Despite valiant effort CL girls fall to E-LC to end the season

Clear Lake’s Chloe Mueller was happy to score against Estherville-Lincoln Central in Monday night’s Regional final.  The run gave the Lions a 2-1 lead.  

The Lions put up a valiant fight, but Estherville-Lincoln Central earned a trip to State with a 6-2 victory Monday, July 11, in the Regional final.  The Midgets were leading 6-2 after five innings when the game was called.  Lightning suspended the game for the first time at 6:40 p.m. in the third inning.  After re-starting, play was stopped again in the fifth inning at 7:30 and never resumed.  Since the home team was leading in the fifth, the game was considered complete.

“I was very proud of the way our girls finished the season.  They worked hard and believed they could win, which I hope carries over to next year,” said Coach Austin Peterson.

The Lions wasted no time getting to business, as they scored in the top of the first when Macy Mixdorf doubled to bring Kaylee Nosbisch home.

E-LC responded with a run to tie the game in the bottom of the first.  Their lead-off batter reached on an error and moved all the way to third on a sacrifice bunt.  A bunt single squeeze play scored a run.  The Midgets kept the pressure on with a base hit to centerfield which put runners at first and third with one out.  The Lions got out number two on a fly ball and Mixdorf, playing in centerfield, threw out a runner trying to score to retire the side.

The second inning was more of the same from the Lions, as Chloe Mueller walked and went to second on a sacrifice bunt from Kayla Ritter.  With two out, Erin O’Tool slapped a ground ball up the middle to score Mueller and give Clear Lake a 2-1 lead.

E-LC was retired in order in the second, but in the third inning, four consecutive base hits scored three and suddenly the Lions trailed.  Left fielder Sara Faber fielded a base hit and threw out a runner at home to get an out.  A wild pitch and ground ball which knocked the third base bag to be in fair territory scored a run to make the score 5-2.

A lightning delay interrupted the inning with a runner on first and two out.  Thankfully for the Lions, when play resumed the Midgets had cooled off and a ground out ended the inning.

The Lions were hoping to at least tie the game in the fourth, as storm clouds loomed in the distance.  Three quick outs put the Midgets back on the field, but they were put down in order and the Lions had the fifth inning to keep the game alive.

With one out, Julia Merfeld got her first hit of the night, but the rest of the Lion line-up was stumped.  Trailing 6-2 after their portion of the fifth, the game became official.

Minutes later, with two outs in the bottom of the fifth and the score still 6-2, lightning was again spotted and the game was delayed.  By 9:20 rain arrived and officials finally called the game complete.

“Losing like that is tough, but it can’t take away from the great season we had,” said Coach Peterson. “We saw major improvements this year and like where the program is headed.”

Kiersten Baalson pitched all five innings for the Lions.  The junior gave up eight hits and struck out one.

The Lions had three hits in the game, supplied by Merfeld, Mixdorf and O’Tool.

The team says good-bye to two seniors, third baseman Tori Fyfe and its catcher, O’Tool.

The Lions finished the season with a record of 11-18.