Lions pull off a seventh inning run to beat Algona in NCC action

by Marianne GasawayThe Lions manufactured a run in the seventh inning to escape Algona with a one-run conference victory last week.  Two losses to non-conference opponents have Clear Lake at 5-10 overall and 3-5 in the North Central Conference.CL 2, Algona 1A run in the top of the seventh lifted the Lions to an exciting 2-1 victory over Algona  (7-13, 4-4) Monday, June 13.  The win avenged a 20-1 loss in May to the Bulldogs.Algona’s Jensen Eischen and Clear Lake’s Jett Neuberger were locked in a pitcher’s dual throughout the game.  Neuberger held the Bulldogs to just three hits, while Eischen allowed four.  Neuberger struck out 10 batters and walked two.  Eischen took the loss with three strikeouts and three walks.Each team scored a run in the second inning, then remained deadlocked at 1-1 until the seventh.The all-important run was scored when Alex Kerr, pinch running for catcher Hudson Smith, stole a base, took third on a ground ball and then scored on an Algona throwing error.Ben Loge, Cabot Neubeger, Zeke Nelson and Smith reached base on singles. Loge and Nelson also had stolen bases in the win.Dike-NH 13, CL 3Undefeated Dike-New Hartford (15-0) broke open a 5-3 game with seven runs in the fifth inning and went on to win, 13-3, Tuesday, June 14.The Lions got off to a good start, scoring all of their runs in the first inning off of starter C Costello.  Costello went on to pitch the complete game, giving up three runs on four hits.  He struck out seven and walked one.Titan Schmitt got the start for the Lions.  He gave up five runs, three earned, on three hits.  Cabot Neuberger took over in the second inning and surrendered eight runs on nine hits.  He walked one and struck out one.  Dylan Bieber, Cabot Neuberger, Andrew Theiss and Zeke Nelson had Clear Lake’s hits.  Four D-NH errors helped the Lions to score their runs.Red Oak 1, CL 0Dawson Bond pitched a one-hitter as Red Oak (9-9) recorded a 1-0 non-conference victory over the Lions Friday, June 17.  Jett Neuberger was the only Lion able to reach on a hit, as Bond struck out 10.  Andrew Theiss pitched a good game for the Lions, allowing only two hits.  He struck out seven and walked one.Clear Lake committed four errors in the loss.  Red Oak was charged with two.Despite the loss, the trip was still a fun one for the Lions, who stayed in town, then went on to attend the  College World Series game with Arkansas and Stanford on Saturday afternoon.