April 26, 2024

Raiders start postseason with shutout over Hawks

By Troy Hyde

Collins-Maxwell/Baxter senior Aric Broderick, right, slides into second base Saturday during the Raiders’ 9-0 playoff victory over South Hamilton in Collins. Broderick scored a run in the win. (Troy Banning)

COLLINS — Senior Brady Stover and junior Hunter McWhirter combined to strikeout 15 South Hamilton batters on Saturday.

The Raider offense did the rest as CMB advanced to the semifinals of the Class 2A District 13 tournament following a 9-0 quarterfinal triumph over the Hawks.

The district semifinals are Tuesday. Third-seeded CMB faces second-seeded Des Moines Christian (20-10) at 5 p.m. The game is the opener of a doubleheader at Roland-Story.

Stover got the start and fanned 11 over five innings. He allowed two hits and walked one but left the game with a 9-0 lead.

McWhirter tossed the final two innings and struck out four while allowing only one hit.

The Raiders (11-11) gave CMB coach Max Seeman a perfect start when they plated two runs in each of the first two innings and then put the game away with a five-run fourth inning.

That allowed Stover (4-0) to leave the game early, and McWhirter (1-2) finished the deal.

Juniors Brady Kemp and Creighton Caple both delivered RBI hits in the first inning to put CMB up 2-0 after one.

Kemp got another RBI hit that scored Stover in the second, and a South Hamilton error on the previous play plated senior Spencer Gauch. That made it 4-0 after two frames.

That was all Stover and McWhirter needed to get the win, but CMB scored five in the fourth anyway. CMB also stranded 10 runners on base.

Kemp got his third hit of the night in the big fourth frame. He had two RBIs on the night. Stover finished 2-for-5 with a run scored at the plate, while Gauch was 2-for-3 with an RBI and a run scored.

Junior Brady Ross and Caple both had one hit, one run and one RBI. Ross also walked once and Caple had a sacrifice. Senior Nate Bishop walked, scored a run and had an RBI and senior Brad Ritter was 1-for-3 with a run scored.

Landon Quam, Mateo Balderas and Colten Schwein had the Hawks’ only hits. South Hamilton stranded six runners on base, including two at second and third in the second inning.

Zeke Balderas started on the mound and took the loss for South Hamilton (4-16). He allowed nine runs — five earned — on eight hits while striking out five and walking four.

South Hamilton ended the season with 10 straight losses.