Hawks get to .500 with win over W-MU

BY PCC SPORTS

DONNELLSON - Winfield Mt. Union went back-to-back-to-back home runs twice in the third inning Wednesday at Central Lee, but the Hawks put up 16 runs to shake off the onslaught and take a 16-7 win in Southeast Iowa Superconference baseball action.

Freshman Cory Jones took the mound for Central Lee for his first varsity start of the year and gave up one run in the top of the first on a passed ball.

But the Hawks gave Jones a lot of breathing room in the bottom of the first plating six runs, three on passed balls and wild pitches to take a 6-1 lead before Kade Myhre struck out as the ninth hitter of the inning.

Jones would get through the second clean, giving up two singles, but two strikeouts and a ground out left two Wolves on the bases.

Central Lee would put up eight more runs in the bottom of the second highlighted by doubles from Jones and Dylan Stuecker scoring three runs combined. Central Lee would get three more runs on passed balls and wild pitches in the inning. Stuecker would add also add a single in the inning.

Winfield would go nuts in the top of the third starting with a lead-off inside-the-park homer by Nick Crow past Corbin Pohren in left field. Then David Nichols and Cole Milks went yard both on 0-1 pitches to cut into the lead 14-4.

Jones would get a pop out to second base for the first out and then Luke Pfeiffer, Jackson Woods and Noah Sparrow cleared the fence consecutively to make it 14-7. The Wolves worked two more singles to put two on with just one out. Jones then got a ground out to Alex Sandoval at short and pop out to short to get out of the inning.

Pohre would double with two outs in the bottom half and would come around to score on a single from Tommy Eschman to push the lead back to eight, 15-7.

Ryan Roberts came on the bump in the top of the fourth for Central Lee and got the Wolves three-up, three-down. Sandoval would stroke an RBI double to left with two out to give the Hawks a 9-run lead.

Roberts would hold the Wolves in check through the 6th and Gannon Wells came in to wrap things up in the 7th.

Jones went three innings to get the win giving up seven runs, six earned on 11 hits and struck out three. Roberts threw three innings of no-hit ball and struck out five. Wells pitched the final inning striking out one.

Jonny Snider had three hits to lead Central Lee. Sandoval and Pohren had two hits and two runs scored each.

The Hawks (4-4) play host to Highland in a junior varsity/varsity double header Thursday night.