The Claremont Legion baseball team picked up three wins in its first five outings to open its summer campaign.
Coach Joe Gustafson’s crew dropped contests to Milbank 8-0 and Groton 8-0 before downing Hamlin 135 in a tournament at Milbank and swept Webster in a twin bill 9-4 and 9-3.
This week the Honkers hosted Groton last night Tuesday, travels to Faulkton for a 6 p.m. doubleheader on Thursday, plays at Howard Lake, MN, at 1 p.m. Saturday, and hosts Sisseton for two at 6 p.m. Tuesday.
“I think we’re off to a good start,” said Gustafson. “I was happy with the pitching and the defense and in the third game at Milbank our hitting started to come around and we finally started seeing the ball.”
Milbank 8 Claremont 0
Milbank led just 4-0 after five innings but broke the game open with a four-run sixth. Claremont managed just a single hit, a Will Cutler double, and Milbank pitcher Justus Osborn fanned 14.
Claremont 0 0 0 0 0 0 – 0 1 1 Milbank 0 0 1 3 0 4 – 8 8 2
Rennan Bruns, Ben Gustafson (4), Danny Feist (5) and Will Cutler; Justus Osborn
Groton 8 Claremont 0
Groton pushed across three tallies in both the first and second innings and allowed just three Claremont hits, singles by Grant Cutler, Tristan Leidholt, and Jack Podoll. Groton hurler Bradin Althoff was the winning pitcher and struck out nine.
Claremont 0 0 0 0 0 0 – 0 3 4 Groton 3 3 0 1 0 1 – 8 11 0
Ben Gustafson, Tristan Leidholt (6) and Leidholt, Gustafson; Bradin Althoff, Brevin Fliehs (6)
Claremont 13 Hamlin 5
Claremont erased a 5-2 deficit with four runs in the fourth inning and tacked on four more in the fifth and three in the sixth to take charge.
Ben Gustafson doubled and singled, Grant Cutler singled twice, Will Cutler and Rennen Bruns both doubled, and Leidholt, Colby Dauwen, and Braven Hansen added safeties. Will Cutler picked up the pitching win and fanned 11.
Hamlin 0 0 3 2 0 0 – 5 4 4 Claremont 1 1 0 4 4 3 – 13 9 4
Riggs Prouty, Watson Grantham (4), Kelby Hauck (6); Will Cutler, Colby Dauwen and Ben Gustafson
Claremont 9-9 Webster 4-3
Claremont used a big fiverun fourth inning to come back from a 4-2 deficit in the opener and then earned the sweep by pushing across four runs in the second and three more in the third of the nightcap.
Jack Podoll ripped a pair of doubles and a single and Will Cutler doubled and singled twice to power the Honkers in game one. Dauwen added a double and Bruns and Leidholt had singles. Will Schuller went the distance on the mound.
Claremont was out-hit 5-4 in the second game but played errorless ball in the field. Will Cutler laced an out-ofthe- park homer and single and collected three RBI’s to lead the way. Gustafson and Conner Glines singled. Danny Feist earned the pitching win with relief help from Jesse Keough.
Claremont 0 2 0 5 2 – 9 9 2 Webster 2 0 2 0 0 – 4 4 1
Will Schuller and Will Cutler, Jesse Keough (3); Jack Shoemaker
Claremont 2 4 3 – 9 4 0 Webster 3 0 0 – 3 5 1
Danny Feist, Jesse Keough (3) and Will Cutler; Brent Snaza
