SULLY — It was the only game in town, so to speak.
While all other area teams had games postponed, Lynnville-Sully’s Hawks and the Belle Plaine Plainsmen worked through wet conditions to get in their South Iowa Cedar League varsity baseball game Monday.
The Hawks led early, rallied with a five-run sixth, but lost 11-7.
“It’s a tough loss for us after scoring five runs in the bottom of the sixth to take a two-run lead, then Belle Plaine scored six in the top of the seventh,” said Bob Scandridge, Lynnville-Sully head coach.
“The mound got pretty slick during a shower late in the game making for some tough playing conditions for the pitchers tonight. It was evident with how our pitchers struggled with the strike zone.”
Lynnville-Sully used four pitchers in the game. They issued nine walks in the seven-inning contest and gave up five hits.
The Hawks scored single runs in the first two innings for a 2-0 lead. The Plainsmen pushed across five runs in the fifth to gain a 5-2 advantage. Lynnville-Sully regained the lead with five runs in the sixth.
“We did a good job late in the game being more patient at the plate and chased fewer balls outside the strike zone. That was key in our sixth inning rally,” Scandridge said.
The Hawks couldn’t hold their 7-5 lead, giving up six runs in the seventh. They didn’t have a response for the Plainsmen in their half of the inning.
Tyler Van Zante, Jake Brand, Josh Dunsbergen and Kobe Fisk combined for pitching duty for the Hawks. Brand took the loss after three innings on the mound, allowing three runs on one hit, three walks and had five strikeouts.
Van Zante started, pitching one inning of one-hit, scoreless baseball. Josh Dunsbergen was charged with seven runs on two hits and three walks in 2 1/3 innings of work and had two strikeouts. Kobe Fisk pitched two-thirds of an inning, giving up one run on one hit and three walks and struck out two.
Caden Dunsbergen led the Hawk offense with a single and a double. Hitting a single each were Noah Engle, Kobe Fisk, Caleb James, Lucas Smith, Baker Zegers and Josh Dunsbergen. James and Josh Dunsburgen each had two RBIs.
“The kids are working hard and we will bounce back,” Scandridge said. “We are playing solid defense and that will be key for the rest of the season.”
Lynnville-Sully is 11-8 in SICL action and 12-10 overall. The Hawks play at Prairie City-Monroe Wednesday in non-conference action. They conclude the regular season at home Friday against HLV in SICL play.
Contact Jocelyn Sheets at
641-792-3121 ext. 6535 or jsheets@newtondailynews.com