Fifth ranked Sleepy didn’t give host Cleveland a ton of trouble on Thursday in a 12-2 Clipper W in five innings.
The victory earns the Clippers the right to square off against top-seeded Martin County West tomorrow (Saturday) at 10:00 a.m. at Caswell Park.
MCW downed JWP 7-0 to reach the semifinal. Earlier in the season, the Clippers won big over the Mustangs in the first game of a road double header but lost decisively in the second game.
Capitalizing on a walk and a single, the Indians took a brief 1-0 lead in the top of the first, but the Clippers scored two runs in the second and never looked in their rearview mirror.
Delaney Thompson led off the frame with a walk. Kaitlyn Flowers dropped a sacrifice bunt, Natalie Flowers walked, and the sisters scored when directed a ground ball into left field.
The Indians jacked a run out over the fence in the second, but the Clippers responded in the bottom of the inning with five runs. Hadley Thompson led off with a single, Taylor Wolf walked, and both scored on a Delaney Thompson double.
Kaitlyn Flowers hit a double to switch places with Thompson. Natalie Flowers lined a single into left field for a single with a fielder’s choice tacked on when the Indians tried to catch her sister at home. Natalie Flowers advanced to third on a Keira Schipper groundout and scored when Taylor McCabe hit into an infield error for a 7-2 Clipper advantage.
The Clippers picked up a couple of insurance runs in the fourth after back-to-back singles off the bats of Schipper and McCabe followed by a Brooklyn Bosse two-RBI double.
After Addison Sandhurst got hit by a pitch to start the top of the fifth, Delaney Thompson hit into an infield error before Kaitlyn Flowers air expressed a hit over the centerfield fence for three RBIs and a walk-off victory.
Sleepy Eye erred twice. The Clippers didn’t commit an error.
The Clippers racked up a 10 hits. Kaitlyn Flowers hit a home run and a double and brought in four runs. Schipper had a single and a double and had a pair of RBIs. Delaney Thompson hit a double and had two RBIs. Bosse had a double and two RBIs. Natalie Flowers had a single and an RBI. Sandhurst hit a double. McCabe and Delaney Thompson each hit a single.
The Clippers struck out three times, walked four times and got hit by one pitch. They abandoned five on base.
Delaney Thompson allowed just two hits and three walks while striking out a dozen. She hit one batter. Sleepy Eye left four on base.
On the other side of the Section 2A bracket, Nicollet pulled off a big upset when they edged second-ranked USC 1-0. The winning run scored on a triple and an interference call at the plate. The Raiders will take on third seeded New Ulm Cathedral, which beat Mountain Lake Area 8-2.
The winner of Cleveland vs MCW takes on the winner of Nicollet vs Cathedral while the loser heads to the elimination bracket for a noon game.
JWP, USC, Sleepy Eye and NUC all have an opportunity to work their way back to the top through the elimination bracket.
Above: Outfielder Taylor Wolf reaches for a catch along the right field line to complete the third out in the third inning.