The Claremont Legion baseball squad picked up three wins and the junior high added another in the past week to tune up for postseason tournament play this week.
The Legion nine swept Leola-Frederick 9-4 and 14-7 last week Monday and rolled past the Warner-Ipswich-Northwestern (WIN) JV squad 12-2 last week Tuesday. Claremont’s junior high unit blanked WIN 8-0 in the nightcap last week Tuesday and fell to Webster 11-1 in a makeup contest last week Wednesday.
Claremont met Milbank in opening round play of the Legion regional tourney in Milbank yesterday (Tuesday) and regional action continues today (Wednesday) and Thursday with the first championship game of the double elimination event at 2 p.m. Thursday with a second title matchup, if necessary, to follow. Big Stone City, Groton, and Sisseton round out the field.
The junior high squad will play in the VFW Delta Division State Tournament in Gregory Friday through Sunday. The Honkers will meet Wessington Springs at 12:30 p.m. and Gregory at 3:30 p.m. on Friday in pool play with bracket play set for Saturday and Sunday. Other teams in the field are Corsica-Stickney, Miller, and Kimball-White Lake.
Claremont’s JV Legion squad will also compete in Region 1B tournament play in Sisseton Monday through Wednesday next week. Groton and Big Stone City open play at 5 p.m. followed by Claremont against Sisseton. The championship game will be at 2 p.m. Wednesday with a final game, if necessary in the double elimination tourney, to follow.
Claremont 9-14
Leola-Frederick 4-7
Big first innings propelled Claremont to a doubleheader sweep over Leola-Frederick as the Honkers pushed across six tallies in the opening frame of the first contest and exploded for 12 in the nightcap.
Wes Morehouse laced a pair of singles, Case Reints and Rennan Bruns both doubled, and Kassen Keough singled in the opener. Nate Schuller went the distance on the mound for the Honkers, allowing just six hits and walking only one.
In game two Keough doubled and singled, and Reints, Carter Glines, and Bruns each singled. Morehouse pitched a complete game and earned the win.
Claremont 12-8
WIN 2-0
Claremont broke open a 6-2 game with six runs in the bottom of the sixth inning of the first game and used another six-run explosion in the fourth frame of the nightcap to earn the sweep.
Chris Cutler went 4-4 at the plate with a triple, double, and two singles and collected for RBI’s for the Honkers in game one. Reints added two singles and three RBI’s, Morehouse singled twice, and Schuller and Keough both singled. Reints pitched the first five innings and fanned 10 and the Honkers backed him up with errorless play in the field.
In game two Schuller and Dawson Feist both laced a pair of singles, Glines and Nick Cutler both ripped doubles, and Chris Cutler, Reints, and Ryker Bruns all singled. Nick Cutler pitched a two-hit shutout, striking out two and walking just two, and the Honkers did not commit an error.
Webster JH 11
Claremont 1
Webster broke open a 1-0 contest with seven fourth inning runs on the way to its win over Claremont.
Case Reints led off the game with a triple but Isaac Ogren’s single later in the contest were Claremont’s only hits. Thirteen walks and four errors proved costly for the Honkers.
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