Ryan Murken

Your Prep Sports

TIFFIN – Kyla Schulte and her Clear Creek Amana teammates spent the last year working to get back to a regional final.

Schulte and the Clippers made certain all that work paid off on Tuesday.

Schulte slammed a game-tying solo home run in the sixth inning and scored the game winning run on a Carley Nash single in the eighth as seventh-ranked Clear Creek Amana returned to the state tournament for the first time since 2021 with a 2-1 win over No. 10 Cedar Rapids Xavier in the 4A, Region 7 title game in Tiffin.

“It’s so surreal. Everyone is finally feeling like the work we did it’s for something,” Schulte said. “We didn’t do all that work for no reason so it feels so good we were finally able to pull out the win in this game.”

Clear Creek Amana (31-11) got eight stellar innings from eighth-grader Kynlee McElvain and some late heroics from Schulte and Nash to snap a four-game losing skid in regional title games.

The Clippers lost one run games in regional finals in 2022 and 2024 before falling to North Scott 5-1 in the regional final last season.

There was no regional final heartbreak this year.

“Those regional finals, they’ve been tough on us, we haven’t made it past this,” Nash said. “This year it was amazing to finally get it done. It was a feeling I can’t even explain.”

Cedar Rapids Xavier (19-20) took an early lead with a run in the third when ninth place hitter Claire McGee singled to lead off the inning and scored on a sacrifice fly by Avery Pfeiler.

The Saints clung to the one-run cushion until the sixth, as junior starter Maddyn Gates wiggled out of jams in the third and fifth innings.

Gates got Schulte to ground out to third with runners on second and third to end the third inning.

It was Schulte that turned the momentum to the Clipper dugout in the sixth.

The senior slammed her state-leading 23^rd home run of the season to lead off the sixth inning, a no-doubter to deep left center field.

“I was just making sure I was finding the pitch I want,” Schulte said. “Obviously I know they aren’t going to throw a lot to me so I was making sure I was getting the pitch I want. I was really looking for an outside or middle pitch and that’s what I got.”

With the score tied at 1-1 Clear Creek Amana had new life.

“As soon as Kyla popped that out we knew we were going to win that game,” Nash said. “Everyone came to practice this morning and we had the feeling that this was our year, we were going to get it done and after that home run it sealed the deal that we were going to get it done.”

McElvain didn’t allow a hit over the final four innings but had to escape trouble in the top of the eighth.

Clear Creek Amana issued the fourth intentional walk of the game to Gates leading off the eighth and McElvain walked Jaselle Lang and Avery Ohde to load the bases.

However, the eighth-grade right-hander got Alaina Gahring to fly out to Schulte in left field to end the inning.

“I really trusted my teammates behind me,” McElvain said. “I knew they were going to come back when they scored one. I knew they were going to back me up.”

Cedar Rapids Xavier intentionally walked Schulte to lead off the bottom of the eighth and senior Lizzie Pasbrig reached when the Saints mishandled her bunt allowing Schulte to advance to third.

“We know we are going to slug, that’s what CCA does, we slug, we bunt,” Schulte said. “We work on that all the time and Lizzie did her job and I saw third was open and just took it.”

Nash came up with the game-winner, a sharp single to right field, that was her third hit of the game.

“I walked up to (coach) Reid (Kaalberg) when they called timeout and I was like ‘I’m not going to change my approach in the box’,” Nash said. “Ot’s worked for me all night, I am getting what I want.”

Nash had three of the seven Clear Creek Amana hits on Tuesday while Elizabeth Timmerman, Schulte, Kinsey Schulte and Caroline Klapperich all added hits for the Clippers.

McElvain earned the win allowing four hits and one run while striking out 12 and walking six.

Gates was brilliant as well, allowing two runs, on seven hits while striking out one and walking four.

“Everyone worked so hard,” McElvain said. “I trust them so much. It just feels amazing.”

CR Xavier                 001  000  00  –   1  4  1

Clear Creek Amana 000  001  01  –   2  7  0

W – Kynlee McElvain                        L – Maddyn Gates

2B – CCA: Carley Nash, Kinsey Schulte

HR – CCA: Kyla Schulte

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