WarEagles finish regular season with wins
Griffen Hammersland pitched six innings in the June 30 game at MFL MarMac, allowing 10 hits, three walks and six earned runs, while striking out three Bulldogs. (Photos by Audrey Posten)
Carson Ruegnitz swings at a pitch early in the WarEagles’ 6-3 loss to MFL MarMac on June 30.
WarEagle shortstop Isaac Loan throws the ball to first base for an out in last week's game at MFL MarMac.
By Willis Patenaude | Times-Register
The Clayton Ridge-Central baseball team had a slimmed down schedule last week after weather postponed a doubleheader, but the WarEagles made the most of it, adding two more wins and finishing in fourth place in the Upper Iowa Conference with a record of 9-9, while standing at 7-16 overall.
The WarEagles traveled to MFL MarMac on June 30, and despite the disparity in records, they didn’t make it an easy win for the Bulldogs. The final score was 6-3.
Among the offensive leaders were Owen Hammersland with one hit and an RBI and Seth Kregel with two RBIs on a sacrifice. Mason Loan, Max Nuehring and Kahne Bolsinger each scored a run and stole a combined four bases.
Griffen Hammersland pitched six innings, allowing 10 hits, three walks and six earned runs, while striking out three Bulldogs.
The following night, CRC was back home for a doubleheader versus Turkey Valley. The WarEagles jumped ahead 3-0 by the fourth inning and were leading 6-3 before adding two more runs in the bottom of the sixth to take a commanding 8-3 victory.
Griffen Hammersland’s bat was on fire throughout the game, as he collected three hits and four RBIs. Mason Loan also had three hits while scoring a run and Bolsinger added two runs scored and a double to the stat sheet.
The offense totaled nine hits, including one double, and forced five walks. The WarEagles also ran circles around the diamond, stealing 13 bases, with three each from Mason Loan, Bolsinger and Griffen Hammersland.
Pitching duties were shared between Nuehring and Owen Hammersland, with Nuehring going three and two-thirds innings, giving up two hits, six walks and three earned runs, all while striking out seven. Hammersland went three and one-third innings, allowing two hits and three walks, while striking out six.
The WarEagles picked up another win in game two, albeit under different circumstances. The home team was down 3-2 after the sixth inning when they tied the game in the bottom of the seventh after Nuehring singled to center field, scoring a run. CRC walked off with a 4-3 win after Carson Ruegnitz drew a walk that forced in a run.
The WarEagle offense collected four hits, one each from Mason Loan, Nuehring, Dominique Mast and Kregel. The offense was aided by drawing six walks, being hit three times and stealing nine bases, including two by Mason Loan, Bolsinger and Griffen Hammersland.
Jack Scherf pitched a solid six innings, giving up just four hits, two walks and two earned runs, while striking out six hitters. Colton Hoeger delivered a clean inning, striking out all three Trojans he faced.
The WarEagles finished fourth in the Upper Iowa Conference with a .500 record, and broke the school record for stolen bases in a season with 137.
Next up for the ball club was a first round playoff game versus Waukon at MFL MarMac High School in Monona. The game was originally slated for July 5, but was pushed to July 7 due to weather.
