LumberKings Edge Catfish
Clinton, IA, June 18 – In a game that appeared to be headed to extra innings, the Clinton LumberKings capitalized on a double, a ground out and a single to score in the bottom of the ninth inning Saturday night and edge the Cape Catfish 4-3.
The loss extended Cape’s losing streak to three games and dropped their record to 7-10, last place in the Prospect League’s Prairie Land Division. Meanwhile, Clinton improved to 9-9. The LumberKings are on a three-game winning streak and are in second place in the league’s Great River Division.
Clinton starter Jared Simpson (The University of Iowa) pitched six innings of shutout baseball, allowing just one hit, a sixth-inning single by Dalton Rudd (Western Kentucky University), while striking out 12 Catfish and walking none.
“We ran into a really good starter and fell behind early,” said Catfish field manager Stephen Larkin.
The LumberKings picked up two runs in the third inning on a one-out walk and stolen base by Matt Scherrman (University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh), a double by Cade Moss (University of Iowa) that drove in Scherrman, and a single by Isaiah Thompson (Indiana State University), that scored Moss.
Clinton picked up a solo run in the fifth inning when Moss was hit by a pitch, Thompson singled driving Moss to third, and Moss stole home when he and Thompson executed a double steal.
The Catfish scored all three of their runs in the seventh inning thanks to a double by Ty Stauss (Southeast Missouri State), an RBI ground out by Cam Careswell (University of Missouri) that drove Stauss home, a walk and stolen base by J.D. Ortiz (SIU-Carbondale) who subsequently scored on a double by Blake Barton (Belmont University), and a double by Cam Hill (Purdue) that plated Barton.
The game stayed tied 3-3 until the bottom of the ninth when Scherrman hit a one-out double, advanced to third on an infield out by Moss, and then scored on a two-out, two-strike single by Jeremy Conforti (College of Dupage) to secure Clinton’s win.
“It was a good game and a good fight,” Larkin said. Even though they lost Saturday night, Larkin said the Catfish will learn from it. “We’ve got to make adjustments, that’s the name of the game, and we will.”
The Catfish finished the game with five hits and no errors while the LumberKings had eight hits and one error. Cole Conner (Oakton Community College) pitched the final 2 1/3 innings for Clinton and was credited with his first win of the season against no losses. Marshall Brown (Arkansas Tech) pitched the ninth inning for the Catfish and took the loss, bringing his record to 1-2.
The Catfish travel to Quincy Sunday for a 6:35 p.m. game against the Gems who are 8-9 after winning two games against the Burlington Bees, 11-4 Friday night and 10-0 Saturday night. The Catfish next home game will be Tuesday at Capaha Field against the O’Fallon Hoots.