Fueled by an order batting around without surrendering an out in two separate innings, the Sigourney Savages (22-3) dismantled the Lone Tree Lions (9-14) 23-2 to advance to Saturday’s district final.
After a quick top of the first, Sigourney got hot quickly, as Cole McKay led off the home half of the game with a single. He got caught in a run down, eventually getting tagged out for Sigourney’s first out of the night. That was the last out Lone Tree would record for the next half hour.
Back-to-back errors allowed Caden Clarahan and Isaac Bruns to reach base, beginning the flood of baserunners. Two walks and four consecutive singles later, Lone Tree starting pitcher Owen Eden was pulled just a third of an inning into the game. Emmett Burke entered in Eden’s place and immediately surrendered back-to-back RBI walks. The ferocious Savage offense continued to keep its foot on the gas pedal, building an early 12-0 lead.
Both offenses were held scoreless in the second, but Lone Tree showed signs of life at the plate in the third.
A Cole Walmsley walk sparked the offense, which was followed up by a Burke single. Both were knocked in by a single off the bat of Brody Magruder, cutting the Lions’ deficit to ten. When the bottom of the inning came, though, Sigourney removed all doubt regarding the game’s outcome.
Seven of the first eight batters reached base, forcing Burke out of the game in favor of eighth-grade pitcher Jonas Koedam and bringing starting pitcher Chase Clarahan to the plate.
Chase dug in and smashed a no-doubt grand slam, barrelling the ball over the left-center field fence, “I thought it might hit the fence, but once I looked up and saw it, I was like ‘Oh yeah.’” The blast extended the lead to 20-2 and established the 15-run lead necessary to trigger the 4th-inning mercy rule.
Three more runs came across to extend the lead to 23-2, giving the Sigourney defense six insurance runs to work with.
Landon Conrad took the bump for the savages and closed the game, stranding the bases loaded while throwing three strikeouts to end the game with a scoreless fourth.
Chase Clarahan took the win on the night, surrendering two runs, both of which were earned, in three innings on two hits and three walks while collecting four strikeouts. He also led the way offensively, collecting six RBIs on the night. Every single starter for Sigourney collected both a run scored and a base hit, with the only player not collecting two runs scored being Chase, whose courtesy runner Carson Davis scored in the first.
Eden was given the loss for his efforts on Tuesday, allowing nine runs, none of which were earned, on five hits and two walks in a third of an inning.
The loss ended the short tenure of Lone Tree head coach Mike Eden, who will be moving on from the district next school year.
Sigourney advances to host the Hillcrest Academy Ravens in the district final on Saturday at 7 p.m.