April 30, 2024

Newton baseball split final LHC twin bill

By Jocelyn Sheets

Newton’s Connor Gholson connects in an earlier game this season. The Cardinals defeated host Grinnell, 10-1, Thursday night, then lost 5-0 in the night cap. (Jocelyn Sheets)

GRINNELL — Newton’s Cardinal baseball squad split its final Little Hawkeye Conference doubleheader of the season on Thursday. The Cardinals notched a 10-1 win in the opener against the Grinnell Tigers, but were shut out in the nightcap, 5-0.

The Cardinals finish at 10-11 for fifth in the conference. They take a 12-18 overall record into tonight’s non-conference home game against Saydel. First pitch is at 7:30 p.m. at Woodland Park.

Newton ends the season with three home games starting  with Saydel then South Tama on Tuesday and Boone on Wednesday.

The Cardinals open Iowa Class 4A Substate 7 action July 18. They play Ankeny Centennial in a first-round game at 7 p.m. at Northview Middle School in Ankeny.

On Thursday, Derek Wrage worked five innings on the mound for the win for the Cardinals. He gave up one run on two hits and two walks. Wrage struck out eight Tigers. Jordan Travis threw two scoreless innings, allowing three hits and striking one out.

Newton produced two runs in the first inning after Chandler Sturtz and Tyler Wood reached on back-to-back errors. Evan Shimon had an RBI single and Travis brought in a run on a fielder’s choice.

Michael Barr and Jeff Stanton each had a single and Bryce Tish was safe on another error to load the bases for the Cardinals in the second inning. Sturtz singled and two runs crossed the plate. Wrage’s base hit plated another run.

Leading 5-0, the Cardinals scored two runs in the third. Two more runs went on the scoreboard for Newton in the fifth when Wood hit a two-run home run over the left field fence with Sturtz on base.

Grinnell scored its run in the bottom of the fifth. Newton got that run back in the seventh for the final 10-1 margin.

Travis and Sturtz each had two singles. Wood homered. Barr, Shimon, Jake Bennett and Wrage had a single apiece.

The Cardinal offense was limited to five singles in the second game. The Tigers scored single runs in the first and second innings and tacked on three more runs in the third.

Wood had two singles. Wrage, Shimon and Connor Gholson each had one base hit. The Cardinals stranded seven base runners in the game.

Sturtz took the pitching loss. He went three innings and allowed five runs on seven hits and struck out one. Travis pitched three innings and struck out two.