After the Cleveland nine easily downed St. James Area in the Mankato Loyola round-robin tournament at Franklin Rogers Field on Saturday, the Crusaders avenged a conference loss to decisively beat the Clippers 13-3 and win the tournament.
The Friday before, the Clippers lost in Mountain Lake 9-4. The following Tuesday, the Clippers closed out their regular season when they fell 12-7 at Lester Prairie.
They will host Martin Luther/Granada-Huntley-East Chain/Truman on Thursday in the first round of the section tournament.
The Clippers committed seven miscues against Loyola, and all but three Crusader runs were unearned, but head coach Mike Krenik was hesitant to blame it on the fast bounces that came off the artificial turf.
“Yeah, it plays a little faster than we are used to, but we beat ourselves. You’re not going to win a lot of games with seven errors. We came to play the first game but didn’t come to play the second game.”
The Clippers pulled ahead 1-0 in the bottom of the first. Colin Krenik singled, stole second and scored on a Jackson Meyer single.
The Crusaders responded with two runs on two Clipper errors and a single for a 2-1 advantage. It was a lead they never let go.
“It was a little bit of a momentum shift, but it shouldn’t bother us,” Krenik said. “It kinks you a little, but we have confidence to come back. We beat these guys last time.”
The Clippers pushed across another run in the fourth when Lucas Walechka singled, advanced on a Kaleb Timlin single, stole third and scored on a Kyle Connor grounder.
Their final run came in the sixth when Timlin singled, took third on a Gabe Sullivan single and crossed the plate when the ball got through the catcher.
Meanwhile, Loyola kept the pressure on with two runs in the fourth, five in the fifth, one in the sixth and three more in the seventh.
In Walechka’s tenure on the mound, which lasted the first four innings, Loyola racked up six hits and walked twice for seven runs. Walechka struck out three. Krenik threw for the next two and two thirds innings. The Crusaders hit him for times and took advantage of two free passes for six more runs.
The one batter Kale Kelley faced grounded out.
The Clippers fanned 11 times and had eight hits, all singles. Two came off the bat of Timlin while Meyer, Dylla, Sullivan, Connor, Krenik and Walechka each had one hit.
Cleveland 10, St. James 2
With the score knotted at one, Dylla (sliding into third above) slammed the first of a hat trick of triples. Meyer and Tanyon Hoheisel got on board with free passes, and Walechka hit a three-RBI double that turned into four runs when the outfielder chucked the ball into the St. James dugout, giving Walechka two more bases.
The play took the wind out of the James Gang, and the Clippers went on to cruise to the triumph.
The Clippers scored in the first inning when Dylla reached first on an error at third base and scored on a Meyer double. SJA responded in the second when the lead-off batter singled, stole second and scored on passed balls.
Leading off the fifth, Dylla bashed his second triple and scored on a Krenik grounder. With one out, Meyer singled and scored after hits by Walechka and Timlin for a 7-1 Clipper advantage.
On a walk, an error and a single, SJA pushed a run across in the fifth, but the Clippers padded their lead with three more runs after a Kelley single, another Dylla triple, a pair of shortstop errors and a fielder’s choice from Hoheisel that brought in Krenik.
Led by Dylla’s three triples, the Clippers racked up 10 hits. Walechka had a double and two singles. Meyer had a double and a single. Timlin and Kelley each had a single.
Solid on the mound as he was at the plate, Dylla went all seven innings, allowing five hits, two walks while striking out 11.
Mountain Lake 9, Cleveland 4
The Clippers started out well in Comfrey against Mountain Lake Area on Friday. Dylla doubled on a line drive to left field and scored on a Meyer single.
But MLA responded right away with four runs on two hits, an error that scored a run and a three-run homer.
The field had short corners, but the Wolverines still hit the ball well, Krenik said.
“If we can’t get to it, it’s still a double.”
The Clippers pulled within a run in the second. Sullivan led off with a single, stole second and scored on a Blake Lyons double. Lyons crossed the plate on a Krenik single.
The Wolverines added a trio of runs in the second when the eighth and ninth batter walked and advanced on a single. One run scored on a flyout, one run scored on a single, and the another run scored on a pitch that got away to put the Wolverines up front 7-3.
The Clippers managed another run in the fourth. Lyons walked, moved to second on a Dylla single and scored on a Krenik single.
Mountain Lake put an exclamation point on the triumph with a couple of single-run homers in the sixth.
The Clippers struck out four times but had nine hits. Dylla had a single and a double. Krenik had two singles. Lyons, Meyer, Sullivan, Walechka and Timlin all had one single.
In the first five innings, Meyer allowed nine hit, three walks and struck out five. In relief for one inning., Lyons surrendered two hits and no walks while recording one strikeout. The Clippers suffered four errors, two more than Mountain Lake.
Lester Prairie 12, Cleveland 7
Posting runs in every inning, host Lester Prairie was in front 7-0 before Cleveland got on the board with two runs in the fifth. Krenik hit a one-out single and advanced to third when Meyer hit into an error. Walechka dropped a single into right field for the RBI. Timlin’s ground-ball hit scored Meyer.
The Bulldogs canceled the pair of runs and then some with four more runs.
The Clippers rallied for five runs in the sixth. With one out, Ethan Fuller got on base after an infield error. Back at the top of the order, Dylla cracked a double on a hard-hit ball to left field.
Following up, Krenik smacked a grounder to center field for an RBI double. Meyer reached first on a dropped third strike, and, continuing with the senior doubles, Walechka scored both Krenik and Meyer on a line drive to right field.
After a pair of passed balls Walechka crossed the plate, but the rally ended with two strikeouts.
The Bulldogs wrapped up the victory with another run in the sixth.
Lester Prairie racked up 11 hits. Krenik was on the hill for the Clippers. The lefty lasted three and a third innings, allowing six hits and six runs while striking out five. Meyer and Dylla entered the game as relief, throwing two and a third innings and one-third of an inning respectively.
Meyer allowed five hits and struck out one. The one batter Dylla faced grounded out.
The Clippers struck out 13 times and had nine hits. Dylla, Krenik and Walechka each hit a double and a single. Timlin, Sullivan and Connor each had singles. Hoheisel injured his ankle during the Crusader game and did not play.
The Clippers edged ML/GHEC/T 2-1 back on April 21. The Jaguars are rated ninth in the section. Cleveland is seeded eighth. The winner takes on the winner of top-ranked New Ulm Cathedral vs 16th seeded Nicollet next Tuesday at the high seed.
Madelia is second rated in the section. Springfield is third. Sleepy Eye is fourth. Mankato Loyola is fifth. Sleepy Eye St. Mary’s is sixth, and Martin County West is seventh.
Blake Lyons winds up for a throw on the Comfrey field. (Patty Sullivan photo)
Carter Dylla and Tanyon Hoheisel celebrate after Lucas Walechka’s three-RBI double against St. James.
Second baseman Kaleb Timlin coils for a throw to first against St. James Area.
Tanyon Hoheisel lays down a bunt against St. James Area.
Lucas Walechka sneaks by the St. James Area shortstop.
Third baseman Jackson Meyer reaches for a St. James Area grounder.
With Kaleb Timlin leading off first, Gabe Sullivan lays down a bunt during the Clippers’ game against Loyola.
Ethan Fuller reaches out for a Loyola hit ball to right field.
Gabe Sullivan makes a play at the plate against Lester Prairie. (Patty Sullivan photo)