Clinton built up just enough cushion to survive a late push from Bloomington Central Catholic, taking a 10-8 win in a game full of momentum swings.
Bloomington Central Catholic came out hot in the top of the 1st, getting on the board early with an RBI double from Crayton Schnierle and an RBI single from Colin Eickhorst to jump ahead 2-0. They kept applying pressure into the 4th, tying the game at 3 before Carter Landrus delivered a two-run single to give the Saints a 5-3 lead.
Clinton answered quickly and never let the game slip away. In the bottom of the 4th, Stone Stith and Josh Bass each drove in runs, with chaos on the bases and an error helping the Maroons take a 6-5 lead.
The momentum continued in the 5th when Ryan Pine crushed a two-run home run to extend the lead to 8-5. Clinton added more insurance in the 6th, highlighted by a Bass RBI double and another run scoring on a groundout to push it to 10-5.
Bloomington Central Catholic made things interesting in the 7th. A clutch bases-clearing double brought them within two at 10-8, but Clinton held firm to close it out.
Clinton’s offense was steady throughout, tallying 10 hits and capitalizing on key moments, while Bloomington Central Catholic matched with 9 hits of their own in the back-and-forth battle.
Top Performers
Clinton Varsity Maroons:
- Ryan Pine: 2-3, HR, 2 RBI, 2 R
- Josh Bass: 3-4, 2 RBI, 2B
- Mitchell Cornwell: 2-3, RBI, 2 R
- Jack Manning: 2 R
Bloomington Central Catholic Varsity Saints:
- Carter Landrus: 2-5, 2 RBI
- Conner Rave: 2-3, 2 R
- Colin Eickhorst: 1-3, RBI, R
- Lucas Smeltzer: 1-2, RBI, R
