Clear Lake girls beat second ranked Humboldt, 4-1

(Above) Autumn Vanhorn was the starting pitcher against Iowa Falls-Alden on Tuesday, June 18.  She went on to pick up wins against Humboldt and Forest City later in the week.  -Reporter photo by Chris Barragy

By Marianne Gasaway

The Clear Lake girls finished the week with a pair of wins to improve their record to 7-8 overall and 3-5 in the North Central Conference.  One of the victories was over second ranked Humboldt.

“I am really glad about the girls’ efforts.  It’s a great way to head into the weekend.  We need to keep our play at this level as we head into next week,” said Coach Austin Peterson.

IF-A 10, CL 6

The Lions were in complete control through five innings, but a big sixth inning for the Cadets propelled Iowa Falls-Alden to a 10-6 league win Tuesday, June 18.

Clear Lake scored one run in the first and two more in the third and fifth innings for a 5-0 lead.  The Cadets tied the game with five runs in the top of the sixth, but the Lions regained the lead in the bottom of the frame after a run scoring double by Emeny Brattrud.

In the top of the seventh the Lions got the first two outs, but then the game changed again.  The Cadets scored another five runs on the top of the seven to win, 10-6.

“We have to learn to put teams away.  We had this game in control and we can’t coast.  We have to learn to finish games,” said Coach Austin Peterson.

The Lions had 11 hits in the  game, with Julia Merfeld, Sara Faber, Kaylee Nosbisch, Mikayla VanderPloeg and Bella Parker each getting two .  One of Faber’s hits was a triple, helping her to finish with two RBIs.  Nosbisch had a team high three RBIs.

Alivia Hauge was tagged with the loss. The freshman threw one and one-third innings, giving up six runs on six hits.  Autumn Vanhorn pitched five and one-third innings, giving up four runs on three his. She struck out three and walked two.  Ashlyn Fread faced one batter and recorded a strikeout.

CL 4, Humboldt 1

The Lions responded to a tough loss the night before by upending second ranked Humboldt on the Wildcats’ diamond, 4-1 Wednesday night.

According to Coach Austin Peterson, the Lions may have played their best game of the year, finding key hits at the plate, while holding the dominant offensive team of Humboldt at bay with key defensive plays.

“I am really happy with the way the girls responded from the night before.  We came out wanting to win and play hard and focused,” said Peterson.  “We need to play with that same mind set every game, and hopefully this win starts something special for us mentality wise.”

The Lions used eight hits to score two runs in the third and two more in the fifth inning.  Kaylee Nosbisch and Macy Mixdorf each had two hits in three at-bats, with Mixdorf belting a double and triple to finish with two RBIs.  Sara Faber also had a triple and RBI in the game.

Freshman Autumn Vanhorn was the winning pitcher.  She went seven innings, surrendering just four hits and one earned run.  She struck out three and walked two.

CL 6, Forest City 4

The competition didn’t get any easier Thursday, as the Lions traveled to Forest City.  After a quick start by both teams, the Lions came away with a 6-4 victory.

Eleven hits in the game helped the Lions to score three