Lions open baseball season

(Above) P.J. Feurerbach lays down a bunt during the Newman game.  The Knights topped the Lions, 6-2.  -Reporter photo by Chris Barragy

by Marianne Gasaway

The Clear Lake baseball team opened 2021 season with two games last week.  The Lions earned a win over West Fork in their opener, the fell to Newman Catholic in their traditional early season tilt.

CL 11, West Fork 5

Clear Lake weathered a score by West Fork in the third inning, but the Lions won 11-5 on Monday, May 24.

The Lions got their offense started in the first inning when Andrew Formanek singled on his first pitch, scoring one run.  The team scored four runs in the inning.  They notched five runs in the second, with Austin Warnke, Carson Toebe, Jett Neuberger and Andrew Crane each driving in runs.

West Fork also jumped out early, getting two runs in the first and three in the second, but they were shut down after that.

Formanek was the winning pitcher.  The right-hander allowed one hit and five runs over two and tow-thirds innings, striking out five.  

PJ Feuerbach and Toebe ended the game out of the bullpen and helped close out the game in relief.

Maske took the loss for West Fork.  The pitcher lasted one and one-third innings, allowing seven hits and nine runs while striking out two.

Clear Lake had 13 hits in the win.  Toebe, Warnke, Formanek, Feuerbach and Ben Loge each collected multiple hits for the Lions.  Toebe went three-for-four at the plate to lead the team.  

The Lions were sure-handed in the field and didn’t commit a single error.

Newman 6, CL 2

Newman Catholic, fourth ranked in Class 1A, got on the board first and built a 5-0 lead in the fifth before Clear Lake could muster runs in Tuesday’s game.  The Lions scored in the sixth and seventh, but fell short in a 6-2 loss.

Newman got on the board in the first inning when a walk scored a run . They added three in the third on a home run by Nash Holmgaard.  

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Holmgaard also pitched the win.  In six innings he held the Lions to four hits and one run while striking out 11.  Max Burt threw one inning in relief.

Andrew Formanek had a long ball for the Lions.  The senior smacked a home run in the sixth inning.  It was one of five hits in the game by the Lions.  Austin Warnke and Jett Neuberger had two hits apiece.

Neuberger took the loss.  He gave up six runs on seven hits.  He struck out 11 and walked four.

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