Ryan Murken

Your Prep Sports

TIFFIN – Entering Monday’s WAMAC Cross-divisional doubleheader with Mount Vernon the Clear Creek Amana offense was rolling.

The Clippers averaged better than seven runs per game while going 6-2 last week in an eight-game stretch that featured seven games against ranked opponents including three games against Class 4A top-10 competition.

With that recent string of success there was no panic in the Clipper dugout following a 7-3 loss in the opener against Class 3A seventh-ranked Mount Vernon on Monday.

“We all knew that first game wasn’t us,” Clear Creek Amana junior Sadie Hebl said. “We definitely thought that we would come together as a team and bounce right back and I think that’s what really pushed us to be better.”

Class 4A seventh-ranked Clear Creek Amana got back on track in the nightcap pounding 12 hits in a 10-1, five-inning win that salvaged a doubleheader split with Mount Vernon (13-6, 8-4) at Clear Creek Amana High School in Tiffin.

Hebl went 3-for-3 with a double and two RBI as seven different Clippers had a hit and seven different players scored a run in the game-two win that improved Clear Creek Amana to 15-3 on the season and 11-1 in WAMAC Conference play.

“We had to make some adjustments,” Clear Amana coach Jodie Scheetz said. “We popped up way too much (in game one) and gave them some easy outs so we talked about making changes and making sure we come out and hit the ball hard.”

After being limited to three runs on six hits by Mount Vernon sophomore ace Hayden Gookin in the opener the Clippers got rolling early on offense in the nightcap.

Clear Creek Amana had seven of its 12 game-two hits in the first two innings while jumping to a 6-0 lead after two innings.

“We just talked about not making sure we were hitting pitches that we wanted to hit,” Clear Creek Amana junior Kyla Schulte said. “We wanted to make sure we weren’t chasing anything.”
Schulte was in the middle of multi-run innings for the Clippers in both the first and second.

The junior second baseman started a string of three consecutive first-inning singles that gave the Clippers an early 2-0 lead and Hebl had the first of her three hits in the opening inning.

Lizzie Pasbrig had a two-run single in the first to put the Clippers up early.

“We talked about how we needed to adjust and we needed to get on top,” Hebl said. “We really came out in game two and showed them our bats and what we are good at. I think we adjusted really well and that’s how we came together as team.”

Clear Creek Amana sent 10 to the plate and scored four innings while breaking the game open in the second inning.

Elizabeth Timmerman, Schulte and Hebl all had RBI singles in the four-run Clipper second.

“We were making sure we were getting the pitch that we wanted,” Schulte said. “She wasn’t throwing the rise and she was missing her drop ball a little bit so we were able to get the pitches we wanted.”

The early run support was more than enough for senior starter Mckenna Kelley who allowed just one run on five hits to pick up the win.

Junior Brenna Williams, Schulte and Pasbrig all had two hits for the Clippers and Williams drove in two runs and Pasbrig drove in three.

“I think we are just playing really well as a team,” Schulte said. “We are working well together, we have a really good team bond this well and we are feeding off of each other and the energy in the dugout is helping us get better.”

Game 1

Mount Vernon                       030  101  2  –  7  7  0

Clear Creek Amana              002  000  1  –  3  6  1

W – Hayden Gookin                           L – Elizabeth Timmerman

2B – MV: Rylee Rasmussen. CCA: Brenna Williams

3B – CCA: Kyla Schulte

HR – MV: Brynlee Bettcher. CCA: Kinsey Schulte

Game 2                      

Mount Vernon                       001  00  –   1    5   4

Clear Creek Amana              240  4x  –  10  12  1

W – McKenna Kelley                         L – Olivia Haverback

2B – MV: Rylee Rasmussen. CCA: Lizzie Pasbrig, Sadie Hebl

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