April 23, 2024

Clean Mustangs cruise past Raiders

By Troy Hyde
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Collins-Maxwell/Baxter senior Brady Kemp throws a pitch to the plate during the Raiders’ loss to Prairie City-Monroe on Monday in Prairie City. Kemp took the loss on the mound as the Mustangs won 15-0 in four innings. (Troy Hyde)

PRAIRIE CITY — The Prairie City-Monroe baseball team put together a complete game against Collins-Maxwell/Baxter during a Heart of Iowa Conference game on Monday.

The Mustangs got a strong pitching performance from junior Noah Henkenius, the offense collected 12 hits and the defense did not commit an error during a 15-0, four-inning triumph over the Raiders.

“It’s a good time to start cleaning up the errors,” PCM coach Jeff Lindsay said. “We’ve done a good job of limiting the mistakes lately. The bats came to life, too. We were struggling a little bit coming in but we squared the ball up tonight.”

Henkenius held the Raiders to three hits and struck out eight and walked none in four innings. He needed just 70 pitches to complete the game.

“His command was good, and he went out there and did a job,” Lindsay said. “It was a good effort.”

The Mustangs opened the game with a two-run first inning. Senior Noah Clark laced a two-run double to put PCM (14-6 overall, 8-4 in the HOIC) on top for good.

In the second, PCM plated three runs to go up 5-0. Senior Ryan Hill collected an RBI double, junior Olin Meinders had an RBI single and senior Braden Phifer poked a two-out RBI single.

The lead grew to 8-0 after three innings. The Mustangs took advantage of three CMB errors and got RBI singles from Meinders and sophomore Preston Van Wyk.

Those runs chased CMB starter Brady Kemp, who took the loss on the mound. Kemp allowed eight runs — six earned — on nine hits with two strikeouts and one walk.

The wheels fell off for CMB (3-13, 2-10) in the fourth. The Raiders used three pitchers in the inning, but PCM walked off with an eight-run frame.

PCM got three hits, walked three times and was hit by two pitches with the bases loaded.

Sophomore Brayton Van Dyke began the frame with an RBI single, Hill walked with the bases loaded, Meinders and Van Wyk both got RBI hit by pitches and sophomore Reed Worth delivered a two-run single to end it.

Clark, Meinders, Phifer and Worth all had two hits. Meinders finished with three runs and three RBIs, while Worth, Hill, Clark and Van Wyk all had two RBIs. Clark, Van Dyke and seniors Chase Kuecker and Ethan Thomas all scored twice.

The Raiders’ three hits were collected by Kemp, junior Travis Lindemoen and freshman Cole Damman. Lindemoen and Damman each stole a base.

Junior Bryce Bacon, sophomore Derrick Klemme and Damman all pitched in the fourth inning.

The trio got just one out and allowed seven runs on three hits, three walks and two hit by pitches.

CMB and PCM both face Gilbert next.

The Raiders host Gilbert at 5:15 p.m. Wednesday in Collins, and PCM hosts Gilbert at 7:30 p.m. Friday in Prairie City.