Rough third inning sinks Panther boys

Creston’s defense had a one-inning lapse Tuesday and that’s all the Clarinda baseball team needed to hang on for a 6-2 victory over the Panthers.

It was Panther Baseball Club recognition night with youths from the four-session camp being introduced prior to the game, while accompanying varsity starters onto the field before the start of the game.

The future Panthers watched a sharply-played pitching duel for two innings between Creston’s Parker Varner and Clarinda’s James McCall, with the Panthers in front 1-0 on the strength of a Kyle Strider walk, sacrifice bunt by McCoy Haines and RBI single by Cael Turner in the opening frame.

But the Cardinals gained extra opportunities in the top of the third inning with four runs on two hits, two walks, a hit by pitch and two infield errors. The Cardinals scored two insurance runs in the fifth, while Creston’s offense was quiet the rest of the night except for the first varsity home run by eighth-grader Tom Mikkelsen over the left field fence in the sixth.

Varner took the loss in going the distance, allowing three earned runs with one strikeout and no walks after the Cardinals’ third-inning rally. McCall picked up the complete game victory with five strikeouts, two walks and only five hits allowed. Creston finished with five errors to none by the Cardinals.

“Parker pitched outs, we just had that one bad inning and gave them six outs,” Creston coach Brandon Phipps said. “The one big inning affected the rest of the game, it seemed. We were flat, just like the second game last night (1-0 loss in Atlantic after rolling 13-3 in the opener). Something happened between game one yesterday and now. We were half asleep for a lot of the game tonight.”

Strider, Sam Henry and Milo Staver had the other three Creston hits. Staver in left and Gavin Millslagle in center both flagged down some hard-hit balls for flyouts to help Varner, but the third inning proved to be the team’s demise.

Clarinda improved to 5-4 overall and 4-4 in Hawkeye Ten play. Creston, now 7-8 overall and 2-5 in league play, travels to Shenandoah Friday before taking on Treynor on Friday.