BASEBALL INDIANS POST WINS OVER WAVERLY-SHELL ROCK AND SOUTH WINN, FALL TO CRESTWOOD AND WEST DELAWARE

The Waukon Indian baseball team tripled its win total in just a week's time, beginning the week with just one win to its credit for the season, but picking up two more wins in five games this week to stand with a mark of 3-17, 2-6 in the Northeast Iowa Conference. The Tribe opened the week with a 5-1 loss at Crestwood of Cresco Monday, June 19 and then picked up an 8-7 home win over Waverly-Shell Rock Wednesday, June 21.
The Tribe then suffered a pair of home losses to Class 3A top-five rated West Delaware, 9-4 and 18-1 in five innings Thursday, June 22, but bounced back to get its own Jeff Houg Tournament off to a victorious start with a 10-0 win over South Winn in five innings Saturday, June 24. The second half of that Jeff Houg Tournament was claimed by rain, the Tribe's championship game match-up with Kee High having to be postponed until July 8.
The Indians will now play host to Class 3A top-rated Oelwein Monday, June 26 before playing at Charles City Tuesday, June 27, at home against Central Elkader Wednesday, June 28, and at Decorah in a varsity doubleheader Thursday, June 29. The Tribe will then participate in the Independence Tournament Saturday, July 1 before playing a varsity doubleheader at Oelwein Monday, July 3 and back-to-back dates Wednesday, July 5 at Starmont and Thursday, July 6 at New Hampton, a varsity twinbill.

at Crestwood ...
The baseball Indians managed just one run against Crestwood at Cresco Monday, June 19, but gave away five unearned tallies to suffer a 5-1 loss to the host Cadets. The Tribe was limited to just four hits by Crestwood hurler Wade Grinhaug, and got an equally good pitching performance from junior right-hander Heath Hesse with just five hits, but committed six errors in the ballgame to allow five Cadet runs to cross home.
The Indians took the initial lead in the ballgame, scoring a run in the top of the second frame. Senior shortstop Eddie Frick belted a one-out single, stole second and advanced to third on an errant throw in the steal attempt. A ground ball off the bat of junior designated hitter Jared Jones then allowed Frick to score from third for the 1-0 Indian advantage.
That one-run lead was short-lived, however, as the Tribe committed three consecutive errors to begin the bottom half of the second frame. Back-to-back, one-out singles from the Cadets further took advantage of those three Indian miscues, Crestwood tallying three runs to overtake the Tribe, 3-1.
With the exception of a third-inning double and sixth-inning single from sophomore left fielder Chad Bakkum, the Tribe was retired in order by Grinhaug and his defensive counterparts in frames three through six. The Tribe was nearly equally as effective on defense in those same four frames, with the exception of a two-run fifth inning that pushed the Crestwood lead to 5-1 with a pair of Cadet singles and another Indian error.
The Tribe's final opportunity at the plate in the top of the seventh inning got some help from a two-out error followed by a base on balls. A fly ball to right field left both those baserunners stranded, however, leaving the Indians on the short end of the 5-1 final result.
Hesse suffered the loss on the mound, limiting Crestwood to five hits and striking out five batters. Grinhaug's win was aided by allowing four hits, striking out four batters and walking one Indian in seven frames.

Varsity reserve ...
The varsity reserve Indians overcame a 2-0 deficit and used a two-run fifth inning to break a 3-3 tie and claim a 5-3 win at Crestwood of Cresco. Trailing 2-0 in the fourth, the Indians took advantage of two Cadet errors, a base on balls and a wild pitch to take a 3-2 lead, sophomore shortstop Seth Kelly also knocking a one-run single to help the Indian cause.
After allowing Crestwood to knot the score at three runs each in the bottom of the fourth, the Indians capitalized on a lead-off walk with a one-out, run-scoring double by senior right fielder Brian Swenson to regain the lead. A two-out single by freshman second baseman Mitch Roe scored Swenson, giving the Indians the 5-3 advantage they would never relinquish.
Junior Bill Van Gorp picked up the pitching win for the Tribe, allowing just one hit and striking out one batter in the game's final one and two-thirds innings. Fellow junior Jared Jones pitched the first three and one-third frames, giving up four hits, walking one batter and striking out three.

