Wednesday's sports: BCLUW baseball takes NICL West lead

Read more in next week's Grundy Register.
 

Comet boys defeat Spartans in 5
 
BEAMAN – The BCLUW baseball team brought an early end to Wednesday's NICL West matchup with Grundy Center, scoring eight runs in the fifth inning for a 15-4 victory over the Spartans.
 
The Comets moved into first place in the NICL West with the victory with a 5-1 conference record, leading by a half-game over AGWSR.
 
Blake Mann's grand slam put the Comets over the 10-run threshold in the fifth inning. The BCLUW senior finished with a team-leading five runs batted in. Troy Dolphin, Brad Barkema and Koty Kruse all added three hits and two RBIs each.
 
Calob Keller earned the pitching victory for the Comets, striking out eight with one walk and four hits allowed in five innings.
 
Garret Weldon drove in two runs for the Spartans (0-11, 0-5) and Jensen Clapp chipped in an RBI.
 
"The kids played their hearts out," Grundy Center baseball coach Pat Brown II said. "We just don't have the pitching depth and are struggling with the pitch counts. [BCLUW coach Matt] Zoske has his kids swinging the bats and throwing strikes."
 

BCLUW girls win 6th straight

 
CONRAD – The Comets (10-5, 4-2 NICL West) scored four runs in the third innings off one base hit and Grundy Center errors and wild pitches for a 5-1 win over the Spartans.
 
Lauren Anderson, Kiersten Kruse and Easton Swanson all drove in a run each for the Comets. Anderson and Bailey Ashton combined to hold Grundy Center (6-6, 1-4) to 4 hits and one earned run with Ashton throwing five strikeouts.
 
Grundy Center's Megan Beck lifted a solo home run in the fourth inning to break up BCLUW's shutout bid.
 

AGWSR baseball splits games with Trojans

 
STATE CENTER – West Marshall defeated AGWSR 3-2 in a continuation of a game suspended in Ackley earlier this season, but the Cougars bounced back for a 10-7 victory in NICL West matchups on Wednesday.
 
Ryan Reyerson's two-RBI single in the fifth inning was the deciding factor in the West Marshall (10-7, 3-2 NICL West) victory. Cougars pitcher Luke Starr had six strikeouts with four walks and two earned runs with four hits in four innings of work on the mound.
 
AGWSR's offense only managed two hits total in the resumed game. In the second game, though, the Cougars (7-2, 5-2) roped 12 hits, rallying from a 7-3 deficit after four innings to surge ahead for the victory.
 
Ben Macy was 3 for 3 at the plate with an RBI and a double, while Liam Stubbe and Luke Starr knocked in two runs each.
 
Alex Hames earned the pitching victory, tossing three innings of relief with no hits allowed and three strikeouts.
 

D-NH baseball steady in nonconference win

 
DIKE – Dike-New Hartford pitching held North Fayette Valley to five hits in a 7-2 victory on Wednesday.
 
D-NH (10-7) pitchers Zak Wauters, Tim Koop and Ryan Moore combined for six strikeouts, four walks and two earned runs allowed.
 
Wauters, Parker Kiewiet, Drew Sonnenberg, Chase Wilson and Cade Curtis all drove in an RBI each for a balanced D-NH offense, with nine different Wolverines collecting at least one hit against NFV (4-7).
 

G-R boys rally falls short

 
REINBECK – Gladbrook-Reinbeck baseball had the tying run on third in the seventh inning but Waterloo Columbus was able to shut the door for a 3-2 nonconference win on Wednesday.
 
Jackson Kiburis and Eli Thede brought in a run each for the Rebels, with Tyler Tscherter and Bryce Schick collecting two hits each.
 
Caden Kickbush went the distance for the Rebels, striking out five with one walk and three earned runs on eight hits.
 
"Just a good, clean baseball game," G-R head coach Scott Kiburis said. "We played really well on defense, pitched really well, scrapped at the plate, we just didn't get the big hit that we've been getting all year."
 

Trojans pull away from G-R girls

 
STATE CENTER – West Marshall put up big numbers late to defeat Gladbrook-Reinbeck softball 11-1 in five innings.
 
G-R (1-10, 0-4 NICL West) led 1-0 after three and a half innings, but West Marshall (7-6, 2-3) put up seven runs in the fourth inning and four more in the fifth to end the game early.
 
Alyssa Morgan had a double and an RBI for the Rebels in the top of the second, scoring Rachel Cooley for G-R's lone run of the day.
 
Today's local schedule
 
(All times are approximate, weather permitting)
 
Baseball
West Fork at AGWSR, 7:30 p.m.
Gladbrook-Reinbeck at West Marshall, 7:30 p.m.
Grundy Center at North Tama, 7:30 p.m.
 
Softball
AGWSR at West Marshall, 7:30 p.m.
BCLUW at East Marshall, 7:30 p.m.
Grundy Center at North Tama, 6 p.m.