Newton baseball drops pair, season series to Pella

Newton’s baseball team having success with the bats has coincided with a lot of the Cardinals wins this summer.

When the Cardinals hit, they usually win. Unfortunately for Newton on Monday, it registered just nine hits in two games and lost 9-4 twice to Pella during a Little Hawkeye Conference doubleheader at Eversman Field inside Woodland Park.

The Cardinals had trouble closing out both games. They led the opener 2-0 before allowing nine runs in the final four frames. Pella led 3-0 after two, 5-4 after six and won the nightcap 9-4 following a four-run seventh.

Newton (10-10 overall, 6-8 in the LHC) had four runs on four hits and committed four errors in the opener. The hits came from Braydon Chance, Evan Grimm, Kael Swarts and Eli Stewart.

Grimm added one run, one RBI and one hit by pitch, Chance doubled, walked once and scored one run, Swarts chipped in one walk and Stewart tallied an RBI.

Brody Bauer and Kacey Sommars both walked once and scored one run and Drew Thompson drew a walk.

Turner Williams (3-1) started on the mound and lost for the first time this season. He allowed six runs — three earned — and eight hits. He struck out three and walked one in 5 2/3 innings.

Swarts pitched the final 1 1/3 innings and surrendered three earned runs and three hits with one strikeout, one walk and two hit batters.

Isaiah Kettler led the Dutch (15-10, 8-7) with three hits and Jack Howard tallied two hits, two runs and two RBIs.

Jason Knox, Pella’s ace pitcher, earned the win after tossing 5 2/3 innings and allowing three earned runs and three hits with seven strikeouts.

In the second game, Pella took an early 3-0 lead. Newton scored one in the third and three in the sixth to get within 5-4 but the Dutch scored four in the seventh to stay in front.

The Cardinals were limited to five hits. Chance, Sommars, Swarts, Stewart and Tade Vanderlaan had one hit apiece.

Chance doubled, walked twice and had one RBI, Sommars walked twice, had one RBI and was hit by one pitch and Swarts tallied one hit, one run and one walk.

Stewart and Vanderlaan each registered one hit and one walk, Bauer walked three times and scored one run, Grimm and Thompson both had an RBI and Williams and Riley Mouchka scored one run each.

Swarts returned to the mound in the nightcap and pitched the first 1 2/3 innings. He allowed three earned runs on three hits and finished with two strikeouts, two walks and one hit batter.

Vanderlaan pitched 4 2/3 innings and surrendered six earned runs on eight hits with one strikeout and four walks.

Mouchka got the final two outs but not before allowing one hit and hitting one batter.

Kettler finished with four hits, three runs and three RBIs to lead the Dutch. Howard added two hits, two runs and two RBIs. Knox also collected three hits.