Honkers Win Four
Claremont’s Legion baseball team came up with four wins in six starts during the past week.
The Honkers swept a twin bill from Webster last week Wednesday 2-1 and 7-4, lost its opener with Sisseton 43 but came back to take the nightcap 8-3, and then split with Groton on Monday, losing game one 9-8 but taking the second game 3-0.
This week the Claremont nine hosts Warner-Ipswich-Northwestern tonight (Wednesday) at 6 p.m. Next week Wednesday the Honkers play the winner of Big Stone City and Webster in Ortonville in regional play. The double elimination event continues July 20-21 with the winner advancing to the state tournament.
Claremont’s U16 team plays Leola-Frederick on Thursday and plays West Central at Hartford on July 24 in the first of a best-of-three series to determine a state tournament berth. Claremont will host game two on July 26 and a game three, if necessary, immediately following the first game.
Claremont 2-7 Webster 1-4
The two clubs were locked in a 0-0 tie after the regulation five innings of the opener before Webster pushed across a tally in the top of the sixth. But Claremont answered with two runs on a walk-off two-run single from Tristan Leidholt for the win. Will Cutler doubled and singled, and Grant Cutler, Jesse Keough, and Leidholt each singled. Will Schuller was the winning pitcher in relief of Rennan Bruns who pitched five scoreless innings.
Both teams scored three runs in the first inning of game two but the Honkers exploded for four in the second. Will Cutler doubled and singled again, and Chris Cutler, Colby Dauwen, and Kassen Keough had base raps. Dauwen was the winning pitcher and Kassen Keough pitched an inning of relief.
Webster 0 0 0 0 0 1 – 1 5 3 Claremont 0 0 0 0 2 – 2 5 0
Jack Shoemaker; Rennan Bruns, Will Schuller (6) and Will Cutler Webster 3 1 0 – 4 2 0 Claremont 3 4 x – 7 5 0
Brent Snaza; Colby Dauwen, Kassen Keough (3) and Jesse Keough
Claremont 3-6 Sisseton 4-3
Claremont led 3-0 in the top of the final inning of the opener but Sisseton rallied for four fifth inning runs. Jesse Keough, Grant Cutler, Will Cutler, Rennan Bruns, and Chris Cutler each singled for the Honkers. Ben Gustafson went the distance on the mound, fanning four.
Sisseton led 3-1 after two innings of the nightcap but Claremont exploded for three runs in the third and four more in the fourth. Will Cutler laced three singles, and Grant Cutler, Leidholt, Bruns, and Chris Cutler each singled. Will Cutler was the winning pitcher in relief.
Claremont 0 0 1 0 0 – 3 5 0 Sisseton 0 0 0 0 4 – 4 4 3
Ben Gustafson and Will Cutler; Konnor Sieber Claremont 1 0 3 4 0 – 8 7 1 Sisseton 3 0 0 0 0 – 3 3 2
Tristan Leidholt, Will Cutler (2) and Jesse Keogh; Landyn Steichen, Cayden Kohl (3), Carter Stickland (4)
Claremont 8-3 Groton 9-0
Claremont led 8-5 in the seventh inning but Groton pushed across four runs in the bottom of the seventh for the walk-off win. Will Cutler doubled and singled, and Jesse Keough, Dauwen, Jack Podoll, and Bruns each singled. Jesse Keough pitched the first six innings and Kassen Keough relieved in the seventh.
In game two the Honkers broke a scoreless tie with three tallies in the fourth and earned the shutout. Dauwen had a pair of singles and Jesse Keough added a safety. Bruns picked up the pitching win with relief help from Grant Cutler and Dauwen.
Claremont 1 5 0 0 1 0 1 – 8 6 2 Groton 1 1 0 0 0 3 4 – 9 12 5
Jesse Keough, Kassen Keough (7) and Will Cutler; Colby Dunker, Brevin Fliehs (2), Logan Ringenberg (6) Claremont 0 0 0 3 0 – 3 3 3 Groton 0 0 0 0 0 – 0 2 2
Rennan Bruns, Grant Cutler (4), Colby Dauwen (5) and Jesse Keough; Gavin Englund