Newton baseball falls twice to Indianola
Jun. 14—Newton's baseball team had trouble slowing down a high-powered Indianola offense on Friday during a Little Hawkeye Conference doubleheader at Eversman Field.
The Indians hold the fifth best batting average in Class 4A and they cranked out 24 hits in the two games and they took both games of the conference doubleheader, winning 14-2 in the opener and 10-1 in the nightcap.
"I talk with the players all the time about how a game is a direct reflection of our performance," Newton baseball coach Brad Kahler said. "Indianola out-performed us."
The Indians ended the first game in five innings. They scored at least two runs in four of the five innings and scored in all five during the win.
The Cardinals (3-8 overall, 1-7 in the LHC) were limited to two hits and committed two errors in the loss.
Braydon Chance and Eli Stewart collected the hits. Turner Williams walked once, was hit by a pitch and scored a run, Tade Vanderlaan walked and had two RBIs and Drew Thompson also walked.
Riley Mouchka was hit in the helmet by a pitch and left the game in the second inning.
Chance singled in the second inning, took second on a wild pitch and then scored when Vanderlaan drew a walk with the bases loaded.
In the fourth, Indianola (12-4, 5-3) allowed base runners on back-to-back errors, Jake Ingle walked and Turner Williams scored on an RBI fielder's choice by Vanderlaan.
Newton left the bases loaded in the fifth. Indianola got the first two outs before Stewart singled, Williams was hit by a pitch and Drew Thompson walked.
Kael Swarts started on the mound and took the loss after allowing eight earned runs on eight hits with three strikeouts and one walk in four innings.
Evan Grimm pitched the fifth and surrendered four earned runs on six hits with one strikeout.
The Cardinals fared better offensively in the nightcap, collecting nine hits. But Indianola kept Newton at bay as it scored just one run in the second.
Newton did force the Indians to play all seven innings despite giving up six runs in the fifth. The Cardinals were plagued by three errors.
Williams tallied two hits at the plate and took the loss on the mound. He threw the first three innings and allowed two earned runs on three hits with one strikeout and one walk.
Conner Brain tallied two hits and one walk, Thompson finished with one hit and one walk and Swarts chipped in one hit and had one RBI.
Stewart, Kacey Sommars and Brody Bauer all had one hit and Vanderlaan walked once.
"Offensively, it was a good night," Kahler said. "We didn't cash in the runs, but we had a bunch of hits. We also got our strikeouts down. We are not where we want to be, but it was better."
Bauer pitched two innings and allowed five earned runs on six hits with one strikeout and three walks.
Sommars walked three batters and got one out and Stewart pitched 1 2/3 innings and allowed two earned runs on one hit with four strikeouts and three walks.
The four Cardinal pitchers walked 10 in the game.