CL softball team battles tough competition

The Clear Lake girls softball team battled some of the best teams in the conference and area last week.  The Lions dropped three games before winning their opening contest at an Emmetsburg Tournament Saturday.  They were denied a victory in the second game by weather-related scoring rules. The Lions ended the week with a 3-7 overall record.

Humboldt 7, CL 4

The Lions started the week of with one of the best teams in the conference.  The contest was a back-and-forth affair, but the Lions ended up falling to Humboldt, 7-4., on Monday, June 6.

The Lions trailed on the road, 2-0, but scored three runs in the third to take a 3-2 lead. Humboldt added two more runs in the fourth inning and one in the fifth to take a 5-3 lead.   Clear Lake refused to give up and cut the lead to 5-4, but in the bottom of the sixth Humboldt tacked on two insurance runs and got the win.

Kiersten Baalson picked up the loss, allowing 13 hits, walking one, and striking out six.

Julia Merfeld had two singles in the game and Chloe Mueller was 2/3 at the plate with 2 RBIs.

“It was great to see our girls battle against a great team,” said Coach Austin Peterson. “We battled from the start and showed that if we play solid all around we have a chance to beat any team in our conference. Kiersten didn’t really have her secondary pitches, but it was great to see her still competing and giving us a chance to win.”

St. Ansgar 7, CL 1

The Lions faced another tough opponent Tuesday in non-conference foe St. Ansgar.  Clear Lake played solid defense, but St. Ansgar seemed to hit where the Lions weren’t.  The Saints tallied 14 hits on the night on their way to a 7-1 victory.

“We left a ton of people on base and couldn’t find the one hit to bust open the game,” said Coach Peterson.

Reagan Brackey took the loss for the Lions, pitching all 7 innings.

Macy Mixdorf recorded two singles on the night and Chloe Mueller, along with Rachel Barillas, each recorded a hit.

“We just couldn’t seem to find the one hit we needed to put some more runs on the board.  We had multiply chances with bases loaded, but St. Ansgar seemed to make a play every time.  I felt like we played good defense, but they seemed to hit where we weren’t,” said Peterson.

IF-A 11, CL 1 (6)

The Lions started strong against a ranked opponent in Iowa Falls, but errors cost the Lions greatly and resulted in an 11-1 conference loss Thursday, June 9.

The Lions started off hot, as Julia Merfeld singled and Rachel Barillas scored her with a double.  Heading into the third inning the Lions led the Cadets, 1- 0.  Errors in the third and the fourth broke the game open for IF-A and they ended the game on the 10-run rule in the sixth.

Kiersten Baalson took the loss on the mound, but only gave up two earned runs on the night.  Baalson walked two and struck out two.

Julia Merfeld, Rachel Barillas and Sara Faber all recorded hits on the night.

“We beat ourselves tonight,” said Coach Peterson. “We started off the game confident, but once we had an error we seemed to get flustered, which I think piled on the other errors.  We can’t beat ourselves, and as a team we talked about having confidence out on the field and believing they can make ever play.”

CL 3, G-T/R-A 2

Clear Lake softball travelled to Emmetsburg for a weekend tournament.  The first game was a nail bitter, as the Lions claimed a 3-2 victory over Graettinger-Terril/Ruthven-Ayrshire.

Kiersten Baalson collected the win for the Lions.  She only gave up three hits, walked one and struck out six.

Kayla Ritter wwas the team leader at the plate, going 2/3 with an RBI.  Erin O’Tool was 1/3 with an RBI.

“I thought we hit the ball hard, but seemed to hit right at them.  It was nice to see us a win a close game.  Kiersten threw great.  She was in charge the whole game,” said Coach Peterson.

Emmetsburg 7, CL 3

The second game of the tournament was a hot one for the lady Lions, as they faced the hometown team.  The Lions started off slow, falling behind to Emmetsburg, 7-3, but rallied in the top of the seventh with six runs to take the lead 9-7 going into the bottom of the seventh.

That is when things got interesting.

As the Lions headed out to defend their lead, lightning was observed, resulting in a delay and eventually cancellation of the game.  Since the home team did not get a chance to bat in the bottom half of the seventh, rules state the score goes back to the last completed inning, leaving the Lions with a 7-3 loss.

“I was really proud of our girls. They battled through heat, which was amazing to see.  We showed we were the best team in the tournament, and that we can come back and win games if we are down,” said Coach Peterson.  “I felt both pitchers threw well in each game.  I hope we take this momentum from the tournament into our upcoming games.”

Reagan Brackey pitched for the Lions and collected the loss, giving up three earned runs, striking out one and walking three.  Kayla Ritter, Macy Mixdorf, and Rachel Barillas each recorded doubles in the game.