Panthers hope to reset in tourney

SAYDEL — Big innings plagued the Creston baseball team in two road losses to end the regular season this week.

Class 3A No. 8-ranked Saydel scored six runs in the bottom of the fifth inning Wednesday night to win 9-4, after the Panthers had gone ahead 4-3 in the top of the fifth with a three-run rally. Creston outhit the Eagles 7-4 but was hampered by issuing 11 walks and committing four errors.

“Too many free bases,” Creston coach Brandon Phipps said after the team’s losing streak reached six games. The Panthers go into district play at 16-16 after sitting at 16-10 when Creston beat Clarinda 5-2 on June 27.

One night earlier, Class 4A No. 7-ranked Indianola scored nine runs in the third inning of a 12-1 victory over the Panthers. Tanner Ray had Creston’s only hit in that game.

“Tonight we got better,” Phipps said after the Saydel loss. “We looked really good at the plate, for the most part. The big inning happened against Indianola, too. Just some stuff that can’t happen. We had chances to get out of that (fifth) inning tonight but we didn’t execute. It all happened with two outs. We had two outs and we’re up 4-3. I really thought we were going to win it.”

With a runner on and two outs, Saydel took advantage of an error, three more walks, an RBI single and another error before the six-run outburst finally ended on a flyout to right field.

The Panthers have some new faces in the lineup recently as senior left fielder Brayden Schoon has reported to the Iowa Western Community College football team, along with preparing for the Iowa Shrine Bowl on July 19. Second baseman Logan Stehr is undergoing hip surgery and will miss the rest of the season.

Rhett Driskell has taken over at second base. Gabe Blazek and Mark Kasha have picked up more varsity outfield duty, and Blazek delivered an RBI double to center field in Creston’s three-run fifth Wednesday. Mattias Schultes followed with a run-scoring hit to push the Panthers in front, 4-3.

Tanner Ray and Tom Mikkelsen each had two hits in the game, and Parker Varner drove in a pair of runs.

Phipps said the original plan was for Ray, Varner and Mikkelsen to all get some time on the mound, without exceeding 40 pitches, so each could be available for district play Friday. Mikkelsen ended up throwing 50 pitches after Ray and Varner were held to 37 and 38 pitches. Driskell finished as the final Panther hurler during Saydel’s six-run outburst in the fifth.

“Ideally they would each go 40-40-40 and 120 pitches should get you through a game,” Phipps said. “But 11 walks doesn’t help. But Tom is going to be our catcher Friday, so that was OK that he went a little over.”

The Panthers (16-16) begin Class 3A district play at 7 p.m. Friday at home against Clarke Community (10-22). The winner takes on the winner of Harlan (23-11) vs. Atlantic (9-15) on Monday, hosted by the higher seed. (Harlan is No. 2 seed, Creston No. 3. Sixth-ranked Bishop Heelan (26-10) is the No. 1 seed in Class 3A Substate 1.

In some combination over the four days of the first and second round games, Phipps hopes to be in a position to call on Varner, Ray and Mikkelsen as pitchers, with freshman Landyn Scherer available for relief duty as well.

The substate final is scheduled July 16 to determine the state qualifier.

“Hopefully we can pitch and play defense better than tonight and keep the sticks going,” Phipps said. “We’ve had some adversity and didn’t finish the season the way we wanted to, but we just have to stay together and keep grinding. At the end of the day we’re trying to make a run.”

Saydel 9, Creston 4

Creston pitching: Tanner Ray 0K 3BB, Parker Varner (2) 3K 1BB, Tom Mikkelsen (4) 2K 7BB, Rhett Driskell (5) 0K 0BB. Saydel pitching: Shane Scott 5K 0BB, Chase Sharp (5) 1K 2BB, Chasse Herting (6) 2K 1BB. W — Sharp. L— Mikkelsen. 2B — Cr: Gabe Blazek. Say: Brady Hicks. RBI — Cr: Varner 2, Blazek 1, Mattias Schultes 1. Say: Turner Bennett 2, Kamden Jorgenson 2, Hicks 2, Braydon Boston 1. Multiple hitters — Cr: Mikkelsen 2, Ray 2. Say: Hicks 2.