Cadott’s offensive woes lead to hard time in win column

Cadott sophomore Tristan Drier handles a groundout for his team against McDonell May 14, at home. The Hornets couldn’t put as many runs on the board as their opponents and saw the conference game go to McDonell, 13-4. Photo by Ginna Young

It was an action-packed week for the Cadott baseball program, as the squad faced off against multiple conference teams.

May 11 vs. Thorp-Gilman conference (L 16-5)

The Hornets took on the Thorp-Gilman Cardinals on home ground, with the game a close affair early on.

“A few errors on our part and some timely hits to the gap on their part, put us in a hole early,” said coach Spencer Kempf.

The Cardinals got on the board first, with two runs in the first inning, but Cadott answered back with a run in the top of the first. The Cardinals struck again in the second, scoring five runs, while the Hornets added another run. Both teams remained scoreless in the third inning, but Thorp got on the board again in the fourth, scoring four runs.

Each team knocked in three runs in the fifth inning and the Cardinals went on to rack up two more runs, while holding Cadott scoreless, to take the game, 16-5.

Senior pitcher Dylan Davis went four innings on the mound, giving up 8 hits and 11 runs, walking 5 and striking out 7. Sophomore Tristan Drier also pitched for an inning, allowing 3 hits, 3 runs and 4 walks. Ryan Sonnentag also took a turn pitching, only walking one batter.

Junior Gavin Tegels led on hits for the Hornets, with 3 runs batted in (RBI) to his credit, followed by senior Nelson Wahl and Davis, with 1 hit each. Senior Ryan Swenson walked twice during the game, and Drier, Wahl, Davis and junior Ryan Sonnentag each added a walk.

“We took some good at-bats, but could not break through with the big hit we needed,” said Kempf.

May 13 vs. Osseo-Fairchild conference (L 17-8)

Two says later, Cadott again played host, this time to Osseo- Fairchild.

“We hit really well, and had good at-bats and saw a lot of pitches,” said Kempf. “We had one inning where we gave them too many outs and gave them free bases.”

The score was evenly matched in the first inning, with the Thunder topping Cadott, 5-4. In the second and third innings, the Hornets scored a run each time, while holding the Thunder scoreless. But in the fourth, the Thunder clapped back, with seven runs.

Each team scored twice in the fifth inning, while the Thunder continued their scoring in the sixth and seventh, to claim a 17-8 victory.

“Dylan Davis had a very nice night at the plate, he was seeing the ball really well,” said Kempf.

Sophomore Ethan West went three innings on the mound for Cadott, giving up 6 hits, 8 runs and 5 walks. Senior Tyler Matherne also saw time pitching, taking the loss in two innings, with 5 hits and 6 runs. Drier also saw two innings of action, allowing 4 hits, 3 runs and 2 walks.

Davis led the Hornets’ offense with 3 hits, with Swenson adding 2 hits. Drier, Matherne, Wahl, Tegels and Sonnentah each chipped in with a hit, while Swenson and freshman Ashton Bremness recorded a walk each.

“I was encouraged by how we jumped out offensively in this game,” said Kempf. “When we can clean up the defense, we will start seeing more success.”

May 14 vs. McDonell conference (L 13-4)

There was no rest for the Hornets, as they hosted Mc-Donell, where the runs just wouldn’t come.

Cadott got on the board in the first inning, with a run, but McDonell added three runs in the second. Both teams scored a run in the third inning.

The Macks pulled in another two runs in the fourth, but the Hornets added a run of their own on their side of the inning. The score remained at 6-3 in favor of McDonell through the fifth and sixth innings.

With hopes of a comeback, the Hornets went into the seventh, but those hopes were dashed, as the Macks knocked in seven runs. Cadott tried valiantly to rally, but only came up with one run in the top of the inning, to see McDonell walk away with the 13-4 victory.

“McDonell played and pitched a good game tonight,” said Kempf. “Nelson Wahl pitched well for us, but we came up short for him.”

Wahl pitched six innings, giving up 10 hits for 9 runs, while striking out 5 and walking 4. Tegels and freshman Axel Tegels each saw time on the mound, with each allowing 2 runs. G. Tegels struck out one batter, while A. Tegels punched out two.

Drier, Matherne, Wahl, Davis, Sonnentag and freshman Connor Roth each scored a hit for the offense, with Davis earning a walk.

“We had our opportunities with runners on base, but just could not get the timely hit to fall,” said Kempf.

May 17 vs. Athens non-conference (L 22-2)

After a weekend’s rest, the Hornets were back in action, heading off to their only away game of the week. This time, the Cadott squad took on Athens, in a non-conference clash.

“We put together some good at-bats,” said Kempf, “unfortunately, we seemed to find their gloves every time we put a ball in play.”

During the game, Cadott would only have two runs put on the board, coming in the second and third innings. Athens didn’t have the same problem, as the home team added four runs in the first inning, five in the second, six in the third and seven in the fourth inning.

The Hornets couldn’t battle back and dropped the matchup, 22-2.

West and Drier each pitched for just over an inning, giving up a combined 9 hits and 12 walks, with each striking out a batter. Bremness went under an inning, giving up 3 hits and 7 runs, while walking 4.

Davis came away with the only 2 hits of the game on offense, while Davis Drier, Wahl, G. Tegels and West each earned a walk.

“Some walks and free bases really hurt us in this game,” said Kempf.

Cadott’s record now sits at 1-8 overall and 0-6 in the West Cloverbelt Conference.