Ryan Murken

Your Prep Sports

SOLON – Clear Creek Amana coach Bryan McCray is rarely going to be completely satisfied with splitting a doubleheader.

When the doubleheader split comes at the end of a stretch like the Clippers had this week McCray isn’t going to mind a 1-1 day.

Clear Creek Amana capped an impressive 5-1 week by splitting a WAMAC Conference doubleheader at Solon (18-12) on Thursday at the Solon Nature and Recreation Area.

The Clippers won the opener 19-9 in five innings before dropping the nightcap 6-3.

“I wasn’t crazy about ending the week like that but a 5-1 week is a 5-1 week,” McCray said. “After taking it Marion and taking it to City High our guys have done a heck of a job and the credit goes to them.”

Clear Creek Amana moved to 19-12 on the season with the doubleheader split and ended an impressive eight-game in nine-day stretch that included wins over a pair of ranked teams.

The Clippers dropped to 12-11 on the season with a 15-4 loss to Class 3A third-ranked Marion June 23.

Clear Creek Amana hadn’t lost again until the second game on Thursday.

“In nine years of coaching this is easily the most talented team that we’ve ever had and we did not live up to expectations the first 60 percent of the season,” McCray said. “We got our butts whooped against Marion last Monday and I got a text from one of our guys saying, ‘stay out of the dugout for half an hour, give us some time and we will right the ship’ and since then this is our first loss.”

Clear Creek Amana exploded offensively in the opener on Thursday hammering 16 hits while scoring a season-high 19 runs in five innings.

Eight different Clippers had a hit in the opener and six players had multi-hit games for CCA.

Clear Creek Amana scored eight or more runs five times during its seven-game winning streak and averaged nearly 11 runs per game during the stretch that included wins over Marion on June 27 and 4A sixth-ranked City High on Wednesday.

“Right after that Marion game we had a team meeting and we had some great senior leadership out of guys like Kaden Phan,” Clear Creek Amana senior Robert Meade said. “We came together as a team and that has helped.”

Clear Creek Amana trailed 5-4 after two innings but took the lead for good with three runs in the third.

Meade and Wyatt Key each had RBI singles in the three-run third that gave Clear Creek Amana a 7-5 lead.

“We can hit the ball,” Meade said. “We have a lot of games where we have more hits than other teams but we have to put balls in play when it counts and we’ve done a much better job of that.”

Clear Creek Amana broke the game open in the fourth, sending 14 batters to the plate in an 11-run outburst.

Meade and Reece Cochran hit back-to-back home runs during the 11-run fourth-inning onslaught.

“We were definitely down a little early in the season but we’ve really come together,” Meade said. “This has been a big week and it’s been a lot of fun.”

Meade went 2-for-2 with four RBI while Maclane Morgan was 3-for-4 with two runs scored and Cochran was 3-for-4 with two RBI.

Ty Fuller and Luke Higdon each drove in three for the Clippers in the opener.

“Our guys have done a heck of a job, it had nothing to do with me, it was all them,” McCray said. “They’ve done a really nice job taking charge and taking ownership and the best part about it is they have kind of leaned into the fact we had a disappointing first part of the season.”

Game 1

Clear Creek Amana              043  (11)1  –  19  16  4

Solon                                      050    22     –   9   11  1                      

W – Robert Meade                             L – Jackson Link

2B – SOL: Beau Mullen, Carson Kidwell, Luke Merrick

HR – CCA: Reece Cochran, Robert Meade

Game 2

Clear Creek Amana              200  000  1  –  3  10  4           

Solon                                      210  120  x  –  6   7   1

W – Luke Deike                                 L – Reece Cochran

2B – SOL: Jackson Link, Nolan Seagren, Ty Bell. CCA: Robert Meade

HR – SOL: Jackson Link.

Did you enjoy this subscription free article? Help keep Your Prep Sports free by donating