vs. Waverly-SR ...
A six-run third inning for the baseball Indians gave them a big boost on the way to coming away with an 8-7 win at home Wednesday, June 21. The Indians seemed to be in control of the contest, heading into the final frame with an 8-1 lead, but had to hold off a seventh-inning uprising to escape with the one-run victory.
The two clubs exchanged their initial runs early, the Indians striking first in the bottom of the first frame. Junior shortstop Heath Hesse led the inning off with a double and took third on a wild pitch before scoring on a sacrifice fly by junior first baseman Josh Johnson. Waverly struck back immediately in the top of the next inning with a lead-off solo homer from Dan Schrage, knotting the score at one run each.
The Indian eruption in the third also began with a lead-off double from Hesse, the Indian junior scoring on a single from sophomore left fielder Chad Bakkum. A pair of Go-Hawk errors on each side of a hit batsman pushed two more runs across before a sacrifice fly from senior designated hitter Jason Manning and a two-out single from senior center fielder Craig Stott drove the final two runs of the inning home, catapulting the Tribe to a 7-1 advantage through three innings.
After scoreless fourth and fifth frames, the Tribe tacked on one final run in the bottom of the sixth frame, getting a lead-off walk from junior catcher Andy Snitker. His courtesy runner, freshman Tyson Farley, then took second on a wild pitch before a single by Manning and a fielder's choice from Stott brought Farley the rest of the way around the base circuit, putting the Indians up, 8-1.
That single Indian run in the sixth would prove to be large in the top of the next frame, as Waverly staged a comeback effort that pulled them within a run and put two other baserunners in position to further add to that tally. Two singles, followed by four free passes and two more singles, allowed the Go-Hawks to creep back within striking distance of the Tribe. A timely strikeout for the third out finally ended the comeback and the threat, allowing the Indians to come away with the 8-7 win.
Senior pitcher Eddie Frick was credited with the pitching win for the Indians, allowing six hits, striking out four batters, walking three and hitting another in six and one-third innings on the mound. Hesse came on in relief in the seventh, giving up two hits, walking one batter and striking out two to secure the final two outs of the game. Waverly's Jeff Bruxvoort suffered the pitching loss, allowing seven Indian hits, striking out seven Indian batters, walking two and hitting another.

Varsity reserve ...
An early, lively exchange between the varsity reserve Indians and Waverly found the Tribe on the short end of an 8-5 early result, the Indians pounding out five first-inning runs on three hits, two walks and a Go-Hawk error. An exchange of two-run fourth innings and one-run fifth frames left the Tribe on the short side of a three-run margin, the final tally ending up at 11-8.
Sophomore Seth Kelly belted a two-run homer to supply the Tribe's fourth inning tally, with junior pitcher Jared Jones stroking a one-run single for the Indians' lone run in the fifth and final frame. Jones also completed the final three and one-third innings on the mound for the Indians, giving up three hits, walking one batter and striking out another. Senior Jason Manning pitched the first one and two-thirds innings of the ballgame, giving up three hits, walking four batters, hitting another and striking out two more.

West Delaware twinbill ...
The baseball Indians played host to a formidable opponent in Class 3A top-five rated West Delaware for a varsity doubleheader Thursday, June 22, giving the visiting Hawks a good test in game one before falling by a 9-5 final, but being handled by an 18-1 final in five innings in the nightcap of the twinbill. The hard-hitting Hawks pummeled Indian pitching for a total of 26 hits in the two games, 17 of those coming in game two.
Game one began with a little taste of that West Delaware offensive display, as the visiting Hawks hammered out five hits, four of them in a row to start the game, to take an early, 4-0 lead. The Indians were able to answer a bit with one run on back-to-back singles from juniors Chris Kamm and Josh Johnson.
A scoreless second frame for both clubs gave way to another offensive display by West Delaware, this time featuring some power with a pair of two-run homers in the third inning for an 8-1 advantage. Once again, however, the Indians were able to chalk up a run in the bottom half of the frame, using the combination of Kamm and Johnson to post another tally on the board, this time with back-to-back doubles.
The fourth and fifth frames were fairly uneventful for both sides, the Indians extending the visiting Hawks' scoring drought yet another inning through the top of the sixth. A four-hit, three-run bottom of the sixth brought the Tribe's scorelessness to an abrupt end, however.
Senior shortstop Eddie Frick and freshman pitcher Kenny Hansmeier stroked back-to-back, one-out singles to begin the Indian uprising, with junior pinch hitter Jared Jones drilling his own two-out single to score Frick. Eighth grade pinch hitter Shawn Cunningham then stepped to the plate to deliver both Hansmeier's courtesy runner, senior Jason Manning, and Jones home with a two-run single to right field, pulling the Indians within reach of West Delaware at 8-5.
The Hawks tacked on another run in the top of the seventh on a lead-off double and Indian error, but the Tribe was unable to get any closer in its half of the inning. A lead-off single in the bottom half of that bottom of the seventh by sophomore catcher Chad Bakkum gave life to an Indian comeback possibility, but three consecutive strikeouts followed Bakkum's hit to end the ballgame at the 9-5 Indian defeat.
Hansmeier went the distance in the ballgame, giving up nine West Delaware hits and just one walk, while striking out two in the first varsity pitching start of his career. West Delaware's Doug Drees picked up the pitching win, allowing nine Indian hits, striking out 12 batters and walking just one.

