Lions baseball team bounces back with win after 0-2 start

The defending State Champion Clear Lake Lions didn’t get off to the start they were hoping for, but Coach Seth Thompson said he expects his team to be better in all facets of the game when they are at full strength.

Newman 15, CL 3

Newman Catholic broke open a close game through three innings with the help of Lion errors and went on to post a 15-3 victory in the opening game of the Charles City tournament.  The game was played Tuesday, May 23, in Clear Lake.

“The wet conditions made this a very challenging game for defenses to get outs, and unfortunately we just let too many runners get on base by both walks and errors,” said Coach Thompson.  “Offensively, we gave ourselves some chances, but the miscues on defense were just too much to recover from.”

Jacob Peterson took the loss, pitching five innings and giving up five hits.  Eleven runs scored, three of them earned.  He walked four and struck out four.  Jackson Hamlin came in to throw the final inning.  He was touched for four runs on three hits.  He walked three.

The Lions had six hits in the game.  Tanner Huey and Chase Stuver each had a pair of hits, with one of Huey’s being a double good for an RBI.  Peterson had a hit which scored a run.  Ben Finn also recorded a hit.

New Hampton 14, CL 3 (5)

The Lions faced another highly regarded team when they traveled to New Hampton Wednesday, May 24.

“This team is one of the best teams in our class, and we unfortunately made the same mistakes we found ourselves making against newman and ended up with a similar outcome,” said Coach Thompson.

The final score was 14-3.

The Lion pitching staff had trouble finding the zone.  Nathan Tofte walked four and Ben Finn issued five walks.  Finn took the loss, pitching one inning and giving eight runs, six of them earned, on four hits.

Clear Lake scored its three runs on just five hits.  The Lions put two runs on the board in the first, but couldn’t get another run in until the fifth.

Zach Lester had two hits in the game, including a double, and an RBI.  Jacob Peterson and David Vohs each had singles which scored a run.  Tofte helped his cause with a single.

CL 8, Charles City 7

The Lions bounced back from their opening losses with a come-from-behind victory over Charles City Friday, May 26.  Two runs in the fifth inning lifted the Lions to an 8-7 win.

“Our defense took a very positive step in the right direction and our pitching did, as well,” said Coach Seth Thompson.  “Offensively, even though our roster is not at full strength yet, we put together some quality at bats and did a nice job of applying pressure the whole game.  Our hope is with a full roster next week with spring sports being finished we will start to get things figured out on defense and get a little better in all facets of the game every time we show up to the field.”

The Lions jumped on the board with three runs in the first, one in the second and two more in the third.  They held a 6-2 lead after three innings.

The Comets had a big fifth inning, plating four runs and pushing starting pitcher Erik McHenry, a freshman, off the mound.  McHenry gave up seven runs on nine hits.  He struck out three and walked two.

Zach Lester came in to relieve and shut the Comets down.  He held them to one hit, struck out three and walked two.

Ben Finn recorded two of the Lions’ seven hits.  Lester, Jacob Peterson, David Vohs and Nathan Tofte each had one hit with RBIs.  McHenry and Tanner Huey also had hits.  Mitchell Faber also earned an RBI with his fielder’s choice.