Fourth ranked Lions record three shut-outs

 The Clear Lake baseball team had an amazing week, winning three games by shut-out, topping Class 4A powers and leveling a school with a storied baseball tradition. The Lions are 8-1 and ranked fourth in Class 3A.

CL 12, IF-A 0

 The Lions opened up North Central Conference play with a shut-out win on the road over Iowa Falls-Alden Monday, June 2.
Clear Lake played error-free defense and Brandon Tofte was effective on the mound. Tofte struck out eight and allowed just five hits in pitching a complete game.
“Brandon didn’t walk a batter – when you can combine no walks with no errors you give yourself a great chance to come out with a win. And not only did our defense not commit an error, we had some great plays made to take hits away from the other team,” said Coach Seth Thompson. Ryan Schmalen made a great over-the-shoulder catch at third and Mitch Keeran started a very rare 9-5-6 double play from right field.
Rowdy Yates led the Lions with three hits, including a double, and an RBI. Schmalen and Tofte had two hits apiece. Pete Swenson also had an extra base hit that brought in a run for the Lions.

CL 15, Eagle Grove 0 (4)
Rowdy Yates set the tone for a lop-sided game when he smashed a grand slam in the first inning and the Lions went on to defeat Eagle Grove 15-0 in four innings Wednesday, June 4. Yates followed up his grand slam with a bases-clearing double in his next at-bat, giving him seven RBIs on the night.
“Our offense is starting to wake up a little and we played our second consecutive game without an error,” said Coach Thompson. “It is great to start conference play so well defensively.”
The coach noted pitchers Brock Adams and Matt Stephany both did excellent jobs on the mound to keep Eagle Grove scoreless. Adams got the win, throwing two and two-thirds innings. He struck out five and walked one. The Eagles collected one hit off him. Stephany gave up one hit and one walk in one inning pitched.
Mitch Keeran had two hits in two at-bats and brought in one run. Devin Uhlenhopp went two-for-three at the plate.

CL 14, Central Springs 0 (5)
The Lions recorded another shut-out the next night when the Lions played Central Springs in a non-conference tilt.
“This was one of the few teams to beat us last season, so this was a game our kids were looking forward to since last year,” said Coach Thompson. “Our offense did a nice job of applying pressure the whole game and our defense continued to play very well.”
The coach said the biggest bright spot, though, was Parker Truesdell’s performance on the mound. The sophomore did not walk a single batter and struck out 10 in the first varsity start of his career. He allowed only one hit in the five-inning game.
“We will need some younger kids to step up and give us quality innings on the mound this season and it is good to see kids keep their composure and perform when given the opportunity,” said Thompson.
Brandon Tofte and Devin Uhlenhopp each had three runs batted in while Matt Stephany knocked in two runs.
Tofte, Uhlenhopp and Ryan Schmalen each had two hits in the win. Schmalen and Uhlenhopp had the team’s only extra base hits. Both players had a double.

CL 9, Sioux City East 8
The Clear Lake baseball team picked up three wins at the River City Classic over the weekend in Mason City. The Lions came back from four runs down to beat Sioux City East 9-8 in the classic’s opener at Roosevelt Field on Friday night.
“Anytime you are playing the 4A state runner up from the previous season you know you are going to have your work cut out for you to get a win, and I cannot say enough about how impressed I am that these kids walked away from this game with a win,” said Coach Thompson. “We faced some early adversity and had a rough start to the game with their Division I third baseman hitting a three-run home run before we had even gotten one out, but these kids found a way to battle back into the game and then staged an epic three-run rally when they were down by two in the last inning to get the win.”
The Lions tallied nine hits in the game, with Mitch Keeran and Pete Swenson each picking up a pair. Keeran had two RBIs, as did Rowdy Yates on one hit.
The Lions trailed, 4-0 after the first inning and 6-3 after three frames. Clear Lake chipped away at the lead with a run in the third and fifth innings. Each team scored two in the sixth, leaving the Lions down 8-6 heading into the bottom of the seventh.
“It was a game that had a state tournament feel to it and these kids showed that even though it is a new season they haven’t lost their fight that got them a State title last season,” added Thompson. “Ben Mason stepped up to pitch great and keep his team in the game so they were within striking distance at the end.”
Mason got the win with three innings pitched, allowing four hits. He struck out one and walked one.
Brandon Tofte started the game. The junior struck out three, walked three and gave up five hits in three innings. Brock Adams threw one inning, striking out one and giving up one hit.
CL 4, Ames 3
Pete Swenson pitched a two-hitter Saturday, helping the Lions to a 4-3 win over Ames.
“I couldn’t have been more impressed with Pete on the mound today against a really good 4A team in Ames,” said Coach Thompson. “Being at the end of a busy week and short on pitching arms, he helped his team by not just getting the win but pitching all seven innings to save arms.”
Brock Adams smacked a first inning home run to get the Lions going. Clear Lake held a 1-0 lead through four innings, then added three in the fifth with a series of well executed bunts that got runs across the plate.
Ames also scored three in the fifth, but the Lions held them to earn the one-run victory.
Swenson and Devin Uhlenhopp paced the Lions at the plate. Both of Swenson’s hits were doubles, while Uhlenhopp ended up at second after one of his two hits. He picked up one RBI in the game. Adams finished with two RBIs in the game.
On the mound, Swenson struck out six and allowed only two hits. He walked three.

CL 15, Kee, Lansing 5 (6)
The Lions capped the River City Tournament with a 15-5 win over Kee, Lansing.
“I am not sure I have seen a team I have coached get 21 hits in a single game, so to say they ended their week on a good note offensively would be an understatement,” said Coach Thompson.
Swenson finished off an impressive four-game stretch of going nine-for-12 with five doubles. Against Kee, Swenson had four hits and two RBIs.
“With him swinging well, our offense adds a whole new dimension. We had a lot of kids swing it well today against a school with a very proud baseball tradition in Kee High.”
Brock Adams had four RBIs on three hits to lead the Lions in that statistic.
Clear Lake scored at least one run in every inning, including plating six in the second.
Sophomore Zach Tatum settled down to pitch well after a rough start in his first varsity outing. He walked five and struck out three in five innings on the mound. Kee scored two runs in the first and three in the fifth, picking up three hits off the starter.
Matt Stephany threw the final two innings, allowing one hit, striking out one and walking one.
Tatum helped himself at the plate with three hits. Mitch Keeran also had three hits. Brandon Tofte, Devin Uhlenhopp and Parker Truesdell each had a pair of hits.