Wolves top Griswold, lose to Tri-Center
NEOLA -- The IKM-Manning baseball team finished 1-1 in this year’s Western Iowa Conference Tournament, beating Griswold 8-7 in a first-round game before losing to second-seeded Tri-Center 6-3 in the quarterfinals. Both games were played Monday night (June 26) at Tri-Center.
IKM-M 8, Griswold 7 - Overcoming a seven-run fourth inning by the Tigers (and 7-0 deficit), the Wolves scored four runs in the fifth and three in the sixth to advance out of the first round. Alex Lingle (2-1), who relieved Nick Halbur during the fourth, pitched three and one-third innings for the win before Sam Gross struck out the last two batters of the game for his third save. Offensive leaders for IKM-Manning included two-hit games by Jared Johnson (2 runs), Grant Stracke (2 RBI) and Gross (2 RBI). Johnson and Cody Chapman both finished with two of the team’s six stolen bases.
Tri-Center 6, IKM-M 3 - The Wolves took a 2-0 lead in the top of the first but didn’t score again until the seventh in Monday’s quarterfinal defeat. Tri-Center scored four runs in the second inning and added single runs in the fifth and sixth. IKM-Manning finished with five singles in the contest, including two by Johnson, who also stole two bases and scored a run. Alex Lingle (2 RBI), Cody Chapman (1 run) and Alex Heiman (1 run) each added one hit. Sam Gross (1-4) took the loss, allowing four runs on two hits over four innings. He struck out eight but was hurt by six walks.