March 29, 2024

PCM baseball can’t keep up with Comets

PRAIRIE CITY — North Polk only needed five innings to defeat the Prairie City-Monroe baseball team on June 11. The Comets beat the Mustangs 13-1 in Heart of Iowa Conference play.

The two teams kept it close until the fifth inning, when North Polk exploded for eight runs. The squad had seven hits alone in that inning.

“You’ve got to give them credit,” PCM head coach Jeff Lindsay said. “They hit the ball and found the right holes.”

The Comets (11-4 overall, 6-1 in the HOIC) got on the board first, scoring one run in the first inning.

Junior Colten Parkins brought in senior Colby Cupp on a ground ball to the shortstop.

PCM didn’t have an opportunity to score until the third inning when both freshman Caleb Duinink and junior Reed Worth hit singles.

The Comets did manage to get out of the jam with good defense and a strikeout.

Sophomore Dane Owens started on the mound for the Mustangs but was taken out in the middle of the fourth inning after North Polk sophomore Mark Cox hit a two-RBI double.

Worth tried to stop the bleeding when he replaced Owens, but the Comets added two more runs before the fourth inning was over.

The Mustangs’ only run came in the bottom of the fourth. Senior Noah Henkenius scored when junior Olin Meinders hit a sacrifice fly to right field, making the score 5-1.

Although PCM only had one run on the night, Lindsay was happy with his team offensively. The Mustangs hit the ball hard on several occasions, but just couldn’t find many gaps.

“I mean, golly, we smacked the ball around pretty good,” Lindsay said. “We got some good solid hits to show for it tonight and several of the outs were well-struck balls as well.”

In the top of the fifth inning, the Comets turned it on. The team scored four runs on Worth before he was taken out and replaced by freshman Andrew Mitchell. Mitchell gave up four runs too before the inning came to a close.

Sophomore Derek Brown singled to center field in the bottom of the fifth. Junior Preston Van Wyk walked, putting two Mustangs on base.

Henkenius hit a line drive down the third base line, but the North Polk third baseman made a great snag to get the final out of the game.

Lindsay knows North Polk is a solid team and says it’s a good learning experience for his crew.

“It’s kind of a good barometer to see where we’re at,” Lindsay said. “It’s a good test for us and something for us to strive for moving forward.”