-1 in five innings.
Tomaszewski got the party started in the top of the first when he launched a hit that landed over the left field fence. It was the sophomore’s second homer of the season.
The Clippers took advantage of singles by Coon and Hollerich and a Jake Mueller walk to load the bases in the second. After Coon got picked off a third, Lyons reached first on an error, and Mueller scored on the play. Up next, Tomaszewski sent a grounder up the middle for two RBIs and a 4-0 Clipper advantage.
Another Clipper run came in the fourth when Hollerich hit into an error, advanced to third on a groundout and scored on a Tomaszewski double.
In the fifth, the Clippers loaded the bases on a dropped third strike, a walk and a fielder’s choice. Coon scored when Lyons grounded into a fielder’s choice. Tomaszewski got hit by a pitch to keep the bases juiced. Mons cored on passed ball, and Mons walked to keep the bases loaded. Kortuem and Smith hit back-to-back singles to invoke the 10-run rule.
With a single, a double and a homer, Tomaszewski was three for three at the dish. Coon had two singles. Smith, Hollerich and Kortuem each had one single. The Clippers struck out only twice, walked five times and got hit at the plate once.
The young Nicollet team languished in five errors. The Clippers didn’t have any miscues.
Coon (above) went the distance on the hill. He allowed just two hits and no walks while striking out three.
Today (Thursday), the Clippers will pick up from where they left off when Loyola came to town back on April 23. With the score deadlocked 6-6 in the fifth, lightning sent both teams packing.
Clippers walk Miles Tomaszewski off the field after his homer against Nicollet.
Miles Tomaszewski battled a small strike zone in Searles.
Carson Lyons at shortstop coils for a throw to first during the game against Madelia in Searles.
After his pitching stint, shortstop Miles Tomaszewski winds up to complete a double play