CL girls finish strong

(Above) Clear Lake pitcher Kiersten Baalson got the win on the mound for the Lions.  Baalson gave up six runs, three of them earned on seven hits.  She walked two and struck out two.  -Reporter photos by Chris Barragy

“It’s not where you start, it’s where you finish” -lyrics from the Broadway musical “Seesaw.”

The Clear Lake girls softball team seemed to peak at just the right time.  The Lions played Estherville-Lincoln Central Monday night in a Regional final for a chance to go to State.  ELC came back from a 7-0 deficit to take down fourth ranked Spirit Lake, 8-7, in their quarterfinal matchup.

The Lions (11-17) opened tournament play by knocking off 13th ranked Cresco on the Cadets’ home field in the Class 3A Region 2 quarterfinal.  Next they avenged a 10-0 loss to Osage by dumping the Green Devils, 7-6.

CL 11, Crestwood 7

The Lions came out swinging against Crestwood, a team which blanked them 10-0 in the first round of post-season play last year.  This time Clear Lake pounded out 17 hits and never trailed after the first inning.

The Lions opened the game by scoring a run, when Macy Mixdorf hit a double to score Julia Merfeld.  Crestwood answered in the bottom of the first to make it 2-1.  After that, it was all Clear Lake, with the Lions scoring two in the second, four in the third, three in the fifth, and another run in the sixth.

They held off a seventh-inning Crestwood rally to get the win.

“It was a great win for us and this program,” said Coach Austin Peterson.  “Clear Lake had not won a tournament game since 2010.  We came in wanting the win and the girls did everything they could do to win it.  I am proud of their effort.”

Junior pitcher Kiersten Baalson withstood the pressure and posted the win.  She struck out three and walked one. The Cadets recorded 11 hits in the game.

“Kiersten pitched great.  She kept them off balance and was able to battle through to the end,” said the coach. “That first inning she could have faulted, but she just kept going. She battled through it, did what we asked, she hit her spots, and it’s nice to get the W here.”

Four Lions had three hits in the game.  Eighth grader Sara Faber, freshmen Kaylee Nosbisch and Macy Mixdorf and sophomore Kayla Ritter were the heart of the offense.  Eighth grader Julia Merfeld and senior Tori Fyfe each had two hits.

Faber’s two doubles in the game helped her tally an amazing six RBIs in the game.  Her double in the fifth cleared the bases.

CL 7, Osage 6

What a difference a few weeks makes.  Back on June 18 Osage blanked the Lions 10-0 in five innings, but in the regional semifinal Friday night in Mason City, the tables were turned.  The Lions scored in five of the seven innings and came out on top, 8-7.

Sara Faber set the tone for the game with a two-run homer in the top of the first inning.  Faber scored Kaylee Nosbisch, who had reached on an Osage error.

The game went back and forth, as the Green Devils also sent two runs across home plate in the first, helped by the first of five Lion errors in the game, but Clear Lake regained the lead with a run in the second.  Chloe Mueller started the inning with a base hit, then advanced on Kayla Ritter’s sacrifice bunt and a ground out.  Erin O’Tool’s base hit scored Mueller for a 3-2 lead.

With two out in the bottom of the third another Lion error allowed Osage to tie the score 3-3.

There was more back and forth in the fourth, as Clear Lake took the lead on an RBI double off the bat of Erin O’Tool.  O’Tool’s blast scored Tori Fyfe, who had reached on a walk.  In the bottom of the inning the Green Devils threatened again, as first and second base were filled on errors.  A base hit scored a run to make the score 4-4.

Macy Mixdorf opened the fifth inning with a base hit up the middle, then advanced to third on a line-drive hit off the bat of Rachel Barillas.  A wild pitch scored Mixdorf to again put

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Clear Lake added two more in the sixth as Kaylee Nosbisch reached on an infield single and scored on a double by Faber.  Mixdorf got her second hit of the game to score Faber, 7-4.

But Osage wasn’t ready to give up.  The Green Devils took advantage of another Lion error to start the sixth inning.  That, followed by a walk, put runners on first and second with no out and a sacrifice bunt moved them each ahead 90-feet. Pitcher Kiersten Baalson had to be feeling the pressure as she faced the next batter.   A wild pitch scored a run and moved a Green Devil to third with just one out.  A pop-up dropped in to score a run and tighten the game to 7-6 with one out.  O’Tool threw out a steal attempt at second, but Osage retaliated with a base hit and walk to again have two runners aboard.   A ground ball out to third ended the threat, as Tori Fyfe delivered the ball to first to retire the side.

Just when momentum appeared to have swung in Osage’s favor, Baalson dug in.  She fielded a hit from the lead-off batter in the bottom of the seventh to get out number one.  A line drive base hit put one runner aboard, but she was sent to the bench on a fielder’s choice.  With the tying run on base in the bottom of the seventh, Baalson got a strikeout to end the game.

The junior pitcher gave up six runs, three of them earned, on seven hits.  She walked two and struck out two while getting the win.

“We played a bit sloppy— committing five errors and leaving runners on base, but I was happy to see our girls pull it off.  Come tournament time you just need to find ways to win.  No one expected us to get this far, but the girls believed it and have been working towards it.  I am very proud of their effort,” said Coach Peterson.

Faber, Mixdorf, Mueller and O’Tool had two hits apiece to lead the Lions.  Faber led the way with three RBIs.

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