Ryan Murken

Your Prep Sports

IOWA CITY – Clear Creek Amana did a lot of good things on Friday at its home invitational.

The Clippers had 20 hits in two games, got some solid pitching and played strong defensive in stretches in two games at its own tournament at the University of Iowa softball complex.

Clear Creek Amana did everything expect win a game.

The Clippers let the lead slip away twice in a 6-4 walk-off loss to 2A seventh-ranked Regina in its opener and left the tying run in scoring position in a 6-5 loss to Central DeWitt in its second game on Friday at Pearl Field in Iowa City.

“That’s just kind of how it goes in softball sometimes,” Clear Creek Amana coach Matthew Trosky said. “Sometimes you just have games like that and today we were on the bad on a couple of those.”

Clear Creek Amana led 3-0 and 4-3 in its tournament opener against Regina but fell 6-4 with Jess Hunter hit a walk-off two-run homer with two out in the seventh.

The Clippers then banged out 11 hits but couldn’t quite complete a rally from a 4-1 deficit in game two falling to Central DeWitt (8-22).

Clear Creek Amana dropped to 11-21 with the losses on Friday which came after the Clippers swept a WAMAC doubleheader with South Tama on Thursday.

“We have been hitting the ball a lot better and we want to feed off the positive things,” Clear Creek Amana senior Claire Navara said. “We are right there we just have to execute the little things and those are winnable games.”

Clear Creek Amana appeared poised to salvage and split in two games on Friday, scoring first in its finale against Central DeWitt with a run in the first inning.

The Sabers tied the game with a run in the second and then took advantage of three Clear Creek Amana errors in a three-run third inning that gave Central DeWitt a 4-1 lead it would never give up.

“It’s really tough losing two games like this,” Navara said. “It’s just executing the little things that will make the difference.”

Clear Creek Amana clawed back into the game in the fourth.

Navara scored Riley Hennes with a double to right center field and Lydia Banwart followed with a line drive RBI single up the middle to score Navara and cut the lead to 4-3.

Central DeWitt scored in the sixth but Clear Creek Amana answered again as Navara provided an RBI single.

“We didn’t roll ever,” Navara said. “I think we are getting a lot better at not folding and continuing to come back and come back.”

Central DeWitt scored a run in the seventh to make it 6-4 but Clear Creek Amana wouldn’t go quietly.

The Clippers cut the lead to 6-5 on an RBI single by Ainsley Schrock scoring Karsyn Stratton but Central DeWitt pitcher Mya Cavanagh retired the final two hitters to secure the win.

Clear Creek Amana returns to action on Saturday at its two-day home tournament when it faces Union at 9 a.m. and West Branch at 12:30 p.m.

“We would love to get a couple of wins tomorrow, we need to get a couple of wins tomorrow,” Trosky said. “These girls deserve it as a senior to get a couple of wins tomorrow.”

Clear Creek Amana  030  010  0  –  4   9   1           

Regina                        000  310  2  –  6  11  4

W – Katie Bracken     L – Raina Henze

2B – ICR: Katie Bracken. CCA: Ainsley Schrock

3B – CCA: Katie Pitlick

HR – ICR: Jess Hunter 

Central DeWitt          013  001  0  –  6   8   1

Clear Creek Amana 100  201  1  –  5  11  4

W – Mya Cavanagh    L – Peyton Grafft  

2B – CCA: Ainsley Schrock, Claire Navara. CD: Mackenzie Rosenboom