Senior duo helps Newton baseball salvage split against Eagles

PELLA — A pair of seniors came up big for the Newton baseball team on Monday during a conference doubleheader against Pella Christian.

Cade Bauer’s two-run home run in the top of the seventh started the Cardinals’ comeback and Skyler Milheiser’s single in his first game back from an injury drove in the winning run during a 6-5 victory over the host Eagles.

The game was scoreless through five, but Pella Christian outscored the Cardinals 5-2 in the sixth before Newton plated four runs in the top of the seventh to win it.

The victory snapped an eight-game losing streak, but Pella Christian took the nightcap, 16-1.

The Cardinals have won five of the past seven games in the series.

Bauer’s two-run dinger in the seventh was his first career varsity homer and it brought the Cardinals to within 5-4 in the opener.

Milheiser was playing in his first game since suffering a UCL injury against the Eagles on May 30. He batted from the left side of the plate and his RBI single in the top of the seventh turned out to be the game winner.

Carter Lehrman (1-3) pitched the final two innings for Newton and earned his first career varsity win after allowing two unearned runs on three hits. He struck out two.

Newton (4-14, 2-10 in the conference) out-hit the Eagles 9-7 in the first game, and the hosts had three of the five errors in the game.

Dakota Winkleman led the offense with two hits, two runs, one RBI and one steal. Bauer’s lone hit was the two-run home run in the seventh.

Bauer leads the Cardinals with a .370 batting average and has a team-best 12 runs and 27 total bases.

Gabe Otto finished with one hit, one run, one RBI, one walk and one steal, Mason Mendez collected two hits and two walks and Lane Rozendaal chipped in one hit, one run and one walk.

Milheiser, who is scheduled to have season-ending surgery on on June 25, added one hit and one RBI and Derek Wermager was hit by a pitch.

Bauer started on the mound and got the no decision. He allowed three earned runs on two hits and two walks with three strikeouts in five innings.

Connor Van Zee led the Eagles (5-15, 1-12) with two hits and two RBIs and Eliot Menninga pitched into the seventh inning but took the no decision on the mound.

Brecken Ritzert got the final two outs but not before allowing the winning run.

The Eagles used a fast start to blitz the Cardinals in the nightcap. They led 6-0 after the first, scored four in the second and added six more in the third.

Pella Christian out-hit Newton 9-3, and the Cardinals committed six errors.

Milheiser, Wermager and Kreytein Wickliffe had Newton’s three hits.

Five pitchers were used to get through four innings. Creighton Andrew (0-3) got the first two outs and took the loss after allowing six runs — three earned — on two hits, five walks and one hit batter.

Wermager pitched 1 1/3 innings and surrendered four runs — two earned — on three hits and one walk with two strikeouts.

Drew Bauer, Ian White and Mendez all got one out. It was the varsity pitching debut for White, who struck out the only batter he faced on four pitches.

Drew Bauer registered one strikeout and three walks and Mendez allowed six unearned runs on four hits.

The Cardinals’ pitchers allowed nine hits and nine walks in the second game and only five of the 16 runs Pella Christian scored were earned.

Garrett Wieland finished with three hits, three runs and four RBIs, while Josiah Vink added two hits, three runs and two RBIs.

Van Zee was the winning pitcher after allowing no earned runs and striking out six in four innings.

Knoxville 12, Newton 6

KNOXVILLE — The Cardinals scored the first six runs of the game, but Knoxville used two big innings to rally for the home victory on Tuesday.

The Panthers won the non-conference game after scoring 12 unanswered runs in the third, fourth, fifth and sixth frames during a 12-6 win.

Knoxville out-hit Newton 11-6, and the Panthers committed four errors.

Otto led the Cardinals with two hits, one run, one walk and one steal and Cade Bauer tallied two hits and one RBI.

Milheiser finished with one hit and one walk, Andrew was hit by a pitch and scored two runs and Landry Rausch walked once, was hit by one pitch and scored one run.

Wickliffe walked once and had one RBI, Rozendaal had the other hit, Winkleman and White scored one run each and Connor Swihart stole one base.

Both teams used four pitchers. Otto took the loss after allowing five earned runs on four hits, two walks and one hit batter in 2 1/3 innings of relief. He also struck out three.

Winkleman started but took the no decision after surrendering five runs — two earned — on four hits and three walks with six strikeouts in 2 1/3 innings.

Rozendaal pitched 2/3 of an inning and gave up two runs — one earned — on two hits and two walks. Mendez also got two outs with one coming by strikeout.

The Cardinals’ four pitchers struck out 10 and walked seven, while Knoxville’s foursome fanned six and combined to walk and hit six. Newton committed three errors.

Roston McCarty led Knoxville (10-6) with two hits, three runs, three RBIs and two walks.