Clear Creek Amana and Mount Vernon battle to split

MOUNT VERNON - Mount Vernon Coach Jeremy Elliott is probably ready for the weekend.

The last week of competition has been challenging to his Mustang baseball team. At least they finished on a high note.

The Class 2A fourth-ranked Mustangs salvaged a doubleheader split against a scrappy Clear Creek Amana at Cornell College's Ash Park. The Clippers won the opener, 7-6, but the Mustangs rebounded for a 10-6 victory in the nightcap.

After facing top Wamac teams 3A fifth-ranked West Delaware and Williamsburg, Elliott knew what to expect from an improved Clippers squad that swept Mount Vernon last year.

'I was anticipating a dogfight, especially with what they have done this year,” Elliott said. 'I knew they would be close, tight games.”

Both teams delivered, including a back and forth contest in the first game. The Clippers (9-4) scored the final three runs to come away with the win.

The Clippers trailed 6-4 when Bryan Kalkhoff hit a two-run single to tie it in the fifth. Kalkhoff had three hits and drove in three, setting up late heroics.

Robby Swails delivered with the game-winning hit in the seventh. He lined a full-count pitch from Jake Pisarik off the glove of an outstretched third baseman. Tanner Bandy scored when the ball bounded into shallow left field.

CCA had 13 wins last season and is already within four of that total.

'We've been working hard,” Second-year CCA Coach Brent Henry said. 'They get all the credit in the world. They come out ready to play every day. I can't say enough about their work ethic and how they bought into the system.”

Swails finished with three RBIs and Tanner Bandy had three hits and scored three times. The batters were hot, but pitching has been a strength for CCA. Jacob Neubauer threw a complete game.

'Neubauer did a heck of a job,” Henry said. 'He's been lights out this year for us.”

The Clippers spoiled an outstanding performance by Mustangs' freshman Tristan Wirfs.

He drove in five runs in the loss, putting the Mustangs up 2-0 in the first inning by burning the right fielder for a two-run double. He also gave Mount Vernon a 6-4 lead in the opener with a two-run single in the fourth.

'That was really special,” Elliott said. 'He's a really good hitter.”

Wirfs also contributed a two-run single in a four-run second inning, helping Mount Vernon build a 6-1 lead in the second game. He finished 5-for-8 with seven RBIs. Even more impressive, he was 4-for-6 with runners on base.

'He doesn't know how good he could be yet. He is still learning approaches at the plate,” Elliott said. 'Tristan is getting better every outing.”

Mount Vernon's Trey Ryan went 4-for-4 and scored twice, while Noah Dahlstrom added two hits with an RBI in the nightcap. The Mustangs had to hold off Clippers, who scored five runs in the final three innings and had two runners on when Adam Ketelsen came in for relief to strikeout the last two batters.

Just enough went the Mustangs win to cap the week with success.

'We got a couple seeing-eye singles, a couple bloop hits and a double that hit the chalk that scored two for us,” Elliott said. 'Sometimes it is like the old cliché that it is a game of inches. We were fortunate enough to get a few inches in the second game.”

l Comments: (319) 368-8679; kj.pilcher@sourcemedia.net