Scattering a baker’s dozen hits, the varsity boys whipped up on host St. Clair on Thursday, routing the Cyclones 19-1.
The young Cyclones came into the contest with just one win.
Caleb Connor scored the 19th run when hit the team’s first home run of the year for four RBI. He also had a double for another RBI.
Alex Kortuem hit a single and a double for three RBI. Miles Tomaszewski and Nathan Seeman each had two singles and three RBI. Carson Lyons had two singles and one RBI. Kyle Connor had a single and one RBI. Brennan Kortuem had a double and two RBI. Braeden Smith had a triple and one RBI.
St. Clair used a quartet of pitchers. They issued six walks and five strikeouts and hit two batters: Kale Kelley and Brennan Kortuem. They left seven runners on base. The Cyclones were hindered by six errors, three more than the Clippers.
Alex Korteum tossed all five innings. He allowed three hits and threw walks while striking out eight and marooning six Cyclone runners.
The Clippers scored four runs in the first on a Brennan Kortuem walk, a Caleb Connor RBI double, an error that brought Kiptyn Coon, running for Caleb Connor, across the plate, a Smith triple that scored Tomaszewski and a Kyle Connor RBI single.
The Clippers added a run in the second. Leading off, Seeman hit into an infield error. Lyons dropped down a bunt single that stuck in the grass path to first, and Brennan Kortuem got hit by a pitch to load the bases. Seeman came home on a Tomaszewski sacrifice fly for a 5-0 Clipper advantage.
Alex Kortuem led off the third with a single. Kyle Connor walked, and Seeman sent a hit into center field for an RBI. Lyons popped a hit behind the right fielder for an RBI, and with a BK two-RBI double, the Clippers were comfortably in front 9-0.
Continuing to pad their lead, the Clippers added five more runs in the fourth on an error, an Alex Kortuem RBI double, a walk, a Seeman RBI single, a wild pitch that Kelley scored on after having hit into an error, a Caleb Connor walk and a Tomaszewski two-RBI single.
Taking advantage of a walk, two errors, a hit batter and a Caleb Connor four-run homer, the Clippers scored another five runs in the fifth.
The Cyclones managed a run in the bottom of the fifth on two infield errors and a walk.
Last year, when the Cyclones were still in the Valley Conference, they beat the Clippers 7-4.
The Clippers, now 11-3, take on Mountain Lake Area/Comfrey today at Gustavus at 1:00 p.m. The Wolverines also have just one win.
Above: Alex Kortuem escaped a pickle when he avoided the tag and dove safely back to first.
