War Eagles’ Helle pitches complete game gem as bats start to make noise
War Eagle third baseman Ashton Thiese throws the ball to first versus Postville. (Photos by Bev Hamann)
Owen Ludovissy slides safely back to first base, beating a Pirates pick-off throw in the War Eagle victory over Postville last week.
Caden Helle jogs toward home after smacking a home run in the win over the Pirates.
Khane Bolsinger was 2-4 with an RBI in the War Eagle victory versus Postville.
By Willis Patenaude, Times-Register
The Clayton Ridge-Central baseball team returned to the winners’ circle last week, pulling off a pitchers duel to start the week against MFL MarMac, before slugging their way to victory against Postville. It capped off a 2-2 week of baseball with season’s end fast approaching.
In game one against MFL MarMac on June 12, the War Eagles put up a run in the top of the second inning and, on the arm of Caden Helle, held onto the slim lead to win 1-0. Helle pitched a complete game one-hitter and struck out 12 Bulldogs along the way.
The offense put up four hits, one each from Braxton Bormann, Ashton Thiese, Kylar Millard and Kurt Ross, with Helle producing the RBI that put Ross across the plate for the game-securing run. The War Eagles also forced five walks and stole two bases.
The second game started off with the War Eagles again taking the early lead, but this time they added some insurance runs, going up 3-0 after the second inning. Heading into the fifth inning, it was 4-1 in favor of CR-C, who tacked on an additional run in the top of the fifth. However, the Bulldog bats, which were silenced in game one, started making contact and took over a 6-5 lead as the game entered the sixth inning.
The War Eagles tied the game with one run in the sixth, and that’s where the score stood heading into the seventh. CR-C was unable to score, but the Bulldogs, in walk-off fashion, scored the game-winning run and took a narrow 7-6 victory.
The War Eagle offense put up 10 hits—eight singles and two doubles—with Bormann leading the way. He went 3 for 5 with two singles and one double, along with three RBIs. Ross went 1 for 4 with two RBIs, two stolen bases and two runs scored, while Helle went 2 for 3 with a double and an RBI. Thiese went 1 for 3 with two runs scored, and Elliot Kelly finished 2 for 4 with one run scored.
The War Eagles sent out four pitchers, including Owen Hammersland, Max Nuehring, Colton Hoeger and Jack Scherf. Hammersland pitched allowing just two hits while striking out three in two innings, and Nuehring pitched four innings, giving up three hits, four walks and five earned runs, with three strikeouts. Hoeger and Scherf combined to go two-thirds of an inning, allowing one hit, one earned run, three walks and one strikeout.
On Tuesday, the War Eagles were back home, against South Winneshiek. The game started off all offense, as the Warriors put up five runs and the War Eagles responded with three of their own. The game then remained at 5-3 for three straight scoreless innings. As the sixth inning started, so did the run scoring, with South Winn adding four runs to the scoreboard and the War Eagles two. CR-C would fall short, though, losing 9-5.
At the plate, the War Eagles earned six hits, all singles, and were aided by several errors by the Warriors, which contributed to all five runs. Helle went 1 for 2 with an RBI, two walks, and one run scored, and Thiese went 1 for 2 with an RBI. Ross was 1 for 4 with a stolen base and one run scored. Kelly, Ludovissy and Isaac Loan also scored runs.
Handling pitching duties were Thiese and Scherf, with Thiese allowing one hit, four walks, five earned runs and one strikeout in two innings. Scherf pitched five innings, giving up four hits, two walks and two earned runs, while striking out two Warriors.
The final game of the week, versus the Postville Pirates, was June 15. It was a low-scoring affair through the first three innings, with the War Eagles hanging on to a 2-1 lead. After the bottom of the fourth and fifth innings, the War Eagles rounded the bases toward home nine times, putting the finishing touches on an 11-1 victory.
The offense hit .400 for the game, with 10 hits, including eight singles, one double and one homerun. Hitters struck out just twice.
At the head of the offensive juggernaut was Helle, who went 2 for 3 with a double and homerun, one run scored and five RBIs. Bolsinger went 2 for 4 with two singles, one RBI and one run scored, while Nuehring was 2 for 3 with two runs scored. Bormann also had an RBI on one hit, as did Thiese and Millard.
The War Eagles stole 10 bases, led by Bolsinger with three, Ludovissy and Nuehring with two, and Bormann, Meier and Hammersland with one apiece.
Sharing the pitching assignment were Ross and Hoeger. Ross gave up just one hit and five walks, while striking out seven, over four innings. Hoeger went for an inning, giving up no hits and striking out one.
The War Eagles (5-15) will play four games this week, starting with a June 19 doubleheader against North Fayette Valley. On June 20, Turkey Valley Trojans came to town for one game. CR-C will finish the week at Kee on June 22.
