Altemeier home run highlight of Newton doubleheader loss

GRINNELL — Senior Dalton Altemeier cranked out his first career high school home run on Tuesday night for the only run Newton High’s Cardinals scored on a night of Little Hawkeye Conference action at Grinnell.

Altemeier led off the second inning against the Tigers with the home run to make it 5-1. The Cardinals lost 11-1 in five innings. Grinnell sophomore Colin Gibson hit a three-run home run off Altemeier with two gone in the fifth to end the game by run rule.

The two LHC teams finished a game started on June 19 in Newton earlier in the evening. That game was halted after one inning with the Tigers up 2-1 because of rain. Newton did not score a run in the game on Tuesday losing 17-1 in four innings.

“I’m so happy for Dalton, a senior who has worked hard all four years for us. Effort is not something we question with our guys. They battled but we’re just not putting things together for some reason,” Newton head coach Dustin Brisel said.

Frustration is being felt by the players and coaches, Brisel said, as the team hasn’t been able to put together things on the field. He said they have some players getting better at bats.

“But we’re not able to make contact against the pitchers we’ve faced,” Brisel said. Newton has 43 hits in 16 games with just seven extra-base hits — six doubles and one home run.

In the suspended game, the Cardinals scored their run in that first inning on June 19. Freshman Brody Bauer drew a walk against Grinnell senior Jake Hull. Sophomore Kael Swarts doubled and sophomore Evan Grimm had a RBI groundout.

When the teams resumed action on Tuesday, Hull was back on the mound for the Tigers and he gave up a double to Altemeier and a single to senior Blake Sevenbergen. Hull did not give up another run, walked seven and struck out five.

Newton’s starter was senior Gatlin Chambers on Tuesday. Sophomore Braydon Chance pitched the first inning and was charged with two runs on three hits and two walks. Chambers went 1/3 inning and allowed seven runs on four hits and three walks.

Coming on in relief for 1 2/3 innings of work was freshman Drew Thompson who gave up eight runs on five hits and three walks. Sophomore Conner Brain pitched one inning, walked one and allowed one hit.

“We’re short on arms right now. We’ve had injuries to two of our key players — Kael Swarts and Derek Lanser — and that takes two good arms out of our rotation,” Brisel said. “We gave up hits and struggled to pitch in the zone tonight.”

Sophomore Cole Swank was the second-game starter for Newton. Swank went two innings and gave up seven runs on eight hits and two walks. Altemeier pitched for the first time and threw 2 2/3 innings giving up four runs on two hits, three walks and one hit batter. He struck out two.

Newton finished 1-13 in LHC play this season. It is 1-15 overall with two regular-season games remaining.

The Cardinals host Saydel at 7:30 p.m. Friday at Woodland Park. On July 14, the Cardinals host South Tama at 7:30 p.m.

“We’ll be looking at giving some our junior varsity guys opportunities on Friday. We’re looking find the best nine or 10 players we can put out there to be successful with only two games left before the playoffs,” Brisel said.