Cardinals sweep Tigerhawks

Several close games have gone against them this season, but not Thursday at home. Newton High’s Cardinals finished off a two-game sweep of the visiting Colfax-Mingo’s Tigerhawks with a 9-8 walk-off victory.

The Cardinals rallied from an 8-4 deficit in the bottom of the sixth with four runs. Newton pitcher Anna Coyle and the defense retired the Tigerhawks in order in the seventh.

With two gone, it looked like the teams were headed for extra innings. Fran Lucas reached on an error by the Tigerhawks’ Mackensie Brown in center field.

Junior Sydney Jenkins tripled to center field to drive in the winning run.

“These were great wins for us,” said Kristina McNew, Newton head coach. “I love the fight in these girls.”

Newton had rolled to a 7-0 win in the opener of the doubleheader at Berg Middle School’s field. The Cardinals used a 12-hit attack and a strong pitching performance from Peyton Maher, who limited the Tigerhawks to four hits in throwing seven shutout innings.

Colfax-Mingo and Newton got locked up in a back-and-forth game in the second contest.

The Tigerhawks struck first with a three-run second inning. They took full advantage of two Cardinal errors in the inning. Newton scored a run in the third then took a 4-3 lead on its own three-run inning in the fourth.

Opening up the fifth inning, Colfax-Mingo’s Amy Russell drew a walk and Ries Wilson beat out a bunt for a base hit. Rhiannon Haley came up with an RBI fielder’s choice to score Russell, tying the game a 4-all.

The Tigerhawks appeared to break the game open in the sixth. Brooke Nicholson laced a single to right field and Chelsea Russell reached on a fielder’s choice. With one gone, Delaney Underwood and Alivia Haley had singles to drive in a run. Amy Russell tripled and two runs scored.

Wilson kept the inning going with a single and Rhiannon Haley had an RBI sacrifice fly. Wilson was tagged out trying to score on the play.

Jenkins sparked the four-run rally by the Cardinals in the bottom of the sixth. She hit a two-out home run to right field. Karley Leiker singled and Maher drew a walk. Bailey Davis ripped a two-run triple to right field. Audrey Lucas connected for a single to plate the tying run.

Then came the fireworks of the bottom of the seventh.

Colfax-Mingo started the scoring in the second game when Colbee Cunningham, the Tigerhawks’ starting pitcher, singled to right field in the second inning. Erin Earles worked a walk from Coyle and Nicholson reached on an error by Coyle allowing a run to score.

Newton first baseman Taylor Ryan committed an error and Earles scored. Nicholson scored on a ground-out by Chelsea Russell. The Tigerhawks led 3-0.

In the third frame, Newton pushed across a run as Jenkins singled and stole second base. Karley Leiker singled and Jenkins scored on a RBI sacrifice fly by Maher.

The Cardinals took a 4-3 lead in the fourth. Ryan doubled to start the inning followed by Kari Adams drawing a walk from Cunningham. Jenkins’ sacrifice fly brought in a run then Karley Leiker and Maher had back-to-back RBI base hits.

“We made a few errors early in the game that cost us, but the girls never gave up,” McNew said. “The hits came later in the game. In the opening game, we hit the ball hard from the start and ran the bases well.”

Coyle went the distance in the second game for Newton, giving up eight runs on 11 hits and two walks. She struck out two. Cunningham pitched 5 2/3 innings for Colfax-Mingo, allowing eight runs on 16 hits and one walk. Amy Russell pitched the seventh, giving up one run on two hits and had a strikeout.

Newton stranded eight base runners in the nightcap. Jenkins finished with a single, a triple and a home run while Davis hit two singles and a triple. Audrey Lucas had two singles and a double. Karley Leiker and Maher each had three base hits. Ryan and Adams had a double apiece and Fran Lucas singled.

For the Tigerhawks, Amy Russell hit a single and a triple and Cunningham had a single and double. Wilson and Nicholson each connected for two singles. Hitting a single each were Alivia Haley, Rhiannon Haley and Underwood.

Maher kept the Tigerhawk hitters at bay in the first game. She struck out four, walked two and allowed four hits as the winning pitcher. Amy Russell went the distance for Colfax-Mingo and took the loss. She gave up 12 hits, walked one and struck out one.

Karley Leiker led the offense for Newton, going 3-for-3 with three base hits. She singled to center field with one out in the first, stole second and scored on a two-out RBI single by Davis.

Newton plated four runs in the second inning of the opener. With one gone, Ryan and Adams had consecutive base hits and Fran Lucas walked to load the bases.

Jenkins drove in two runs on a single to right field and ended up at second base on the throw to the plate. Karley Leiker reached on an error and two runs scored.

The Cardinals added two runs in the fourth. Jenkins singled to right field with one gone, but ended up at third on an error in the outfield. Karley Leiker reached on an infield single, driving in Jenkins. Maher’s single to deep right field chased Leiker home and Maher was out in a rundown between second and third.

Jenkins, Davis and Ryan each had two singles in the game. Maher, Audrey Lucas and Adams had a single apiece.

Colfax-Mingo’s Alivia Haley was 2-for-3 on two base hits. Amy Russell and Nicholson had a single apiece.

With the sweep, the Cardinals even up their record at 3-3. They play three games — South Hardin at 11 a.m., Cardinal at 12:45 p.m. and North Mahaska at 4:15 p.m. — in a tournament Saturday at Oskaloosa.

Newton is back in Little Hawkeye Conference play Monday at home against Dallas Center-Grimes. The junior varsity game is at 6 p.m. followed by the varsity contest at 7:30 p.m. at Berg Middle School.

The Tigerhawks fall to 1-8 overall. They play a Heart of Iowa Conference game at 7 p.m. Friday at Saydel.

Contact Jocelyn Sheets at
641-792-3121 ext. 6535 or jsheets@newtondailynews.com