March 29, 2024

Newton baseball team splits with Oskaloosa

OSKALOOSA — Teams rarely claim victories in games they have the most errors. Newton’s Cardinals learned that fact Monday playing on the road in the Little Hawkeye Conference.

The Cardinals survived a seven-error game in the opener of the doubleheader against Oskaloosa’s Indians. Two errors in the bottom of the seventh made the game closer than it needed to be. Newton got out of the jam to record a 5-4 victory.

Newton wasn’t as fortunate in the second game. Leading 2-0, three of its five errors came in the fourth inning as Oskaloosa scored four times. The Cardinals left the tying runs on base in the top of seventh, losing 4-2.

The split put the Cardinals at 5-4 in LHC play and 6-8 overall. Newton hosts Pella in conference action Wednesday at Woodland Park, starting at 7:30 p.m.

Evan Shimon and Jordan Travis each went 3-for-3 in the first game for the Cardinals. They had two singles and a double apiece against the Indians.

Shimon drew a walk in the second inning. Courtesy runner Connor Gholson scored later following a single by Travis, Derek Wrage reaching on an error and Jeff Stanton’s fielder’s choice.

Newton broke the 1-1 tie with a three-run third inning. Tyler Wood singled and Michael Barr’s sacrifice moved Wood to second. Shimon and Travis had back-to-back RBI doubles. Mike McCormick reached on an Indian error followed by a run-scoring base hit by Wrage.

Two errors by Newton in the bottom of the third resulted in Oskaloosa plating a run to make it 4-2.

Gholson scored his second run of the game in the fifth, running for Shimon, who singled with two gone. Travis was hit by a pitch and McCormick’s single drove in what would prove to be the game-winning run.

Chandler Sturtz worked five innings as Newton’s starter. He was charged with two runs on three hits and two walks, plus he had three strikeouts. Wood pitched the final two innings, giving up two runs on three hits and two strikeouts.

Wood and the Cardinals got out of trouble in the sixth inning. Wood got Peyton Crouse to hit into an inning ending double play from Sturtz at shortstop to McCormick at second to Wrage at first base.

The Indians put two batters on in the seventh on consecutive miscues by the Cardinal defense. Two runs scored and the tying run was on base with two outs when Wood struck out Travis Gile.

Sturtz, Barr, McCormick, Wrage and Stanton each had a single.

Newton took a 2-0 lead in the nightcap in the second inning. Wrage walked with one out  and Stanton reached on an error. With one out, Sturtz singled driving in two runs.

Oskaloosa cashed in on three errors and four singles in the fourth against Barr, Newton’s starting pitcher. Barr was charged with four runs on six hits. Wrage pitched two scoreless and hitless innings, walked one and struck out one.

Stanton reached on a leadoff walk in the top of the seventh and Duncan Lee singled. The Indians retired the next three Newton batters to end the threat and the game.

Barr had two singles in the game. Sturtz and Lee each had a single.