CORNING — Southwest Valley (4-15, 2-11 Pride of Iowa) blanked Clarke (1-21, 0-16 South Central Conference) 10-0, in five innings Monday night.
The Timberwolves connected on eight hits in the win, and limited Clarke to three hits, two by Bo Otto and one by Josue Torres.
“Tonight, we’ve just put everything together that we’ve been hoping for,” Timberwolves coach Keegan Longabaugh said. “Guys put the ball in play and Barnes stepped up on the mound and threw a huge game for us. He had us all focused in from the on-set and he knew the leadership he showed on the mound I think is what sprung us to this kind of a victory.”
Junior hurler Robbie Barnes struck out nine Clarke batters.
“My night is that I step up on the mound, shut my mind off and focus between me and the catcher,” Barnes said. “I just throw strikes and give them something to hit, slow it down a bit, nothing too fast but put it in there and give them to play. I trust my defense and all my outfielders.”
Timberwolf bats collectively hit .400, 8-for-20, in the win and also connected on their 100th hit of season.
Prior to the game, Southwest Valley was .211, 92-for-436, at the plate.
“The only problem that we’re having is the hitting,” Barnes said. “We did great tonight, a lot of small ball, lots of bunts.”
At least for one night in Corning, bunting is winning in Corning.
“At the plate we’ve been harping all season that we don’t have the talent that a lot of these big schools around the cities do,” Longabaugh said. “We have to be a small ball team and bunting is something that’s huge when it comes to small ball. This was the first night that we had guys consistently throughout the lineup put bunts down.”
Southwest Valley got their first run on the board in the bottom of the first inning when Dalton Calkins drove in Blake Thomas with an RBI double.
Neither team lit up the scoreboard in the second inning.
Senior centerfielder Caleb Pearson opened the third inning with a walk and was the first to score in the third inning when he slid under a leaping Otto.
“I’m a little awkward with my body so I just run as fast I can and it makes for a weird face as you can see in that photo,” Pearson said.
Pearson went 1-for-2 at the plate, including a walk and hit a Clarke pitch. Additionally, Pearson scored two runs and drove in two RBIs as well.
“I get hit more than I probably hit the ball,” Pearson said. “I think I did alright, that bunt at the end gave me a confidence boost. I think we all did pretty well. I’m proud of the other guys.”
Brendan Knapp, Beau Johnston and Blake Thomas scored in the bottom of the third which increased the Timberwolf margin to five runs.
Johnston, a freshman second baseman, had two bunt doubles in the game and three RBIs.
“That kid, we knew last year as an eighth grader he was going to be something special at the mound,” Longabaugh said. “He’s taken leaps and bounds of where we thought he’d be as a freshman. He stepped up at the plate these last 2 1/2 weeks when I’ve asked him to become a starter. He shows no fear when he’s up there and even though he’s not the fastest kid at the plate he’ll make other teams scared about it. Having three RBIs off two bunts, that’s something not a lot of kids can say.”
Clarke went three up, three down in the top of the fourth inning.
Southwest Valley added three more in the bottom of the fourth.
Ethan Bruce, Owen Wilkinson and Pearson were walked to start the inning and Knapp’s sacrifice fly drove home Bruce.
Johnston brought home Wilkinson and Pearson with his second bunt double of the game.
Sophomore catcher had a hand, or a glove, in every out in the top of the fifth inning as he caught a pop fly and rifled it to Bruce for a double play and threw another ball Bruce’s way after an uncaught third strike.
Needing two runs to end the game in five innings, SWV’s offense came through.
Currin and Gavin Wetzel, who was in at pinch runner for Bruce, came home on a wild pitch to give the Timberwolves the runs the needed to run rule Clarke.
Pictures from the game can be found at: tiny.cc/SWVClarkeBSB2022
Southwest Valley will take on Shenandoah at Sportsman Park tomorrow at 7:30 p.m.