The first inning of game two was nearly identical to the start of game one, West Delaware belting out three hits for three runs and the Tribe responding with a single run. After West Delaware's three-run top half of the inning, Indian junior second baseman Chris Kamm stroked a two-out single in the bottom half of the frame, advanced to second on a walk issued to junior first baseman Josh Johnson, and then scored on a single from senior shortstop Eddie Frick to make for a 3-1 tally after one complete inning of play.
All similarities to game one ended after that first inning, however, as the Tribe was limited to just those two first-inning hits and that single first-inning run, managing just three other harmless baserunners in the ballgame on a West Delaware error, a walk and a hit batsman. Meanwhile, the visiting Hawks continued to bombard Indian pitching for the game's next four innings, pounding out a total of 14 more hits to score four runs in both the second and third innings, six more in the fourth frame, and a final run in the fifth, finishing off the Tribe in five innings by the 18-1 final.
Sophomore Seth Kelly suffered the pitching loss for the Tribe, giving up 10 hits, walking one batter and striking out none in the game's first three innings. Junior Bill Van Gorp came on in relief in the final two innings, allowing seven hits, walking one batter and striking out another. West Delaware's Kory Kelchen limited the Tribe to just two hits, striking out three batters and walking two more to record the win.

Jeff Houg Tournament ...
The Indians' own Jeff Houg Memorial Tournament was cut short by rainy weather Saturday, June 24, with only the two first-round games being played. The baseball Indians scored a 10-0 win over South Winn in five innings in the first of those two opening-round contests, with Kee High winning the second game by a 9-5 decision in six innings over Maquoketa.
The consolation contest between South Winn and Maquoketa will not be rescheduled, but the tournament championship match-up between the Indians and Kee High has been rescheduled for Saturday, July 8.
Against South Winn, the Indians hammered out 14 hits to score runs in all but one of the game's five innings. That offensive display was complemented nicely on the defensive side by a combined three-hit effort from the Indian pitching duo of senior Eddie Frick and sophomore Seth Kelly. The pair, along with their defensive counterparts, limited South Winn to just seven baserunners in the ballgame, just one of those runners advancing past second base, but none of them reaching home.
The Tribe's offensive effort got a three-run jumpstart from Frick, as he belted the first homerun of his varsity baseball career in the bottom of the first inning. Sophomore left fielder Chad Bakkum and junior second baseman Chris Kamm put themselves in position for Frick's free ride, Bakkum belting a double and Kamm knocking a single.
After a scoreless second frame for the Tribe, Bakkum once again made his way around the basepaths to tally a run in the third. After stroking a lead-off single, he forced the South Winn pitcher to throw to first in a pick-off attempt. The throw sailed past first base, putting Bakkum in motion toward second. Another throw in an attempt to halt the sophomore's progress at second also got away from the South Winn defense, allowing Bakkum to scoot to third. A sacrifice fly to right field off the bat of junior first baseman Josh Johnson then allowed Bakkum to score from third, improving the Tribe's standing to 4-0.
Five more Indian hits in the fourth inning resulted in three more runs being added to the Indian tally. Kelly, junior catcher Andy Snitker, senior center fielder Craig Stott, junior shortstop Heath Hesse and Bakkum each swatted out singles, Kelly's courtesy runner, freshman Mitch Roe, scoring on Stott's single and Stott scoring on Hesse's offering. Snitker's courtesy runner, senior Jason Manning, also scored on a South Winn error in between those two run-scoring singles to help improve the Tribe to a 7-0 lead.
The final tallies were posted in the bottom of the fifth inning on four more singles and two walks. Frick started the inning with a lead-off single before being joined on the basepaths by Kelly by virtue of a walk. A sacrifice bunt by junior designated hitter Jared Jones put both runners in scoring position, from where they later made good on that position on Snitker's second single and third hit of the game.
After another walk and Bakkum's third single and fourth hit of the game, Kamm stepped to the plate and blasted a single to left field that scored Snitker's courtesy runner, Manning again, with the game-ending tenth Indian run.
In the first three and two-thirds innings, Frick allowed just one hit, walked three batters and struck out one to secure the win. Kelly took over for the final inning and one-third, giving up two hits and striking out three batters. South Winn's Trevor Huinker absorbed the pitching loss, being taken for nine Indian hits, walking no one and striking out one batter in the first three and one-third innings. Josh Uhlenhake came on in relief for the final one and one-third frames, giving up five hits, walking two batters and striking out two.